Cornering Shizzle

[WildGoose]

i believe my cornering is...pants

i have a habit, like im sure a lot of people do, of not looking far enough through the corner, i tend to focus on the opposite curb or at the road surface just in front of me...

when/if i try to look to the vanishing point of the corner, i feel out of control in a way, i feel like im drifting wide or will hit the inside curb and it generally doesnt inspire confidence, however i believe looking through the corner is the way its sposed to be done, especially in the event of going in too hot and having to lean it further over to make it

any advice please as this has been bothering me of late
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So in other words, he stopped you for being flagrantly in posession of a motorcycle in direct contravention of the Hippies, Darkies and People Whose Face I Don't Like The Look of (Police Powers) Act. 1976

[Demonic69]

I was the same mate, all it took was a bit of roundabout bashing and re-riding the same roads over and over getting the corners better each time. The confidence builds up quickly enough and you start to take most corners better. You'll probbaly be better on the CBR, purely beacuse they're so good at cornering.
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Back on a Blade. Just feels so right.

[G]

One 'general rule' to remember for corners on the road....

If the vanshing point is approaching you, then the corner is tightening and you should be slowing down.
If the vanishing point is moving away from you the corner is opening up and you can speed up.

Other than that, not sure really, never had those sorts of worries.
Are you actually drifting nearer the corner or just thinking you are?

You could come do some trackdays to get the confidence up though .

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Im sure i have felt like that. ive only been ridina about 1/2 year. ive noticed;

1, Some times the timing of looking through the corner, (and then consequently the act of leaning the bike down) is importamnt. think about it, if you look into the bend too late your bike will bike will not run on the line you may want. Run wide

2. Obviously where you look you go. imagine your eyes are a gunsight. You are very accurate, as to where you look you go. All it can take is a second or two of looking the wrong way, and it can go wrong. say to your self, speak to yourslef. "Im looking x..." or "i should be concentrating on the exit/over there". This speaking to yourself will help you to realise how, and why you are going wrong.

Leaning the bike. im using countersteer sometimes, to help adjust my lines, if they ever need adjusting.

basically id say, its important the timing or looking where you are going, in relation to the stage in the corner...

The focusing on the exit, remember your eyes are highly accurate guns, where you point them your bike will go...Conciously think that, and eventually it will became instinct...

cant realy say much more. Make sure you have the bike sufficiently leaned for the bend/speed as well. i noticed if i am weary about leaning the bike over, it will run wide/not go on the right line...

if in doubt slow down, and practice...

[Hex]

Can't think if I've ever really been on a real ride with you to comment on your riding goose.

Though tbh I don't think you are a bad rider, maybe your confidence has just taken a beating since been on ships for a while and not having a bike that would perform like the 250.

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

[G]

[Hex]

[G]

[Sparks!]

I used to have a problem target fixating etc when you go too fast into a corner.

I crashed the R6 because of it and it's sort of kicked me up the arse a bit and a few times now I've found myself automatically looking around the corner if I go in too fast and I make it through.

Yesterday when we all pulled into an industrial estate trying to find stockley there was a left hander, I was following bendy but was going a bit too fast for the corner and thought I were gonna drop it, all I did was go a bit wide (thank god nowt coming other way) because I managed to look around.

Although I don't reccomend crashing as a way to learn how to look around the corner
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[Bendy]

Probably didn't help that I cocked that corner up too.

[Mr Pants!]

I have been out this morning on my recently purchased bike and can feel inside that I am a little nervous and wobbly on it and my corners are not as confident as I remember.

I think when you get like this it is time to go back to basics. Nice, slow, smooth riding. Instead of trying to challenge yourself into going to quick and doing something silly.

The usual reason for going wide is due to the fact you are going more quickly into a corner than you are capable of dealing with. If you are having problems with where you are looking, back off on the power and try to rectify that first.

As I am a little nervous of my new beasty, my corners are very slow, I am focusing on my road position to give me maximum view and also am very consciously thinking about where I am looking. Like Claud said, talking to yourself helps. And finally a very gentle application of power to ride out of the corner with.

I find I am most happy with the smooth corners than the fast not so smooth ones, if you see what I mean. I think practice that and the speed will come later.....
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Mr Pants! (Alex or Al)
Its better to burn out, than to fade away....

[Adam_P]

I had a wonderful (and, ahem, swift) ride back from Cadwell on Friday on the back roads towards my place. (Good to meet you all guys, will post in the Cadwell thread in a second)

I found that I was looking through the corners a lot more and was doing a lot, lot better because of it. I wentwith a couple of mates to a bike meet the other week and had a couple of moments as I suddenly got fixated on the fast approaching grass verg coming towards me, instead of looking through the corner at where I should have been heading for!

Definately better to judge the corner early and look through it.

I still need loads more practice though. Just a great excuse to get out on the bike as often as possible!
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Colin McRae MBE 1968 - 2007 RIP
Orwell Rolls in his Grave
God is imaginary

[Sparks!]

[JonB]

I find that if you don't know a road very well, especcially B or unclassified roads you have to tread very carefully. There is the road near us where it seems like you are going round a nice Sweeping cornver, when all of a sudden it tightens drastically.

Scary Stuff

But the worst thing to do in that situation is brake, it just straightens the bike up and then you are really fooked. Just slow down well before a corner, especcially if you see "SLOW" painted on the road, it is usually there for a good reason.

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Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[Bendy]

[Sparks!]

I wasn't having a go so don't worry, I should have looked before moving away anyway hehe.

Blame rob for everything, he rides a Triumph so should expect it (sorry Rob only joking mate lol)

By the way, cliff nearly flipped his bike doing a wheely on the way back, he tried to wheely off the lights and went very sideways, dropped his feet of the pegs and looked a tad scared was funny as fuck but luckily he stayed on the bike.
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[skyline]

information is the most important bit to cornering. if you get the information part of a corner wrong you fooked whatever. never use front brake while in a corner only rear if you need to slow down. always make sure you know what road surface is like as there may be a pothole halfway round. also when i corner i try to keep my weight vertical with the bike, i watch some of my friends and they either try to push the bike around or lean to far and and push the bike back up just try corners slow to start with and then speed up more and more. also if you have the spare time and money get an advanced rider police course, because they are the guys which know what they are doing, track days are useless for getting round real road corners.

[Visitor Q]

i think someone dropped the forks on mine to make it szteer 'quicker' but it just makes it flappy, especially if you hit overbanding etc when lent over. But ive opnly had one incident or so of going abit fast round a bend, was at night, got dazzled by oncoming car on the A507 (brill road and my favourite round these parts) so didnt see the catseyes start to curve and it was PITCHblack out, saw the curve just looked where i wanted to go and sorta hung everything i could off the right hand side and lent it over. It kept in check but only just.

My personal cornering gripe atm tho is on country lanes where theres a lovely straight and then a 90 degree bend literally no sweep just 90 degree bend, but because some twat built a house right opposite so theres no sharp bend signs. Last night i went for a ride, long straight, thought hang about theres a sharp bend coming up if i recall and started braking (engine, back and front) to about 30 odd to be safe from 80 ish. Only just got down by the time i came to the bend. I shudder to think how many poor bastards go through their front room windows in winter.
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Limit points

[Visitor Q]

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

[Visitor Q]

ok
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China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[skyline]

https://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/011341143X.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

yes i have heard that it is a very good book as well, i must go and get a copy i think

[MarJay]

Goose,
I know this sounds really silly, but I have been trying this lately and it works really well.

Basically when you are looking out at the vanishing point of the corner and you are cranked over, you need to keep your head bolt upright. This allows you to concentrate on the bike rather than your body.

I read this recently in Bike mag, and it struck me like a bolt of lightning. 'How logical!' I thought. And when I remember to try it, it does remove a certain amount of disorientation from getting it cranked over. I found that I do it automatically on track but Don't tend to think about it on the road. Maybe its because I'm not worrying about body positioning at all on the road...
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.