Transalp 650 handling??

[Bored At Work]

I'm a fairly novice rider... passing my full test 13 months ago. Decided to buy an 03 Transalp and have done 3000 miles on all types of road.

I have a lack of confidence of leaning around bends at mid-high speed. When I've attempted leaning, and on certain road surfaces the bike feels a bit twitchy to the rear which dents confidence even more!!!

1. Could this be due to my lacking in experience?

2. The original Bridestone tyres? (Have read quite a few reviews that these tyres aren't that good).

3. Any other factors i.e. height and weight of bike?

PS - What kind of angles are you able to corner at?

[landyandy]

What's mid-speed?

This could be for a number of reasons, but there are various factors that can apply. Depends on the tyres you have, but if they are semi knobbly, you will get a degree of squirm through the bike. This is actually quite a good thing in my opinion, as it means that the bike is feeding back information that you are able to understand. It's better that you feel squirm, and can modify your riding accordingly, rather than the bike letting go without warning, and leaving you with a 'situation' on your hands. You might also want to double check your tyre pressures, just in case they're a bit low. If you're seriously pressing on, you may find that you are reaching the limits of what the frame wants to handle, so that'll start to flex slightly, which will upset the suspension and the tyres.

I don't know if this is a recommended trick, but you may find that dragging the rear brake slightly will stabilise the bike. Find a non-critical bend where you get a squirm and have a little play about with that.

You might also find that it's a confidence thing - try to relax. The faster you go, the less lean angle you're going to be able to achieve - there are lots of physics at play that all want the bike to go straight on, one key factor of which is that the gyroscopic energy created by the fast rotation of wheels will always try to force the bike upright (and therefore straight ahead), so, to some degree, you are fighting those forces.

I'm an AT rider, and that likes to squirm about too - as far as lean angles are concerned, you can't really go too mad at high speed (say, 70+ mph), but at lower (roundabout) speeds, basically, you can lean as far as you dare. I'd be surprised if I could get the pegs down on the AT, unless it was closely followed by knee, handlebar, arse, and ouch.

Lots of riders 'over-lean' their bikes, but it doesn't necessarily make the cornering any quicker - often, it results in the opposite. Smooth is the key here - you don't want to make the bike 'jump', so to speak. Go out with, or latch onto, another rider, or riders on a road you know, and see how you get on following them round a series of bends. You'll probably also see what I mean about some people trying to achieve 'hero' angles of lean.

You might also find that you may need to stiffen up the rear suspension a bit - this will lessen any buckaroo tendencies the bike has, and may give the tyres a happier time.

Enjoy!

[Bored At Work]

Thanks landyandy.

I would say that my mid speed is 40-50 mph.

I like your suggestion of following another (more experienced) biker around corners, perhaps i am getting the line wrong and trying to overcompensate? I remember when I learnt to ski that following the instructor gave me more confidence and showed me the correct manouvering... this should also apply to biking!!

I'll be adjusting the stiffness of the suspension and checking tyre pressures asap and i will let you know the results i get (if the roads ever dry out)!!!

Just one question. You said that your AT squirms... is this possibly a dangerous situation that should be sorted immediately (i.e. getting upright) or can you ride through it round the corner?

Thanks for your advice.

[landyandy]

I tend to 'ride the wave', so to speak. Some large roundabouts, such as those you'll find above a motorway junction are pretty good for experimenting ... these can often be taken around the 50mph mark, where you should be able to get some pretty big lean angles. See if you can have a quick glance at the ground while cranked over so you can inspect how the lean is going. It's also worth noting that you can 'exaggerate' lean by doing the opposite to getting your knee down - you can sit more upright on the bike, but lean the bike over further (ie you are not parallel to the bike).

Try adjusting just one thing at a time - then, you may find you know what it was that you changed that allowed the bike to handle better.

I get a squirm from the bike when cornering at high speed really (say 80+) - that's when I employ the 'brake drag' technique. Not really sure it makes much difference, and it might just be a mental thing.

Basically, enjoy - the bike will defy gravity for longer probably than you'd believe (or bottle it!).

[Maverick]

Something I found last year when riding behind a VFR in wales was that I get lazy and aproach my corners on the wrong line, inside -> out instead of outside -> in. After hangin onto the VFR's rear wheel a morning all faith restored and then bends became smooth and fast with no effort.

In the past I had to major re-adjustment in the corner which is not good for your nerves and sure test the bike to limitations that can't be healthy. I have been riding for 18 years and sometimes you learn more bad habits than good. As Landyandy said try and get a good smooth rider in front of you for a day in some twisties, this will not be someone that goes as fast as possible through corners with you hanging on for dear life but some one who drives a nice speed effectively untill you find your lines. As with all things practise makes perfect although trying to be rossi on your transalp might be a bad thing :D

[Bored At Work]

Thanks once again... there's a big motorway roundabout just up the road from me, i'll be giving this a try. Though i will be staying away from 80+mph cornering for now - :D

Maverick - a few of friends are Rossi types - they always have to wait for me up the road a few miles ahead - :D Thanks for your advice.

I will post the results of my cornering in due course.

Cheers

[Tormentron]

Get some advanced training - getting followed around by a pro for a couple of hours and having your riding critiqued can work wonders

Recommended reading: Motorcycle roadcraft - the police riders handbook to better mototcycling.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/011341143X/qid=1093007131/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-2731374-9467043

Considering I used to ride a P200 Vespa everywhere - i don't have any problems with the alp handles - much more civilised ;-)

[paultheold]

Don't forget to lookout for diesel on the roads, especially in the wet, :cry:

[DaveS]

Just to chuck in my 2 penneth worth.
Get yourself on an advanced riding course.
Our local police force run regular 1 day or 2 day courses.

Also get your mates to come riding with you and comment on your riding style.
I'd be very happy to do that for you if you fancy a trip down this way as I have 20 years riding experience and hope I can pass on some the skills I've developed!

[Bored At Work]

Just wanted to say that my riding has improved alot over the last couple of months.

Hardened the suspension -> Good.
Followed mates around -> Good.

I'm much more confident at cornering at higher speeds, though do still get a bit nervous in the wet. My Bridgestones are near replacement time so will probably opt for a pair of Tourances which may boost the wet conditions confidence??!!??

My next problem area is motorways. I'm happy doing motorway speeds on single carriageway roads, yet when I get onto 3 busy lanes I don't feel as comfortable. Hopefully more motorway riding will cure this.

Do/did any of you have problems on busy motorways?

Cheers

[YEN_POWELL]

Look confident, plenty of evil eye contact and change lanes like you mean it, not in a wishy washy way. Lifesavers really are lifesavers on motorways. Cars can and will be in your blind spot, right next to you.

If anything gets too close a small amount of front brake lever will activate your brake light but not your brakes. This can frighten the janglers of a cardriver if you time it right and they keep a more respectful distance afterwards.

Plan as far ahead as possible. If you can see a slow moving vehicle ahead and fast vehicles a way behind then move out sooner rather than later or you'll end up stuck behind the thing. Also if you think something up ahead will need to move out as you catch up to him, move over before you get there. Everyone's a winner then.

Always move back to the left most lane when you can, to set an example to the middle lane club.It's amazing how many cars move over afterwards.Don't get up other vehicles backsides, it alarms them especially with twin headlights. Alarmed drivers are unpredictable and not looking in front as much as they should.

If it's very windy try and pass lorries 2 lanes away to avoid the evil blast of super wind as you pass their cab. If you have to pass in the adjacent lane, I find that leaning forward and ducking the head, whilst getting ready with a bit of countersteering can keep you on track and not using the full width of the motorway.

And finally always remember to tuck your shirt in before getting on the motorway, as there's nothing worse than a draft you can't fix on the move.

[Unmutual]

You will notice a big difference with Tourances on.
I ditched my stock Deathwings last week after only 800 running in miles.
The rear was already squaring in the centre! :roll:
But if you are considering Tourances, then you better get hunting now...cos they're in very short supply!
I got the front through my local dealer and I eventually sourced a rear from Watling Tyres in Catford.
I was very impressed with them TBH...£61 including next day 9am delivery.

[DaveS]

My comments on Motorway riding.

1. Look ahead. As far ahead as you can. This will enable you to anticpate what lies ahead and act accordingly.

2. Assume card drivers on your left will pull out and try to side swipe you.
I used to get this happening at least once a week when I used to commute on the motorway. As Yen says you are in their blind spot so be aware of it.

3. Keep the speed up so that you flow with the traffic. Too slow and you'll have lorries, etc overtaking you.

4. Leave plenty of room between you and the vehicle in front. If some pillock fills it by cutting in, call them something rude and drop back a bit. I've lost count of the number of times extra space has paid dividends. On the other hand once when I wasn't concentrating in the fast lane doing 80+ I saw the cars in front of me brake out of the corner of my eye. By the time I had full concentration I had to brake very very hard in order not to hit the car in front. I even managed to lock my front wheel up..... I heard it squeal!!!

[Bored At Work]

Cheers for the advice.

I'm also considering the advanced training option. Gonna see how things go in the next couple of months. Reckon more time on road = greater confidence.

[fewtrees]

I'm surprised no one mentioned counter steering and shifting your weight on the pegs.

Have you tried leaning further forward on the bars and pushing the inside bar when hitting a corner. If you're happy with that, then another little trick is understanding how weight distribution on the pegs affects the balance.

When riding in a straight line, put your weight onto one of the pegs. The bike should gently drift in that direction. This can also help with cornering..

My pillion passenger takes an active part in steering the bike! I'd say for most pillion riders, just sit straight and don't move around too much, but if they are keen, pillions can lean a bit further into corners and help keep the bike upright, maintaining a larger tyre contact patch with the road.



Perhaps some of this is overkill, I used to ride a pocket rocket and this stuff was handy..