How to really ride a supermoto
Sideways ace Iddon on getting the most out of bikes on tall suspension and road tyres
Motocross kid turned tarmac vandal Christian Iddon first burst onto the supermoto scene at improbable angles some five years ago. Since then he’s been at the sharp end of the world scene, racing Aprilia’s fierce V-twin in the S2 championship. From '09 he switched to KTM.
"One of the key supermoto skills is backing it in, and it's not just about showing off," explains Iddon. "Backing it in does three things for you. It helps you make the corner because, with the back end out of line, the bike's already pointing in the right direction. Second, it evens out the load between the tyres – when you're braking hard all of the bike's weight is on the front tyre. By backing it in you reduce to that to perhaps 70:30 front/rear, giving the front tyre an easier time. And thirdly, you can still brake hard because although the bike's sideways, the front wheel's still pointing forwards and is still kind of upright.
"Backing-in is about getting on the front brake hard to get all the weight off the back wheel, shifting down the gears to use the back-torque of the engine and getting the rear wheel to roll maybe 2mph slower than the front, nothing more – it's not about locking it up.
"The next phase is the most dangerous for me. You've got to time the backing-in perfectly so that the rear tyre hooks up just as you start to get into the corner properly. If you get it wrong it's pretty easy to fall off. In the middle of the corner you push the bike down into the corner – very few supermoto riders hang-off, though former WSB man Giovanni Bussei is one. The bikes are lighter than any sportsbike, the tyres are really grippy and, with your foot out, you have to be on top of the bike – there isn't the room under the bike to hang-off. And with your leg stuck out near the front wheel you're ready to save the front if it tucks."
And of course, this being supermoto, the madness doesn’t end at the apex. "When do I get back on the power? Sometimes, when I’m really on it – when I’ve got the feel and everything's flowing perfectly – I get on the throttle almost immediately and everything flows as one continuous movement," says Iddon. "The back wheel's sliding on the way in, it hooks up just in time to turn and then the front will begin to go. To save it I whack the throttle open as hard as I dare, which pushes the back end out and brings the front back. On the way out you don't want the back tyre spinning wildly – no black lines, just a faint grey one. And from there on the style comes back to road racing; you’re trying to pick the bike up for maximum traction, so you're leaning off the inside of the bike, driving out hard."
• Set the bike up for tight corners by getting the rear wheel light. Brake hard with the front brake, change down and tap the rear brake lightly to get it moving. This is best practiced on the dirt.
• Don't bother hanging-off – the ergonomics of these kind of bikes are best steered by pushing them down into corners.
• Pick the bike up as you get back on the power. Wide bars and a linear delivery mean these kind of bikes lend themselves to sliding but build up to it. Again, practice off-road.
By Christian Iddon
source: www.visordown.com
