turning

[Julius]

Hello my name is Julius and I am new to this forum .I have a question about the proper way to take a turn, in this case on dirt. Usually when im coming down a straight away and my turn is coming up I pull the clutch in down shift into second and then brake to the right speed and clutch out and take my turn. I think I must be doing something wrong because somewhere in the possess, my back tire ends up fish tailing.

Now my brother is telling me I don’t need to pull the clutch in when I’m down shifting which adds to my confusion.

Any advise would be welcomed and appreciated.

[icariz83]

If you're downshifting you need to let the clutch out right away after a blip instead of holding it in until entering the corner. If you are downshifting from 4th to 2nd without letting the clutch out the rear tire is matching the speed or RPM and that is why it's fishtailing/sliding. I think...

Try picking up a riding technique book, they go into all of this. It would be well worth the money.

[asiantay]

You need to match engine speed to road speed, which means brake early to get the speed right, do NOT enter a turn with the clutch pulled in and do not let go of the clutch right before you turn. The reason as to not leaving the clutch pulled in is if you need to make an emergency move, a lot of things are gonna be running through your mind and you'll be likely to panic, and letting go of the clutch quickly (popping it) will be a doozy, so be careful. This one might be obvious, but check the back tire and make sure there's plenty of tread left and its fairly even (will be SLIGHTLY less in the center). There is a really excellent book called "Sport Riding Techniques" that teaches you many good things, like trail braking, the "good line," etc...

Reading that book will familiarize you with a lot of terms, like "blipping" (small rev used to match engine speed to road speed that is performed concurrently with each downshift).

Good luck and be safe with your riding.

[KarateChick]

Try David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling". Great info & source book.

[Skier]

Try David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling". Great info & source book.

I cannot recommend that book enough for street riders. Also get one of his other books, titled "More Proficient Motorcycling." Those two books are the definitive street-survival bible, in my opinion.