Does faster cornering come with experience?

As F_S pretty much...

On a push bike, the bike is lighter, you're (generally) travelling slower, and braking less than you would be on a motorbike.

THe motorbike being heavier, faster, and harder on the brakes (better brakes for a start!!) has more forces through the front wheel. Doesn't necessarily mean that the earth will implode, but you're at higher risk of an off.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Baph

Doesn't necessarily mean that the earth will implode, but you're at higher risk of an off.

sounds like the very reasonable advice the instructor i actually went out riding with gave me. i would have thought a heavier bike, more force would have given an appropriate response from the tyre by giving more grip

edit: it would be interesting to see comparatively how quickly a sportsbike and an ATB with proper disk brakes would stop from 30mph, i don't know who i'd put my money on but i have a suspicion...

[21QUEST]

Originally Posted by stuartyboy

I.........

IMO if you have limited miles and you are fannying around with suspension (even on an SV) then you're wasting your time. Learn about the way the bike dives under braking and squats under acceleration. Once you have this sussed then start to adjust your suspension to fine tune your cornering.

I agree with Stuartyboy .

Anyone here aver rode bikes like CG, GS500, scooters etc. How do you set those up then?
Especially in the early stages of riding life, the problem(more often than not) is the pilot and not the equipment.

Regards braking in a corner, braking in a corner will NOT necessarily make you crash BUT It is advanced technique.

Road surface, camber, angle of lean, bike characteristics(more so suspension)etc all has to be taken into consideration in other to be able to apply this advance technique correctly.

I am slow but either by design or necessity, a few advanced techniques have been added to my armoury which can be ussed in a multitude of situations. They are applied as when necessary. The more options you have, the greater your chances of making good a potentially bad situation

I tend not to give out riding advice as it's easy for people to misunderstand or even for one come across as sounding like a "riding god".

As someone already mentioned, best thing is to seek some training from IAM etc. Other than that just stay slow for the moment and build up. It will come and there is always somene else faster than another.



Ben

Originally Posted by 21QUEST

Anyone here aver rode bikes like CG, GS500, scooters etc. How do you set those up then?
Especially in the early stages of riding life, the problem(more often than not) is the pilot and not the equipment.

Well for a start they are less powerful and slower than the likes of the SV.

But while I'd agree getting more experience rather than better equipment, especially to start with, that doesn't mean to say that better equipment won't be noticed by a someone with limited experience, or help inspire confidence. Therefore, I can't agree with the comment that it's a waste of time for a novice to set the bike up to make it as easy to ride as they can.

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Well for a start they are less powerful and slower than the likes of the SV.

But while I'd agree getting more experience rather than better equipment, especially to start with, that doesn't mean to say that better equipment won't be noticed by a someone with limited experience, or help inspire confidence. Therefore, I can't agree with the comment that it's a waste of time for a novice to set the bike up to make it as easy to ride as they can.

believe me the guy on his ninja didnt think that our old gs500 (2 up!) was slow ..... its in the riding! The sparks coming off the centre stand said it all!!

We had a ball showing him its about the rider (s) not the bike! That said, a well balanced/maintained bike is essential. But for a novice to start 'tweaking' would be risky business tho IMHO

Originally Posted by Tomcat

.... its in the riding!

Never said otherwise. Whats the point in handicapping yourself though?

Originally Posted by Flamin_Squirrel

Never said otherwise. Whats the point in handicapping yourself though?

agreed, so long as you know what your doing

I think the answer here is "Get a FireBlade" as it does every things so well it's a great teacher.

Kinda kidding there by the way.

But only kinda - having confidence in your bike lends itself to confidence in yourself.
Some (like myself) have the mindset that the bike is way better than my abilities so I have supreme confidence in it - I just need to learn what it has to teach. I've never altered anything 'structural' about any bike I've owned/ridden - it's been a moot point.

But, for some they need to be inspired to have confidence in their bike - so having someone else (who knows what they are doing) look at 'structural' changes like the suspension, can help to achieve this.
Yeah, it may have a real effect - or it may be so minimal it's only a placebo effect...

... but if the end result is that the rider gains confidence in their machine, and therefore gains more confidence in thier riding, furthering their abilities, then it's all to the good.

Prior to the North/South run I had a few nerves about riding in the wet at pace simply because I'd never taken the bike out in the rain with my new tyres. As soon as it chucked down I had the little mantra going of "Mr Metzeler knows better than you" and promptly was prooved correct. The tyres were fine and I hardly slowed.
Other's may need to have read pages of technical specs and testimonials before having full confidence in a similar situation. It's horses for courses really.


What all the above geriatric rambling kinda of means is: Yes, faster cornering will come with experience - but also with confidence.
You must first examine the type of person you are, and how you best learn, before deciding on a course of action that will best gain you confidence.

Time in the saddle on your own.
Time in the saddle with others whose opinions you can respect.
Technical tweaking.
Structured instruction - be it trackdays or on the road with IAM.

All are tools at your disposal, use as you feel best. You'll get there in the end, and as long as you do it to your own comfort then all's good.
Enjoyment's why we ride after all, isn't it?

Do you have to go fast to enjoy yourself?? Surely the purpose of riding a motorcycle (beyond as a means of transport) is for fun! At the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you are scrapping knees or have 3 inch chicken strips - enjoying yourself is what counts. Providing you are riding safely of course