Now cornering like I am on rails...

I guess I always knew that I had a bit of a problem about cornering but I had always put it down to a bit of under confidence and fear. An underlying feeling that the tyres would just slip out on me one day.

I cornered smooth, I looked up and through the corner, my lines were ok , I late appexed a bit to give me a good look forward and I kept my head vertical. All good but still something told me this wasnt quite right and I could do it better ( and without the slight trepidation when moving a bit faster)

When I changed from the SV to the S4 three weeks a go I thought I better look into this as this machine was a little more demanding and it also shows handling errors up somewhat.

I bought Lee Parks 'TOTAL CONTROL' book.

BRILLIANT...The cornering advice I needed was there and it was so simple and obvious. (and of course many here will do this already)

All I had to do was shift my body across to the inside line fractionally before the turn into the corner. It does not matter how much - a simple lean or as much as a hang-off - as long as the weight shifts and crosses to the inside line of the bike and the corner. The tip is : Body weight to the inside line.

What I had been doing ( a developed habit) was leaning the bike into the corner by pivotting it under and away from my upper body. That left my body on the outside of the line although it kept my head vertical. I also use and practise countersteering. With my old cornering technique, this meant my arm was straightening ( not relaxed) because it was extended by my body being further away from the inside bar / grip. Now my arm is bent and relaxed but doing the job .

It is difficult to describe how much difference this has made to my ride and cornering except I notice regular corners seem 10 to 20% faster and I do not have the vague feeling of trepidation. I also seem more in control and if I discover something around the corner, I am in a position to "stand the bike up" by shifting back to the other side. Previously I would not be able to do this as I was on the wrong side and would not be able to create the momentum from the weight shift across.

Does any of this make sense ... might be easier to buy Lee Parks book...he puts it very simply. (BTW he races SV650's also)

Makes absolute sense to me matey, I used a different method but the theory is the same, relax, hang loose and not tense and dont fight the bike.

And dont push the bike away from you in a corner, countersteer and lean with it when it goes.

I did California Suberbike School but I dont think the closest one to you is very close :P Its either Norway or Laguna Seca

[Spiderman]

sounds like a book i should read...thanks shooter.

i've always had that vague feeling that the tyres would just fly out from under me on the apex of a bend or something.

Partially from having it happen to me when mountain biking in london one day, tho its more like x-teme mountain biking when it comes to london

i found on a ride recently that watching the lne of someone with the confidence and ability really helped me feel what a properly taken corner should be like.

i followed sid squid thru a coner and had the advantage of being able to precisely see where he tipped in as there were catseyes on the outside of the bend.
i watched where he went and braved it out and did it at the same place.
It felt right all the way thru with no hint of "this is too fast/slow"

I'd really like someone to ride behind me with a good vidcam on their bike so i can see my own road and body positioning thru the bends etc as i think that would give me more confidence with lean angles too.
it always feel like i'm leant over far more than i am

I was never taught to corner properly when I first road a bike - well, not entirely true - I was taught great meathods of low speed manouvering, but just not anything at a pace that required any kind of 'lean'.

But then I've never had a problem with it and found leaning and shifting weight to the inside line the most natural thing to do. So has been the act of dropping your outside shoulder - this keeps your head more upright for a better view ahead without affecting a shift of wieght back to the outside line.

I'm not that good though y'know, I've never been on a track and I wouldn't declare I'm a natural or anything... I put it down to one thing, and one thing only...


... I've been riding horses since I was about 5yrs old! :P

The first three years of my horse-riding was done bareback, in fields and woods behind my house. You have to move with the animal, it sounds so cheesy, but you really need to connect on a physical level with what's under you to stay on. Otherwise the first time you're galloping through trees you'll smack straight into one and the horse will go round it!
(Trust me, did that the first time... but only the first time!)

When I first took a motorbike into a bend, I leaned with it - positioning myself out of habit rather than anything else. It just turned out that it was the right habit.

Take the mystical approach to your bike - I don't mean sit in the lotus position in your garage for 20 minutes before a ride out going "OM" (unless that really floats your boat), but be 'one' with your machine, and cornering nirvana can be yours.







Good sticky tyres help too.

[Red ones]

Originally Posted by K

The first three years of my riding was done bareback

Hugh you're being a bad bad boy. Admin2 will be after you.


.

Heh heh. Sounds like the start of a Jilly Cooper novel.

Er... not that I've ever read one.