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AMA Pro Superbike
AMA SBK: Style Points, Pt. 3 - Herrin Explains
Whether he's doing it right or doing it wrong, there's no disputing the fact that Josh Herrin has plenty of style.
Monster Energy Graves Yamaha's Josh Herrin (Photo: Evan Williams)
SPEED.com asked Josh Herrin about his riding style -- a technique that employs considerably more body lean than the traditional style of his competitors at the top in AMA Pro Superbike.
Has he ever tried to change it?
“I talked to Brian Stokes about it," Herrin admitted. "He’s a racer but he also works on a bike so he gets to watch. He was saying riding like that, he thought maybe it was wearing me out. So I tried it the other way and it felt better, but when I get into the mode of racing, it comes back.”
He may be a bit of a rebel, but Josh said it just kinda happened that way.
“It seems to take more out of me to try to ride a different way than it comes naturally than it does to ride what’s right in other people’s minds,” explained Herrin, whose biggest racing influence early in his career was his father. “I’ve been riding like that since I was 14 and on a 125. I remember first seeing pictures of me dragging an elbow. After that, it came natural and when I got on a 600, I rode like that as well. It feels like you might use more energy just because your so… "
“I know most people say turning the bike comes mostly from bar input. But the more weight you get off the bike, the more it’ll turn,” he added.
Herrin, who has clearly pondered the topic a great deal, points to the riders who reign at the pinnacle of two-wheeled sport. “I don’t change my style by what they do, but if you watch the MotoGP guys, almost all of them like (Casey) Stoner and the fast guys, everybody has that style. You don’t really see them with Schwantz’s style or Hayes’ kinda sitting up a little bit. But Hayes is really fast, don’t get me wrong.”
Does he ever wish he had a different way of doing things?
“No,” Herrin quickly replied. “It makes it more of a block, too. It’s harder to get around me. I don’t try to do it that way but it seems as if you are around a guy like Hayes who is kinda sitting up, it’s easier to put a wheel up on ‘em. If you’re riding with a guy who has his head on the ground, it’s harder to pass. You don’t like to be in the way, but if it’s the last lap and it is harder to get around you, it’s better.”
Has he ever tried to change it?
“I talked to Brian Stokes about it," Herrin admitted. "He’s a racer but he also works on a bike so he gets to watch. He was saying riding like that, he thought maybe it was wearing me out. So I tried it the other way and it felt better, but when I get into the mode of racing, it comes back.”
He may be a bit of a rebel, but Josh said it just kinda happened that way.
“It seems to take more out of me to try to ride a different way than it comes naturally than it does to ride what’s right in other people’s minds,” explained Herrin, whose biggest racing influence early in his career was his father. “I’ve been riding like that since I was 14 and on a 125. I remember first seeing pictures of me dragging an elbow. After that, it came natural and when I got on a 600, I rode like that as well. It feels like you might use more energy just because your so… "
“I know most people say turning the bike comes mostly from bar input. But the more weight you get off the bike, the more it’ll turn,” he added.
Herrin, who has clearly pondered the topic a great deal, points to the riders who reign at the pinnacle of two-wheeled sport. “I don’t change my style by what they do, but if you watch the MotoGP guys, almost all of them like (Casey) Stoner and the fast guys, everybody has that style. You don’t really see them with Schwantz’s style or Hayes’ kinda sitting up a little bit. But Hayes is really fast, don’t get me wrong.”
Does he ever wish he had a different way of doing things?
“No,” Herrin quickly replied. “It makes it more of a block, too. It’s harder to get around me. I don’t try to do it that way but it seems as if you are around a guy like Hayes who is kinda sitting up, it’s easier to put a wheel up on ‘em. If you’re riding with a guy who has his head on the ground, it’s harder to pass. You don’t like to be in the way, but if it’s the last lap and it is harder to get around you, it’s better.”
AMA SBK Miller Motorsports Park
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