Advanced Motorcycle Riding

Motorcyclists are vulnerable on the road and as such motorcycling carries a risk.
However the risk level can be managed to a degree, by learning to ride a motorcycle safely and carefully. This art of motorcycle riding is taught by the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) in the U.K.
Specifically they teach a system of riding used by the police, it promotes swift riding and encourages progress, but whilst remaining safe on the road and without being aggressive to other road users.
Above all else, an advanced rider is smooth, they will seamlessly join and leave traffic, will anticipate junction speed changes and maintain bike stability in the corners.

Full details of the riding technique are best coming from the IAM directly, but here are some pointers to get you thinking about how to improve your riding. All of the teaching from the IAM comes from the police "Roadcraft" manual and the examiners are typically ex-police riders so they know how to ride well.

Rules.
Advanced riding is not a set of rules, but a system for riding that you apply to every situation. however - there is one fundamental rule.

"You must be able to stop safely in the piece of road you can see."

This applies whether you are following traffic or taking a corner. This rule ensures you always have room to stop at all times.

Safety bubble.
The safety bubble is the space between yourself and any other obstacle in any direction. This might be oncoming traffic, roadside furniture such as bollards or hazards like pot holes. The gap between yourself and the vehicles in front is yours to control, and vehicles behind need monitoring too. Maximising the safety bubble increases your safety.

Line of sight.
Particularly in corners, positioning the bike to the outside can give a view further down the road. The more road you can see, the faster your progress, because you only need to see enough space to be able to stop. Riding the outside of the corner also keeps your head away from oncoming traffic when cornering in one direction and and out of the bushes in the other.

The image on the left shows how riding the outside of a corner allows a rider to see further ahead.

Not the racing line.
The racing line is a natural way to ride a corner for many people, and on the racetrack it is fundamental to a fast lap time; however, is NOT suitable for road riding. Straight lining a corner will put you at significant risk at the apex, whether cornering left or right. In both cases you will have limited visibility and your head may be in the path of oncoming traffic. Instead, try to stay on the outside of the curve. It is not as natural, but very enjoyable when you get it right.

More on road position.

A standard road lane is 12ft wide so motorcycle position can vary greatly. One way to chose the best lane position is to think of it in 5 zones as shown on the left.

The default riding position would be around position 4, towards the crown of the road. This gives a good view ahead and allows a view into junctions and driveways, whilst not being too close to oncoming traffic.

Position 5 would be used prior to an overtake to get the best view forwards and possibly also on the approach to a left hand bend to see round the corner.

Position 3 can have hazards such as drain covers and oil, but it can also be the first place a dry line appears after rain; use it if it makes sense.

Position 2 is a nice place to be, and a useful position when there is lots of oncoming traffic. This position is also valuable when slow oncoming traffic is observed. Faster vehicles may be looking to overtake and they will see a rider in position 2 sooner than a rider near the crown of the road.

Position 1 has to be used with caution because road debris can collect here but it gives the best view around right hand bends,

Be aware than when in position 1 and 2 some following drivers may see it as an invitation to overtake and squeeze passed, so you should ride more defensively if the driver behind is pushing.

One IAM tutor said to me.......
"If you replay a ride in your mind, you should be able, at any point, to explain why your road position is where it is. If you can't then you're day dreaming. At any instant your road position should be calculated based on all the information you have including road condition and direction, signposts, other road users, hazards, weather, line of sight, etc...."

Counter-steering

Counter-steering is fundamental to motorcycle control and it is what allows a rider to tilt the bike for a given corner as well as adjust the line of the bike mid-corner, it also enables swerving and accurate positioning of the bike on the road.

Counter-steering is often mis-described as steering left to go right, and right to go left. This is misleading, if you look at the handlebar angle in a long left bend you will see if turned to the left like you wound expect. However - to initiate bike lean on the approach to a corner, a rider must steer, momentarily, the opposite way to tilt the bike. This works, because in a straight line, the weight of the bike is directly over the tyre contact patch with the road. To lean the bike, you need to move the bottom of the bike to one side. In the case of a left corner, you will need to steer right. This will move the tyre contact patch to the right making the bike lean to the left, setting it up for a left corner. During a corner the rider will hold the angle of lean until exiting the corner where more left steering input will stand the bike back up.

To put another way. Steering inputs are constantly used to balance the bike. To corner, the bike must be momentarily unbalanced to make it lean. It is easier to do than to describe in writing, but by understanding this method of bike control a rider can adjust the line of a bike if a corner tightens up and they are running wide, or if there is an obstacle in the road needing to be avoided.

Target fixation

Finally, a word on target fixation.
Motorcycles will usually go where the rider is looking. This is true the whole time, we are constantly looking ahead and placing the bike where we are looking. But sometimes an accident will occur because a rider can't take their eye of the hazard which is approaching. If you find yourself running wide in a corner and looking at the barrier, or towards a deep pot hole you want to avoid, don't stare at it. Looking where you want to be is the first step in making the right steering inputs to miss the hazard. It can be difficult to do, but it is known to help if you can resist staring at the problem.

Advanced motorcycle training teaches much more than the few items post here. It covers, overtaking, filtering (lane splitting), gear selection, slow speed riding and more; but the items detailed here (for me at least) stood out as the best principles to help a rider be as safe as possible on the roads.
Advanced riders, ride legally, but also make progress. Advanced riding is safe, legal, smooth, progressive and focused. Try contacting your local group for a free assessment ride and see if you like it.

Advanced Motorcycle Riding

Road positioning

Counter-steering

Target fixation