Gonna do my first twisty

[dconnors]

Found a road that is very intense in twist and turns. drove it with a car and its hard turns. some are full leans. This will be my first and could use some advice. Thanks guys. Ill get some pics after hopefully.

[boomer_95]

start off slow to get the feeling for it. have a steady throttle threw the turn and look were you WANT to to go i.e. up the road (see my pic for a good example). if you start getting a good feeling about it and know you can go faster do so, slowly. and if you start getting tired take a break.

[KatanaGSX92]

Here are a few points:

Make sure your tires are in good condition and the proper inflation... not the inflation marked on the side of the tire, but inflation for the conditions. I.e., generally speaking, you'll want the PSI to be a little lower that the PSI indicated on the tires to ensure the best traction. there is a fine line between making the tire a little softer so that it sticks better and under inflation.

Most important. Understand "Target Fixation." Always make sure you are looking past the apex of the turn. Your bike will go where you look.

A lot of times, especially on tight turns, if things get dicey, there is a tendency to look at the area where you don't want to go. Guess what? That is exactly where you will end up. Keep looking past the apex of the turn, don't slam on the brakes (if you haven't bled off enough speed by braking before you entered the turn, braking hard suddenly isn't going to help. It will make it worse). Hitting the brakes hard will:

1) lift the bike up, out of the lean
2) take you out of your line
3) brake loose your wheels and cause loss of traction.

Suddenly letting off the throttle will also cause you to come out of your line. Smooth, gentle reduction in throttle is fine.

Understand counter steering. (look it up if you don't know)

Finally, your bike can probably handle a turn much tighter than you think it can. Generally when there is an issue, it's that the ride exceeds the talent of the rider, not the ability of the bike.

[woobie]

Do a slow ride down the stretch of road to check road condition, nothing worse than coming around a turn and finding gravel or debris scattered across your line.

Look through the corner on the tight or blind ones, basically that means if your coming around a corner and you can't see the exit you want to be looking where the corner exit would be if you could see it.

[Slofuze]

All good advice above.

If you care to make this your "signature ride", then learn the road and just take it easy at first.

[shpielers]

generally when there is an issue, it's that the ride exceeds the talent of the rider, not the ability of the bike.

+10000000000000!!!

[ygolohcysp]

If this is your first time in the twisties, then the advice of going slow and learning the road really is the most important. Over confidence when you haven't been riding long enough to know what the bike can do is a bad thing. If you start feeling the flow and going faster and then suddenly come up on a tighter turn, or a decreasing radius turn, that's when fear will most likely cause you to slam on the brakes and lose control, or worse. Your bike will be able to turn better than you think, so if while taking it easy you hit a sharper corner, just lean a little more and trust the bike.

It sounds like you may be going alone. If so, let someone know where you'll be, just in case. If you're riding with more experienced riders, then you should lead the ride so that you set the pace to your comfort level. If they take off, then let them take off and do NOT try to keep up at a pace you aren't comfortable with.

At this stage in the game, don't worry about leaning off the bike at all. Just get used to the bike. However, if you encounter a sharp corner, then be aware that leaning your upper body is 1000 times more effective than the lower. You don't even have to move your butt from the seat at all, and just lean your head and shoulders in the direction you're turning, and it can help you corner better.

You should also read "Sport Riding Techniques". Not really needed before this ride, but just in general. It has a lot of great information. After you've read it and gone riding a while, read it again. You'll learn new stuff.

Have a blast, and ride safe!

[hinow41]

If you are riding with other people don't try a keep up. This got me once and I ended up low siding. Remember you are riding on the road not a track. Better to go slow and learn basics then go fast and never riding again.
Read http://tinymicros.com/wiki/File:Twis...he_Wrist_I.pdf

[MinnKat600]

Ride your own bike. Dont cross the center line for on coming traffic. Be prepared for the unexpected. Have fun.

[TRPUT]

Yep - leave your over-confidence, under-confidence and testosterone at home, and don't ride with anyone inflicted with these curses. (My riding buddy called me a sissy girl plenty of times while I developed my own abilities at my own pace. Guess what ... he's now binned 3 bikes and nearly killed himself.) Focus on doing things right - not fast.

[dconnors]

Thanks for all the advice guys. It really helped. I had a blast. I did noticed a couple of times i started to get to comfortable and scared myself going into a turn. lucky my sister followed me in her car. Think its gonna be my main training road till im able to do it fluently. Again thanks for the advice.

[woobie]

When you feel like exploring http://www.motorcycleroads.us/ .

[Wild-Bill]

Little late on this thread but the things that've helped me are:
1. Squeeze the tank with your knees and straighten your back.
2. Relax your shoulders, elbows and hands. Heck, relax in general.
3. Look where you want the bike to go.
4. Remember to push on the inside bar.
5. Smile. This is fun!

[boomer_95]

Thanks for all the advice guys. It really helped. I had a blast. I did noticed a couple of times i started to get to comfortable and scared myself going into a turn. lucky my sister followed me in her car. Think its gonna be my main training road till im able to do it fluently. Again thanks for the advice.

I did the same thing when i started riding a few years ago. i found a few twisty roads around me, and rode them alot. every-time getting faster and faster. not necessarily pushing myself to the edge, just getting more and more comfortable with how fast and how much lean I could go. also i got the books and dvd "twist of the wrist 1&2" they helped ALOT!

[Doppleganger3814]

All great information. I've only been riding a year and these techniques and the techniques I learned in my training course I still apply today! Experience is a great confidence booster for me, and has helped me on the twisties.