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give me your best advice for cornering

21K views 87 replies 55 participants last post by  Wild Bill 
#1 ·
MPH?
How far do you lean?
How do you negotiate hazards?
How do you CYA?

What's your best advice to newbs about cornering?
 
#2 · (Edited)
The most important advice, is understand countersteering. It's not just for swerving. Master countersteering, and you'll master the corner. Throwing your weight around is NOT the way to control a motorcycle. Absolutely master pushing on the handlebars to make the bike lean, rather than using your weight to make it lean.

MPH? Depends on the corner. On my 900, I can usually easily handle 10mph over the 'advisory speed' for a corner, but there are always exceptions. If I'm being aggressive I can do more.

Lean? As far as the floorboards will let me. The harder you push on the handlebars, the farther it leans. Just keep pushing until you hit the floorboards!

Hazards? Once again, countersteering. First off, I never ride agressively on a corner I can't see all the way around. You never know what's around the bend. But if I do hit a hazard, I just adjust the lean angle and swerve around it.

Finally, my last piece of advice? If you can't see all the way around the corner, stick to the white line. Make the apex of your corner near the white line. That is, enter the corner at the yellow line, and kiss the white line for a hard turn. This is actually the fastest way to make a corner on a RIGHT hand turn, but it is slower on a left hand turn and you'll have to enter the corner more slowly. If you are on a race track, it's different. But, speed shouldn't be priority number 1, getting there alive should be. LOTS of drivers drift over the yellow line on a corner, and I've encountered 18 wheelers taking up half of my lane before around a corner. If you are cornering hard with an apex that meets the yellow line, your toast. Your choices are into the truck, or into the trees. By slowing down on the blind corners, and by staying near the white line, you won't be surprised by oncoming traffic.

There are plenty of wide open corners that you can see all the way around (my advice is find some farm areas, the crops are out now, you can see for miles, GREAT way to really carve corners), and those you can kiss the yellow line on a left turn. But, don't do it on the corners where you can't absolutely see all the way around it, your luck might run out!

Edit: Oh one last thing, slowing fairly hard before the corner, and then throttling hard out once you hit the apex, is not only fun, it'll improve your lean angles. The deceleration will help you get into the corner, and keep you from being too fast to add throttle. When you add throttle, you'll shift the weight to the rear of the bike, squeezing juuuust a little more ground clearance out of the front of the bike.

Also, pick up 'proficient motorcycling' on Amazon (or wherever). He has a lot of great information on cornering.
 
#7 ·
I'm really not trying to start something here but if your riding at any kinda speed at all and going around a curve, you are countersteering. If your not countersteering your going straight. You don't have to understand it to do it because you are already doing it. I think all the disscussion new riders see about this does nothing but confuse them.
 
#78 · (Edited)
yes, if you're cornering it's because you're countersteering.

But.

If you don't understand how to cause it, and it just "happens" for you, then you will come to a situation where it doesn't just "happen" good enough and you need to deepen the lean or whatever, and if you have ignored the lesson of LEARNING countersteering, then you're just going to hit whatever jumped in front of you.

Best advice, in order:
Take a course. Take another course.
Look where you want to go.
Stay out of the oil stripe and paint.
When they teach you how to cross train tracks, pay attention (this bit me recently).
Practice, practice, practice.
Take another course.
 
#8 ·
Best advise....
Take a motorcycle safety course ....

NEVER ride the white line at speed around a blind corner. Debris such as gravel and dirt, gathers along this white line, and buy the time you see it, guess what?


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I577 using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#13 ·
NEVER ride the white line at speed around a blind corner. Debris such as gravel and dirt, gathers along this white line, and buy the time you see it, guess what?
Not to mention that potholes are more common on the side of the road then in the middle. A pothole can ruin your day quick! I wouldn't advocate riding the yellow line for reasons stated earlier, but the white line has it's own hazards sometimes.
 
#9 ·
Hey John,
Those advisory yellow speed signs can vary quite a bit.
Texas gives you lots of room for error, even in a car.
But, about 20 years ago on trip to Colorado, I was suprised by the advisories. They were pretty accurate.

Other than that, I would stress avoiding breaking in the turn.
I know you advised slowing before; but you should specify to do ALL of your slowing before.:)


Scott
 
#19 · (Edited)
Nice catch! Yes, absolutely, once you enter that turn, steer with your throttle. Throttle and counter-steering input are the ONLY controls!

Well, I hope, (and if not the OP will read this) that I came across as 'this is what I do'. I NEVER take an unfarmiliar corner hard. But I have found that, for the most part, I can do 10 over without soiling myself! There's a great corner on a 55 mph road that is advised at 25 mph and I take it at 45-50 all the time, it's a blast! But I would never breeze past a 25mph advisory sign at 50 if I hadn't been there before!

Also, on the white line, I'll clarify that that was a suggestion for the 'apex'. On a lazy corner you can just stay in the middle (or in the tire tracks of the other cars, which is what I prefer due to oil and such being towards the middle) of the road. But when talking about aggressive cornering, the line the bike follows is rarely the curvature of the road, requiring you to use the most of the lane. Some will turn left by entering from the right hand side of the lane, kissing the yellow line, and then returning to the white line. That is the 'correct' way to do it, per any track school that doesn't deal with traffic in the opposite direction :p. The way I do it, assuming a blind curve or a curve where I can see traffic coming up above, (though 9 times out of 10 in those situations I just slow down enough to just corner in my lane, but every once in a while it'll just make sense to do it this way) is enter the left turn closer to the yellow line, make the apex near the white line, and so on. If you are going slow enough to 'ride the white line', you are going slow enough to keep yourself in the lane position you were already in. I would just avoid the yellow line and say, 1/5-1/4 of the lane past that. Truckers seem to be the worst about that, taking a corner and eating up your lane with a giant hunk of steel. Though out here, LOTS of drivers do it on these back roads, they are used to not seeing other cars and leisurely cross over the yellow line. Today I was out riding and a lady in an SUV was STRADDLING the yellow line around a corner! (Good thing I was not kissing the yellow line on my apex and had plenty of room to get out of the way!)

Finally, to add what scott said, one of the leading causes of single-vehicle motorcycle accidents is braking around a corner. Often the scenario is, a rider enters a corner and, come to find out, it's a decending radius curve. They are setup for a certain curve, but this one is much sharper. They panic, hit the brake, and that's it! In those situations, it takes a TON of discipline, but the answer is to push HARD on those hand grips. Put that bike down onto those floorboards, it WILL make the turn 99% of the time. Just keep pushing on the handlebars, the bike will keep leaning, and you'll make the turn. You MIGHT, MAYBE, still miss the turn and find yourself in a ditch. But if you brake hard in that turn you most CERTAINLY will end up in the ditch. Your odds are much better if you stay away from the brakes and push those bars!
 
#11 ·
If your a noob, take your bike to a deserted parking lot. Find the lines and set paths for yourself to follow. Don't push leaning too hard being a new rider, lack of experience is painful and costly. Try the turns out in the parking lot, and find your level of comfort. You'll look silly to the passers by but take it from me you look real silly when your asking people you don't know to help you pick up your bike off the ground you just dropped it on ( 2 types of bikers, ones who have fallen, and ones who will fall) I'd do this on the machine your driving, not the 250 from mce so.you get a better feel of the bike your dealing with. You'll get to where you don't even think about it much when tackling corners and twisties. My first bike I think I did this about 2 hours, there's no stress of other traffic and it helps you get to know your bike.

Sent from my M865 using Motorcycle.com Free App
 
#14 ·
Also, when riding pay attention to the road grooves. Cars, after time, leave 2 grooves per lane on the pavement where the tires hit the ground. I generally stay in the groove while riding, because if you ride down the middle,especially while braking for a stop light,that's where all the oil from junk cars has spilled for years and its very slick when trying to brake. I know this comment isn't about cornering but since you're new it's something to think about.

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#17 ·
Practice! go to a road with little traffic and curves that you are familiar with. Ride it in both directions, taking it easy at first, then gradually increase your speed with your comfort level. I tend to do most all my braking before I enter the turn, releasing the brake as I enter the turn, then ease into the throttle about 1/2 way through. The more you slow before te corner, the sooner you can get back into the gas coming out. Dont push your comfort level!! Before you know it, you'll be able to scrape your pegs at will. Dont push it on roads you haven't road before.
 
#18 ·
It varies, of course, depending upon the radius of the turn and/or whether it's an increasing- or decreasing-radius turn.

How far do you lean?
As far as necessary to properly negotiate the turn.

How do you negotiate hazards?
I either stop before getting to them or swerve around them, both of which are very critical skills that are not necessarily intuitive, especially when the hazard is encountered in a curve, so practicing these skills is a must if you intend to master them.

How do you CYA?
In addition to wearing tighty-whities and jeans, I also carry as least one, and usually more than one, firearm. Did I misunderstand the question?

What's your best advice to newbs about cornering?
Find a safe place to practice all that you learned in the MSF course. There is no substitute for experience.
 
#28 ·
In addition to wearing tighty-whities and jeans, I also carry as least one, and usually more than one, firearm. Did I misunderstand the question?
TMI buddy. :)

MSF Course is the way and practice. Otherwise the TW's won't be white for very long.

If you are fairly new to street riding, having a partner to ride with really helps. They can safely assist with traffic management (in so much as you can). But it's good to have someone along to follow or follow you.

Good luck and have fun.

Looks like cooler weather is on the way; back down into the 50's for highs :(
 
#20 ·
I rode to Oatman a month ago. Pretty slow going out, lots faster coming back. Knowing the road and knowing the corners makes a big difference. Also, I have found you don't really know a road from driving a car over it. I go around corners in 2nd almost all the time. that is a good comfortable speed range for me. One thing I am always watching for is sand and gravel. I am new at this and I am not going to make fun of the learning I did on a little bike in a parking lot during my class. That was the stuff I could take out on the road and learn with.
 
#21 ·
Yesterday I was riding around and ground my pegs for the first time. I panicked - ALMOST hit the brakes, but remembered my MSC course and throttled harder knowing that the bike REALLY wants to be upright when it's moving. Came out of the corner looking and feeling great.

I think there's value to parking lots, but they're not real Liffey with curbs and such. I've been riding around my neighborhood to practice, but then I get self-conscious aout how loud those Cobra pipes really are.
 
#40 ·
I wouldn't worry about the pipes. I was self conscious about mine as well at first. I just consider they are not near as loud as the hogs driving around the neighborhood.
 
#22 ·
Practice! Try to learn something everytime u ride. U have to get to the point that it all just happens without thinking. That will happen if you keep an open mind and try new things in a safe place. Once you get comfortable on your own then you get to learn it all again riding two up. ;)


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#23 ·
Went out for an hour long ride today and it went great. Felt more comfortable at 50+, did well on corners and had more fun. Brings me back to learning to drive a car and being scared poopless when cars were on the other side of the road.
 
#24 ·
Order a copy of A Twist of the Wrist II by Keith Code. This is the guy that actually documented two-wheel cornering science. If you have the bucks, attend one of his riding schools around the country for one-on-one training. The DVD is great for explaining the science, but there is no substitute for an experienced instructor watching you to point out what you are doing right, or wrong.
 
#26 ·
I tend to stay off the white line where lose gravel tends to be, In 07 i was rolling around a corner an hit a patch of gravel throwing me off the road the bike indoed, hitting me in the back, ten broken ribs, punchered lung, ripped spline, almost lost my leg, 30 days in ICU, dont ride the low side anymore, an I dont ride on the edge you might say, still love to ride just slowed down a little on the corners.
 
#27 ·
Almost every time out for a ride I find an empty parking lot and work on the drills I learned in MSF class. I've really gotten to know my bike well while doing this. Been riding for about a year now and can throw my 900 around pretty good at low speed etc. Yes it can be boring but I've learned a lot. The trick now is to not get too cocky because I have confidence.
 
#29 ·
Yeah, got up to 72º today but it's gloomy, wet and drizzly most of the day. The sun peeked out over lunch but it's gone now. I was hoping it'd be nicer out and i would have ridden to and from work, but it was foggy and moist this morning and it's gonna be wetter tonight.
 
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