-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: Style Points, Pt. 1 - Hanging Around
Hang off or hang on? Josh Herrin is the poster boy for the new crop of AMA riders that take hanging off to new extremes. But is it worth the trouble?
Monster Energy Graves Motorsports Yamaha's Josh Herrin (Photo: Evan Williams)
A riding style trend that has been a topic of discussion this year in the AMA Pro paddock is the way some riders lean off the motorcycle noticeably more than what's considered a more traditional approach.
Josh Herrin is one of these riders and his move to the Superbike class would prove to be a good test for this particular style of riding at the highest level of racing in the States.
In fact, quite a few of the younger riders let it all hang out when it comes to hanging off, notably Herrin and Daytona 200 winner Joey Pascarella. Even veteran Jason DiSalvo uses the technique to a certain extent. Dane Westby is one of the hottest DSB racers going, and a big change he made was to get off the seat more. (We won’t mention avoiding terrible starts this time. Or maybe we just did.)
The line of thinking is that if you turn the bike more with your body, the bike doesn’t have to lean quite as much. The further a machine is leaned over, the less effective the suspension becomes. And speed not lost due to higher corner speeds means a rider doesn’t have to accelerate the same as traditional riders.
It also looks cool.
The flip side is some racers don’t think they have as much control. Your head isn’t in the ideal spot, preventing you from tracking rivals on your outside, and it can wear you out physically.
The riding coaches SPEED.com talked to were split on the extreme leans, but one who didn’t want to be quoted because he didn’t want to come off as criticizing certain riders feels it’s not good physical technique, and that technique is as essential to riding a motorcycle as it is throwing a football or hitting a baseball.
The leaners’ success in 600 racing has flat out proven it can work in DSB and SuperSport. It’s no magic elixir, though. There are people who ride that way that are dog slow, too. But like we mentioned earlier, they look cool.
When it was announced Herrin would move up to Superbike, there were a number of skeptics as to whether he’d be able to succeed without huge changes to his style. Quite a few folks in the paddock wondered how well he’d do and more than one pundit predicted failure.
Josh Herrin is one of these riders and his move to the Superbike class would prove to be a good test for this particular style of riding at the highest level of racing in the States.
In fact, quite a few of the younger riders let it all hang out when it comes to hanging off, notably Herrin and Daytona 200 winner Joey Pascarella. Even veteran Jason DiSalvo uses the technique to a certain extent. Dane Westby is one of the hottest DSB racers going, and a big change he made was to get off the seat more. (We won’t mention avoiding terrible starts this time. Or maybe we just did.)
The line of thinking is that if you turn the bike more with your body, the bike doesn’t have to lean quite as much. The further a machine is leaned over, the less effective the suspension becomes. And speed not lost due to higher corner speeds means a rider doesn’t have to accelerate the same as traditional riders.
It also looks cool.
The flip side is some racers don’t think they have as much control. Your head isn’t in the ideal spot, preventing you from tracking rivals on your outside, and it can wear you out physically.
The riding coaches SPEED.com talked to were split on the extreme leans, but one who didn’t want to be quoted because he didn’t want to come off as criticizing certain riders feels it’s not good physical technique, and that technique is as essential to riding a motorcycle as it is throwing a football or hitting a baseball.
The leaners’ success in 600 racing has flat out proven it can work in DSB and SuperSport. It’s no magic elixir, though. There are people who ride that way that are dog slow, too. But like we mentioned earlier, they look cool.
When it was announced Herrin would move up to Superbike, there were a number of skeptics as to whether he’d be able to succeed without huge changes to his style. Quite a few folks in the paddock wondered how well he’d do and more than one pundit predicted failure.
AMA SBK Homestead-Miami
LATEST HEADLINES: MOTO-RACING
-
MOTOGP: Crutchlow Takes Career-Best Result
Cal Crutchlow worked his forward to claim a runner-up result in the… -
PHOTOS: MotoGP - French Grand Prix
Dani Pedrosa leads the MotoGP World Championship after securing his… -
MOTOGP: Dovi Leads, Ducati Scores Double Top Five
Andrea Dovizioso and Nicky Hayden took full advantage of the wet… -
MOTOGP: Le Mans Race Day Ticker (UPDATED)
Notes and quotes following Sunday's dramatic French Grand Prix. -
MOTOGP: Pedrosa Third To Eclipse 3000 Points
Honda teammates Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez stand 1-2 in the '13… -
MOTOGP: Lorenzo 'Couldn't Do More Without Crashing'
The works Yamaha team suffered through a disappointing outing at… -
MOTOGP: Pedrosa Wins Pivotal French GP
MotoGP title hopeful Dani Pedrosa registered his second consecutive… - More News
