Corners

[Sharribee]

A question for you riding gods, I really struggle on corners, I tend to slow right down before the corner and I know I tense before and going into the corner because I am never quite sure if I am going to make it.

Whilst I was pottering around the beacons on my own yesterday I had time to actually think about my riding and I am not sure what I can do to overcome this, it must be really frustrating for those behind me and I must have been the only biker that was being overtaken by vans on the mountain road. Now I don't think I was going really slow, my speed was between 50 - 60 mph on the big sweeping roads and maybe 30 on the twisties but obviously the big white truck who blasted past me thought that it wasn't quite quick enough.

Now I am going to get some advanced riding training, however I am not sure that the poor soul who gets to teach me will be able to get into my head and beat that apprehension that I'm not going to get around the corner out.

So any suggestions guys, how do I improve my cornering. I try use the system of bike control, look for the limit points and do the information, position, speed, gear and accelarate and try to ride like the nice policeman told me too but I still struggle with the corners.

Any suggestions???

[Snaphappy]

Confidence and learning to relax

dont push it learn to relax first

as for numpties in vans they cant hear you call em all the names you want and then get back to enjoying yourself

I've scraped my pegs a few times but only when i wasn't thinking about the way I was riding and got carried away enjoying myself, if you are conscious of every part of your riding you will be a bit apprehensive allow good safe riding to become second nature and your subconscious will take over allowing you to enjoy yourself more

[phil w]

Its the bike as well cornering on my TA was a nervy affair compared to the BMW, I guess an @ is much the same. I would say its a need to just relax, roll off the throttle and get her around. Your new shoes should make a big improvement.

[Yeti]

I notice I get a bit cagey going from the RT back to the africa for the first half hour. By comparison it feels like you are about to fall off the edge of the world when you drop in on the @.

It can seem like a deceptively long way down, but whilst on the RT you can be scraping your stand and boots and still feel like you are upright reading the times and smoking your pipe! Horses for courses as they say.

I find the @ comes back to life and behaves itself a lot better if you keep that weight going backwards and on the gas (with a little care of course!)

Just one other thing dear....... next time you are out get someone to look at the position of your head/helmet. If you are turning your head into the corner rather than looking round it and keeping your visor/horizon level it can make things seem soooooo bad particularly if you throw any odd cambers into the mix.

This can also be the problem when you favour one direction of corner rather than the other. Your head will list more naturally one way rather than the other. It is to do with the way your eyes work (one master eye and the other one does the trig to guage distance...for those that care!?) If you want to check it hold your finger at arms length and fix it with something on the horizon. Now close each eye alternately. One eye will keep your finger lined up and one eye will seemingly jump it to the left or right. That is your master eye, the one that when closed, moves your finger.

Now think back to your old trig lessons. That is how your brain guages distance. Your master eye looks straight ahead forming a right angled triangle whilst the other eye looks across at an angle. Given that your eyes are a fixed distance appart it can judge the distance to the object (which could be a point in a corner, or whatever) Now not sure I can expalain this but here goes......If you are not turning your head to look around/accross the corner, but moving your eyes or your horizon is wrong, then your eyes no longer form a right angled triangle with the point you are looking at and distances and, hence the ability to judge speed and distance go out the window to some degree. This is all very subconcious and subtle but I think it could be enough to effect riding confidence.

I think it is something that people take for granted but if your head position doesn't fall naturally then it can make things tense and awkward. After all, it is your head that initiates everything. Your body follows your head and the bike follows your body. if you are out of sorts from the head down then the bike translates that.

anyway blah! blah! over!! Keep working on it dear!! it'll come.

[owdoggy]

Training is always a good idea (for any biker) but as long as you're having fun & enjoying the riding does it really matter how fast you go round corners. You'll never be the fastest but you won't be the slowest either.

If you & a really fast rider both go on the same journey and said fast rider arrives at the destination half an hour before you but you've both enjoyed the ride equally then who's had the better day?

Just gan canny kidda & yer'll be aalreet


Doggy

[moon]

I'm crap at corners too, but getting better, honest!

one of the things that worked for me was when I realised that I was not looking far enough ahead, once that sorted it got a lot better.

[StumpyFingers]

Originally Posted by Sharribee

A question for you riding gods, I really struggle on corners, I tend to slow right down before the corner and I know I tense before and going into the corner because I am never quite sure if I am going to make it.

Whilst I was pottering around the beacons on my own yesterday I had time to actually think about my riding and I am not sure what I can do to overcome this, it must be really frustrating for those behind me and I must have been the only biker that was being overtaken by vans on the mountain road. Now I don't think I was going really slow, my speed was between 50 - 60 mph on the big sweeping roads and maybe 30 on the twisties but obviously the big white truck who blasted past me thought that it wasn't quite quick enough.

Now I am going to get some advanced riding training, however I am not sure that the poor soul who gets to teach me will be able to get into my head and beat that apprehension that I'm not going to get around the corner out.

So any suggestions guys, how do I improve my cornering. I try use the system of bike control, look for the limit points and do the information, position, speed, gear and accelarate and try to ride like the nice policeman told me too but I still struggle with the corners.

Any suggestions???

You are scared of coming off and ending up like some of your patients.
The feeling was not helped by the head bearing and tyres.
Do not worry about what is SIX FEET in front of you, but about what is THREE HUNDRED FEET in front of you, relax and become one with the bike.
That may sound corny, but if you and the bike are joined as one, you think it around the bends and it goes.
As for VAN and LORRY drivers they have to do a large amount off deliveries in a day so do not worry about the traffic on the roads.
Try riding further out to the middle of the road then you can see the bend and use all the road.
Book a track day and use the race track to overcome the fear of going around corners.
I did a track day at Brands Hatch and found even though I was Slower than the other riders it helped my confidence to corner at speed.

[barftone]

Think SMOOOOOOOTH. Stop tensing those arms, use your thighs........we are still talking about riding technique arent we?

[meljordan]

Hi sharribee, go out with paul-s (top rider)follow and copy him and you will learn just how far the twin will go.If you train yourself into a bigger comfort zone you will enjoy your bike more.

[Rubberchicken]

Originally Posted by StumpyFingers

Do not worry about what is SIX FEET in front of you, but about what is THREE HUNDRED FEET in front of you,

Seconded.
Every now and then I seem to forget this little rule and start looking at what's in front of my tyre, and as soon as I kick myself awake and start looking through the corners again, I speed up a lot and the number of turn-ins per corner drops.