Downhill twisty corners

[fulcrum]

Hi gang,

We have a road near home that we blast up and down once a week. Nice and twisty. First we blast up the mountain, stop for some breakfast at a nice cafe ate the top, then we blast back down.

At least my wife blasts back down... I sort of meander.

I have no problems going uphill at all. I normally do it in 2nd and 3rd (depending on the speed in the particulat area). Just keep the revs up and have alot of fun.

As for coming down I feel really insecure.

I normally come back down through the problem area (quite steep and very twisty) in 2nd to try and have as much engine breaking as possible to help out.

What I normally feel is that the bike is incredibly nose heavy and this makes me uncomfortable and not wanting to trust it. As such I tense up I guess.

Anyway, today I came down in third and used my front brake a LOT more. This seemed to make me smoother and I felt better, but my wife said I was slower than normal (I didn't care about the speed, I was trying new stuff). I never like the idea of the front brake down that stretch due to constant turns and swapping of direction with no straight bits. I've always been paranoid of the front brake when not upright.

But this time squeezing it gently on as I was out of one corner and setting up for another seemed to help. Also being in third meant any acceleration through the corners was more subtle as I was at lower revs and the bike didn't seem to kick from front to back so much.

I have my suspension set on the factory defaults by the way.

How does everyone else deal with downhill twisties? I'm willing to try all sorts of things.

Also, could a suspension adjustment help? What should I try? I still consider myself new to bikes, and don't want to screw everything up by changing something incorrectly.

Thanks for any advice.

[md86]

http://motorcyclistonline.com/howto/downhill/

I'm not all that great with downhill twities either .

[HS2020]

Doing what you are is the right thing. Yes getting on the brake going down hill takes some getting use to. The bike is going to feel heavy because of the center of gravity is more forward at that point. You will know if you get to much front brake. The rear end will hop up on you. Take it smooth and learn the transitions going down the hill. Your entry into the corners is going to be the same either up hill or down hill. I like to stay in 3rd when going down hill that why if need be I can go into 2nd then accelerate out and back into 3rd. I am hesitant at times when I come to a blind corner so you have to take that into account as well. Just keep practice what you have learned so far and apply it. You will do just fine.

[fulcrum]

Thanks for the input guys.

It looks like I'm doing everything right now, I just need to get the confidence up and trust in myself more, which means more practice.

At least heading up to try again is great fun.

[crazymofo]

fulcrum, ur in brissie, im on the gold coast, we should meet up for a ride up beechmont or springbrook, they are good learner hills and would be perfect for u to perfect d/hill cornering, as its not overly steep. id be able to give u some pointers.

i tend to keep it in a gear that keeps the revs under 6-7 grand to keep the bike fairly nuetral

ur prolly finding ur body is sliding forward and applying more weight to ur wrists making it harder yet again for u to tip the bike into corners as all ur weights on the bars (front)

grip the tank more with ur knees and tense ur abs up so ur body stays back in the middle of the bike more. i find i use my front breaks only on the strights b4 the corner, as apply the front break stands the bike up and makes it harder to turn in.

wash off ur speed with ur front break, b4 the corner then release it and drag ur back break into the corner and use it to regulate speed thru the corner.

my mobile number is 0402458579 gimme a call anytime i'll be happy to organise a ride with ya anytime.

cheers.joe.

[fulcrum]

Welcome dude.

Good to see someone else living in Oz in here.

I live on the northern side of Brissie, and the road I'm talking about it Mt Mee in case you've ever been up/down it. Just the southern side. It is very near home and quite a bit of fun.

I think I went out to Beechmont about a month ago when my wife and I were down the Coast having a riding holiday (we stayed at Broadbeach and went riding each day).

The gripping with knees more is something I definitely think I'll have to do. I would use my abs more, but they went missing in action a few years back. I guess they are still around somewhere though

I was dragging my back brake through the corners, but I'm wanting to stop that as I don't want to wear the pad down too early. If I'm set up for the corner right I should be accelerating very slightly through the corner, not breaking... at least that is what I've been lead to believe.

[crazymofo]

Welcome dude.

Good to see someone else living in Oz in here.

I live on the northern side of Brissie, and the road I'm talking about it Mt Mee in case you've ever been up/down it. Just the southern side. It is very near home and quite a bit of fun.

I think I went out to Beechmont about a month ago when my wife and I were down the Coast having a riding holiday (we stayed at Broadbeach and went riding each day).

The gripping with knees more is something I definitely think I'll have to do. I would use my abs more, but they went missing in action a few years back. I guess they are still around somewhere though

I was dragging my back brake through the corners, but I'm wanting to stop that as I don't want to wear the pad down too early. If I'm set up for the corner right I should be accelerating very slightly through the corner, not breaking... at least that is what I've been lead to believe.

thanks for the welcome,

i actually did mt mee just this weekend gone by, would love to do it again.

you'll find just tensing ur gut muscles will be enough to take the weight of the bars a bit, clenching the knees makes the most difference,

u are correct, u shouldnt have to drag the rear break, u should have a constant amount of throttle on the bike round corners, but make sure ur ready to drag the rear break incase ur speed is too high for the corner and u start running wide.

roll of the throttle to tighten ur line, roll on the throttle to widen it.

do you shift ur ass to the side of the seat for any corners, its amazing what even half an arse of the side can do for corner tip in and stability.

i ride a gsxf750, i know they arent the fastest bikes thru the twisties.. still dosnt stop me tho, im regularly on the back of r6/r1/gsxr600/750/1000's thru the hills. and these ppl know how to ride. im always shocking them when they stop to wait for me and i am right behind them. hahaha!

the gsxf isnt a hyper sports bike never was meant to be, so they are not as good in the twisties as some would hope, but!! dosnt mean u cant be just as fast, dont be afraid to get it cranking over, i have nearly my whole arse of to the side of the seat my heads next to the tank my knee is tucked up so i dont scrape it.

one thing mate... dont forget to look at the apex to ensure u hit it and dont forget to look at the exit point too! where u look is where u go.

cheers.joe.

[Babs]

There are hills in Australia???!!!

I don't remember seeing many.

[OldandReallySlow]

I used to feel like that until I relaxed more on the bike. When you tense up, your arms tighten up and you actually transfer more weight onto the front wheel under braking. Try and squeeze the tank more with your knees nad keep your arms relaxed. The bike will handle better and you will be able to turn it easier.

[fulcrum]

Finally got back out there (@#$*^& rain)

We went for a spin this morning, and coming down the mountain was fun. I sat right back in the seat, had the balls of my feet on the pegs, hunched down, loose arms and on corners moved around so that (as somebody mentioned on here at some stage) I was trying to kiss the mirrors (works really well). I used a bunch of front brake too. Having the balls of my feet on the pegs make you much less reliant on the rear brake.

I noticed something though. I tend to not be able to judge speed when I'm scrunched down. I keep going into corners too fast now. But I'm getting there. I only went over the middle line once and I was hammering into that corner. I could see nobody was coming the other way, so I just let myself drift over. If someone had been coming I would have tried to tip it more, but I was already leaning further than I'm used to, and that would have been mighty uncomfortable.

Thanks for all the tips guys. They really work. I have 2 weeks off over xmas, so I'll get a bunch more riding in.

(Oh, and I overtook a car on the way downhill while going around a corner. Might not sound much, but overtaking on serious corners is always worrying for me even when going up the hill.)

[crazymofo]

dave feel like coming for a ride this weekend (19th of dec)

got a ride planned, for all levels of experience, nebo, glorious, fernvale.

there is a few newbies coming too. so u wont be left behind :P bwahahha j/k

cheers.joe.

[fulcrum]

Sounds good Joe. See your new PM (personal message... not the short little git with a funny voice and big eyebrows).

[bigbean51]

thats cool u guys get to meet up... as far as downhill, its practice, practice practice... just relax, and dont' tense up....it takes getting use to.... now, try doing it wil out braking

[Venom]

Hey Brian,

I bet you know why I'm eading this thread. lol
I'm still not real comfortable going do hill.

[bigbean51]

Hey Brian,

I bet you know why I'm eading this thread. lol
I'm still not real comfortable going do hill.

hey man,

hope u conquered ur devil... i am still working on mine... i got wrecked big time... :/ don't worry...its just a matter of practice, relaxing..learning... increasing confidence in yourself... and staying in ur limits and watching out for decreasing radius's glad to hear from ya