Riding advice wanted

So when I think back to my DAS course back in June I don't remember any advice on going fast round bends or being smooth. I guess much like with a car, you learn it all yourself on the roads. However, unlike in a car, you're more likely to die if you get it wrong!

So I'd just like to gather some opinion and tips on the things they don't tell you in your training?

Is the key to cornering all about where you look? I've felt a slight improvement this weekend as I've leaned a bit more and looked ahead rather than at the road just in front of me but I'm still struggling with throttle smoothness round 90 deg (and tighter) turns. I'm wondering if I'm taking corners in too low a gear due to my fear of being too fast and pushing wide? Do people slip the clutch and drag the back brake on such turns or just barrel round in gear? I realise it depends on the turn but general advice is good. I'm mainly talking about urban riding, T junctions etc...

Secondly - I'm a big chap (if I were a rugby player I'd be a prop) and I'm struggling with wind buffeting above, shall we say, the legal limit. I can't really tuck in anymore without feeling like I'm losing visibility. Is a double bubble screen the answer? I can also see **** all in my RH wing mirror (just to re-enforce my size problem). Worth getting some kind of extension device?

The DAS course really only qualifies you to ride down the road and turn left/right without killing yourself. You really need to gain some more experience, both theory and practice, either by talking to more skilled riders, or taking some more advanced training (or both)

yep i think uve got it ,look at where you want to b NOT THE ROAD /GRASS VERGE /PAVEMENT/FRONT WHEEL ,re brake if i think im going in a wee bit too fast then ill scrub off speed with the rear,i find this settles the bike ,and dont go round a bend using an open/shut /open throttle this causes all sorts of running wide /changing ur line etc.if you go down a gear and hold a steady throttle round and ease on the gas when u can see itll b much btr .theres been some good posts about this ,but more than anything else its milage/practice you need
and re mirrors -get extenders from chewy ,they will make a big diff

Road positioning is also key to getting round corners.

Again grecian9, we're probably pretty much similar in ability. It was only after spending a good few hours riding (both on a track and countryside riding) that I felt a lot better about corners.

General advice, I stick to a lower gear and hate cornering in 6th. This way, if I'm coming in too hot for a corner, engine braking is the answer. Hanging off the bike a little helps too, more so the upper body than the lower body. A tip I picked up on here was to use your outside arm against the side of the tank like an anchor, then try to just let it all hang loose. At first, I felt like I was having to hold the bike up for fear of binning it. Now it feels more like the bike is holding me up.

I may be wrong, but DON'T slip the clutch going around corners (unless it's very slow speed T-junctions etc). This removes the engine's force acting on the rear end, and could lead to some sticky situations (my first off - on my CG - was like this, pulled the clutch and the front brake going round a right with an off camber )

Counter-steering helps a lot as well, especially three figure speeds on my private runway. Just remember, the bike will generally lean over more than you think & still keep grip (unless you're wondering how far over you can go whilst sliding the bike on it's side)!

I reckon you should be trying to look at the vanishing point (place where left kerb meets right, if there are any kerbs). Target fixation was a big problem of mine until the time on the track. This will also help you to read just how tight the corner will be, and if it's tightening or opening. The latter means hard on the gas the former tells you to ease it off. As always though, whilst leaning over, gentle modifications to all inputs otherwise you get to play with the cows/sheep. ( I dont often ride anywhere near towns )

Since you're a 'big fella' I reckon a double bubble could be the way to go. I intend on doing the same to mine, but more for an MPG reason than a comfort reason. I'll get around to it when finances & time permit.

About the mirrors, I don't know if it'll help, but I can see my arms in my mirrors. About 1/3 of the mirror is actually my arm. This leads to a huge blind spot right behind me. The cheap solution I've found is to simply tuck my elbows in. Let me know if you have any better fairing with an extension.

Hi mate,

It took me a while and a Bikesafe weekend to get a bit more confident, especially in the wet.

Originally Posted by grecian9

Is the key to cornering all about where you look? I've felt a slight improvement this weekend as I've leaned a bit more and looked ahead rather than at the road just in front of me but I'm still struggling with throttle smoothness round 90 deg (and tighter) turns.

Look where you want to go is good (probably the best!) advice

The other advice is "slow in, quicker out". Works on two levels; firstly you a less likely to get caught out having misjudged a bend and, secondly, by driving round the bend you have unloaded the front tyre a bit, meaning that it's less likely to run wide or lose grip. I read somewhere that the ideal weight balance is something like 40:60 as front:rear.

Originally Posted by grecian9

I'm wondering if I'm taking corners in too low a gear due to my fear of being too fast and pushing wide?

You are better being in a low gear as you have more control and won't need to slip the clutch as much. It is perfectly valid to use first gear at slow speed on tight turns.

Originally Posted by grecian9

Do people slip the clutch and drag the back brake on such turns.....

I do quite often, I think, particularly in town and at very low speed. In an ideal world one would have lost all necessary speed in a straight line before taking the corner, so I'm talking about a small amount of trailing rear brake for stability and a small amount of clutch slip for smoothness. The clutch slipping bit might be more important on a V-twin that an IL4, but I could be talking bollox, too

Originally Posted by grecian9

.....or just barrel round in gear? I realise it depends on the turn but general advice is good. I'm mainly talking about urban riding, T junctions etc...

I don't do that

You should always be able to stop on your side of the road within the distance that you can see to be clear. Period.

If you meant "Do you just ride round, no brake and ano clutch slip?" then I can't answer you. Every bike and every corner is different. You will find your own best way given time and experience

HTH a little.

Originally Posted by Baph

General advice, I stick to a lower gear and hate cornering in 6th. This way, if I'm coming in too hot for a corner, engine braking is the answer. Hanging off the bike a little helps too, more so the upper body than the lower body. A tip I picked up on here was to use your outside arm against the side of the tank like an anchor, then try to just let it all hang loose. At first, I felt like I was having to hold the bike up for fear of binning it. Now it feels more like the bike is holding me up.

Not sure that's such a great idea for a novice rider! (Although, with 5 years experience under my belt, I'm, gonna give it a go!!)

What really helped me round the corners was to really grip like a limpet with the legs and NOT put ANY weight on the bars - it makes them twitchy. Just tighten up, and as Baph said, really gentle inputs. The leaning on the bars thing was my biggest breakthrough when I was learning to ride, and they said nothing in DAS!

Re jumpy acceleration in bends, is your chain adjusted properly? Too loose and it can snatch, which makes it fdeel as though the throttle is uneven.

Originally Posted by Nekkid

Not sure that's such a great idea for a novice rider! (Although, with 5 years experience under my belt, I'm, gonna give it a go!!)

I passed my CBT but only 3 months ago! Spent a month on a CG125 (before she gave up the ghost ) and so decided to do my DAS & get a bigger bike. I try to learn something new every day though, and I'll probably still see myself as a novice in 5years time.

Mind you, it's probably not the time spent on a bike that matters much, more the mileage. I've done just shy of 1500 miles in the last 19 days, almost all in countryside twisties, with a little motorway, very little town (unless I have to), and a morning zipping around a track

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by grecian9

Is the key to cornering all about where you look? I've felt a slight improvement this weekend as I've leaned a bit more and looked ahead rather than at the road just in front of me but I'm still struggling with throttle smoothness round 90 deg (and tighter) turns. I'm wondering if I'm taking corners in too low a gear due to my fear of being too fast and pushing wide?

Basically yes it is. Forward observation and looking through the corner is what you want to be doing. This works on faster or slower turns. Road position plays an important part to. You want to position yourself so that you get the best view of the road ahead as possible. Do your braking in a straight line before you begin to turn for the corner and get into a gear that will allow you drive through and out of the corner. I find with the SV that 5000rpm is about the ideal revs to aim for as it provides plenty of beans to drive through the corner. But also theres plenty of engine braking so you can use that to help you slow as well as the brakes if you find you've gone in a little to hot. Once you have done your braking and down changes. Hold a constant throttle until you get to the point where you can see the road open up and then gently wind the throttle on to accelerate out of the corner. The main cause IMHO of running wide on the exit of corners is turning in to early. Try and resist that urge to turn in wait a little longer until you can really see the road in front of you and that way you'll have more time to work out what the road is doing. Also I found that by riding a little slower and braking earlier and using the throttle more smoothly I was actually faster.

What IMHO you dont want to be doing is come hairing up to a corner. Snap the throttle shut and then grab a big handful of brake. All this does is unsettle the front suspension which means the front / rear ends of the bike don't work as well. If you can be more gentle and gradual with your inputs. You'll give the suspension more time to cope with the weight transfer from braking / accelerating, which means your feel for what the bike is doing will be better and also you are allowing the tyres to grip the road as best they can.

I wouldnt worry about hanging off / knee down techniques to start with. Just concentrate on road position, speed and being in the correct gear and being smooth with the throttle and brakes and give yourself time to read the road ahead.

Originally Posted by grecian9

Do people slip the clutch and drag the back brake on such turns or just barrel round in gear? I realise it depends on the turn but general advice is good. I'm mainly talking about urban riding, T junctions etc...

I never slip the clutch once I'm moving. If your going into fast just drag the back brake. If you slip the clutch you'll deprive yourself of the third brake, namely you'll reduce the engine braking and you wont slow down as fast.

If your finding you need to slip the clutch to get turned into a T-junction or a sharp corner you may find that your actually in to high a gear.

Originally Posted by grecian9

Secondly - I'm a big chap (if I were a rugby player I'd be a prop) and I'm struggling with wind buffeting above, shall we say, the legal limit. I can't really tuck in anymore without feeling like I'm losing visibility. Is a double bubble screen the answer? I can also see **** all in my RH wing mirror (just to re-enforce my size problem). Worth getting some kind of extension device?

A double bubble will make the world of difference. I'm roughly 6ft and the power bronze doubel bubble I fitted to the SV really reduced the buffeting. I've never really had that much trouble with the mirrors I just tend to move my elbow in towards my body and that gives me better vision in the mirror. I think that alot of people find chewy22's mirror extenders really help with this though.

HTH

You could always do a track day!!!! That will improve you cornering skills no end