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WHITHER THOU GOEST
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By Tim Kast As a former tire god, one of the most commonly repeated phrases I often heard was “Oh, I don’t know anything about the motorcycle, I just ride it.” The first time I heard it, it just about shocked me to my socks, but after awhile I began to blink it off, like the sleepy lion shakes off the tiny desert birds that continually groom his mane. However, the nagging question running through my mind was, “Why would anyone do such a thing?” Motorcycles are a much more personal type of transportation than a car or a truck. With either of those you are much less involved than on a motorcycle. On a motorcycle, if it belches and quits, leaving you stranded, you are immediately enrolled in the WTF class. You dig and prod until you discover the faulty component and repair it. You are a major part of the cycle. It needs you, you need it. To deny that is akin to having pain and not knowing where it is coming from. Is it the head, perhaps the knee? Or is it the heart or lungs? You have to be able to relate it to the doctor before he can begin to fix it. To be able to diagnose this microcosm of transport is absolutely essential to be properly in control of it. Does the front end pogo coming out of the second turn? Does she shake her head at high speed on the straightaway? Understanding your motorcycle is like understanding your body. The more you know, the better. In some cases your job as a rider may hinge on your ability to relate gathered information back to your crew in the pits in an adequate fashion. Your sponsor may require this. The Development Rider A development rider is someone who can disseminate input from the motorcycle at speed and transfer that knowledge back to your sponsor, who will use that information to better develop that product. Laboratories are nice things to have, but an intelligent rider who can translate seat-of-the-pants know how to a qualified team of experts is as reliable a witness as the proverbial slow-moving station wagon full of nuns. They pay you many U.S. dollars, no? Staying Out of Trouble One woman rider who experienced a nasty accident was relating the minute to minute events leading up to the crash. “Well, everything was going real well; the bike was fast. It was running better than it had ever run before, then bang it happened.” Something caught my attention back there. Did you catch it? She said “the bike was running better than it had ever run before.” It was probably too lean. A good technical rider knows what the motorcycle is doing. An engine will run its absolute best ever right before it seizes. So when our intrepid female rider sensed this sudden new-found horsepower, she could have hit the kill-button, and pulled in the clutch scant seconds before it became a one-piece motorcycle. Knowing what your motorcycle is going through while you are riding it can not only be beneficial to you as a rider, it can literally save your butt. You need this knowledge! The Gettin’ Place Where does one acquire the knowledge that you need to keep pace of the competition? Read service manuals when they don’t make a lick of sense to you. They will someday. Ask questions. Get in the way. Be a pest. Roy Boehm, the founder of the U.S. Navy’s elite SEAL Teams once said, “ The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked.” Be a sponge, soak up all the technobabble you can stand. Male or Female, Black, White, Brown, or Green, everyone loves a mind that is open and thirsty for knowledge. Learn the mantra, “What is this, and how does it work?” Show Me the Greenbacks Who wants to hire a development rider? Just about everyone, that’s who. Motorcycle and tire manufacturers, shock absorber companies, oil reps, even helmet people, all want to employ someone with genuine developmental skills with that sterling personality that the crowds love. They know that it will be a strong return on their publicity dollar, and that you’re not just another pretty face. What If I Don’t Get a Ride? No problemo. You’ve got something now that no one can take away, KNOWLEDGE. Win, lose or draw you can always rely on that. In some far away time line, when you hear that highly tuned GP race motor wind out down the straightaway, then suddenly get even quicker (engines don’t do this unless they are too lean), right before the whole thing goes P I N G, remember-------kill button, pull in the clutch. Your day may be done, but at least you didn’t test out those new leathers, right?
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