PERFORMANCE UPGRADE

words: Dan Bisbee • images: Ken Condon & Ailton Santos

One of the first things people do after they purchase a motorcycle is to purchase some sort of performance upgrade. It could be an aftermarket pipe, a performance chip or tuning, or a suspension upgrade. Yet most folks fail to consider a riding class as an upgrade to their performance. I recently spent the day with Ken Condon for a one-on-one rider coaching class and I was humbled beyond belief. But then, that was the whole point. Ken runs Riding in the Zone, a business and web site dedicated to motorcycle rider training. During our time together, he easily pointed out everything I was doing wrong – mid corner corrections, lazy shifting, missed apexes. And then he showed me how to improve my technique. Motorcycles run in Ken’s blood. He’s been riding since 1976 and began racing in 1986. He worked as a freelance illustrator and then as a graphic designer before becoming the marketing manager for Twisted Throttle. He has also had columns in Motorcyclist Magazine as well as Motorcycle Consumer News. He has been running Riding in the Zone since 2014. In addition to one-onone rider coaching, he also does group training, parking lot courses and is the lead instructor for Tony’s Track Days. My class started with an hourlong video chat the night before, a concession to Covid-19 and social distancing. During our virtual class, he went over cornering lines and reading the road. He asked me about my riding and where I thought my weaknesses were – trail-braking and parking lot maneuvering immediately came to mind.

I met Ken the next morning and he mounted a Bluetooth communicator to my helmet. After some pointers, I followed Ken down the road. A few miles later, we stopped at a vacant parking lot where he watched my cornering technique, coaching me via the communicator. Slow, look, lean and roll. Slow down. Look through the corner. Lean into the turn. Roll on the throttle. After a dozen or so passes, he had me add in trailbraking, carrying some brakes into the corner to settle the chassis. He coached me through a couple of corners until I started getting it, picking up speed as we went.

Back on the road, with Ken following, he coached me through the curves. Outside-Inside-Outside. Brake into the corner. Find the apex. Roll on the throttle coming out. Slow, then go. Set the chassis. Settle the bike. Ride smooth. Riding, which had become second nature to me, was now unfa-

The Boat House Restaurant

Perfect in Any Season Brunch, Lunch or Dinner on Swartswood Lake Excellent Ride Destination

OPEN FOR DINE-IN or TAKEOUT. Visit webpage for menu See daily specials on Facebook. Curbside Delivery Available.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT We hope to see you soon!

Tues: 4-9 • Wed: 12-9 • Thurs-Sat: Noon-10 Sun: Breakfast 9-1/ Lunch-dinner Noon-8

RivertonHotelandRestaurant Wed-Sun 11A-8P Closed Mon+Tues Beautiful Outdoor Garden Dining on the Lake

1040 Cty Rd 521 • Swartswood NJ 973-300-0016

miliar and I struggled, questioning everything. Where’s the apex? What lane position should I be in? Should I brake to settle the chassis or downshift to improve my drive out of the corner?

After a short break, we were off to practice tight turns in a parking lot. “You’ll be going slower than first gear, so you need to modulate your speed with the clutch.” Ken told me via the radio. I dabbed my foot several times before finally circling with the handlebars at full lock. I switched directions and it took me another few attempts before I got it.

Back on the road, I followed Ken, with him showing me proper techniques and lines through the curves. We made our way to Windmill Road (Route 8) in southern Vermont, which has a series of fantastic curves and elevation changes, perfect for learning proper cornering techniques. Here, Ken fol-

Opposite page: Parking lot practice aids in the fundamentals before and after on-road training takes place. This page: Ken showing how to read the road, the Elk on the Mohawk trail and Ken giving feedback on parking lot excercise.

lowed me while I practiced reading the road, late apexing, and trail braking. We rode this piece of pavement over the hill and back twice. The second time through, I commented that I thought I was going slow. Ken pointed out that I was actually going faster, but with better cornering lines. At some point Ken had me do some high-speed stops. From 60 mph, I stopped as quickly as possible using both brakes. I could feel the back end of the bike wiggling as I slowed. The bike stops quicker than I thought. Without trying,

I never would have known. Now, if I need to stop in a hurry, I know what to expect.

We next headed through North Adams, MA where Ken had a few pointers for dealing with traffic. Then we rode to the summit of Mount Greylock. The tight switchbacks required the things Ken had been teaching me: lane positioning, trail braking and late apexing. I had trouble with all three, especially coming down. From there we headed over the Mohawk trail with a stop at Whitcomb Summit and a detour down a steep hill, practicing more cornering techniques.