Shifting on corners

[onlyJaz]

Just a quick one hopefully.. When taking a corner I might be in limbo between two gears and my brain is telling me it's not a good idea to shift during the corner. So my question is, what do you guys recommend;

- being in a higher RPM for the corner (so not shifting until corner complete)

- being in a lower RPM (shifting before the corner)

- shifting during the corner is okay

I'm already being very gentle with the throttle on a bend not to make sudden changes.


Cheers
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Yamaha YBR 125

[M.C]

You shift before the corner.

[Teflon-Mike]

Racer's often used to have a reverse shift, so that on right handers they could up-shift whilst banked without stabbing the lever into the floor, which is legacy of the now usual left hand one down four up shift patern.

Roads aint race tracks; you should not need be banked that far; nor should you 'need' shift gear, really.. but if you do.. you aught have the margin to do it and do it smoothly without unduly unsettling the bike... if not, you are on the ragged edge long before and it's only dumb luck you haven't crashed already.

So, either a) you are over thinking stuff too much ad this shouldn't be a concern b) you are riding on the ragged edge, and whether to change gear or not, is probably the least of your worries c) you are such a goliath of innate natural talent (or accident looking for a place to happen) you shouldn't be doing it on the road. Which do you think best fits?
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[The Shaggy D.A.]

Be in the right gear before the corner. You want to have enough leeway in your revs to be able to alter your speed mid corner on the throttle, without braking or changing gear.
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[dansp1]

are you riiding one of these?

https://www.bikeexif.com/suzuki-rk67

[Mawsley]

I always put on cool gear, not sure this helps with cornering mind.

[Holdawayt]

As above, you should really be in the correct gear before you enter the corner. However if you find yourself way up in the rev range a clutchless upshift will keep the bike more settled than a slow clutch change.

You are overthinking it though.

[Rogerborg]

Lower gear, go through the corner on constant, partial throttle, accelerate as it opens out, and only then think about shifting up.

Don't feel like you're chasing lap times, especially on a 125 with a tiny contact patch and Ditchfinder^tm stock tyres.
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[Jayy]

Same as, right gear first but on the odd occasion you do need to do it, doesn't cause an issue but then again, I have never down shifted a gear in a corner so wouldn't know.

[onlyJaz]

Thanks for all the responses guys, appreciated.

I don't race lol nor am I in a racetrack mindset, was just asking for normal everyday riding, it hasn't caused me any problems but I just wanted to know what the accepted practice is for it
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Yamaha YBR 125

[NutsyUk]

Thanks for making this post... I was wondering this as well... And yeah ive bene over thinking this a few times, coming off an A road to a small country lane... With traffic behind me. Such Fun!
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[skatefreak]

As already mentioned, unless you're on a track or riding on ice/snow/too fast then it shouldn't be a problem. Certainly a habit to try get out of though...

[arry]

[Rogerborg]

[weasley]

Getting the right gear before you go in forces you to assess the situation, polishing those legendary biker observation and assessment skills. If you can work out what gear will carry you through the corner then you have read the road, traffic, topography, corner geometry, road surface and myriad other factors and got it right; in doing so you have also built a pretty good dynamic risk assessment and mental map of the situation. If you steam into a corner and then start thinking about what gear you need, you are wasting processing time right at the time when you ought to be most focused.
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[B5234FT]

Youll find as you ride more you get better at assessing entry and exit speeds and which gear you need, it becomes automatic and you stop finding yourself in the wrong gear. The aim though whether car, bike or HGV is to get your braking and gear changes out of the way in a straight line, then turn and accelerate out of the bend without having to change up until you're once again travelling in a straight line.

(Yes there are exceptions/advances on this, but as a basic rule it's fine)

[Fin]

I often change gear during corners, I'd say most of the time I shift down a gear so I can get more control and have more power.

Other times I shift up to save fuel because the car in front is going slow.

[recman]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Don't be scared to use the revs. If you get it wrong and are in too low a gear, then chances are that you still have a fair few revs before the red line

All the best

Katy
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