Relatively New Rider

[Peaceful]

Hey i'm a relatively new rider, i say new becuase i rode a Hyosung GTR 125 for a whole year and in april i bought a SV650 Naked 03 and the power difference was immense, that bike is a beast. I wanted to know if anyone had any tips on taking corners with this riding posistion becuase it seems as soon as i try take a corner it's as if i am trying to stop the handle bars from going right in and ening up flat on my face.

What i also did not realise was that on a naked bike doing 90 MPH+ its like i'm being torn off my bike while my mates on R1's and Ninja's are tucked safely behind their wind sheilds. Anyhow i'm rambling but i'll have some pictures up of it later, nothing special yet just a stock sv650 all silver.

All advice is greatly appreciated.

[Baph]

Welcome to the madhouse!!

As for cornering, hmm, not quite sure what you're describing. I personally push on the opposite bar (counter-steering), then once the bike is leant over, just hold the bars neutral & let the suspension do it's thing.

[Shellywoozle]

Welcome to the mad house dude !!! Pics would b gooood !!

Oh and don't ask me about corners, I cant help LOL..... I don't like them much he he

[leatherpatches]

Plenty of posts on cornering all over the web. Suffice to say it's a lot about body position on the bike and body position relative to yourself. Also keep an eye on where you are going; don't get fixated on the 2 or 3 metres in front of you.

The key is to take it at your own pace. Don't be afraid of bends but increase speed only when you gain in confidence and experience.

Ignore the warriors who suggest knee-down antics. You simply don't need this until you get to the track - and then not really to still go fast.

[embee]

Check tyre pressures (check them regularly anyway, at least weekly if not every day).

Check the rear suspension isn't adjusted fully up (high).

[Bear]

Also have a look at your tyre wear: if your tyres are squared off they can feel funny tipping in.

Welcome to the madhouse by the way!

[Alpinestarhero]

Welcome to teh forums Peacefull! I had some similar issues when I first started riding my sv a year and a half ago. Check your tyre pressures; the SV does respond well to having slightly higher pressure than the manufactures suggestions (maybe 3 psi higher). Also, are you famillier with the theory of countersteering? Pushing on the inside handlebar (i.e. pushing in the opposite direction to the corner you are taking) makes the bike drop in smoothly. Try to relax your grip on the handlebars and grip the tank a bit more with your knees; also try positioning your feet nearer to the toes as opposed to the flats of your feet on the pegs.

And, the great Baph once gave me this advice:

In like a pussy cat, out like a tiger. He meant, slow in, keep a constant throttle, and then as the exit appears, gun it!

Hope this helps a little bit; I'm no cornering god, but thats what I've learnt.

Matt

[the_lone_wolf]

...as the exit appears, gun it!

you forgot steps 4-6

4. Get up off the road

5. Pick your bike out of the hedge

6. Laugh that you've just lowsided your bike for the first time

;)

[Alpinestarhero]

you forgot steps 4-6

4. Get up off the road

5. Pick your bike out of the hedge

6. Laugh that you've just lowsided your bike for the first time

;)

(when i say gun it, I mean accelerate at a speed which feels quick enough to make you smile but slow enough to keep you the right side up) :D

[skint]

Welcome...

Don't think about it too much. Try to relax and enjoy the whole journey but keep our speed down. One mistake many (well ok, me) make is to try too hard and go in too fast which not only compromises the chances of success but also frightens the preverbial out of the rear burp orafice. The more you ride keeping things smooth and easy the more you will improve instinctively. I also found that riding with other well seasoned bikers that I felt I could trust helped enormously, watching their style, road and seat positioning etc. And I agree with others - forget the knee down stuff, ok I've done it, but didn't need to other than to say I could.

I know sod all about the technical mumbo stuff so I've probably just told you a load of fluffle - but it works for me!! :shaking2:

Oh, and don't try to compete with your R1 buddies - at least not yet ;) Good luck :D

[Peaceful]

ah thanks for all the advice, iwill definatly put it into practice when i go out for a ride this afternoon. Perfect wether at the moment hope it stays like that.

[Corf]

i read in a magazine this month to point to the exit of the corner with your chin to make sure you are looking in right place. i tried it and it did help quite a bit. i am new to riding and getting round corners smoothly at decent pace is still miles off but this tip did help. it stopped me fixating on the things around the bend and focus attention ahead.

[petevtwin650]

Welcome to site Peaceful.

Whereabouts are you located?

Shouldn't you be asking your riding buddies about the cornering problems. If they are mates then they should help you sort it out. Could be hardware issues, tyres, suspension or something worn, or software, You.

Otherwise find some new two wheeled chums.

[Jasonr]

as soon as i try take a corner it's as if i am trying to stop the handle bars from going right in and ening up flat on my face.

I am not quite sure what you mean by this but I will try and help

Obviously all the meachnical bits & bobs suspension set up chain tyres etc etc should be checked regular as this affects handling

Most bike riding is done by feel and practise and it takes quite a while to truly get used to it they key is smoothness practise and feel unfortunately no advice on here can double for time in the saddle that said however it can certainly help & point you in the right direction. there has been some good stuff already and a lot of what I am saying is revision

First off its is better to go into a corner and come out the other side knowing that you could have gone 5,10,20 or 30 mph quicker than going into a corner 3 mph faster and stacking it slow in fast out also rember a 10mph is a 10mph corner even if you are valentino rossi
Yes practise counter steering but try this in a straight line on a very quiet road or empty car park first to get used to what the bike does get up to say 25 mph press your knees into tank (this will make your ams flappy and relaxed) press very gently at first on the inside bar (i.e. if you want to turn left press on the inside of the left bar) then release pressure once you have obtained the correct lean angle. You can then weight the outside peg slightly to give you more feedback for whats happening with grip and tighten lines etc
Secondly get used to your brakes and work up your emergency stop from say 25mph
Read vanishing points this is the point where looking into the corner & the two kerbs meet for a left hand bend you should be towards the crown of the road for the best view (right vice versa) but ALWAYS compromise position for safety look as far into thecorner as you can and look for where kerbs meet if they are coming towards you roll off you are in too hot if they stay constant you are probably at the right speed and if they run away you the roads opening up get on the gas

Again all this will come in time. Practise a little bit at a time on your own at your own pace in fact do it slower than your own pace but don't get bogged down with technicalities when out on a ride try and just rely on your own feel.

When riding in a group or mates there can be a percived pressure to try and keep up just be aware of this everybodies different with differing abilities just to go at your own pace

Training is invaluable and probably better value than getting new kit like a loud can perhaps you could join a local IAM / BMF / Rospa type bike group who will give you advanced training for a reasonable price most ride sportsbikes

90+mph naked bike you are going to get wind blast there is no getting around that i'm afraid

[Peaceful]

i have recently had the bike checked over and everything is fine, so i guess its just be getting used to the riding posistion and upgrade in power >.<, i'm off to a relatively big car park now gonna go put what you guys told me into practice thanks for all the help and i'll tell ya how it goes.

[Sid Squid]

I wanted to know if anyone had any tips on taking corners with this riding position because it seems as soon as i try take a corner it's as if i am trying to stop the handle bars from going right in and ending up flat on my face.
You're cornering off the throttle - nothing handles right off the throttle.

[Peaceful]

oh your right Sid thinking about it now i have been cornering off the throttle >.<, better work on my clutch control, i never noticed before becuase a Hyosung GT125R is not the greatest of 125's and it was pratically impossible to hurt myself on it.

[Alpinestarhero]

oh your right Sid thinking about it now i have been cornering off the throttle >.<, better work on my clutch control, i never noticed before becuase a Hyosung GT125R is not the greatest of 125's and it was pratically impossible to hurt myself on it.


More you need better throttle control :D practise the small movments from closed to just a whiff of a throttle; I find on my bike that its here things can get a bit unsettling coming from a closed throttle to just about open.

[Peaceful]

i'll work on that too, but for now here are some pictures of my bike, (yes i know i need a tail tidy & some bar end mirrors)

The Old Ride (such a big 125 and so slow >.<)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/Exzodia/TheRide1.jpg

My New Ride :)
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/Exzodia/SV1.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/Exzodia/SV2.jpg

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q177/Exzodia/SV3.jpg

[kitkat]

hiya peaceful, get down the gears and up the revs going into corner and power round the corner, if you dont keep the power on (not necessarily accelerating) the bike will drift. On twisties I used to have the SV at about 6k-7k revs, enough power for engine braking and enough oomph if required.

[Peaceful]

Well i was out in the car park today with a few freinds and we put out some trollys and made a little obstacle course for ourselves and had some fun doing time attacks made more interesting by putting some bets down but i put into practice a few things you guys told me.

I decided to grip the tank with my legs and sort out my problem i have with coming totally off the throttle and guess what, i wiped the floor with em :D, it all went well so now i'm much more confident in my corners and i'm 10 quid richer thanks for all the advice!