We at TVS Motor have been racing road and motocross bikes for decades to constantly improve and deliver outstanding motorcycles to you, our customer. In the same vein, hitting the race track can greatly improve your riding skills, allowing you to not only enjoy your TVS motorcycle a lot more but also make your road riding a lot safer. Let us explain.
Let’s begin by looking at the various situations that a motorcyclist faces in her or his everyday urban commute.
There are unmarked speed breakers, potholes and raised manhole covers, and we’re not even scratching the surface. There’s haphazard traffic, with people overtaking you from left, right and center. Then there is construction material strewn on the streets, reducing grip greatly.
Add some liquids from water to even diesel, motor oil which can be a lethal combination. Oh, and how can we forget people randomly deciding to occupy the street. Of course, the omnipresent cow or buffalo is always around the corner. Finally, throw in some really nice roads with roundabouts that actually let you get your knee down; if you have the skills, that is. And then some long straights that let you test your 0-80 Kph sprint times.
So, how will riding on the track help you become a better, safer road rider?
It’ll make you aware, aware of your motorcycle’s potential, and limitations.
When you accelerate hard on the track, you know how potent and quick your motorcycle can be. And this is what you need for quick, and safe overtaking maneuvers. You will also discover that your motorcycle has a limit when it comes to hard cornering, and riding on the track will allow you to find that limit, and more importantly, your limit. Usually, the motorcycle’s limit will be a lot greater than your limit, and merely knowing this fact will make you push your bike less on the real road, a place where a lot of things can go wrong. Net-net, you become a safer rider.
Riding on the track is a great teacher.
It teaches you how hard you can brake before you start losing grip. In the real world, you slow down when you see a slippery road with sand or water.
It’ll teach you to use your front brake more than the rear brake so that your stopping distance reduces. When you need to come to a halt really fast since there’s a cow in the middle of the road, you’ll know how to brake hard, confidently,
It’ll teach you the art of engine braking, the process of shedding speed very quickly. Well, raised manhole in your path? No problem, engine braking by rapid downshifting will let you slow down adequately.
Spot a beautiful roundabout with nearly no traffic? All the cornering skills you gained at the track will come right back, allowing you to seize the moment and enjoy that moment with your motorcycle. Spot a clean stretch of road that allows you to feel the brute power of your bike? Accelerating hard on the track is a lesson that’ll you’ll go back to.
We could go on and on, but here’s the deal. The track makes you a better rider for the road in that it makes you a patient rider who respects not only others on the road but also the road conditions, the machine and, more importantly, the sheer limitations that come with riding on the road.
We will be back with exciting events after COVID-19.
Welcome to Apache Owner Group
Apache Owner Group, is a community of passionate and like-minded riders of the TVS Apache, sharing
a common platform to explore and spread their love for motorcycling.
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TVS Community
07 Jun 2021