I've been riding for a while but have always had this strange fear of going too fast into corners... When I say too fast, I don't mean recklessly fast, but I mean at a pace that at least leaves the average cager a good distance behind me. Maybe it's because I've always had 'upright' bikes.. First one was a Ninja 650R, now the FZ8.. I have ridden SV650S's, RC51's, so I do know what the low slung position feels like.. but to me I think the upright position makes it harder to want to 'lean your body' a bit more than the bike to get through a corner fast. Anyway, I just got back into riding after a 6 yr hiatus. Yesterday I couldn't figure out why I had so much trouble keeping up with the other bikes in front of me through the corners.. Until I discovered that I am leaning the bike a tad more than my body.... I know the difference between low speed turns (using your body to counter the bikes lean, and actually turning the wheel in the same direction of the turn) and turns at higher speeds (which require counter-steering and keeping the body in lean with the bike) but I just wasn't really doing it enough. So what I tried doing was, in a "fast" left turn, balls of feet on pegs (not heels), left butt cheek a tad bit off of the seat, head level, and shoulders just about in line with the handlebars.. Body was perhaps a bit to the left off of the bike center line.. All I can say is WOW. I didn't feel like "Holy $%^& I better slow down" because the bike is leaned over so far and I don't want to drag the pegs or exceed the tires max lean angle. I simply felt MUCH more relaxed, confident, and no where near like I was at the limits of the bike or myself for the turn. I played around with this a bit.. It's as if the more your body leans into the turn, the less the bike has to, and vice versa, but there is a 'sweet spot' to stay in connection with the controls of the bike. I've done some researching online after this ride, and dug further into it. This video really made sense of it all more than anything I've read [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aW01UaHyC4]Body Position 1.2 - YouTube[/ame]
I just wish they taught this stuff in the drivers manuals and/or MSF courses.. (Not sure if they do, haven't taken one yet, but ARC is coming up this May, and I will be in it).
So does this technique sound "correct" to those more experienced than I? It sure did feel better.. but I don't want to reinforce another bad habit if this is the wrong approach.
(And I may have exaggerated a bit about the speeds.. I don't ride recklessly on the street, or anywhere near the limits.. I just mean that I was going 'too slow' in the turns, to the point of SUVs being 10 feet behind me with a screaming soccer mom texting someone about how slow I am going in front of her...)
Thanks!
I just wish they taught this stuff in the drivers manuals and/or MSF courses.. (Not sure if they do, haven't taken one yet, but ARC is coming up this May, and I will be in it).
So does this technique sound "correct" to those more experienced than I? It sure did feel better.. but I don't want to reinforce another bad habit if this is the wrong approach.
(And I may have exaggerated a bit about the speeds.. I don't ride recklessly on the street, or anywhere near the limits.. I just mean that I was going 'too slow' in the turns, to the point of SUVs being 10 feet behind me with a screaming soccer mom texting someone about how slow I am going in front of her...)
Thanks!
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