Any experts on cornering in here?

[StreetHawk]

I need to get better at cornering but wondered if anyone on here would be willing to share some knowledge and guide me through a few steps to make it faster. Ideally someone local who wouldn't mind riding out with me or any others in the same position..

:D

[Defender]

nick, I recommend a search on the forums as there's loads on this subject.

I also advise checking the Regional Clubs and Get Togethers section as there's bound to be something going on around where you live - http://forums.sv650.org/forumdisplay.php?f=103

I've had my bike a few months now and I'll admit I am not a natural rider (if there is such a thing) - and I have found that I have quickened up over time. If you push for speed without the experience of riding you're going to end up kissing the ground.

Take your time - Be patient - Relax - Enjoy :)

[stuartyboy]

You've got a 600rr haven't you? That baby corners just by thinking about it.

[weazelz]

I need to get better at cornering
do a trackday :-D

[StreetHawk]

You've got a 600rr haven't you? That baby corners just by thinking about it.

The bike is great at corners but I'm holding it back! Ideally I want to follow someone and see what lines they take etc

Would love to do a trackday but I can't afford it at the mo and if I crashed my bike i'd cry..

[ASM-Forever]

I need to get better at cornering

Jeez its not like you are that slow(although sometimes you brake too much....makes me poo myself if i havn't scrubbed as much speed)) and you've only been riding for a few months. It comes over time as the cliche goes.

IMHO roads you know well and unfamiliar roads are different kettles of fish. If you know the road then aside from a few variables such as gravel/turds/broken down cars its all gravy.

Better to ride roads you dont know as then you have to use vanishing point theory and other skills to read the road.

I've never done a trackday but i imagine that would be a great option.

Anyhow you're a weekend warrior.....your're not meant to be able to corner.

[Stig]

PM sent.

[ASM-Forever]

PM sent.

Or attempt to keep up with the ape and die trying :p

[StreetHawk]

The problem is that when I have good riders in front of me they are soon in the distance and I can't see what they are doing cos I'm a few bends behind!

[ASM-Forever]

This might sound a bit wank...but Bike(the magazine) has a riding clinic and i think they explain some of the theory really well. Next time we meet i can dig a few old issues out and you an have a read.

I know you're probably thinking...bah what can you learn from a magazine...but there is some good stuff in there from Ron Haslam among others.

[fizzwheel]

I agree some of the stuff thats in Bike is really really good.

I'm no expert, but I found going back to basics, and considering

Corner Entry Speed
Gear Position
Road Position
Learning how to read corners better, i.e look for sign posts, the line of hedges, where the vanishing point is

All helped me get faster and smoother.

Have you any idea what you think is wrong with your cornering, what you are trying to improve.

Perhaps a bikesafe or joining IAM might help, or at least an assement might point you in the right direction.

[StreetHawk]

I think it's down to positioning and reading the bend. I tend to make small adjustments when going through the bend when it should be a smooth turn. Nearly always think to myself 'I could have gone a lot quicker round there' as i ride away..

I have the front slide on me twice which makes me more cautious now..

[fizzwheel]

Nearly always think to myself 'I could have gone a lot quicker round there' as i ride away..

I've been riding nearly 4 years, I still have days where I think that to.

reading the road is a skill and it takes time to acquire it, theres loads of pointers if you take the time to look at whats coming towards you.

Sometimes I find slowing down a little gives me more time to analyse whats coming towards me, which means overall I'm quicker through the corners.

Have you thought about extra training or an observed ride, better to get real advice from a real instructor than a load of potentially dodgy advice from people on an internet forum that you dont know and dont know their riding...

[StreetHawk]

I may go along to the local IAM meet and see what goes down there. I suppose it's just down to experience and getting miles under my belt. The corner speed is just niggling at me right now. Probably wanting too much too soon I guess!

[tomjones2]

Reading the vanishing point correctly helped me loads but its something that i need to practice, i'm pretty good at reading the vp after a week in the alps but I stop reading it riding roads I know all the time.

Dont be pushing to hard on the road as well, having soming in reserve is always handy when you running out of road.

[plowsie]

Baph has bought me round to vanishing point theory, as for confidence in cornering, until your pegs are down you've got a bit to go (as long as tyre pressures etc are correct), i found the AR did me well, i followed Baph in the mornings in the rain and eventually i was going as quick as i could in the dry in the wet. Practice makes perfect mate. After my offs i was a true wimp for a while, and still am sometimes, got my new bike Tuesday last week and gone back into my cage a bit atm but will soon change that. Sometimes riding with others can help, most of the people i have had to follow Baph, Luckypants and 2mths have noticed i am not keeping up and dropped off a bit. Don't try to keep up, but by all means test the water to be a bit quicker. The best way forward is observation and practice. All IMO

[Rog]

I personally think that evenryone has a natural limit to how fast they can corner I have a couple of mates who are far faster than I am, although we have been biking for a similar amount of time and use the same techniques. Its like anything that involves a high level of skill, some people are just naturally better than others.

I am slowly getting faster by improving my technique, but I would imagine that my friends will always be faster than I am. Does this bother me .........nope, because the excitement comes from my own abilities and not the perception of somebody elses.

After all its always better to say in your head "I could have took that corner faster" than "damn I should have took that corner slower" Assuming you are around to say the latter !!

[philbut]

After all its always better to say in your head "I could have took that corner faster" than "damn I should have took that corner slower" Assuming you are around to say the latter !!

Was just about to say that but you beat me to it. I agree. I quite often come out of corners on an unfamiliar road thinking I could have gone quicker. I do use the vanishing point automatically i think, but never really nail it round a bend i don't know for obvious reasons. I get distracted when watching other people ride and you tend to focus on them and your forward observation suffers. I think get them to watch you and then give tips. everyone has their own style, and its hard to see exactly what people are doing when you are concentrating on riding yourself.

Don't push too hard man, you don't wanna spoil that nice new can! ;)

[ASM-Forever]

Don't push too hard man, you don't wanna spoil that nice new can! ;)

It will be ok...its an underseat :p

[philbut]

It will be ok...its an underseat :p

Ah, damn you non-SV riders and your trick underseat exhausts - I want one. :smt021

[ASM-Forever]

Ah, damn you non-SV riders and your trick underseat exhausts - I want one. :smt021

Not me...i still have the stock can :(

I've been lurking on ebay, looking for a decent race can for ages...but i always get gazumped at the last minute!

[MiniMatt]

To be honest, you're always going to come out thinking "could go faster". Think about it, most national speed limit roads (barring those single dirt track things) have corners designed to be plenty safe at 60mph. In reality that often means they're reasonably safe at double that. However, 120mph on open roads is just asking for a pheasant attack or an instant ban + job loss + massive fine etc.

Vanishing points, as mentioned are an excellent tool. All I can recommend in addition really are the obvious. Look where you want to go, not where you're directly headed - this is crucial and you really need to make a concious effort at first. Secondly, I find dropping the inside shoulder helps no end, it relaxes your upper body and you naturally tip your body into the corner along with the bike, again, just make a concious effort at first to drop the inside shoulder. Third, practice countersteering; at first you'll find it easier to use concious countersteering to pick the bike back up again on the exit to a corner - try using it to pick the bike up quicker on the exit, the result will be a squared off corner, which isn't the best way to take it really but it gets you used to using concious countersteering.

In my, occasionally humble, opinion, the most common cornering errors are apexing too early (try to start turning later, this also gives you more upright time for observation/braking and lets you use forceful countersteering to tip the bike into the turn much quicker), the other error being flat out failing to take the corner (looking at the oncoming hedge rather than where you want to go, often coupled with massive amounts of front brake).

[Dan]

do a trackday :-D
+1

Since I did my first trackday at Croft recently (7th July), after about 15 months and knocking on for 8K in the saddle, my road riding is markedly better, much quicker and smoother - Ask Richie no-numbers, he's seen the before and after me.

Really does make you a lot more confident in your and the bike's abilities.

[Richie]

Also having faith in your tyres is a key feature... ;-)

[Stig]

It will be ok...its an underseat :p

Unless you do this.

http://premium1.uploadit.org/bikemadsimon///rear.jpg

[Stig]

To be honest, you're always going to come out thinking "could go faster". Think about it, most national speed limit roads (barring those single dirt track things) have corners designed to be plenty safe at 60mph. In reality that often means they're reasonably safe at double that. However, 120mph on open roads is just asking for a pheasant attack or an instant ban + job loss + massive fine etc.

I'd say that was quite an over exaggeration to say the least. I'd say that "some" corners could possibly be taken at that sort of speed. But the vast majority of corners you wouldn't want to be going anywhere near that sort of speed.

[StreetHawk]

Cheers for the responses..

I'd be keen to do a trackday or something like superbike school when i've got a bit more spare cash. I was just looking for a few tips on technique and ideally someone to follow and to follow me.. BigApe has offered to share his wisdom :-)

I have faith in the tyres , they are 500 mile old Pirelli Diablo Corsa 3's and feel 10x better than the Dunlop orginals :-)

[sarah]

Nick, you could just follow me on the bike, then you'd feel really fast!

[StreetHawk]

You mean follow you & ET ?!

I tried that before on that bouncy twisty round some where deep in GM land remember? You lot were dissappearing into the distance.. !

[sarah]

You mean follow you & ET ?!

I tried that before on that bouncy twisty round some where deep in GM land remember? You lot were dissappearing into the distance.. !

Nah, I meant if you followed just me on the bike you'd feel fast!

[StreetHawk]

Nah, I meant if you followed just me on the bike you'd feel fast!

:p

[ASM-Forever]

Nah, I meant if you followed just me on the bike you'd feel fast!

Thats exactly what Dr.ASM prescribes....****ing all over Sarah should give a manly sized boost to the ego.

Or lurk outside your local training school on a Sunday and buzz the CBT'ers :cool:

My final suggestion is that the TVSF attempt a trans-africa challenge or what have you....how the Ethiopians will lust after our boots. :safe:

[sarah]

Thats exactly what Dr.ASM prescribes....****ing all over Sarah should give a manly sized boost to the ego.



I'm wondering what the **** is hiding.

I might go out on the bike this weekend. Hope I can remember how to ride.

[ASM-Forever]

I'm wondering what the **** is hiding.

I might go out on the bike this weekend. Hope I can remember how to ride.

I havn't got round to posting in the TV section yet, but i was going to see if anyone wanted to go for a bimble. We can recruit other factory members and i guess GM ruffians as well.

Saturday is my last day on the bike for feck knows how long, so i want to be in the saddle. My last exam is tomorrow, so im gonna get out as much as possible until Sunday.

[selfish-mode]Hopefully the weather will turn crap in September, so i dont feel like im missing out![/selfish-mode]

[kitkat]

forward observation
approaching corner in right gear and right speed (slower in, faster out)
vanishing point. (chase the vanishing point, if it gets closer ease off)

practice these on a stretch of road you know over and over, and you will find your speed increasing, then take these skills and apply them to every corner.

just dont push yourself too far too soon

[Stumorrison]

Im a new rider (less than 1 year), I have read all the magazines on cornering techniques.
This works for me?

1 look at the furthest point of road not down at the road in front of you.
2 relax your arms, grip the tank with your knees and steer with your hips.
3 at first try to sit more upright. it will help with both of the above. I have an old honda 400/4 and cornered like a god through central london.

as I say this works for me. I have a route I use a lot and I swear each time not only do i get faster, but it becomes easier.

have fun

Stu

[rictus01]

Im a new rider (less than 1 year), I have read all the magazines on cornering techniques.
This works for me?

1 look at the furthest point of road not down at the road in front of you.
2 relax your arms, grip the tank with your knees and steer with your hips.
3 at first try to sit more upright. it will help with both of the above. I have an old honda 400/4 and cornered like a god through central london.

as I say this works for me. I have a route I use a lot and I swear each time not only do i get faster, but it becomes easier.

have fun

Stu

now that's a big claim, be interested to see some of that, always good to learn something new :-k

Cheers Mark.

[tomjones2]

Do we have a god of motorcycling yet? Nominations