If you're busy at the controls and your pillion's got ants in his/her pant, well, you're getting it wrong. Let Steve relax you in his own special way... Ever had a pillion behind you? Ever had a bad pillion behind you? What does a bad pillion do? Some try to resist leaning into the turn, while others change the shoulder over which they are looking - just when you are wanting to change direction! Others still lean back and head-butt you every time you change gears. I've even had riders try to turn my body when we get to the corner. It really doesn't matter what they do, if they do anything at all, they are a bad pillion - because all you want is for them to relax and do nothing. That means that we could define a good pillion as one that does nothing other than breathe!

A good pillion goes with the bike and the rider. When you consider it, all riders are really just pillions in a sense. Once moving your motorcycle wants to keep going in the direction in which it is pointing. Any physicists out there?

The Law of Momentum states that an object moving in a direction will continue moving in that direction. What this means to you and me is that your motorcycle actually wants to stay upright and continue moving in the direction you have it pointed. If that's the case, then you are more of a passenger than you realise. The problem with some riders is that they think they have to constantly be doing something for the bike to do what they want, when in actual fact it would be better off left alone. This makes for busy riders, not effective ones. The simple fact is that a good rider does less, not more Garry McCoy is a great example of a rider that, while looking spectacular, is putting less input into the bike than you may realise. The difference is that Garry knows what he has to do, and he does it decisively and effectively.

Let's be honest, if you and I tried to enter a turn like 'Mr Squiggle' (is he called that because of his riding, or an uncanny resemblance to a particular TV character? Anyway...) we would most likely not make it through the turn! Yet he does it consistently, over and over again. So, how is it that he can put a motorcycle into the ridiculous positions that very few riders on this planet can do? Easy. He's not doing anything to the bike once he initiates the action. Next time you see him ride, watch his body rather than the bike. You'll probably notice that he's not really doing too much at all, he's just sitting there playing with the controls. Now... where does this fit in? In previous issues of this column we've discussed methods of steering, use of the throttle and brakes, body position, and other tools for riding a motorcycle. How many times you use these tools and the force used each time will determine the result you get as a rider.

Want a better result? Just remember... Less is often more. Are your suspenders giving you grief? In certain corners, does your bike handle like a cement-filled wheelbarrow? There's every chance the problem is operator-error rather than a hardware glitch. Over to you Steve...

Does your bike have any handling problems? Does it seem to work well in one corner, yet poorly in another similar turn? Have other people ridden your bike and pronounced it okay, but you're still struggling and unconvinced? If you answered yes to any of these questions, chances are your riding style is affecting the operation of your suspension.

Aside from the various things you can affect by incorrect use of the controls as discussed in previous issues - you can change the way your bike handles simply by how tightly you hold on to the controls. In essence, the suspension is there to keep the wheels on the ground (giving you a plush ride is a secondary consideration!). How effective your suspension is will translate to the amount of traction available from the tyres. To perform that task effectively the suspension needs to have neutral input from the rider most of the time. Particularly once the bike has been steered into the turn and is at its maximum lean angle for that corner. I have previously plagiarised Keith Code to make the statement that a good rider does less not more. Part of ‘doing less' is to relax your grip on the handlebars and allow the bike to complete whatever you have asked it to do.

For example, once you have steered the bike into a turn, to complete that turn the pressure on the handlebars needs to be released so the suspension and tyres can work effectively. If you continue holding onto the handlebars too tightly, the bike will probably feel unstable and want to run wide. Thinking about it, if you are reducing the tyre's ability to stick to the road, the bike will definitely want to run wide. In the case of excessive speed, the tyres will actually want to slide earlier than if you can just relax and let the whole package of chassis, suspension and tyres do their jobs

Thinking about it, if you are reducing the tyre's ability to stick to the road, the bike will definitely want to run wide Doing this is another way in which you can learn to ride your motorcycle in the manner in which it was designed to be ridden.

Good luck with your riding.