Learning to corner

[varangianknight]

Thanks to alanmcorcoran for re-assuring me that taking it slow and going at my own pace is all right, it may piss off a few drivers who want to go 10kph faster, but i'll get there alive! Im new to motorbikes but have ridden a pushy for the last twenty years (never owned a car) so i like to think that some of the BASIC principles of riding a bike (motor and push!) are somewhat in grained, please let me if im wrong or there are any major differneces. The thing im having trouble with is adjusting my range. Coming into a corner i still tend to look to down the road about 30 feet. too close i know! But what IS the right range? The faster you go into a corner do you look further ahead? Does the radius of the turn matter ie the tighter it is, do you need to look closer. Also where i live ther are some REALLY crappy road surfaces, so how do you look ahead and in front of you for leaves and slippery bits of road that tend to spring up on you no matter how well prepared you are. Im guessing ill learn most of this by trial and error, (more trial than error i hope), but any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

[JWR]

"A Twist of the Wrist II" by Keith Code, and "Total Control" by Lee Parks,

These two books are a lot cheaper than 1 accident.

These guys draw pictures and can explain where your field of vision should be far better than anyone on this board can.

[Water Warrior 2]

Originally Posted by JWR

"A Twist of the Wrist II" by Keith Code, and "Total Control" by Lee Parks,

These two books are a lot cheaper than 1 accident.

These guys draw pictures and can explain where your field of vision should be far better than anyone on this board can.

Oh yeah, go with the professionals on this issue. Your field of vision is important for a safe confident ride on any surface. Learning from the experience of others and applying their techniques will really develop your skills on 2 wheels.

[PimpS]

just my two cents, it is also very important, that your head stays in narrow position, not with the angle of your bike or your body, it gives you better perception of the road and controlled balance.

O= head
II= torso

O (straight driving)
II

O (going into curve)
//

It is nicely seen on the pic that Mole2 posted...

I hope you get my drift...

[PimpS]

JWR, your pic is awesome, i'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOO oops, don't know how to say it in english... It's SOOO HARD FOR ME TO WAIT TO SIT ON MY BIKE AND GO EASYRIDIN!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!


ps:don't worry, i'll go on training site first... but still........AAAAAAA........!!!

[JWR]

This is a pretty good look at counter steering and looking at where you are going.




[attachment=0:3prhojtg]pc3.jpg[/attachment:3prhojtg]

[Water Warrior 2]

Your head should be vertical, not tilted. You retain better balance. Keeping your head up allows you to have a better field of vision especially when cornering in town or on the highway.

[dentheman]

I also have a problem cornering. I had to retest a couple times on cornering to pass the MSF course on a GZ. I am just a little concerned with leaning too far on my 500+ lb Shadow. Thanks for your post, I will try it.

[Water Warrior 2]

Cornering can be a hoot once you learn the basics and fine tune your skills. You must always have trust in your bike too. It doesn't want to fall down anymore than you do. Low speed cornering is a little more of a work out with mind and body because the wheels no longer act as gyroscopes to keep you upright. It is all about training and practice. Training gives you the tools and practice gives you the skill to negotiate almost any surface short of a flowing lava bed which is not recommended. :lol:

[dentheman]

Originally Posted by Water Warrior

Cornering can be a hoot once you learn the basics and fine tune your skills. You must always have trust in your bike too. It doesn't want to fall down anymore than you do. Low speed cornering is a little more of a work out with mind and body because the wheels no longer act as gyroscopes to keep you upright. It is all about training and practice. Training gives you the tools and practice gives you the skill to negotiate almost any surface short of a flowing lava bed which is not recommended. :lol:

You are right about the bike not wanting to fall. I realize that at a stop sign I am supporting little weight with my feet on the ground; the bike is balanced, so its weight is not a factor, being supported by the tires with my feet alternately supporting perhaps just a few pounds to keep the bike upright. And when moving, the bike seems to correct for my minor mistakes. The problem is not with the bike, but with my confidence. But I see my confidence improving with each ride. I know cornering is my biggest problem, and where I will practice most. I took a couple bad falls when cornering on leaves/wet/gravel at high speed on my road bicycle in past years and that is in my subconscious; I will get over it. I also think much of the problem was the Shadow wasn't running right while I was trying to learn, sometimes she would hesitate when I got on the throttle in a turn and she lacked power overall, so I was afraid she would fail me at the wrong time. Now that she is fixed, I see my confidence building with each ride. Someone mentioned an 'element of trust' earlier in this thread, now I am learning to trust her, before I didn't.