Can you improve your sense of balance?
Feb 2nd, 2010 by Leo
The cool thing about motorcycles is that you actually don’t need a good sense of balance to ride them. Twist the throttle, and the magic of gyroscopic forces does its work keeping you on a vertical plane. But when the wheels start to slide (and also for tight low speed maneuvers) your sense of balance is what keeps you from hitting the ground. Ever see someone catch an unexpected slide? How did she do that? It happens too quickly to think about what to do. The only way is if your steering, throttle control, and sense of balance are in sync to save your butt from the pavement.
So how do you improve your sense of balance? This is one of the most complicated functions the human brain performs. Portable computers don’t run fast enough yet to perform all the calculations required to maintain balance while riding a motorcycle (video on a robotic motorcycle). So how do we hone this complex skill?
Balance on a motorcycle comes from a combination of a physical sense of balance plus steering ability and throttle control. But that first part, the physical sense of balance can be best honed off the motorcycle. Because a motorcycle is inherently stable in motion, any non-motorcycling activity that requires left-right balance will help – like riding bicycles or unicycles… But an even better way, especially during the colder wetter months, is by spending time on a balance board.
You might want to be careful the first time you step on one. Maybe even wear your helmet (just kidding, although it might not be a bad idea for some). If you’ve never been on a balance board, it takes a little getting used to, even if you have a great sense of balance. But once you get the hang of it, it can go a long way…
Have you spent some time on a balance board? Tell us what YOU think. Cheers!
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