"The MOTORCYCLIST editors
are enthusiastic· without too
much seriousness."
-Keith Code
Name: Keith Code
Occupation: President, California Superbike School; author of
two books on high-performance
riding and racing: A Twist of the
Wrist and The Soft Science of
Road Racing Motorcycles
Riding history: "I started in
1957 on a Harley Hummer, a little 125cc two-stroke single. When
1 was 15 1 had a good job and
the guys at Pittsburgh Cycle
Center let me walk out with a
brand-new Ducati for about half
down and trusted me for the rest.
During the long Pennsylvania
winters 1 had plenty of time to
think about the principles of riding."
Professional background:
"For me, racing was the way 1
found out more about riding.
Even though 1 raced a few times
when I was 16 and 17 ye.ars old,
I didn't race again until I was 28.
I was so intent on catching up
that I decided I'd better get
smart about it and learn fast. I
spent more time learning than actually racing. The good part was
that I was able to put together
some methods to train people
where they hadn't really existed
before. Every other successful
sport has trainers and I think
I've helped to legitimize the concept in motorcycle racing. I started the school in 1980 and we've
had over 12,000 students. I've also had many road racing National Champions in private training.
The one-day school is taught
about 40 times a year at tracks
all over the country and is the
way we introduce people to the
race track. Part of our job is to
get people off the street and into
road racing and I think we do
that pretty well."
Views on teaching: "Motorcycle riding or racing is very personal. It makes each of us feel
good by our own standards. No
one can really say 'You're not
riding right.' Of course, there are
basics to riding and if you violate
them, you can get into trouble.
People are very passionate about
their riding because it is so personal, so I keep my instruction
right to the very basics that my
research proves. You know, like,
'Don't use your engine as a
brake, it can bend valves and
lock up the wheel.' Or, 'Don't
bite your girlfriend's lips, they'll
swell up and she won't be able to
kiss you.' That kind of stuff, basics."
Magazine: "MOTORCYCLIST
is very satisfying to me because it
reflects the personal aspect of riding with just the right blend of
technical explanation. The MOTORCYCLIST editors are enthusiastic without too much seriousness. There's a certain motion to
the magazine, a feeling of enthusiasm towards the changes in motorcycling that really contributes
to the sport; and that's rare."
