THROTTLE CONTROL
By reading the road correctly you can adjust your speed with throttle only and not rely on braking.
Throttle control and acceleration sense
Acceleration sense is the ability to adjust speed to match the road conditions using the throttle alone, though in reality this is less about throttle control and more about reading the road. If you have read the road well in advance you can usually adjust your speed with the throttle rather than the brakes because of the extended time you have to react. And at Rapid, this is what we encourage you to do.
However, when it comes to cornering, if you want to optimise progress you need to carry more speed towards a bend and use the brakes to reduce speed on the approach. This saves dawdling towards the bend to avoid braking.
Throttle control through corners
Throttle control is essential for expert corning and there are three distinct phases.
1. Corner entry
The ideal throttle position here depends on how challenging the corner is.
In an easy, rolling bend, where the approach and exit speed are similar it is often best to keep the throttle rolled on at the entry stage. This balances the demand for traction between both tyres, limits weight transfer, settles the suspension, and keeps ground clearance at a maximum.
However, in a more challenging corner where the bike is working harder (such as a tighter or off-camber bend), it can be better to enter the corner off the throttle (did someone ask if they should trail brake?). This increases the weight on the front tyre (therefore increasing traction) and improves the steering geometry of the bike. This makes the bike easier to steer quickly, accurately, and more sharply into the corner.
2. Mid-corner
This is almost always best handled on a ‘positive throttle’. This requires you to sufficiently open the throttle to maintain speed (cornering forces remove speed, so the roll-on has to be sufficient to counter this). Positive throttle increases stability as it equalises weight - and therefore traction - through both tyres, improves suspension capability, and increases ground clearance. Your goal here is to have a positive throttle as soon as the bike is settled after turn-in. Beware of getting on the throttle too early though, because you will push the bike wide.
3. Corner exit
As soon as you see the corner opening up you can begin a steady throttle roll-on, and at the point you can see some distance down the road you can optimise performance by timing your roll-on with standing the bike up.
As the lean angle reduces, more traction is available for throttle and this allows faster exit speeds. However, especially on slippery roads, it is important that you don’t get greedy with the throttle. Getting back on the throttle too early and with too much lean angle will seriously threaten traction. The key here is timing.
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