cornering

[somainevent]

ok, took the safety courses, been riding a few months.. and just recently started taking some short windy roads. but i have a problem.. i always come out a little wide on the turns, never have run off the road, but sometimes feels like i will. before i start going for longer rides i would like some advice on making better turns if you all have any. thanks

[HS2020]

Where you look is where you will go. Try and not fixate on things. Look thru the corner and find your exit spot. The best thing to do is go to a road you know well that is away from traffic and such and practice. Learn to lean the bike going into the corner. Trust your tires to keep grip. Most people have a hard time trusting the tires to hold in the corners. Don't worry about dragging your pegs. Be smooth on the throttle, make sure you are in the right gear for making the corner and try not to over break. Pratice makes perferct. Everytime I go out I practice these little things. I do it on my work on the off ramps. Parking lots are good to practice in to. There are tons of books out there you can get and read then go apply the knowledge. I am sure there are some things I have left out. Someone will fill in the gaps. Hope this helps out some. Oh yeah one other thing. Get with someone that you can trust and ride with them. Have them follow you and pull over and talk about what you are doing. This will out alot. The most important thing is though. Always ride your at your own pace. There are no trophy's on the street.

[zleviticus]

press more and watch your entry into the turn. ideally you would want to make a turn with the least amount of lean as possible.. however that would take some of the fun of railing.

[Range]

slow in...fast out

but then again...I have been known to have a problem going into a curve

proper entry speed is a factor, settting up for the corner, accellerate smoooothly after hitting the apex

all theories best explained by others with infinate more experience then I.

[md86]

Just get it over with and buy Sport Riding Techniques , it'll explain everything !

[WildKat]

reading up on this is a great idea, there are countless books & magazines with cornering techniques.

when your starting out..its always tempting to try and brake in the middle of corner...not good, as you will inevitably start the bike leaning back up, and thats never good, especially in a sharp corner.

practicing alone, on a deserted or low traffic road, and set your speed and gear before you enter the corner, dont shift or brake in the middle of the corner, never look down, follow thru like highsight mentioned. if you notice on any picture that shows a rider going thru a turn, their head is always up and looking at the end of the corner...where ur eyes go, the bike will follow. its a hard concept to grasp, but once u do, it'll be second nature

[somainevent]

thanks alot for all of the tips guys, it will help me out alot.. guess i just have to look ahead more, im always looking at the side of the road to see if my a$$ is gonna fly off the road P.S. a deserted or not busy street.. whats that? i live in CA remember

[zleviticus]

check the library as well. i got proficient motorcycling for free well i did have to return it though.

[trinc]

i beleive you have a common problem for new riders ( and some old ).
It's your turn in point. TOO EARLY. when you turn in too early you have
to reduce your lean angle so you don't cross the yellow line ( or on a right hander - run off the road ) basically it forces you to double apex every corner or you run wide.
moving your turn in point has a number of advantages - you stay away from the yellow line or fog line, reduces mid-corner corrections & reduces the big SR's - plus you get to lean farther - carve around the corner -
but mainly you get to see farther into the corner before turning.

looking at some books can be confusing - because you don't want to start riding the 'racers line' but a sensable street line.

here is a quick drawing.



you'll notice in the red line that an early turn in makes you reduce your lean angle to keep from crossing the yellow line - this points you to the outside of the lane - double apexing to stay on the road.

try the blue line.

tim

[Range]

try the blue line.

tim

"I know, I know....right now your saying to yourself "why didn't I take the blue line"

Sounds kind of MATRIXY

[somainevent]

haha, thanks alot guys, i will have to go out and try that once it stops raining today

[WildKat]

last thing u wannd do is hit road site gravel or be too close to the center line.. either way, its disaster in the making.

[Batgirl]

Get with someone that you can trust and ride with them. Have them follow you and pull over and talk about what you are doing

Thats a great way to learn IMHO. (communicators help too)

[Junior]

Get with someone that you can trust and ride with them. Have them follow you and pull over and talk about what you are doing

Thats a great way to learn IMHO. (communicators help too)

I agree. That's the best and easiet way to learn.

Practice Practice PRACTICE!!! 8)

[Haggisman]

The more you practice the more confidence you will have. Once you have more confidence your riding will improve by itself