what's the best way to remove the fear of fast cornering?

Message

VermilionX · Mon Feb 13, 2006 3:34 am

ok you guys misunderstood me...

i wasn't aiming to drag knee on the streets, when i made that comment, i was talking about doing it unintentionally.

but somebody already pointed out that in order to drag your knee, you have to really do it. so i already know i don't have to worry about that hapenning unintentioanlly.

second, i already mentioned im fine at taking corners going by the speed limit.

i just wanna learn to do it faster. but since you guys think it's too early for me then i'll accept that and just keep to the speed limits for now.

the problems i have w/ my bike are problems i'll encounter no matter what bike(sport bike) im using.

even if i did have a GS500F i'd have have the same problems as im having now on leaning.

am i wrong when i say that my bike is only as powerful as i let it be? bec that's how i see it. never once have i used too much throttle. i have kept it below 6k rpm following the owner's manual break in methods.

and no, im not interested in stunts... ok wait maybe 2 stunts... wheelie and a 180º powerslide.

wheelie bec i wanna learn to do it bec my bike is prone to it, so this way, if it happens, i won't panic and know what to do to bring my wheel back down.

the powerslide... well i can definitely use it instead of making U turn on tight spaces.

scan · #72 Unread post by **scan** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 3:42 am

I think the greatest concern to most of the folks here is that you would accidently over-ride your skill and that some of your questions are advanced level questions. Good for you to be curious, but scary if you were trying them out with the lack of understanding you have. Can you see that part?

Your tires are better than you think and if you are riding as a new guy and not pushing yourself to far, you will not have traction problem (unless we are talking about gravel, dirt, oil, fresh rain, or snow on the road). If you are watching for clean road (inspected by a first pass) you should never be able to over-ride your tires. Or should I say, you shouldn't be riding at a level where you should have to worry about that. Like the picture Zootech showed, you could lean until the bike touched the ground and that would be way outside of where you should be going.

But you know what is good. You ask a lot of questions and you are concerned. Just stay concerned and you should be fine. You seem to be learning the "ride within your limits" rule, so you should be fine.

VermilionX · Mon Feb 13, 2006 3:55 am

scanevalexec wrote:I think the greatest concern to most of the folks here is that you would accidently over-ride your skill and that some of your questions are advanced level questions. Good for you to be curious, but scary if you were trying them out with the lack of understanding you have. Can you see that part?

Your tires are better than you think and if you are riding as a new guy and not pushing yourself to far, you will not have traction problem (unless we are talking about gravel, dirt, oil, fresh rain, or snow on the road). If you are watching for clean road (inspected by a first pass) you should never be able to over-ride your tires. Or should I say, you shouldn't be riding at a level where you should have to worry about that. Like the picture Zootech showed, you could lean until the bike touched the ground and that would be way outside of where you should be going.

But you know what is good. You ask a lot of questions and you are concerned. Just stay concerned and you should be fine. You seem to be learning the "ride within your limits" rule, so you should be fine.

thanks, i see. too early for me to be worrying about fast cornering.

anyway, i think i'll learn a lot after this week, my BRC is gonna be this coming weekend.

they do teach you cornering over there right? or is it only on ERC?

scan · #74 Unread post by **scan** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:47 am

In the basic riders course they will go over cornering a bit, but nothing regarding anything that will really lean the bike over. Since the class starts with people who may have never ridden they start with how to move the bike with your feet helping (power walk the bike) and finish up with stopping hard, swerving to avoid collision, and straighening up in a corner to apply the brakes. Most of the stuff is centered around getting the bike under control at low speed, or bringing the bike to a stop. Again, stuff to build on, not really anything very advanced. You will have some in the class who never rode a bike, so in some ways you'll be ahead. If you've learned any bad habits though, some things may be a challenge to unlearn. You know what was the hardest for me? The figure 8 box. You can't put your feet down and you have to stay inside a space like 1.5 parking spaces wide and about two spaces long. Lucky that is not a high score deduction. But I would say everything you learn there, you should continue to practice once you pass ( you will pass ). Moving down the road is not hard, but the evasive manuvers and stopping fast is critical to have hardwired in your brain. You only hardwire this stuff by doing it over and over, not waiting until you need it right before an accident.

#75 Unread post by **ZooTech** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:47 am

VermilionX wrote:i wasn't aiming to drag knee on the streets, when i made that comment, i was talking about doing it unintentionally.

VermilionX · Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:58 am

ZooTech wrote:

i love family guy!

flynrider · Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:14 pm

VermilionX wrote: the problems i have w/ my bike are problems i'll encounter no matter what bike(sport bike) im using.

Not necessarily. Earlier you alluded to the fact that your bike is no different than a smaller bike, taking the corner at the same speed. That's only true as long as your experienced hand manages the throttle and brake properly.

I'm not going to tell you to learn on another bike. That's really your business. I will point out that the power available in both your throttle and brake lever will magnify any rookie mistakes. With your level of riding experience, you can expect rookie mistakes in your immediate future. At this point, one can only hope for the best.

VermilionX · Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:23 pm

flynrider wrote: Not necessarily. Earlier you alluded to the fact that your bike is no different than a smaller bike, taking the corner at the same speed. That's only true as long as your experienced hand manages the throttle and brake properly.

well yeah, that's my point. same speed just diff use of throttle/gear/rpms.

im not experienced but so far, i think im doing a good job of keeping my bike's power under control.

lean angles, fast cornering... those are the ones i need to work on. but not for now, since you guys said it's too early for me.

High_Side · Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:42 pm

VermilionX wrote:ok you guys misunderstood me...

second, i already mentioned im fine at taking corners going by the speed limit.

And you missed my point. Only after practicing and perfecting your skills at lower speeds should you get concerned about high-speed cornering. You will not be comfortable cornering fast until you develop your technique going slow (and by this I do not simply mean being able to ride around a corner)....

VermilionX · Mon Feb 13, 2006 2:46 pm

High_Side wrote: And you missed my point. Only after practicing and perfecting your skills at lower speeds should you get concerned about high-speed cornering. You will not be comfortable cornering fast until you develop your technique going slow (and by this I do not simply mean being able to ride around a corner)....

i see, i paid attention to my entry speed ealier before i got home...

i think im taking the 25mph corner im talking about at 35mph and did great.

i'll stick to this but im trying to avoid looking a lot on my instruments since i know at the tracks, you cover your speedo since it's just a distraction.