Body positioning basics that instantly make you faster

Speed comes from the body, not the throttle

Here is the thing nobody tells new riders. The fast guys are not braver than you. They have just moved their body so the bike does the same speed at a smaller lean angle. More lean in reserve means more grip in reserve, which means more confidence, which means more speed. It is a loop, and it starts with where you put your weight.

You do not need to drag a knee to get the benefit. Even small, correct movements transform how the bike feels. Let's build it from the ground up.

The fundamentals, in order

Do these in sequence. Master one before adding the next.

1. 01Get your weight off your hands. Grip the tank with your knees and squeeze your core. Your arms should be loose enough to flap. Tense arms fight the bike's natural steering and make everything twitchy.
2. 02Slide your butt to the inside of the corner. Half a cheek off the seat is plenty to start. This shifts your mass inside so the bike leans less for the same corner.
3. 03Drop your inside shoulder and elbow toward the mirror. Lead with your upper body. Your head should move toward the inside and stay level with the horizon.
4. 04Keep your outside leg locked to the tank. That outside knee anchoring against the tank is what lets your upper body relax. It is the hinge everything else moves around.
5. 05Look through the corner, not at the apex. Your eyes drag the bike where they point. Look at the exit and the bike flows there.

The single biggest fix for most new riders: relax your arms. A death grip on the bars is the number one thing slowing you down and scaring you. Loose hands, tight knees. Say it out loud in the corners if you have to.

Common mistakes that cancel out your effort

You can hang off perfectly and still be slow if you do these.

• Crossing up. Leaning your body the opposite way to the bike. Your shoulders should align with the lean, not fight it.
• Pushing on the bars to stay on. If you are using the handlebars to hold yourself up, you are steering by accident. Hold on with your legs.
• Stiff neck, fixed stare. Looking down or freezing your gaze at the front wheel. Eyes up and moving.
• Moving too late. Get set for the corner before you tip in, not during. Hang off on the brakes, then turn.

Build it in a safe place

You cannot practice this properly on the street, and you should not try. The right place to learn body position is a track day, where there is runoff, instruction, and no oncoming traffic to punish a mistake. Novice groups almost always have coaches watching your position and fixing it in real time, which is worth more than a hundred videos.

Get the bike ready with our track-day prep service, grab any gear you are missing at the store, and pick a date from our upcoming track days. Your body position, and your grin, will both improve fast.