Taking the corner tips

Something I also found surfing. Pretty helpful for thoses out there trying to lean harder and faster on turns. Last week I found my self leaning to hard on a turn and started going towards to curb on the ramp. I was getting on the interstate and was taking the ramp and leaning a little to much and started to go towards the inside to much. Had to slow it down a bit. Sooner or later, it hits even the best rider -- the sudden realization that your approach speed is much too fast for the corner rapidly filling your faceshield. It doesn't matter if you're a commuter cruising home from work or a racer who just suffered a lapse of attention at speed; riding out of this mess gracefully demands attention, skill and mental preparedness. Let's take the problem a stage at a time. DECIDE TO MAKE IT: Your first emotion should be a firm determination to "ride through the corner". You have to stay mentally strong and supress any doubts, which can quickly explode into panic, and can overwhelm your ability to take charge of the situation. Too often a rider panics and locks the rear brake, losing his ability to control the situation. He then slides off a corner that he could have made if he simply had been resolved to do so. Some riders simply freeze, and never make any control inputs at all. It's more comon for a rider to crash when he panics entering a corner that he could have completed than it is for a rider to fall trying to corner too hard. Learn to relax and maintain your body position and motorcycle control in these high-pressure circumstances. LEAD WITH YOUR EYES: You go where you look, so LOOK UP THE ROAD AND THROUGH THE CORNER where you want to go. Don't let you eyes begin searching for a place to crash. Part of overcoming panic is wrenching your eyes away from the ditch or railing or even the open field looming ahead and putting them where you want to turn. It's also the first step in actually turning that way. BRAKE DEEP, LEAN HARD: If there's ever a moment when your braking practice pays off, it's now. As long as you have some significant pavement ahead, there is room to brake. The slower you go, the tighter an arc you can ride through the corner. Of course, the closer you come to the edge of the lane, the tighter an arc you NEED to stay there. Given sufficient room and hard enough braking, at some point your speed drops below the point at wich you can safely lean it over and drive through the corner. That speed is probably higher than you realize, however, unless you have spent some time on a racetrack exploring the outer edges of your bike's performance abilities. The only way you will learn how much your bike has left and how to use it fully is to practice. LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE: A close call should reinforce your confidence if you handle it successfully, reminding you that you have a reserve to tap. It should also remind you of your limitations. In other words, either know your road, or slow down.

yup..good stuff..its hard to learn to look thru the corners for awhile...ur tendancy is too look right in front on you, and that of course can get u into trouble in tight turns, & in general. the first time, its alittle weird, but the more you do it, the more it becomes second nature. another thing learning the hardway is not braking in the middle of a corner...thus setting your entry speed is critical before you actually start the corner...disaster can strike when you dont set your corner speed early, and you end up hard on the brake right in the middle of a turn..for sure. practice practice pratice..makes perfect. :bike:

Thanks for the tips, good information for new and experienced riders. :hyper:

A good advanced riding school or even a race school would help every rider, even a very experienced one. I have been to many and this is a common practice by most schools. Very good post.

A good advanced riding school or even a race school would help every rider, even a very experienced one. I have been to many and this is a common practice by most schools. Very good post. :iagree: the post is good but this Twisty guy is slow, just look at his picture on his signature. It just screams slow... :lol: He's my boy and I have to raz him a bit... :thumbs:

Sounds like a forum love connection. :leaving:

:iagree: the post is good but this Twisty guy is slow, just look at his picture on his signature. It just screams slow... :lol: He's my boy and I have to raz him a bit... :thumbs: besides, his helment doesnt match his bike, so you know he cant be going that fast.. :smilelol: :smilelol: just picking. :thumbs:

besides, his helment doesnt match his bike, so you know he cant be going that fast.. :smilelol: :smilelol: just picking. :thumbs: That's because he treats his bikes like they're leases, kinda like ur car... :D Never usually has one the same color for very long...besides what color is a scratch anyway.....Twist, you know I'm playing and could never keep up with ya... :cheers:

so what kinda bikes have you had twisty? :bike:

so what kinda bikes have you had twisty? :bike: I'm going out on this one. I think he has owned sports bikes. LOL I think mostly GSXR's. But thats just a guess. Lets see what he says. :)

I'm going out on this one. I think he has owned sports bikes. LOL I think mostly GSXR's. But thats just a guess. Lets see what he says. :) It's more like what kinda of bikes hasn't he had! :D He just likes to get new ones all the time. I think he just runs them so fast that they quit...yeah that's it!! :thumbs:

Yeah....thats what I meant. LOL :D

Yeah....thats what I meant. LOL :D nice save, funky chunk :banana:

Sket Sket Sket. I can only do as much as my brain allows me to and sometimes thats even pushing it. :smilelol:

Sket Sket Sket. I can only do as much as my brain allows me to and sometimes thats even pushing it. :smilelol: is the little hamster running the wheel inside your head, working overtime ?? :smilelol:

He IS in OT. He likes his pay checks. :D

I have had a few bikes, But i live my Race GSXR 750. Best bike I have ever owned. I have 04 GSXR 1000 and it is a screamer. I took it to the gap and broke it in. There is a pretty video on our site http://wideopensportbikes.com

Oh yeah I'm planning on getting only Blue and white bikes from now on so I bought a matching helment!!!!

Good info. . :thumbs: At the risk of being serious for a second, these books should be a must have for any rider, especially sport bike riders whether you race or not. Keith Code also teaches the California Superbike School. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0965045021/qid=1093014145/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-6692577-2143162?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0965045013/qid=1093014145/sr=8-2/ref=pd_ka_2/104-6692577-2143162?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Thanks for the info on the books. :)

Here's a worthwhile thread from the past. Should probably be in one of the "riding" sections, though.

Something I also found surfing. Pretty helpful for thoses out there trying to lean harder and faster on turns. Last week I found my self leaning to hard on a turn and started going towards to curb on the ramp. I was getting on the interstate and was taking the ramp and leaning a little to much and started to go towards the inside to much. Had to slow it down a bit. Sooner or later, it hits even the best rider -- the sudden realization that your approach speed is much too fast for the corner rapidly filling your faceshield. It doesn't matter if you're a commuter cruising home from work or a racer who just suffered a lapse of attention at speed; riding out of this mess gracefully demands attention, skill and mental preparedness. Let's take the problem a stage at a time. DECIDE TO MAKE IT: Your first emotion should be a firm determination to "ride through the corner". You have to stay mentally strong and supress any doubts, which can quickly explode into panic, and can overwhelm your ability to take charge of the situation. Too often a rider panics and locks the rear brake, losing his ability to control the situation. He then slides off a corner that he could have made if he simply had been resolved to do so. Some riders simply freeze, and never make any control inputs at all. It's more comon for a rider to crash when he panics entering a corner that he could have completed than it is for a rider to fall trying to corner too hard. Learn to relax and maintain your body position and motorcycle control in these high-pressure circumstances. A lot of the time you'll realize that you are going into a turn too hot while your leaning, or just initiating the lean. A lot of riders don't use their rear brake, so most of the time, they will squeeze for the front. Doing this will stand your bike upright...ONLY IF YOU GRAB A HANDFUL. I learned, from sticky situations, that you can grab the front brake at full lean. But it has to be drastically less than what you would normally use. You're not going to grab enough to slow you down to a speed that you're comfortable with, in most "oh sh*t" cases, but just enough to slow down to tighten your turn a little bit. It's gotta be real smooth though. You can't "jerk" the lever. LEAD WITH YOUR EYES: You go where you look, so LOOK UP THE ROAD AND THROUGH THE CORNER where you want to go. Don't let you eyes begin searching for a place to crash. Part of overcoming panic is wrenching your eyes away from the ditch or railing or even the open field looming ahead and putting them where you want to turn. It's also the first step in actually turning that way. This is SOOO true! The only thing that looking for a good spot to crash is gonna do is put you in spot. BRAKE DEEP, LEAN HARD: If there's ever a moment when your braking practice pays off, it's now. As long as you have some significant pavement ahead, there is room to brake. The slower you go, the tighter an arc you can ride through the corner. Of course, the closer you come to the edge of the lane, the tighter an arc you NEED to stay there. Given sufficient room and hard enough braking, at some point your speed drops below the point at wich you can safely lean it over and drive through the corner. That speed is probably higher than you realize, however, unless you have spent some time on a racetrack exploring the outer edges of your bike's performance abilities. The only way you will learn how much your bike has left and how to use it fully is to practice. This is where quality tires can help (Pilot Powers). The key to conering at high speeds is your tires and your confidence you have in those tires. A lot of times, for new guys, it takes a situation like this to gain confidence in your tires. But after, you're too busy thanking god you didn't wreck to realize that your tires were there for you. For an everyday rider, you'd be amazed how much lean your tires can handle. I go by how much chicken strips I have left on my front tire, since my rear is scrubbed off edge to edge. LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE: A close call should reinforce your confidence if you handle it successfully, reminding you that you have a reserve to tap. It should also remind you of your limitations. In other words, either know your road, or slow down. If handled correctly, you should never forget how you handled it. Know what the bike is gonna do when you a certain thing. Example: Squeeze the front brakes hard during lean, it's goona straighten up and your turning radius is going to go to sh*t and you won't make the turn. So obviously , you're gonna want to go easy on the brakes.

Rep score for DL. :thumbs: good read.

It's important for the noobs to take this to heart. It's good info.

It's important for the noobs to take this to heart. It's good info. :iagree:

It's important for the noobs to take this to heart. It's good info. Yep. That's why I think this should be in the riding section. This was a good one to bring back from the dead.

Yep. That's why I think this should be in the riding section. This was a good one to bring back from the dead. :iagree: :dthumb:

Thread moved to Everyday Riding. :cheers: