Hills... ( Going down....).

[Phil1]

Been riding for a few years now, had a few years off and going back into it again.....

 

The one thing that seems to strike the fear of dread into me is hills. Going up, there's no issues at all, going down usually I'm fine. 

 

There are though, those few hills up in the dales that seem to set the sweat going down my back. 

 

How do you guys deal with really steep hills? I'm talking hard knots pass, wrynose, Brootes lane type of thing? 25%-

 

I just tend to end up in first gear, keep my foot planted on the rear and hold on for dear life even though it sometimes feels like I'm going over the handlebars. Often ill just be at a crawling pace, much slower than I'd ever go in the car. 

[RideWithStyles]

Right.

Edited May 15, 2024 by RideWithStyles
autocorrect

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Motorcycles are hardest to control when going slowly. First gear sounds like overkill, unless you're riding something with higher than usual gearing. I find on really steep hills 2nd is the most engine braking you want. 

 

And there's no rule that says you can't use the front brake when going slow. If you're applying light front brake you're compressing the front forks and tyre to give better grip. Just use a finger of pressure rather than a full hand of grip. 

[Phil1]

Yeah I do tend to cover the front brake too with very light pressure, but usually let the back do most of it. 

 

Like I say, I'm ususually fine with most hills going up or down, but it's those really steep ones that I don't like, which are often switchback/hairpins too so there's a fair element of steering having to be done also. 

 

I do grip the tank with my legs and try and keep my arms as loose as possible, but it's very difficult. 

 

It's an SV650 so it's very much a lent forward position at the best of times, without being tipped forwards even more. 

 

Got some new tyres on recently which might help a bit, as he did say the combination previously wasn't the best, I don't think it'll help "that" much though. 

 

Maybe I just need more practice with them and just put myself out of my comfort zone more, rather than trying to avoid them. 

 

I do particually enjoy the solitude of those single track roads in the middle of nowehere though so I'm probably more likely to come across them than those who stick to faster A/B roads. 

Edited February 25, 2024 by Phil1

[S-Westerly]

Actually I find the downhills less stressful than the ups. What is the worst though is getting stuck behind going something really slow as too slow a speed makes up or down a steep hill much more difficult.

[manxie49]

Going down hill, such as Hardknott, I'm usually in 2nd gear, light front brake pressure as has been said.  I tend to use the rear brake more for slow town riding, slow manoeuvring, or slow filtering where I want the rear of the bike to sit down a little.  Don't be afraid to use the front brake, perfectly safe to do so provided you don't go and grab a mittfiull all at once.  Going up hill, using Hardknott as an example again, gearing depends on conditions and other traffic. What makes that area difficult is mainly due to other people on the road who have no spacial awareness, and also poor forward vision, road positioning and planning by the rider.  So for me, I look well ahead, a clear road is an easy road to navigate, usually use 2nd gear, I don't overthink it but do plan my line in and out.  As I enter the steep uphill bend I move my body weight forward, look into and lean into the bend, keep the power on and don't be tempted to try changing gear half way through the bend.  I know a lot of people get freaked out by the mention of Hardknott and Wrynose pass, but it's actually a brilliant and very scenic ride.  You hear some bikers talking about how hard it is to ride, and the near misses they've had and all the horror stories.  I personally think it's all bollox and bravado.  Get on there, ride your own ride, ride in a way that makes you feel comfortable, relax and just enjoy it.

[Fender1515]

I have enjoyed many trips across Europe, and this often takes us across the Alps, I too live also live in Yorkshire, weve got a few Hills around eer and I manage to keep it upright most of the time, and love  dem Mountains and Hills !

 

For me when I get the bike out of winter moth balls, I tend to head for Buxton, route over Home Moss Summit on the A6024 onto the B6105.

Some great Hills, I have often gotten to the bottom of Holme Moss and if I don't feel dialled in, i.e., taking the right lines, feeling relaxedish, at a reasonable pace, turned round, back up to the summit  and done it again.

 

For me, it's feeling confident in the front end, not mine, the bikes! Do  I feel confident in the level of grip, can i feel the grip,  am I tipping in at the right point, at the right speed, have I planned ahead, am i in the right gear, was my exit right,  am I off the breaks before the corner, always scrub off the speed before you turn in, never break into or on a corner,  or am i  too fixated and focussed on the corner, and not the exit point, rem you tend to go where you looking. 

 

The best for me in getting it mostly right, was buddy up with a rider who can do this stuff,  on a similar style bike, and track them, follow their braking and turn in patterns

Relax and enjoy the banter in the cafe at the end, remember, you can see exactly what they did well and where they messed up, but they can't see yours, unless you swap over who's on point. and that's not always a bad ting, !!

Have fun

[Guest]

This was a fun run, remember gold finger 007, i was on a slab side GSXR 1100 and the GF on a NSR 400 she could not ride well

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Castellane,+04120,+France/monte+carlo/@43.7526952,6.6112261,116024m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x12cc0bf1313b25e7:0x40819a5fd97b590!2m2!1d6.5137!2d43.8462419!1m5!1m1!1s0x12cdc287dedfadcd:0xee15296ed95b686c!2m2!1d7.4266436!2d43.7400718?entry=ttu

[Gerontious]

one of the best things about riding a bike that's impossible to stall* are hills.. or rather mountains where the roads have some really quite nasty sharp bends with cambers that are the stuff of nightmares. S2 and whoop. My mate is oblivious (obviously) he just takes it all in his stride on his barge (pretending to be a tractor) and whoops anyway. so irritating.

 

*impossible to stall assuming its working properly. who woulda thought that maintenance was important.