Corner Handling

[Henriettaah]

Hi everyone!

After a difficult period with the bike, involving the bike conking out at frighteningly inappropriate places, pushing, sweating, swearing, crying, and evil plans concerning fires, wrenches, stone throwing and metal cutters - in that order, but in varying degrees I seem to finally have fixed the old mare so she is happy.

The major problem being too much 2t oil, which had been set up in excess to look after the rebore while it settled.. well it settled, and then the problems rapidly jumped in!

Anyway. Trundled out and about yesterday, finally able to concentrate on the road instead of the bikes 'performance'.

I am quite anxious going into corners. I am frightened to lean the bike too far (if much at all, I'll bet) - in case the back end just slides out and it all goes horribly wrong. Usually, its just at the point of no return when I brick it and have poor positioning through the corner: what I would class as unsafe.

How do I get through this, and learn how far I can push the bike, without going too far? I'm only talking speeds of 40mph/60kph. So into countersteer country/pushing down as opposed to any turning.

[Sev]

Uhhh, there's no easy way to find out how far you can safely lean without tipping. But in all honesty you can probably take it to 45 degrees in dry without an issue.

As far as turning smoothly make a point of looking around the corner and carefully push out the apropriate hand. The most important part is to look around the corner. Where you look is where you go. Try to take it a little faster each time you come up on a corner and you'll be fine.

[Kal]

Hey you! Was wondering where you had disappeared to the other day.

As Sev says the more you practise the more confident you will feel and the better your riding will be. Its kind of like being a Jedi - allow the ride to flow through you etc etc

That said I've had trouble leaning recently because the roads are gritty/greasy and I've not had as much confidence in the Bikes road handling. It might be that your instincts are picking up on road conditions.

Short story - the more confidence you have - in the Elsie, in yourself and in the road - the better you will ride.

[sapaul]

Hey, Welcome back. Keep this in your head. LOOK THERE, GO THERE. The second you start stressing about cornering is the time you will stuff it up. Can you remember learning to ride a bicycle or teaching your son. First thing is not to look at the bike or the road directly in front of you, second is to relax and not to push the corner, third is entry speed, You must brake, choose gear and be off the brakes before you hit the corner. You must be under power going through the corner as this stiffens the chasis and produces stability.



Look at two things in the photo. The head position, looking through the corner, even the pillion doing the same, and my arms, see how bent and relaxed they are, and this is using counter steering, gently pushing and pulling. That corner is a 120kmh corner for me and 170 for the racers.

When you stiffen up the bike will too, so no stiff arms. Get your entry speeds right, concentrate on this aspect because the more you get it wrong the less confidence you will have. Get it right and you will be more confident and faster each time with a naturally lower lean.

Go here for more info on counter sterring and road postioning.

http://www.flamesonmytank.co.za/navigation.htm

[Henriettaah]

Well I went out this morning for a short while (its very damp and cold in UK at the moment!)

I've a little route I have been doing every time I run out. Its got a good set of S bends and some corners which have a fast run up to them. Well, the first time round I totally messed it up, froze and forgot 'how' to lean/turn/get round I ended up across the white lines! FFS. Not good, Not good, Not good.

So on the long straight bit after that, I started doing that weaving like when you are wearing/scrubbing the outer edge of the tyres up a bit - and every lean, pushed it down a little more. It felt really comfortable, and each time I leaned over a bit more! That really helped my confidence, zig zag zig zag zig zag... so the next time through the S bends, I could think about positioning, then pushed down on the right point of the bend - it worked really well

It was time to come back home then, but that is definately going to be something to keep doing to get to know the bike, and what I can do on it. The roads aren't bad at the moment, not greasy although a little damp.

Looking at my tyres, the outer edge tread is 7mm, and the inner part is 3mm! So I don't think the old girl has done much leaning at all before me

When you buy tyres, do you have to buy pairs? Or can you just get singles? The front tyre tread is fine. Would you reckon I had another 1mm wear leaft in the back one (I don't fancy running on 1mm).

[sapaul]

If you do not know the history of the tyres, change them both when you change the rear. After that you should look at 2 or 3 rears to a front.

[JustJames]

The best way is to do a parking lot pratice, remember pratice and pratice. Try at slow speed 2nd or 3rd gear so you know your limit of leaning. After you get used to it then you should be able to get up to speed and then slow down to desire speed before making a turn. Anyway you should someone experience with you when you're praticing.

BTW as someone mentioned here LOOK WHERE YOU GO. This is very important especially in emergency your hand will aim the same direction as your eyes.

Here my pic at pratice day.

[Mustang]

You've got some nice leans in those photos! It seems you're as far over as you can go since your foot looks like its practically touching the ground

Best of all your pictures and your head position really shows the theory of looking into the turn.

So was this an impromptu event? Course or do you just do it every so often?

[JustJames]

You've got some nice leans in those photos! It seems you're as far over as you can go since your foot looks like its practically touching the ground

Best of all your pictures and your head position really shows the theory of looking into the turn.

So was this an impromptu event? Course or do you just do it every so often?

This is a course where one of my local group (sportbike) set it up, We have "Skillz day" almost every month. We also have one of the group who he is a formal racing and still racing sometime I'm not quite sure to guide us. I've learnt alot from these kind of pratice. I also took BRC and ERC.

[Sev]

You've got some nice leans in those photos! It seems you're as far over as you can go since your foot looks like its practically touching the ground

Best of all your pictures and your head position really shows the theory of looking into the turn.

So was this an impromptu event? Course or do you just do it every so often?

This is a course where one of my local group (sportbike) set it up, We have "Skillz day" almost every month. We also have one of the group who he is a formal racing and still racing sometime I'm not quite sure to guide us. I've learnt alot from these kind of pratice. I also took BRC and ERC.

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/