Going round in a circle as fast as possible. A rotation is going around a pylon 360 degrees or more.
How to do a fast rotation[]
Rotations Full lock hands free
- If you can set the idle to about 4000rpm. Select first gear and do not use the clutch anywhere here. If you cannot set the idle use the throttle to ride against the brake.
- Start going round in a circle as tight as you are comfortable.
- Lightly press the rear brake and notice the bike will start turning tighter.
- Use your torso for balance.
- More rear and the tighter you will turn.
- Make sure there is enough throttle not to stall but not too much to start pulling you wider.
- Release the rear and you will exit the rotation.
The concept we use is Rear Wheel Steering. Make sure you are familiar with this.
You can moderate the rear and the throttle to give different speeds and radius for the rotation.
As you lean further your brain will start to tell you this isn't possible and it is tempting to put your foot down. Try to resist the urge, as long as you keep power to the rear wheel you should be ok. Eventually you will hit the nirvana of full lock.
To stop getting dizzy you can use the ballerina technique of the head-snap. Focus on a point and lock your gaze until your neck is at full stretch. Then snap round as far as you can and lock again.
What about...[]
Knee sliding[]
To get your knee down (or even just pegs) the radius needs to be a lot bigger than the lock turn so you will need to travel further. Having to go further may cancel out any speed gains.
Kristian Eekhof: That's one of the nice things about Moto Gymkhana, finding the balance between quick high lean turn-ins to full-lock rotations. Sometimes take the longer route, to make the whole much smoother and quicker. Shortest isn't always the quickest.
Drifting[]
Nope, you are going to spend more time spinning than turning.
Keeping the Revs up[]
James Bush: the key is to let the bike roll through the rotation and modulate the speed with rear brake. Once you've come off the front brake and initiated the rotation, allow the speed that you've carried into the rotation to continue, keeping the rpms up enough so the bike doesn't bog down (which will make the bike fall too much into the turn (falling over)) and when you're ready to get out of the turn, pick up the throttle smoothly and the bike will stand up. The problem with the 390 is that the injection is rough at low rpms and the engine braking is harsh, so finding that smooth pick-up is difficult