Any experts on cornering in here?

[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.

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]

Originally Posted by nick_1871

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...

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!

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.

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

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 !!

Originally Posted by Rog

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!

Originally Posted by philbut

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

It will be ok...its an underseat

Originally Posted by ASM-Forever

It will be ok...its an underseat

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