HOW TO LAUNCH YOUR MOTORCYCLE LIKE A DRAG RACER
Quick launching your motorcycle is used in multiple different ways from racing your buddy from a stop light to motorcycle racing both on the drag strip and the road course. A good launch is a coordination between throttle and clutch control while managing wheel spin and wheelies. This technique works on any type of bike from cruiser, motocross, or superbike. The number one tip of learning how to launch your motorcycle is practice, practice, practice!
So now down to the mechanics of launching your motorcycle quickly. You already have the fundamentals of launching a motorcycle from a stand still as you do it every time you start your motorcycle. You add throttle, let the clutch out, and then start moving while adding more throttle while releasing the clutch fully. The same applies to race starting/launching your motorcycle. Check out the steps below on how to race start/launch your motorcycle like a drag racer.
Body Position
Many people don’t realize the importance of body position on your motorcycle for successful launches. The more weight you move over the front wheel the more throttle you can apply and the faster your start.
Move as far forward on your seat as possible until your belly button is resting on the gas tank. Now lean low and forward on the bike until you helmet visor is almost touching the windshield of your motorcycle. Next, is matter of preference or comfort is the position of your feet. I prefer to keep my left foot on the peg while only keeping my right foot on the ground. It is also possible to have both feet down which requires fast reactions to get your feet up and get ready for the gear change. Also some people prefer to keep the right foot on the peg and left foot on the ground in order to cover the rear brake pedal to control wheelies. Whatever foot position makes you comfortable should be used just ensure that your body weight is distributed equally on your feet. Be cautious of pressing hard on one foot as it can actually steer the motorcycle off course.
Throttle and Clutch WorkIt is best to practice this next step in either a big open parking lot or a deserted road. With your body in position bring your revs up about 2,000 RPM more than what you normally would launch your motorcycle from a standing start. Keep the rpm’s steady and avoid varying the rpm’s. The correct launch RPM will depend on the bike you are using. If you are riding a big 1000 CC bike like a Suzuki GSXR then you will need less RPM in comparison to a Yamaha R6.
Once you’ve decided to go start faster starts start feeding the throttle and gradually release the clutch so that your bike stays at the launch rpm until road speed matches the engine speed. At that point, you should have the clutch out and be on the way to full throttle. Smaller bikes will require a lot of throttle and a lot of clutch slip, whereas on bigger bikes you will have the clutch out before you’re at half throttle in general. Experienced riders will want to work toward using full throttle right from the start, even on a big bike, and using only the clutch to modulate the power delivery. If the front end comes up or the rear tire starts to spin, keep that in check by pulling the clutch in a tad rather than backing out of the throttle. Closing the throttle will drop the revs enough that it will be difficult to recover, whereas pulling the clutch in keeps the engine spinning hard for when you have things back under control. Many riders keep the throttle steady through the whole sequence until it’s time to shift to second gear, but keep feeding in the throttle once the clutch is out until it’s at the stop. On a big bike that still has lots of speed in first gear to go even after the clutch is out, there’s lots of time to be made.
Now take a moment and analyse your start. Did the engine bog down or the front wheel come off the ground too much? Start adjusting your launch rpm, throttle, and clutch inputs and try again. Keep adding launch rpm until you feel comfortable with the launch and attitude of the launch. Remember you are not Valentino Rossi or Nicky Hayden so start out with low launch rpm’s and gradually increase them as you get comfortable with the process.
Take the opportunity and head down to your local drag strip. You will be amazed on how much you will learn by doing a couple runs and watching the other riders. Let us know how you do with your new riding tip.
Quick launching your motorcycle is used in multiple different ways from racing your buddy from a stop light to motorcycle racing both on the drag strip and the road course. A good launch is a coordination between throttle and clutch control while managing wheel spin and wheelies. This technique works on any type of bike from cruiser, motocross, or superbike. The number one tip of learning how to launch your motorcycle is practice, practice, practice!
So now down to the mechanics of launching your motorcycle quickly. You already have the fundamentals of launching a motorcycle from a stand still as you do it every time you start your motorcycle. You add throttle, let the clutch out, and then start moving while adding more throttle while releasing the clutch fully. The same applies to race starting/launching your motorcycle. Check out the steps below on how to race start/launch your motorcycle like a drag racer.
Body Position
Many people don’t realize the importance of body position on your motorcycle for successful launches. The more weight you move over the front wheel the more throttle you can apply and the faster your start.
Move as far forward on your seat as possible until your belly button is resting on the gas tank. Now lean low and forward on the bike until you helmet visor is almost touching the windshield of your motorcycle. Next, is matter of preference or comfort is the position of your feet. I prefer to keep my left foot on the peg while only keeping my right foot on the ground. It is also possible to have both feet down which requires fast reactions to get your feet up and get ready for the gear change. Also some people prefer to keep the right foot on the peg and left foot on the ground in order to cover the rear brake pedal to control wheelies. Whatever foot position makes you comfortable should be used just ensure that your body weight is distributed equally on your feet. Be cautious of pressing hard on one foot as it can actually steer the motorcycle off course.
Throttle and Clutch WorkIt is best to practice this next step in either a big open parking lot or a deserted road. With your body in position bring your revs up about 2,000 RPM more than what you normally would launch your motorcycle from a standing start. Keep the rpm’s steady and avoid varying the rpm’s. The correct launch RPM will depend on the bike you are using. If you are riding a big 1000 CC bike like a Suzuki GSXR then you will need less RPM in comparison to a Yamaha R6.
Once you’ve decided to go start faster starts start feeding the throttle and gradually release the clutch so that your bike stays at the launch rpm until road speed matches the engine speed. At that point, you should have the clutch out and be on the way to full throttle. Smaller bikes will require a lot of throttle and a lot of clutch slip, whereas on bigger bikes you will have the clutch out before you’re at half throttle in general. Experienced riders will want to work toward using full throttle right from the start, even on a big bike, and using only the clutch to modulate the power delivery. If the front end comes up or the rear tire starts to spin, keep that in check by pulling the clutch in a tad rather than backing out of the throttle. Closing the throttle will drop the revs enough that it will be difficult to recover, whereas pulling the clutch in keeps the engine spinning hard for when you have things back under control. Many riders keep the throttle steady through the whole sequence until it’s time to shift to second gear, but keep feeding in the throttle once the clutch is out until it’s at the stop. On a big bike that still has lots of speed in first gear to go even after the clutch is out, there’s lots of time to be made.
Now take a moment and analyse your start. Did the engine bog down or the front wheel come off the ground too much? Start adjusting your launch rpm, throttle, and clutch inputs and try again. Keep adding launch rpm until you feel comfortable with the launch and attitude of the launch. Remember you are not Valentino Rossi or Nicky Hayden so start out with low launch rpm’s and gradually increase them as you get comfortable with the process.
Take the opportunity and head down to your local drag strip. You will be amazed on how much you will learn by doing a couple runs and watching the other riders. Let us know how you do with your new riding tip.
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