Does faster cornering come with experience?

As a new rider I still feel that I slow down too much for bends and corners but only after I've come out the other side of them do I think I could have gone round them considerably quicker! So my question is, does this just get better with confidence which is gained from more riding or is it a skill that I can learn? If other riders have experienced similar feelings, how long did it take or what did you do to improve your cornering?

Thanks

Nah, just go out and buy the latest Supersports bike and you will be transformed into Valentino Rossi.
Well that seems to be what a lot of people think will happen!

My personal view on this... don't change your riding style at all!

It's sooooooOOOOoooo much safer to go slow into a corner, then speed up, than it is to do things the other way around!!

When you KNOW the corner, then you can work on your line a little more, maximise vision around the corner by sitting wide, and get on the power sooner, cranking the bike over more.

In like a pussy cat, out like a tiger... get it right, and you'll be running just as fast as the more experienced folks in a matter of minutes, ask Alpinestarhero

[the_lone_wolf]

yes, is the short answer

i'm still green with bikes but my cornering has improved massively since i took a couple of simple steps:

1. adjust your suspension to suit your weight, there are a number of sites with guides and it really makes the bike feel planted, for me on a K6 SVS i left the rear preload alone and dropped the front forks one softer, i weigh 11st and the roads are pretty bumpy around here

2. grip with your knees, relax your arms, bend your elbows, if you lean do it slightly forwards and into the bend, look where you want to go and try to do the whole corner with the throttle open, if you let it close the suspension geometry changes and upsets the balance of the bike

that's about the extent of my experience on the subject, but the more you practice the more natural it becomes. the worst thing i was doing was gripping the bars tightly, if you hit a bump mid corner the bike has to turn the bars a little to compensate, if you grip them loosely, just enough to hold the throttle open, the bike will steer itself and feel much better

edit: agree with baph, tis better to go in too slow than too fast, but my advice was based on cornering speeds where little old ladies were catching me up mid corner

in a word, yes

take it slow to start with, concentrate on being smooth & the speed will come naturally (with time)

slow is smooth & smooth is fast

Experience of the corner in question or experience in general? Overal, experience in general will improve your corner speed, but in particular, experience of any given corner will improve speed on that corner.

Experience in general teaches you things like:
Counter steering - the biggy (imho)
Getting clues about where the road is going (following the arc of streetlights, hedgerows etc)
Learning to use the vanishing point (is this corner tightening or opening?)

I tend to ride pretty slow into corners I don't know, yep it feels a bit "darn it, could have done that quicker" but I guess it allows you more reaction room for the unexpected pheasant/man hole cover on the racing line and the like.

If you want to get technical then the the Keith Code "Twist of the Wrist" books are very good on cornering, I'm fairly sure these books have formed the basis for a lot of advanced training.

as Baph says, but I will just add. IF you do go into the corner too quick, you could end up tarmac decoration, but before you panic, try not to front brake, and just bank the bitch over ..... she can take it, and hopefully this will give you a chance to get round. Then, DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Tomcat

+1, but I will just add. IF you do go into the corner too quick, you could end up tarmac decoration, but before you panic, try not to front brake, and just bank the bitch over ..... she can take it, and hopefully this will give you a chance to get round. Then, DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!!

ah yes, the famous buttock clench cornering technique...

only done it once or twice, can't recommend it, the urge to brake is massive and it requires a lot of willpower not to do so

Originally Posted by Tomcat

as Baph says, but I will just add. IF you do go into the corner too quick, you could end up tarmac decoration, but before you panic, try not to front brake, and just bank the bitch over ..... she can take it, and hopefully this will give you a chance to get round. Then, DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!!!

Get this, I was talking to a BMW rider just before the MIGTs rideout who said he goes touring on his beemer. Fair enough. He was supprised that I live in North Wales & have a small plate & a loud can (I think I mentionned him on the MIGTs ride).

It was when he advised using the front brake mid bend "because it'll dig in, that's what the tyre is there for" that I walked away laughing at him. Front brake mid bend will do one of two things:
1) Stand the bike up. You'd better be on a VERY wide road, or a race track with plenty of run off for this to happen.
2) Lowside the bike.

If you NEED to scrub speed mid bend, LIGHTLY use the rear, as that encourages the bike to turn in more. Too much though & the back end will step out.

Originally Posted by Baph

It was when he advised using the front brake mid bend "because it'll dig in, that's what the tyre is there for" that I walked away laughing at him.

Good god The trouble is he probably spouts that **** gravy at everyone he meets, and unfortunately some poor sods probably take it on board. Depending on how long he's been doing it, he's probably directly accountable for the deaths of several. People die because of tossers like that