SV650.org - SV650 & Gladius 650 Forum - View Single Post

05-09-07, 08:34 PM

Something the usual advanced riding books don't cover.

How are you supposed to ride down steep tight downhill corners?

In hilly places its not uncommon to decend twisty consecutive left and right handers on a 1 in 3 at 30 mph or less. I have one on my "scenic route" commute to work which decends about a mile from Carluke to Crossford into the Clyde Valley, and I feel like I've made a mess of it every time.

You can't use the throttle to balance the bike as you normally would in a corner. How do you get the bike to feel balanced an flow nicely down the hill? I always feel I've got the front tyre doing all the work, and it wouldn't take much for it to slide away from me. The bike's dynamics are all upset like a thrupennybitted corner. On a light bike like the SV the back brake locks up and drags rather than slowing the bike down, so you end up using the front which makes the weight over the front worse.

Any advanced riders out there who've got an opinion?
Is there any better way to deal with it?

05-09-07, 08:34 PM	#1
-Ralph- Guest Posts: n/a	Downhill twisties Something the usual advanced riding books don't cover. How are you supposed to ride down steep tight downhill corners? In hilly places its not uncommon to decend twisty consecutive left and right handers on a 1 in 3 at 30 mph or less. I have one on my "scenic route" commute to work which decends about a mile from Carluke to Crossford into the Clyde Valley, and I feel like I've made a mess of it every time. You can't use the throttle to balance the bike as you normally would in a corner. How do you get the bike to feel balanced an flow nicely down the hill? I always feel I've got the front tyre doing all the work, and it wouldn't take much for it to slide away from me. The bike's dynamics are all upset like a thrupennybitted corner. On a light bike like the SV the back brake locks up and drags rather than slowing the bike down, so you end up using the front which makes the weight over the front worse. Any advanced riders out there who've got an opinion? Is there any better way to deal with it?