Turning, cornering, bends etc

Originally Posted by sv_dan

Have you tried maybe some advanced lessons with an instructor? Whereabouts are you based, I know a friend who taught me and (not to blow my own trumpet) I can corner very well and consider myself to be a very smooth rider.

I'm 90% sure I'm going to sign up for CSS at Silverstone in October. I know it's not cheap, but it is something that is recognised by my insurance broker, so in the long run it's not so bad.

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by lukemillar

Not really struggling - just want to get smoother. I pretty much do what you say, especially with gripping the tank to stop myself from sliding forward. More to do with changing whilst still on the brakes or finishing braking then block change. With blipping do you do it before or after changing down?

I'm guessing a lot of this is down to the rider/corner/whether a car is coming round the roundabout etc. but I'm just interested in what people do.

Thats just practice. I really dont like block changing. I find a quick succession of down changes whilst braking hard works for me much better. When I'm really braking hard it litterally is blip and shift down, clutch out just for a moment then blip and change down again.

Your blip should be done with the clutch in just as you change from one gear down to another. It does take a little bit of practice to do it right.

Sounds to me like you are not at the moment giving yourself enough time to get everything done before you get to a corner.

Give yourself a bit more time whilst you hone your technique. Try braking a little earlier and then going down through the gears and braking. Braking hard and handfulls of throttle to blip is IMHO likely to unsettle the bike on its suspension which is not what you want to do. Take a bit more time and do it smoothly what you want is a smooth transistion from the brakes to a constant throttle so that it sets you up nicely to fire the bike out of the corner once you have got to the apex.

Bear in mind I'm no riding instructor so what I say isnt gospel truth and that it also might not work for you. Best way to learn all this is time on the bike IMHO.

HTH

[Sid Squid]

Originally Posted by lukemillar

just want to get smoother.

Slow down a bit - seriously.

Take time to think about what's happening and why, if you try to go quick you'll make all of the mistakes that you commonly make, (and we all do), and you'll hold harder to your manner of riding, flaws and all, however wrong it may be you will have got good at your way of doing it.

If you back of a fair bit then you'll be prepared to try different ways of doing things, and it won't seem intimidating.

And remember the golden rule: Smooth is the key.

You can do things quickly and still be smooth, getting yourself good vision allows you to plan your actions in plenty of time and makes for a easy and economical manner of riding, which can be proper quick when you get good at it.

cheers for all the info here guys!

It's going to take a bit of practice & time to put it all into practice but Hey, Summers here - looks like my weekends will be spent finding some nice back roads around Surrey! )

Dirk

Interestingly, when I had my naked, I did conciously countersteer (too much on one occasion and I had to counter-countersteer to pick it back up again). However, on my 'blade, even when I think about doing it, it "just happens", the bike goes round the bend.

I think with a naked you really can force the bike over, with a sports bike, a smooth entry and it all just works... Well it does for me anyway

.

Somebody said they didnt like Keith Codes way of writing. Go to a California Superbike UK school. They teach you in your own language,

They can prove that you countersteer, they can also prove there is no other way to turn a motorcycle, even if you think you can turn it by jumping on a footpeg, or throwing all your body parts to one side.

I have just returned from my 2nd Level 1 course in 3 years.

If you dont learn anything, then you are not willing to listen

[northwind]

Originally Posted by wheelnut

They can prove that you countersteer, they can also prove there is no other way to turn a motorcycle, even if you think you can turn it by jumping on a footpeg, or throwing all your body parts to one side.

You see, this is just wrong. I've heard about the "no bull**** bike"... But I've ridden a converted-for-stunting Fazer thou that has lockable steering, and you can turn it. Not like a normal bike, and you're about a hair away from crashing all the time (you need to use the power to stop it from falling into turns, and to stand it back up, which is quite, quite mad) but it can be done.

Not that anyone does it on the street...

[21QUEST]

Originally Posted by northwind

You see, this is just wrong. I've heard about the "no bull**** bike"... But I've ridden a converted-for-stunting Fazer thou that has lockable steering, and you can turn it. Not like a normal bike, and you're about a hair away from crashing all the time (you need to use the power to stop it from falling into turns, and to stand it back up, which is quite, quite mad) but it can be done.

Not that anyone does it on the street...

Yep and a few years ago there was a guy who actually demonstarted the fact to Andy Abbort and his responce was something along the lines of 'yeah but ...'

Cheers
Ben

This was my take on counter steering posted a while ago:

When leaning into a corner shift your upper body slightly towards the inside handle bar - the transferrance of weight will automatically make you countersteer slightly.

It can help to actually drop your outside shoulder slightly too. This is probably a really bad description - but if taking a left-hander = keep your head upright, pull you right shoulder down towards your left hip slightly whilst shifting your left shoulder towards the inside of the corner.
Don't worry about conciously applying pressure on either of the bars - let your weight do it for you.

It's kind of a movement!

Once that feels more natural then you can actually think about applying pressure onto the inside bar - then pushing down on the inside peg too.

What is it - basically it's actively steering in opposition to the way you want to go! Yeah - go figure.

As for actually doing it - I'm with PH - natural instinct is best. It was years after I first started biking that I heard about the mythical conter steering - and so I tried it. Actually thought about what I was doing and actively tried to counter steer.

Even after a lot of practise I was still slower through corners and not really any smoother either. So I gave it up as a lost cause and went back to just riding by the natural feel of the bike - it was then that I actually examined how I rode and discovered that I was actively countersteering anyway - and was only screwing it up because I was attempting to stop and think about (what was to me) a natural movement.

Kinda like concentrating on your breathing - it suddenly isn't as easy as 'just letting it happen'.

And just like breathing, it's hard to describe and explain to people too.

The laws of physics say that if you ride a bike in a straight line then move the mass to the left, that bike will natually lean to the left, thus turn to the left. Counter steering just makes it happen more easily.


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