Why has cornering suddenly become so hard?

[6ft5]

Just a few weeks ago i started noticing that my cornering was suddenly not as smooth as it used too. Checked the tires pressures, checked the overall state of the bike and cant see anything visually wrong. Now it was 4-6 degrees in the morning so i initially though perhaps my shocks are not coping with the low temperatures, but then over the next days the climate improved and it got a bit warmer but still most times it feels like she does not want to go around the corner. I just don't understand.... any ideas on what to check, i am confused....

[Bikemad]

steering damper perhaps

[sil3nt]

Are you sitting on the bike correctly? I hear not facing forwards can make the handling go to shit.

[Banditbandit]

Check you have the right make of bike perhaps

But maybe it is because you are thinking about it too much. I know when I think about what I am doing on a bike it all goes to hell ...

I tend to only focus on my lines and the throttle - everything else just happens ...

(Or maybe the bike is just affected by the cold weather - like the rest of us )

Or maybe it is the wear pattern on the tyres - this can happen when the tyres square off a little ... check you still have a nice round curve on the rear tyre (my fronts dish out on the edges but that hardly affects the handling) look for flat sections on the tyre which create a "bump" to lift the bike over the tyre when it is leaned ..

Here's what I mean .. the tyre on the right is the rear .. the bike would have to rise slightly as it was leaned to get over that squared off section .. affects the handling .. (I'm sure the "experts" will now go into great detail of what is wrong with that - I think the tyre in the pix may be flat too ...but they won't disagree that such a tyre handles badly ...)

[6ft5]

So forgot to mention, same bike for the past 2 years, feels really weird WTF

[6ft5]

Are you sitting on the bike correctly? I hear not facing forwards can make the handling go to shit.

thanks smarty pants, i was wondering why i had to look at the cars coming towards me ...

[frogfeaturesFZR]

steering head bearings ?

[Ender EnZed]

Has the amount that you've been riding changed at all?

It can easily be the rider rather than the bike making things seem a bit off. A decent day in the saddle can make a noticeable difference for me if it's been a while since I've been out of town and off SH1/2.

[6ft5]

Has the amount that you've been riding changed at all?

It can easily be the rider rather than the bike making things seem a bit off. A decent day in the saddle can make a noticeable difference for me if it's been a while since I've been out of town and off SH1/2.

Thanks Enzed, you could well be right, i do commute everyday from Manukau to the city and back and don't have much time to smell the corners outside my beaten track. Perhaps I should back off this post and rekindle my love for rising by hitting the twisties and re-learn my riding style without pressure from anyone and just enjoy myself. If it all goes swell all good, if the problem persists well then perhaps there will a need to go visit a bike shop enthousiast to inspect the technical and rubber stuff.

Will get back to you all.

[Blackbird]

Interesting comment about temperatures. I don't think my riding in colder temperatures is as fluent as warmer weather when I'm more relaxed. Do you reckon that's a contributing factor?

[Mo NZ]

Riding quicker??
Nah its your brain kicking in too much.
What with the cooler conditions and your extending riding experience and the what if factor maybe.

Seriously. Something may have changed, have another look at the bike and operation of the all the moving suspension and steering components.
Cracked frame?? swing arm bearings etc.

If it all checks out refer to option 2 +3.

[Oakie]

Check that you haven't lost any of the wheel balancing weights of your rim. I didn't think I would notice the difference but I struck the same thing as you all of a sudden and a look around shortly after showed a couple of the weights had flown off. Not saying that was definately the cause but it did happen at the same time.

[6ft5]

Interesting thought, I will check and see if all the weights are still there

[The Reibz]

You could always just change your fork oil. Not to hard a task and relatively inexpensive.
Prop the front wheel up off the deck and check that the steering head bearing isn't binding.

Could be that simple but then again it may not be...

[MD]

Tyre wear changes profile. You have not mentioned what brand you use and as someone else mentioned, tyres may have squared off from too much straight line riding. I find different brands react and respond differently as they pass the 75% worn stage. Bridgestones- dump them as some as they have done 200km or before first tank refill, before they dump you. Contis tended to let me corner hard until barely a sniff of rubber remained on sidewalls. Good stuff. I use Pilot Powers now which are equally good at not altering with wear how they feel as you lean into a corner.