Look down, look up?

[Grizzo]

Just wondering if you folks can clarify something for me on cornering.


I understand a realize the importance of looking where you want your bike to go and looking well ahead when riding round corners.
What I am finding myself doing is concentrating a little too much on the road right in front of me, checking for greasy tar, loose metal etc.
I want to look at the vanishing point but my eyes are darting all over the road checking for dodgy bits.

Any help on this topic would be much appreciated.

Grizzo

[jrandom]

I want to look at the vanishing point but my eyes are darting all over the road checking for dodgy bits.

Well, stop doing that. Kinda.


Any help on this topic would be much appreciated.

You're welcome.

Some relevant comments in this thread: http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=90763

[The Stranger]

If you are looking down and see a pot hole or diesel etc then 1) it will probably be too late to avoid it and 2) You will likely target fixate on it anyway.

There is nothing you will see 3m away that wasn't there 50m away - look to the vanishing point.

[Quasievil]

On the road I scan well ahead watching the vanishing point as well as checking a bit infront (for the same reasons) and on the track just well ahead, watching my entry and exit points.

Trouble with the road anything could be there, you wont see every pot hole every time if youre doing the big racer style looking, so best calm down and ride to survive the multi hazards that exist on the goat tracks we call roads.

Thats my advise anyway

[batboy]

i had this problem afer returing to riding after a few years, and still have it every now and then when riding in groups, i find myself watching the bike in front....the only way is practise, the more you do it right, the more it becomes second nature.
Go out one weekend and cruise around some twisties and keep making youself look and the corner exit, dont have to go fast just keep doing it.
Like The Stranger said, if u see anything on a corner its too late to do anything anyway, the only thing you will do is panic brake or strighten the bike up both of which mean a bin in likley

[vifferman]

On the road I scan well ahead ...Yeah, that's the ticket.
A few years ago, I binned my VFR750, when I tipped into a corner and my front tyre hit a squashed (and abraded) softdrink can I didn't see. Instant lowside. Didn't know the cause until I had a good look around. For a while, I was semi-paranoid about crap on the road, and spent too much time examining the road surface in front of me. After a while, I realised this, and developed instead a habit of quickly scanning the road surface, then back to looking at the vanishing point, and rinse/repeat if the corner was a long one or there were a series of linked corners.

You'll find that flicking your gaze over the road surface is enough to spot any dire circumstances awaiting you. It can take a little while to get it right, but it's just a habit thing. You've currently got a bad habit you developed over time, so just replace it with a better one.

[MSTRS]

I repeat the advice to look well ahead. That is not to say you shouldn't move your focus point around a bit tho. There is also a danger in not using your peripheral vision = tunnel vision. The thing about hazards on the road is that you may not identify what it is, as long as you note it's presence...it will/should stand out as 'not belonging there'

[Grizzo]

Thanks, some great advice here.

Guess it's just something that will become second nature with experience.
I really enjoy cornering, it's the best part of riding, so once I get this sussed all will be good!:yes:

[Neon]

You've currently got a bad habit you developed over time, so just replace it with a better one.

Exactly. I know what you mean Grizzo I had exactly the same problem when I started riding. 10 years of driving had me in bad habits and it has taken many months of conscious effort to retrain to keep my eyes up. It has, however, made a HUGE difference to the smoothness of my riding - in particular getting around roundabouts in the wet (I had a thing about that for a while after a low speed front wheel washout on wet shiny tar in the dark). :pinch:

Anyways, it feels weird to begin with, but you eventually learn to use your peripheral vision a lot more - you can be 'aware' of things without looking directly at them. (Lee Parks has some good advice on this in his book).

[beyond]

Your eyes and concentration is what is going to keep you shiny side up for your riding life.

You need to scan ahead as far as you can see and then use peripheral vision as much as possible as well. Things can come out of side roads and stock from hedges etc as well.

There is nothing wrong with constantly scanning the road and is something you need to do but you need to make sure that your forward vision of things well ahead is not consumed by looking to close.

It will take time and practice to get this right, but you need to be always looking, giving much of your attention the road ahead and some to the road closer and using peripheral vision all the time.

[rocketman1]

Just wondering if you folks can clarify something for me on cornering.

Any help on this topic would be much appreciated.

Grizzo

I just look up and down all the time, eyes must be like yoyo's.
If i'm going slow I tend to look at the road surface more than when going fast when I look more at the vanishing point, and use peripheral vision to look elsewhere.
Plus look in the rear vision mirrors to see who's chasing.

[Quailboy]

I just try and keep my eyes up ahead to where I want to go, and take subconcious mental notes of things that could be a hazard.
That way I will always be aware of them in my peripheral, and miss them while I am still scanning the road up ahead.

You will be all good as long as you are fit to be riding (i.e. not tired etc) as then you will be able to concentrate on your left and right sides for cars in driveways and animals. Awake and aware enough to be scanning ahead and using your peripheral vision for nearer hazards.