Cornering advice please

[OMG]

What's the secret to cornering while going down hill? I'm happy and confident going up the Rimutakas :ride: , but coming down I'm a complete nana :crybaby: . Without the power on, I just don't feel like I have anywhere near the same control.

[crashe]

Yep im the same... (and I ride a cruiser)


Is there a difference in what we should be doing IE: in riding a sportbike or cruiser when riding down a steep hill?

Advise for a sportbike????

Advise for a cruiser?????

[crazylittleshit]

try putting your weight on the front more you don't need to power down.
try carrying more corner speed braking just puts more work on the front tire. and remeber don't look in front of you look where you want to go.:headbang:

[Ixion]

I am totally unqualified to give any advice about cornering, because as everyone knows I am the original riding Nana, and would not know a correct line if it bit me on the toe. So do *not* do as I do because it is almost certain to be wrong.

But I am puzzled that you say "without the power on" . I was always taught to ride down a hill in the same gear as I would ride up it. So downhill I will brake before the corner, change down, and go through applying power from the apex out. Not so much throttle perhaps as uphill , but still power on. The odd time I have tried downhill cornering on the overrun it has felt decidedly odd.

[pritch]

Without the power on, I just don't feel like I have anywhere near the same control.

You won't. You shouldn't be cornering with the engine on the overrun.

That doesn't change going uphill or down. I guess the theory remains the same, do all your braking before the corner and accelerate slightly through it until the bike is near enough to the vertical so that it's safe to gas it although you won't have to gas it so much downhill.

It would seem that the solution to your problem would be to brake or brake a bit harder before the down hill corners so that you can roll the throttle on as you go through. Not a lot harder, you understand, just a bit. Try it on your own before you get involved with a crowd.

You could send a PM to Sean Harris of course, he knows about cornering up and down hill faster than most :first:

[Coyote]

Go for it, if you crash you did something wrong and don't do it again :p

[sugilite]

Yep im the same... (and I ride a cruiser)


Is there a difference in what we should be doing IE: in riding a sportbike or cruiser when riding down a steep hill?

Advise for a sportbike????

Advise for a cruiser?????

Going down hill puts more weight on the front, so you can feel that " gravity assisted pushing".
It also steepens the chassis geometry due to more fork compression, thus making it feel more nervous than going uphill.

Sports bikes - Brake earlier, gently roll the throttle on before the apex if possible. (as mentioned in above posts) If that feels wrong, slow it down even more on the approach to the corner until you can gas it earlier than the apex.

Cruisers - Same technique, but as you have less ground clearance and softer forks combined with more weight (on average) use the same technique, just slower, take as wide a lines as possible, so when approaching a right hander, start your line from as far left as safely possible, and visa versa for left handers. This gives you more space should the corner tighten and you use all your meager ground clearance. :rolleyes:

[Fatjim]

From my totally unprofesional experience it's all about your confidence in the front end and in Nana mode we tend to completely underestimate the capability of the front tyre to stay where it should.

Having said that knowing what that capability is is the trick. We can't always get someone to show us how good our bikes actually are so it comes down to trial and error.

If you want to push the bike, make sure the front ends sorted first, tyre/suspension and brakes. That will move the trial/error ratio more in your favour, as well as make the bike safer generally.

Now this is where White Trash comes in and gives me a bollocking for giving an opinion. :)

[Squeak the Rat]

Good question. I've been working on the following and is only as good as the person who taught me, the books I've read and the brain cells that have avoided my daily barrage of substances launched at them over the last decade or so.

So, going down hill the weight is all on the front. Pull a wheelie now to get some weight off. Of course that wouldn't be wise, or easy coming into a corner so you need to get the entry speed sorted. If you do this then you can roll on the throttle to get some weight off the front to make everthing feel better.

Even just a bit of throttle is better than nothing. It's all about getting it right at the start of the corner - just like any other corner, but less forgiving.

Note: I changed my post three times while typing and have just realised I've parroted a few people above me. Too lazy not to hit Submit - apologies guys I didn't mean to steal your stuff....:pinch:

[Motu]

Going down hill puts more weight on the front, so you can feel that " gravity assisted pushing".
It also steepens the chassis geometry due to more fork compression, thus making it feel more nervous than going uphill.

Sports bikes - Brake earlier, gently roll the throttle on before the apex if possible. (as mentioned in above posts) If that feels wrong, slow it down even more on the approach to the corner until you can gas it earlier than the apex.

Cruisers - Same technique, but as you have less ground clearance and softer forks combined with more weight (on average) use the same technique, just slower, take as wide a lines as possible, so when approaching a right hander, start your line from as far left as safely possible, and visa versa for left handers. This gives you more space should the corner tighten and you use all your meager ground clearance. :rolleyes:

Dual Purpose and Motard - Back it in!

[terbang]

I just do it the same way as any other corner only using more braking and less power which makes sense because you have gravity on your side or agianst you (pending on how you see it).

Slightly off topic I red an article recently and it was all about braking and they quoted a heap of stopping distances from sportbikes to cruisers and the cruisers performed much better in that area.

[gixermike]

Well, IMHO I reckon it depends on weather it's one corner...or a serious of linking turns. If it's a single corner, slow down, then gas it round and out like normal...if it's a series this won't be good aas you'll arrive at the next one tooo fast.

If you coming up to the corner in a really low gear, and it feels like it won't turn fast enough because of the engine braking, then just feather the front a little (don't try it in the wet first though!)and even up the balance.... or push the bars harder....Or get a slipper clutch!

If you want it more stable off the power, and less feeling like it will 'tip in' and fall over given the slightest nudge, just trail the back brake a little on the entry. Makes the back squat, takes wait off the front suspension, so the steering angle is less steep and turning is slower again. if you do it all through a series of bends it will make your exit run a little wider...so remember to counter steer.

It won't do all the slowing down if your going to fast, but will help with the feel.....it's one of the few decent things a back brake is good for.

[Skyryder]

Have not read all posts but traction is the key for all cornering. The only difference is that on the flat or uphill you use your revs to power out, down hill you change down a cog and keep your revs 'up' in the corner. If you lose your revs you lose traction and drift. Not good.

Skyryder

[nezorf]

dont know a bout bikes but car you do not have contorl when u are rolling. so brake slowly miles b4 the corner and just a little trottle out

[beyond]

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=12984&highlight=down+hill+cornering

[Robbo]

Get on down to your local bookshop and purchase a copy of "The Bikers Bible" by Graham Allardice. Every rider should have one as it covers almost every situation that you will no doubt encounter at some time during your motorcycle riding days.
I would consider this to be the next best thing to a One on One with a Professional Riding Instructor and it may well save you some very embaressing and painful moments.
Cheers

[hsvboy06]

One of the Welly crew once told me that (part of) the trick is to forget about the fact that you are going downhill - imagine the road is flat and ride it just as you would a flat road.
Personally I haven't found that works, though! I still feel uncomfortable going downhill. I just try to ride downhill as smoothly as possible (read "nana") - gentle braking from a long way before the corner, slowing down a lot, constant speed in, then very gently accelerate out.