Slow Speed Cornering

[WowIHaveA10Pl...]

Hi guys, I'm currently riding a 125 on my CBT alone, which I only did recently.

The only problem I'm having is with my slow speed maneuvers. I was doing pretty fine up until the other week when it was a bit icey/frosty, I was doing a small roundabout (not mini) and was a bit shakey which knocked my confidence, then about 2 minutes after I was doing a large roundabout and was way too close to one of the kerbs (set off a bit early, was double checking for cars already on the roundabout and took my eye off where the kerb was).

Anyway since then I've started doubting my slow maneuvers a bit more. I was planning on buying some cones anyway to get some practice in for my mod 1 in a few months, would I benefit from doing that now or would I be better off practising in the real world?

The only two problems I've had since then is with the below two situations, in them the line I am meant to take is in red and the one I did in blue.

More than anything I am wanting to check what speed I should be doing them both at? I'm not too sure if I didn't slow down enough or if I just didn't put on enough turn.

https://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/4919501/1024/Anonymous/Sky1.jpg

The road I'm coming off is 40mph on to a 20, On this crossed over the central white line (no vehicles oncoming luckily). And...

https://www1.picturepush.com/photo/a/4919809/640/4919809.jpg

This is also a 40 on to a 20, the road I was coming off is always really busy though, with people usually doing 40-50 when possible. I don't like slowing down too early (had a few muppets in Subaru's blaring past at I don't know what speed), because of this I think I might have left it too late to brake thus entering it too fast. On this I went way over the white line (no oncoming traffic) and decided to pull up on the other side of the road and kick myself for being a muppet.

I've spent quite a bit of time looking into riding etc online, and know countersteer kicks in at roughly 14mph. Do I need to slow down to this speed or below to take a sharpish corner (being a novice, not a knee down pro).

Cheers for anyones reply!

[Sam_Y_93]

Just look at where you want to go and your bike will follow!!
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Bikes Past: Yamaha Aerox (sold) Yamaha R125 (written off)
Bikes Current: Honda VFR 400 (awaiting restoration) Honda CB600f F-4
Theory passed July 21st Mod1 passed August 3rd Mod 2 passed 26th August

[SirEdward]

Do NOT try to base your cornering speed off nearby cars. Motorcycles don't have the luxury of 4 wheel stability while cornering.

General rule is to enter a corner like an angel, exit like a demon.

I suggest you slow down to as low as 10 MPH if you have to, or even an almost complete stop, provided you have no one harassing you from the back/right side.

You should not even think of counter-steering at these speeds.
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"Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.

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[clancy]

just take the corner at a slow enough speed to do it comfortably and safely. build up confidence and it will be second nature in no time.

your looking to much into things, dont need to be looking up counter steering.

the more practise you can get in the better
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KLX 300r

[blurredman]

I was just like you when learning to ride. I've passed my test but of course, we learn for a long time after that.

As time rolls on, your confidence may surprise you. Just of late, my slow speed traffic control has been pretty amazing not to toot my town trumpet.

We all make mistakes when learning and even after, it's how you cope with the situation and improve it for the future which is the skill.

All I can say to you is slow down to what you feel is a comfortable speed and take it from there.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 (295cc) - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 51k.

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Until you can regain some confidence you could try bullshitting yourself through the corner.
Lemme explain. You can't stop riding tight, coupled with target fixation. Until you relax you won't gain confidence. Until this happens force your head to turn in the direction you are going and push that bar.
Like mentioned...don't rush, own your bit of road...not others

Pat
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[ollieholt]

^^^ All this is good!

target fixation is a big thing to get over. It was explained to me by my instructor for my DAS test. He said if your going through a corner leant over and you see a brick, you have more chance of missing it if you just look through the corner whilst being aware of it position then if you stared at it. Don't take this literally lol it was only illustrating this point. It is a strange affect, your bike tends to go where your looking, ever been riding along and a fit FIT woman is walking on the other side of the road. Your a man, you will look, you cannot help this. You may well find yourself in the middle of the road or worse on the other side. Going to hot into a corner? staring at that ever approaching grassy bank? look down the road and compose yourself, stare at it chances are you will end up there.

Build up your confidence slowly biking is for life if you want it to be

oh and your forum name? cannot work out if it is in surprise you say that or it is condescending either way welcome to the nut house!
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.

[herulach]

I take it you're commuting? Go out on a sunday morning round one of those monster maze estates and get lost for an hour or so, even better if you can find somewhere really compressed to practice (my instructor took me to a sort of triangular park with a road through the middle (think of a triangle and a square) then just doing figure 8s round it for literally an hour. Turns right on top of each other are much harder but you get good fast, and it seems a lot easier when you're on a proper road then.

I suspect with both those corners you're thinking about it too much. If you're getting down to 20 just turn it more, you'll surprise yourself how far you can lean!
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YBR 125>FZS600

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Maybe back to basics.
Carpark and figure of 8's. Emergency stops the whole shebang.

Even now, i will bimble at crawling speed in my road (quiet) doing full lock figure of eights with pillion. Comes in handy to keep slow speed skills sharp(ish)
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[pinkyfloyd]

Like the above has said. Go as slow as you need to go to get around the corner. If that means you go round at 5mph until you get used to riding and cornering then so be it. Dont worry about anyone behind you. They can wait. Sod them!

Make sure you look around the corner. If your looking where the bike is going then you'll go in a straight line. The trick is to make the bike go where your looking. It does take a little getting used to but you'll get there.

Slow into the corner and power out of it.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[CaNsA]

Dont think about leaning, you will do it without realising.

Thats all i have to add.

[fireyphoenix1...]

i think watching twist of the wrist 2 would help you i had the same problem just couldnt work out what i was doing wrong :/ its only a few bob and its a good laugh to hope this helps
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2014 Aprillia dorsoduro 750 factory.

[WowIHaveA10Pl...]

Cheers guys, I'll wait til this evening and head out at around 8-9 when the roads should be pretty quite and just do a few circles of the area taking in them two turns over and over.

I do think as much as anything I'm over thinking it so just doing it a few times should put it to bed. Also in my CBT they went through looking where you went to head up and I do try, but I can't help looking at the other side when I think I might be heading wide so I'll just keep practicing.

And thanks for the Twist of the Wrist advice, theres a few more things Im meaning to read/watch so I'll be adding it to the list.

Ta guys

[waffles]

Practise!

My instructor told me to look where I wanted to go and dip that shoulder down to help go round the corner. So for a left hand turn focus round to the left where you will end up and dip your left shoulder down.
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[WowIHaveA10Pl...]

Quick update: Was just out for an hour and a bit and was cornering like a regular slow mo Lorenzo!

I dipped my shoulder a bit more as suggested and it helped, I didn't particularly go any slower than before, around the 20mph mark according to my clock, so probably slightly below that.. There was no cars behind be to hold up so I braked more gradually and slower, this seemed to help.

Did the confidence a world of good Cheers for all the advice guys, I'll still be going over the thread and putting it all into practice.

On a side note, as I don't want to be clogging up the board with new threads, is there a way to position yourself at lights so their sensormijiggies can see you? I tried moving my bike forewards, backwards, turning it to an angle, flashing my lights, anything, I end up just sitting and waiting for a car to come behind me.. It's happened a few times now and is really frustrating

[pinkyfloyd]

[chris-red]

Stop looking at kerbs look exactly where you want to go, if you look wide you will go wide. This is stuff they should be teaching you on your CBT.
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Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[daesimps]

[pinkyfloyd]

I stand corrected. I always assumed it was pressure. But after being stuck for ages at times I found my method above worked well but I guess all I was doing was just wasting time.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[daesimps]

[pinkyfloyd]

I found it worked better when I rode along the bit of rubbery stuff that led towards the lights. Whole straight line of the stuff so it was probably that. Helped pick up the engine rather than looking a pillock with the nose diving
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[ollieholt]

This will help if your really cannot get those lights to work for you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrUWLsEzT14

Magnets induct a lot more then just plain old metal. Tried it on my first scoot with small magnets, works
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.

[Parp]

I find I take most corners in 2nd and larger round a bouts in 3rd.

I also find looking at where you plan to go and slow in fast out is the way to go.

The new series of Top Gear has a race between an Ariel Atom and some superbike. The Atom won and it was all down to the cornering. It was clear the bike could not go into corners as fast as the car.

[pinkyfloyd]

Those magnet thingys. I have a Neocube which is made of the same kind of magnets but I'll be buggered if I'm going to strap them to the bike. They are way too much fun to play with.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[ollieholt]

I has them too! they are proper time killers. You managed to get them back into a cube yet?
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< This? Well this is just a day brightner.