Cornering confidence

[Martynjoseph1]

Hey all, so after a little ride about this morning with a few mates, pissing around trying to lean over further on an abandoned roundabout, I find out that my mate can corner bike better than I can and by a long way (i ride a mk1 600 bandit btw) and this has got me down a little as he's not had much chance to ride my bike and seems to ride it better than I can haha. Has anyone got any tips on what i can do in order to push myself further and be able to to get the most out of my bike.

Thanks.
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2006 GSXR 750 K6 (Currently being repaired )

[TwoWheelsDail...]

ride at your own pace, if your mates faster, then he is faster. If you push to much you will most likely end up in a hedge. Just keep riding and you will eventually speed up. If you really want, get yourself on a trackday.
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Suzuki GSR 750 - 33BHP (Restriction Ends 17/12/2014)
KTM Duke 125 - SOLD
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[Martynjoseph1]

Yeah I guess so, I just feel a bit defeated by it is all, because if I don't keep trying, then I'll never get any better, and I guess I could try a track day if it would help my confidence, thanks
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2006 GSXR 750 K6 (Currently being repaired )

[Hetzer]

All things being equal (sticky warm tyres, suspension set-up, good road surface etc) you could stay sat bolt upright and hit your pegs at 100mph and be fine. Another time though you could hit crap on the road and lose the front or rear.

It's about fear ultimately and until you conquer that you'll be afraid to lean very far at any speed.

The old way is to find a quiet bit of road with a good corner and practice going through it faster and faster. Until you fall off. Falling off in a corner due to going too fast and losing the front or rear is the greatest teacher of limits. Unfortunately it's both dangerous and expensive.

There is no perfect formula. If you push hard you'll eventually come off. That's the cost of doing business with The Hoon.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[Martynjoseph1]

Thanks for the tip hetzer, I will try this whenever I get a dry day next as don't really wanna be doing this in the wet, thanks
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2006 GSXR 750 K6 (Currently being repaired )

[Wonko The Sane]

There were a few corners I was very wary of on my commute in the wet (was fine in the dry) as I was convinced it was going to end badly if I didnt' crawl round it (probably didn't help the situation)

After this week I'm a lot less timid in the wet, I don't push it as much as in the dry, even when in a rush (late for work, again) I don't ride in the wet the way I pootle around town in the dry but I'm quicker and more comfortable now in the wet than I was.

Riding to work in nearly all weathers probably helps as I'm spending time on the bike.
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[Martynjoseph1]

I also ride my bike in all weathers for commuting purposes and the only decent bend on the trip is normally covered in mud due to all the quarry trucks that pull in and out of their depot on the bend itself so find it hard to push myself that bit faster as have felt the bike slip there before
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2006 GSXR 750 K6 (Currently being repaired )

[Slacker24seve...]

Now is not the time to be developing your cornering confidence. It is piss wet and there's leaves all over the shop.
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Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace

[Martynjoseph1]

yeah i realise that this isn't the weather to be practising in and don't plan to bettering myself on wet, dirty roads etc, just wanted some tips for when i get dry clear roads
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2006 GSXR 750 K6 (Currently being repaired )

[CaNsA]

Actually mate, the more you ride in crappy weather the more confident you will be in decent weather.

Cat 5 storm raging outside.... perfect weather for a trip along the coast

[yaigi]

What your mate can do doesn't matter, ride at the point you feel most confident and no more or you're going to become 'unstuck'. Stop being a slave of your ego and just let things happen naturally, not everyone is the same.

Sounds to me like you don't lack cornering confidence, you just lack confidence in being yourself.
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What would you do in life, if you knew you could not fail?
Currently own - Fazer 600, 2000, Red. (But no riding as baby on board atm)

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Agree with much of the above, and remember - slow is smooth, fast is slow, smooth is flow. No wait that's not it. Smooth is slow, slow is fast, last is smooth.

Never mind.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Teflon-Mike]

[RhynoCZ]

Watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9lB-LErQ4

More upright the motorcycle is, more grip you get, faster and more confident you can go.

EDIT: Also, the idea of the video is to not push the bars, when you push them, you make the bike unstable, wobbly and scary for many people.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Ammoman]

Just be very careful Don't push yourself to far or you will get hurt Try doing a track day. Best of luck and stay safe..
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2013 ZZR1400 & Honda CG125 1986..

[mic]

ride it like you stole it it seems inexpereinced riders can be overcautious. so fuck it, i rag it everywhere wet or dry. im sure my abilities wont match someone elses with more experience, so ill learn the hard way dont need to fall off by all means but it would sink in MORE by remembering not to take that bend so fast next time than wondering if you can take it faster next time.
or something like that. just do it. or dont
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zzr600

[RhynoCZ]

[clancy]

[Supermoto_Fan]

Anyone can ride round a roundabout fast, try sweeping B roads where you have to read ahead and wrestle the bike
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Yamaha MT-09 - Triple powerrrr

[Andy_Pagin]

Just ride your own ride at your own pace. So long as you can maintain the same speed and direction as your bike, that's good enough.

Seriously though, skill and confidence takes time to develop, rush it and you'll get hurt, possibly killed.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[FriendlyEllis]

Don't shoot me down.... But this makes sense.

Like looking round a door.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCg3BMGe52M
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Honda CB600F Hornet 2013 -> Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS Tourer 2015

[BTTD]

As previous posters have, er, posted, your friend has less fear. There are two short cuts to improving your cornering.
One option is to throw caution to the wind and eventually throw the bike down the road.
Second option is to borrow your mates bike, adopt a fck him attitude and attempt to throw his bike down the road. If you fail and make the corner you are a riding GOD and he'll feel despondent.

Job done.


I often wonder if people who have ridden for 40 years and never dropped a bike are just really slow fckrs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it - I'm bit of a slow fckr and am hoping that it's not all bad.

[Old Git Racing]

If you're aspiring to beat your mate through some misconceived perception he has a bigger willy than you, then it's easy, just do it, overcome the brain thing (cos that's all it is really, he has the same number of arms, legs, head as you).
However, if you really aspire to ride a bike well inside your own head then seek to improve and you won't do that on a forum.
Get the bike you have the best it can be, go out on your own and see what you can do, like they say it's practice.
In the end it's all in your head, you sound like you've given up already. Don't listen to the ' don't do it you might fall off' brigade, but realise that's exactly what you might do and end up dead or even worse kill a kitten. That's the difference.

OGR
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2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[kestrel]