Davidtav Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 (edited) So I was out on the bike yesterday for a ride through the Dales. Following a rout from Ride magazine actually. And it was great. However I did have a moment when I came the nearest I have been to dropping my bike. There were a few hairpin bends on the route. But this one in particular was horrible. I’ve been giving it some thought today about how I could better tackle it. I was going downhill. I was completely thrown by the extreme camber. Not literally, but nearly! I was reluctant to take it wide on the wrong side of the road. As there was no visibility around the bend. And there was a fair amount of traffic around … what did I do? I wobbled ungainly to a stop. Made certain there was nothing coming and made a very wobbly manoeuvre on the wrong side of the road. It wasn’t elegant. But I didn’t drop the bike. … I found this link today which I’m certain is the hairpin. The pic in the link doesn’t show quite how steep the drop is around the corner. … I bet some of you know this hairpin. It’s popular biking country. … I’ve been thinking a lot about how to better tackle this bend. Appreciate any pointers. I know I’m still learning https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6656996 Edited November 22, 2021 by Davidtav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorky Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Go as wide as you can safely see and keep the momentum going 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiBob Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 The wider you go the more you can see around the bend .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiwiBob Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 https://www.motorcycletourer.com/hairpin-bends-on-a-motorcycle/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuRavary Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 This appeared on FB this morning. https://www.adventurebikerider.com/article/techniques-navigating-switchbacks/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=facebook_page&utm_medium=Adventure+Bike+Rider&fbclid=IwAR1x_FaXTgTAzf3V_YB7tmtJ8F7IgzRJcVR6Et7PF19Jmw2M5Sk1Ch7vrvo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidtav Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 Thanks for the advice. It is all food for thought. I think I should maybe have gone wide with a bit of confidence. However at the time, the camber spooked me a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mississippi Bullfrog Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Camber can be horrible so you aren't the only one. There is one bend on a route we do regularly than when we have a novice rider I always warn them about. It tightens on you and gets steeper as your turn into it. We take it going uphill so I always go into it wide and in first gear. Going round a downhill bend I'd come in wide and slow down using the front brake before the bend, then switch to a firm foot on the rear brake around the bend. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 As above, wide as you can till you can turn in and use as much of the road as you can, had similar going uphill in summer doubled right back on itself on a hill, not as steep as yours, glad I did all the u turn practice, I couldn't use much of the road as I had cars coming towards me. I was down in first, stupidly I have been that way in the past in the car and should have remembered dohhh. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Throttled Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 My hairpin bend tips, based on what has worked for me. It is often not possible to ride the inside of a hairpin bend, without crossing onto the other side, so it is best, as much as is possible, to enter the bend on the wrong side of the road and leave on the right side. Be prepared to stay on the brakes the whole way round a down hill bend. Be prepared to just stop and wait for a bend to clear of traffic. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_M Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 If it’s any consolidation, I once followed a rider who didn’t make that same bend going uphill - he ran wide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidtav Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 1 hour ago, Steve_M said: If it’s any consolidation, I once followed a rider who didn’t make that same bend going uphill - he ran wide. That is really interesting. And I’m not at all surprised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_M Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 8 minutes ago, Davidtav said: That is really interesting. And I’m not at all surprised. It’s not that tight going up. It’s hardly the Splugen Pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 This is the bend if it helps anyone! https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4093773,-2.1773663,3a,26.6y,251.85h,78.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8bSkZkFo78Ws-7DCfvz0Iw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Looks nasty to be fair I had one catch me out in Wales it was a really tight left hander up hill and off camber! I have never had issues before but I had some sort of mental block and it was just a no go! I wasn't fully used to the RT either and I think that played a part in it I ended up turning round on the steep hill and going back 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husoi Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Looks the same as the ones you find on the way to Applecross. I ride them as U-turns. Works all the time 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerontious Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 One of my reasons for changing bikes was corners like that, they are abundant in the Alps and so having a bike that is impossible to stall, removes at least one worry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davidtav Posted November 22, 2021 Author Share Posted November 22, 2021 57 minutes ago, Stu said: This is the bend if it helps anyone! https://www.google.com/maps/@54.4093773,-2.1773663,3a,26.6y,251.85h,78.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s8bSkZkFo78Ws-7DCfvz0Iw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Looks nasty to be fair I had one catch me out in Wales it was a really tight left hander up hill and off camber! I have never had issues before but I had some sort of mental block and it was just a no go! I wasn't fully used to the RT either and I think that played a part in it I ended up turning round on the steep hill and going back Yes. That’s the bend. Thanks for finding it. Interesting to look at it again on Streetview. … I think the answer is to go in fairly deep. As a few posters have suggested. There is no visibility around the corner though. And you can see that on Streetview. Part of my problem was that I was using the front brake. One of the links someone posted details using rear brake only at that stage. I think that might have been a good idea. There was a reasonable amount of traffic around yesterday afternoon. I really didn’t want to go over to the wrong side of the road before the corner. There were other motorbikes around as well as cars. Its all giving me plenty to think about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Just now, Davidtav said: Yes. That’s the bend. Thanks for finding it. Interesting to look at it again on Streetview. … I think the answer is to go in fairly deep. As a few posters have suggested. There is no visibility around the corner though. And you can see that on Streetview. Part of my problem was that I was using the front brake. One of the links someone posted details using rear brake only at that stage. I think that might have been a good idea. There was a reasonable amount of traffic around yesterday afternoon. I really didn’t want to go over to the wrong side of the road before the corner. There were other motorbikes around as well as cars. Its all giving me plenty to think about One thing I did notice is that you can see over the left hand side so I would have been watching for any traffic approaching as I was coming down it would at least give you some idea The way I would have treat that would have been as wide as I dare and on the brakes coming down in to it and at the point of turning in I would have been in first gear off the brakes and just let the bike roll in and get as tight as you can to the nearside Little bit of lean and look where you want to be and cover the brakes just in case 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastbob Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 1 hour ago, husoi said: Looks the same as the ones you find on the way to Applecross. I ride them as U-turns. Works all the time They were a f**k sight easier on the Harley than they were on the GSXR ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastbob Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 (edited) The scariest hairpins I've ever negotiated were on Porlock Hill in pitch darkness . I'd never been there before and I just couldn't find the campsite ( Pre smartphone ) I went through the village and up the hill with no idea that there were any hairpins until I found myself at 30% with my headlight pointing up into the trees and absolutely nothing to get my bearings . I managed to get into first and get my feet down in time to carefully walk the bike around the curve but it was touch and go . The same thing happened on the next bend as well , bloody terrifying. The next day a coach load of OAP's had managed to ground itself at both ends with all the wheels off the ground on the same bend . Edited November 22, 2021 by fastbob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
husoi Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 Want to see a tight airpin? check this one out. Follow the road all the way down to the little place. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.6780087,-2.2596719,3a,75y,13.17h,72.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slWRTGu8Y0d3hN7QcoBU7hw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 For those of age, you will recognise it from the movie "local hero" Not only it is tight, but the over 10% inclination makes it a good challenge And you won't fit 2 cars easily... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 4 minutes ago, husoi said: Want to see a tight airpin? check this one out. Follow the road all the way down to the little place. https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.6780087,-2.2596719,3a,75y,13.17h,72.94t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slWRTGu8Y0d3hN7QcoBU7hw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 For those of age, you will recognise it from the movie "local hero" Not only it is tight, but the over 10% inclination makes it a good challenge And you won't fit 2 cars easily... Been down there. This was mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerontious Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 (edited) ooh.. a bend comparison contest. is there a prize? "my bend is tighter than yours" - well, how can you answer that? Edited November 22, 2021 by Gerontious 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted November 22, 2021 Share Posted November 22, 2021 No contest just comparison After all its not the tightness of the bend its what you do with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fastbob Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 Right then . I've been up this one on a GSXR 1100 in a severe gale and a whiteout and up it on a Harley which was a doddle , but the most fun was going all the way from the top down to sea level with my engine switched off on my dear old ER5 . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mississippi Bullfrog Posted November 23, 2021 Share Posted November 23, 2021 10 hours ago, Davidtav said: One of the links someone posted details using rear brake only at that stage. I think that might have been a good idea. Back in day when I did my training (which included avoiding stray dinosaurs) the instructor made a point of teaching us to use the rear brake during slow tight manoeuvres. I've seen a few posts recently that suggest this is no longer taught. At least some younger riders don't seem to aware of it Is that the case? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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