is to relax, not panic, and get out there and have fun.Niall knows best: "As with all riding being fluid - pardon the pun - at all times is the key. Smooth application of the brakes is crucial, but you'll also find that backshifting earlier using the engine

.Climbing all over your bike while riding on the road is impractical and unnecessary, but subtle body positioning is very helpful. I use the same technique for all cornering while on the road. My general riding position is arms at about 150 degrees, body

reasons, whenever it is reasonably possible I always try to use the gears for braking. Firstly as the idea of fast road riding is to keep your average speed up, if you brake more than is necessary the momentum you have lost then has to be built up again

Clutchless shifting I’m always surprised by the number of riders who don’t do this, particularly since it can make your riding smoother and faster. Done properly, the technique also puts less strain on your engine and transmission.I am of course

I used be of the opinion that riding in the rain is like going to work, I can do it but I don’t particularly want to. I couldn’t grasp where the enjoyment came from getting cold and wet while constantly thinking that my bike could disappear from

did it was never a particularly pleasant experience. I suspected not riding on the road regularly was the problem, and although it didn’t happen overnight, I eventually figured what needed to change if I was to get proper enjoyment from everyday riding

in the dry aren't really relaxed while they're doing it, and they can't ride well in the wet. It makes a huge difference.I like to short-shift in the wet, keeping the revs down. It works for me, and I guess it's something I learned back on the 500 GP bikes

Unless I'm on really wide, open roads I short-shift most of the time on a 1000cc bike. The huge amount of torque available means acceleration is still brisk, and power delivery is much smoother to use and safer at low rpm. R1s are amazing; you can

These days my riding is split pretty equally between main roads, off road and circuits. Although these disciplines require different riding skills, when it comes to stopping all three use similar techniques. With that in mind, this month I’d like

For all of us, riding bikes is a seat of the pants skill, so no matter where you are when it comes to ability and experience, your bike will be constantly feeding back information that hopefully can be put to good use. While there might be a few