How do you get to go faster?

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

Now, where's my pipe and slippers.

I feel almost the same on the road, but it really depends on the road. If I've never ridden it before then sure, I won't push anything at all, but I do unlike you feel the need to be the fastest rider I can possibly be. This might be weird for some people but for me it seems natural to want to go as fast as possible at all times, it's more a mental restrictor kit that stops me from killing myself. I love speed and the feeling of being right on the edge.

There's a stretch of (obviously private) road with excellent visibility mostly, nice and wide and very rarely more than one or two cars on it and its usually clear on the 40-50 times I've ridden down it, corners that open up and tighten; it's about 2-3 miles long and I love it; but there's one certain braking zone that highlights my personal fear. It's right on the crest of the hill; I can take the corner that's at about 50 degrees or so at around 50 or 60 but I tend to be going much faster than that before I hit the crest; I brake hard as I hit the crest, just before with the back brake, but then I've braked down to about 60 a good 30-40 metres before the turn even starts. However, flying over a crest with no more a tap on the back brake scares me, and hence I can't go much faster round that corner. But that won't stop me from nailing it one day; on a road though, I can't just nail it and see what happens- bike at 100 over a noticable crest in the road up a hill metres before a turn, would probably be fine :P as that would be extremely dangerous.

Well the first thing you have to ask yourself is "what is it limiting me to this speed"?

It could be a LOT of things. Example's:-

1. Road knowledge. If you dont know the road, then learn it.

2. Cant see enough round corners over hills etc. Well there is no way around this... unless you want to ride like a fool.

3. Feedback from the bike. Suspension makes a massive differenece, if you arnt confident in how the bike feels under you then youll struggle to push it. (this is my problem atm, front suspension needs correct springs...).

4... A lot of other things. Basically figure out what it is for you and try to find a way around it.

[yorkie_chris]

Road knowledge is one thing I disagree with you on there. What difference does it make if you know how tight a corner is? Do you know road well enough to say for certain that there's not a car broken down on the exit?

I suppose there are more factors than that, like a road near me, it's not immediately obvious that you can see the road all the way around some bends by simply looking through the trees, at first glance it looks like solid greenery. Instant doubling of corner speed.

But I wouldn't say that my "safe" pace is any quicker on roads I know.

Originally Posted by chakraist

I feel almost the same on the road, but it really depends on the road. If I've never ridden it before then sure, I won't push anything at all, but I do unlike you feel the need to be the fastest rider I can possibly be. This might be weird for some people but for me it seems natural to want to go as fast as possible at all times, it's more a mental restrictor kit that stops me from killing myself. I love speed and the feeling of being right on the edge.

Oh, me too provided it's a road where I can:
a) See for miles ahead
b) Know like the back of my hand
and
c) There is nowhere for police to hide/cars to pull out from.

It's just that these sort of roads are few and far between. I've done double the speed limit plenty of times, but only in places that I consider it safe(ish) to do so. One day riding fast I entered a sweeping bend at 110 only to see a car stopped waiting to turn right and managed to stop with more than 5 metres to spare, because I only went as fast as I knew I could go and still stop in time. Another 10mph and I'd of been in the back of it, no question about it. After that, it really hit it home to me that you really do have to imagine there was a lorry slewed across the road, no escape available other than jam on the brakes as hard as you dare.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Road knowledge is one thing I disagree with you on there. What difference does it make if you know how tight a corner is? Do you know road well enough to say for certain that there's not a car broken down on the exit?

I suppose there are more factors than that, like a road near me, it's not immediately obvious that you can see the road all the way around some bends by simply looking through the trees, at first glance it looks like solid greenery. Instant doubling of corner speed.

But I wouldn't say that my "safe" pace is any quicker on roads I know.

There's one turn off which is visible for several hundred metres on the road, plenty of space off the road in which cars could break down; no real blind bends and room to improve upon multiple rides of said road. I feel sometimes like, 'oh, I could have hit that apex a lot faster,' turn round, head back down it and start again.

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

...no escape available other than jam on the brakes as hard as you dare.

That's one of the good things about the SVs power, you won't suddenly be doing stupid speed and have to break really hard to avoid something, you normally have time to slow it down.

Originally Posted by chakraist

That's one of the good things about the SVs power, you won't suddenly be doing stupid speed and have to break really hard to avoid something, you normally have time to slow it down.

Yes, speeding up is (usually) a conscious thing on the SV and it feels like you're giving it some when you go quick: You don't glance down and find you're suddenly doing triple figures without intending to, as you can on a more powerful bike.

YC: For me, it's more things like knowing for sure that there isn't a concealed entrace behind that hedge and if I can see the road is clear, there's no chance a 4x4 with trailer will pull out on you, seemingly "out of nowhere".

Anyway, in response to the original question:
How do you get to go faster?

Get a bigger bike.

Or modify the laws of physics..

Originally Posted by Ceri JC

How do you get to go faster?

Get a bigger bike.

I disagree with that comment in its entirity. Buying a bigger bike often makes people worse riders, and certainly won't make a crap rider good. Just look through the many posts of people who've gone from an SV650 to a 1000 and found they are in fact slower than on the 650. I also know people that are faster on 250 2-strokes than most people who ride IL4 1000cc superbikes on the road.

A more correct answer would be to buy a *better* bike, ie improved suspension and brakes. But IMO that will still only make you ride faster if you're already a decent rider.

Perhaps the one word that's been missed from this thread is "balls"... Seriously though, it does take some guts to push yourself, and a desire to be faster.

[northwind]

With me it'd be confidence/faith, I can ride a bike reasonably well and I've got a pretty fine machine to do it on, but I'm still miles from quick- slower than I was 3 years ago in fact. Things that usually make me faster is riding with other, faster people- trackdays in particular if I have someone consistently slightly faster than me to chase. It's never competitiveness, I don't really get that, it's just that if I watch someone else do it first I know I can do it, whereas left to my own devices I tend to roll off. I don't really have any urge to go faster on the road though, happy enough with my fairly tepid pace