New rider - some issues

Hey guys i hope you more expierienced bikers can help me, i have been riding now for a few weeks, and i feel i am riding faster and faster and faster, and well today after a long period of rain it was fairly dry so i went to work, and on the way a road i have always used on a bike and a car for over 10 years, braking before the corner (alot on dive) i feel the rear go light and i have no choice and turn in and have a massive wiggle, this mind you isn't at 60mph+ this is at 20-30mph. it has really shaken me up, and being a car nut through and through i don't know if this sort of thing is right for me.... my riding has been gone from rough as rats to nice and smooth, bar a couple of lock ups on downshifts (hard to get used to the gearing after many years in a car) any advice you could give would be great.. i do have all my riding on video aswell if that helps.. *will have to blank out the speed tho *

[rictus01]

unloading the rear will obviously give this result, as you gain experience you'll be able to judge better how much and where to use it, as you're fairly new I normally recommend you brake and get in the right gear on the straight and enter corners slower then get on a progressive throttle all the way through the bend, I'm not talking about massive amounts of throttle here, just rolling it on all the way through, this will result in a weight shift onto the back wheel that will make it more stable, learn it slowly and get it right and you'll find speed will come naturally as a result.

Cheers Mark.

Ideally you want to be off the brakes when you start to lean into the corner. Especially the front, front brake mid-corner is a BIG no. If you must brake round a corner, use your rear. Or leave the brakes alone and lean the bike over and go round. 9 times out of 10 you will get round fine. Grabbing the front brake mid-corner won't do you any good. Doesn't matter what your speed is, although it does have an effect, but front brake should be left alone when cornering. Use it to slow you down, then get off the brake and do the corner. Brake, Gears, Lean, Turn, Gently Accelerate. Using both your brakes helps when braking for a corner too. More front than back, but it helps keep the bike balanced and also slows you down quicker. Give it a go sometime. Gently to begin with of course.

Your riding has improved and it will only keep doing so. Pretty much everyone here will tell you that. You've still got a lot to learn, and it all comes with experience. The downshift lock ups are because you're going down too many gears too quickly, if you go into 2nd straight from 60ish, chances are you'll lock up. The V-Twin will have characteristics that you're maybe not used to.
Match your gears to your speed and "blip" the throttle on the way down the gearbox. When you have the clutch in and you're flicking the gear lever down, just give a small flick of throttle, not too much, just a little. It prepares the engine speed for the next gear, makes everything smoother and of course sounds good

Ride smooth and you'll ride safer, more comortably and more than likely faster. We all get "moments" just learn from them, like you are now.

Hope that helps

Thanks mark, i am doing my best to do as you say, i have many friends in the force driving instructors. but i feel less confident, as my brakes well arn't as sharp or good as my Gixxer, (SRAD), i think the master cylinder is on its way out, is this a common problem on sv's?

Originally Posted by Drumming_Animal

Ideally you want to be off the brakes when you start to lean into the corner. Especially the front, front brake mid-corner is a BIG no. If you must brake round a corner, use your rear. Or leave the brakes alone and lean the bike over and go round. 9 times out of 10 you will get round fine. Grabbing the front brake mid-corner won't do you any good. Doesn't matter what your speed is, although it does have an effect, but front brake should be left alone when cornering. Use it to slow you down, then get off the brake and do the corner. Brake, Gears, Lean, Turn, Gently Accelerate. Using both your brakes helps when braking for a corner too. More front than back, but it helps keep the bike balanced and also slows you down quicker. Give it a go sometime. Gently to begin with of course.

Your riding has improved and it will only keep doing so. Pretty much everyone here will tell you that. You've still got a lot to learn, and it all comes with experience. The downshift lock ups are because you're going down too many gears too quickly, if you go into 2nd straight from 60ish, chances are you'll lock up. The V-Twin will have characteristics that you're maybe not used to.
Match your gears to your speed and "blip" the throttle on the way down the gearbox. When you have the clutch in and you're flicking the gear lever down, just give a small flick of throttle, not too much, just a little. It prepares the engine speed for the next gear, makes everything smoother and of course sounds good

Ride smooth and you'll ride safer, more comortably and more than likely faster. We all get "moments" just learn from them, like you are now.

Hope that helps

cheers mate, yeah i toe and heel in a car, and slightly beginning to on the bike but i am and i know flicking down too quick. but i heard most people don't count gears, but i do know what gear i'm in relative to the speed and revs but i do occaisionally get it in first at about 40 and it locks. but again suppose experience of the longer gearing of the bike.

I don't brake mid corner this "moment" was braking for the corner (in a straight line) i've had "moments" aswell where i've grabbed the front brake in panic, but has just stood up on me, and made things worse, so learnt from that mistake.

i feel the main issue is i am getting a misconception of the lean angle, i have had corners were i'm coming in at 60 and with the lean angle i feel the need to get my knee out and my ass off the side of the seat, but afraid of how much grip there is in the tyre. I am a motorsport engineer btw and the thought of that contact patch and that speed scares me lol

Originally Posted by Jordysport

i feel the main issue is i am getting a misconception of the lean angle, i have had corners were i'm coming in at 60 and with the lean angle i feel the need to get my knee out and my ass off the side of the seat, but afraid of how much grip there is in the tyre. I am a motorsport engineer btw and the thought of that contact patch and that speed scares me lol

You can lean a whoooolee lot further than you think possible at first. You'll get more comfortable as you get more experience. Just stick with it and you'll become happier

Fair do's, I am going with a mate to Weston Bike night on thursday, so will see how much i actually lean and how much more there is to go.,, speaking of which is anyone going on thursday?

[Mr Speirs]

Are you sure you aren't locking the rear up on downshifts? Sound like you are banging it down the gears and locking the rear wheel rather than lifting it off the ground.
Are you aware of blipping the throttle? Essential on a v-twin when riding spiritidly.

I keep meaning to count gears but never do. I just tend to listen and feel what the engine's doing rev-wise and go with it. Dont ant the revs too high, nor too low. If I feel I need to go down another gear, I'll go down another. Sometimes I make a mistake and throw it down a few gears in one go and then release the clutch for the back to squirm and the engine to rev widly, and I know I've got it wrong.

As for lean angle and speed, it all depends on the corner, conditions and your confidence. It's one where you need to go out and feel for yourself. Don't hang off the bike by a stupid amount, adjust the amount of lean to the amount of speed you're doing and what the corner's doing. There's plenty of grip providing you've got reasonably decent tyres in decent condition and the road surface is decent. Tyre/surface temperature plays a part aswell. Don't worry about needing to lean off the bike and hang a knee, go with what your confidence allows. There's no point binning the bike becasue you got over-confident and threw your weight off the bike to lean it. Just gradually work your way into speed and leaning. It doesn't feel natural to lean at first, but it soon will and it will soon become second nature and then you will just know how much lean you need for the corner, speed and conditions