cornering.

[soll]

ok been riding a proper bike for a month, nearly 2. only raked up 1500ish miles and i have a problem and i think its my brain not my bike.

this week i have been riding the bike in to work as the weather has been ok. the road is damp and i ride a twisty ish road to work.

now when its dry and light i can wiz around the corners and my home trip takes 40-45 minutes if its clear.

now i feel that in the dark and damp i ride slower (good thing) but i slow down more near corners as i slow before entry and accelerate through and out of the corner depending on its tightness.

to the point that I have had car drivers over take me in a hurry in a 50 when i am doing 45-50 on the straight bits. Admittedly, i do seem to drive a lot faster when im in the car on these roads. but some of the bends i do seem to be resisting the lean, although i am doing 35-40 around most of the corners

any advise or am i just being a pillock. I think im worried about the bike sliding out from under me, experience related?

[fullscreenaging]

It's called self preservation

You are doing the correct thing.

You have reduced grip when the road is wet/damp and your tyres are cold.

The key is to be smooth with the throttle.

[Guest]

Night / wet riding is exactly the same as dry in the sense that you need vision (take the corner as wide as safe to do so when entering) and you need steering control / availability (take the corner as wide and as safe to do so when entering). When it is dark or wet, you take it slower (good thing) but the principles are all the same as day / dry riding.

*Safe to do takes into account available traction. Don't sacrifice good traction for a small amount of vision!

Cornering is about one thing... get that right and the rest will follow.

Positioning.

[Guest]

Oh... and most people are way too over cautious about their tyres. If you're running decent wet grip tyres such as pilot roads, angel GT, road smarts so on and so forth, they will probably keep gripping way passed what you think they are good for!

Same rules apply for dry... warm the tyres up to a decent enough temp for grip and go for it. Don't attempt to hit the corners hard if it's cold + tyres aren't warm(ish).

[fq-craigus]

Keep your witts about you and carry on as you are. You build up your experience and knowlege of road craft you dont just gain it when you get your licence.

If you have been riding a month you dont know enough about your tyres and how they react in different situations and the clues they give you when they are on their limit and your too.

Like above its self preservation. You go as fast as you know you can stop in the distance you can see

[MrBrightside]

Rome wasn't built in a day mate

it all comes down to experience, and learning by it. Taking it easy is a good thing, far too many people go at it too hard, and suffer the consequences.

Personally I'd say that positioning is only a small part of it, and my riding style differs from wet to dry quite a bit.

Get the basics under your belt, then maybe try more advanced techniques like limit points etc. Always make sure you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear, and on wet roads, halve it.

Stay safe mate

[fullscreenaging]

Always make sure you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear, and on wet roads, halve it.

 

I think that was a typo

Double your stopping distance on wet roads.

[Hoggs]

meh double, halve - whats a few metres between friend!

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CHZRkXCUMAAs3u6.jpg

[Guest]

Cornering is about one thing... get that right and the rest will follow.

Positioning.

 

Personally I'd say that positioning is only a small part of it, and my riding style differs from wet to dry quite a bit.

Allow me to explain my somewhat transparent statement...

Everything is governed from positioning. Your line, safe entry speed, vision, braking, traction etc. Bad positioning = compromises and sacrifices elsewhere. The way I see it, if you want to improve your cornering, the first thing you need to be aware of is what X position means you have to do as a result and why Z position may be better, giving you more speed, braking, vision, traction etc.

One can discuss the use of smaller details, but why you have to brake harder or why you can't steer tighter, etc all stems from the main thing (IMO).

As for the wet vs dry thing, yes, we all adjust our speed and braking distances blah blah blah but the principles are always the same; vision, traction etc. You still need to take fast corners with a tyre that's been rolling for a while to generate some kind of heat on the rubber. You still need to ride where the best traction is and you still need to be in a position that gives you the most vision and ability to react... that's what I meant. Not ride as fast as you do when it's dry.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Anonymous

[Fozzie]

Just relax on the bike, maybe experiment a bit like lean off a bit as I found I picked up speed a little as when you lean off the bike can corner the same but more upright.

As long as you've got good tyres, the pressures are optimal, and you've been riding a few miles to warm them, just experiment with the line you take, and position on the bike. Find a sweet spot you find comfortable and then work up from that.

It's as simple as that really, although more complicated in practise. Once you've tried different things you can feedback what worked, and what didn't so further suggestions can be made

[MrBrightside]

Always make sure you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear, and on wet roads, halve it.

 

I think that was a typo

Double your stopping distance on wet roads.

 

No, I meant be able to stop in half the distance you can see to be clear

Phil, I'm not rubbishing your statement mate, but yes you are right about positioning affecting a lot when you ride. And to say that positioning is only a small part of it, that was wrong on my part, it's a big part of it...

[Remy]

Ride within your comfort zone, and don't be pushed out of it by people that want to overtake you. The more you ride the more confident you will become but don't feel bad because you are being cautious! Better to arrive in one piece later than not at all ..

[soll]

Cornering is about one thing... get that right and the rest will follow.

Positioning.

 

Personally I'd say that positioning is only a small part of it, and my riding style differs from wet to dry quite a bit.

Allow me to explain my somewhat transparent statement...

Everything is governed from positioning. Your line, safe entry speed, vision, braking, traction etc. Bad positioning = compromises and sacrifices elsewhere. The way I see it, if you want to improve your cornering, the first thing you need to be aware of is what X position means you have to do as a result and why Z position may be better, giving you more speed, braking, vision, traction etc.

One can discuss the use of smaller details, but why you have to brake harder or why you can't steer tighter, etc all stems from the main thing (IMO).

As for the wet vs dry thing, yes, we all adjust our speed and braking distances blah blah blah but the principles are always the same; vision, traction etc. You still need to take fast corners with a tyre that's been rolling for a while to generate some kind of heat on the rubber. You still need to ride where the best traction is and you still need to be in a position that gives you the most vision and ability to react... that's what I meant. Not ride as fast as you do when it's dry.

 

been trying to get on one of your lmrc rides but scheduling is a bitch

tyres are standard cb500f fit Dunlop D222

[Wynne G Oldman]

I think that you're doing the right thing. As others have said, you can usually lean further than you think in the wet, but as our roads occasionally have diesel on them, and conditions are never perfect, you are right to be cautious. Cars don't suffer from the same problems as they have four contact points to the road in two tracks. If you cross a streak of diesel on a bike, as the tyres are in the same track, you will in the best case know about it with a short, but arse chattering slide of both tyres at the same time or you'll bin it. The further leant over you are, the more chance of you losing it. Don't be pressured by cars up your chuffer, if possible, let them pass and ride your own ride.

[MarkDev]

Sounds like learning counter steering would help the confidence, linked in with some one to one professional tuition?

[Six30]

Hmm counter steering .. What is this

[Chrissb6]

What's the saying better to arrive 10 minutes late in this world than years early in the next It's winter, the roads are cold wet slippy and dangerous. The name of the game is survival take your time and leave the buzzing about until the sun comes out.

[soll]

What's the saying better to arrive 10 minutes late in this world than years early in the next It's winter, the roads are cold wet slippy and dangerous. The name of the game is survival take your time and leave the buzzing about until the sun comes out.

 

Well im a away for a week or so soon, so getting the bike professionally cleaned and acf 50'd this week, and then its getting chained up and wrapped up for a the duration

[Valko]

You are doing fine, because you are riding with the speed and the way you feel comfortable.

To parahrase the pilot's saying:

There are two types of riders: brave and alive

[Westbeef]

I've only been riding a week and my route home from work goes around 3 tight roundabouts in a row and I end up taking these quite slow and they're tight bends and full of pot holes. I also feel the same as you about it, I guess we will just get a feel for it better with experience.

[EthanKing]

I've only been riding a week and my route home from work goes around 3 tight roundabouts in a row and I end up taking these quite slow and they're tight bends and full of pot holes. I also feel the same as you about it, I guess we will just get a feel for it better with experience.

I'm only on the road a couple of weeks too. I'm still a bit wobbly at very low speed and gradually gaining confidence in bends.

Sent from my G7-L01 using Tapatalk

[Guest]

Just ride at a pace that you're comfortable with guys!

You've got nothing to prove to anybody.......just relax and don't put yourselves under any pressure.

[rennie]

Just take it steady and enjoy it!

Stop thinking about it so much and just do it

My top cornering tip is always:

Look where you want to go not where you don't.

[littlecat]

oh god , someone mentioned counter steering

all the above advice is great... you are doing right, keep the speed down and lean angle lessened in the wet and dark whilst you learn your limits.... and 100% back the positioning statement...if you can see what youre dealing with , its a helluva lot easier to deal with it

[rob m]

Stop thinking about it so much and just do it

 

Nail on head. By all means learn the principles of cornering but don't spend your time over analysing it when really you could just be enjoying the ride. As Rennie said, just point the bike where you want it to go and relax.