How do I perform this manuver ?

[Mental Trousers]

Sounds like you just need a lot of practice and getting to know your bike.

I suggest finding a nice big empty carpark, set up some sort of course and ride around it until you can do it with your eyes close (figuratively speaking of course). Then change it. And do it all over again.

Practice things like braking and going down gears in a straight line until it's second nature, then add a slight corner until you've got it sussed, then do it on a sharper corner, then a 90', then something sharper. Go around your little course without using the brakes at all (highly recommend doing this) so you can get a feel for what gear you should be in for each corner, go a little quicker each time until the bike starts to get out of hand (note the word "starts") then back off a little and you've got the right speed for that corner.

[myvice]

I am concerned about longevity of the engine at crusing 9krpm... thats about motorway cruise speed....

I admit, more towards 8-10k rpm there's lot more power on-tap and acceleration can be snappy and quick and no wrx will hold on on a 'quick-stab' (or is it 'quick-twist' in bike world ) and pass

As I said, I'll get some proper synthetic oil and I'll go do some training

If I can’t kill my one, you won’t have a chance!
Redline the thing! The only way you can blow it up is by taunting the I.R.A!

I put Motul 10-40 synthetic in mine and change it every 5000ks with the filter.

[bugjuice]

It's vital to riding it smoothly.

yes, it is, but how about he just works on riding and safe, then work on smoothly in time..?
breaking with two or three fingers isn't anything hard at all. I learnt that from mountain biking, and it just came with me to motorbikes..

[mops]

Maybe you've got too much weight on your hands,sprotbikes do that to you,and it's not a good way to learn fine control - I ride trials bikes which are all about fine control...and weight on the bars is a no no.You also may be trying to come down too many gears too fast - even under racing conditions each downshift should be deliberate,well spaced and under your control at all times - madly slamming away at gear lever and clutch and blindly hoping you get it right is the actions of someone like me who even after 35 yrs still comes into corners and out the other side trying to find the right gear to be in.....

yes, indeed I feel that i'm supporting too much of my body (read lard ) weight on the handle bars... it probably because i have to be leaned over ro comfortable reach handle bars...

I'm not sure whether I should sit more towards the rear or towards the front and should I move my weight front/back durnign e.g. cornering...

[mops]

That's quite close to where I live. Do you want to meet tomorrow??

EDIT : Tomorrow seems better.. or the day after, whichever is more convenient to you.

myvice says friday is ok with him, we can do a littel meet-up

for me is after hours only, as i work till 6

[mops]

God knows you need it.
Please dont teach this boy anything. Ive seen you going around corners.

um... er.... uh....

are you serious ?

[mops]

Bollocks mate. Third is still probably too high. Second is better. Your probably not used to high revving motors like motorcycles have (if i read between the lines correctly you are an ex-car enthusiest).
6th gear doing 60 kph is way to high for ANY bike, even Waylanders cruiser ffs.
Try sticking around 4th gear for town riding....if I can do it on a TL you can on your bike.
Chop down 2 gears for the corner BEFORE you get to it, bit of front brake, then let the brake go just before tipping in to the corner, look at your exit then roll the throttle on for a clean exit.

It isnt overly necassary to match revs (throttle blip) as you down change but it helps for smooth changes. If your locking the rear on a down change then you are letting the clutch out too quick. It is possible to use a couple of fingers over your brake lever while using the palm of your hand and remaining two fingers to blip the throttle.
Also dont let JustSomeGuy teach you anything. He needs to go to bike school first.

well, yes you are right... i'm a car enthusiast and I assumed normal riding/crusing speed whould be about 1/3 or max engine rpm. having said that on my way from work i was keeping 8krpm and indeed it felt good

[emaN]

hire an Isle of Man video/dvd; skip to the on-board footage and listen to what they do.
'course, they gods on wheels and all that, but basic principles apply to us mere mortals too.

[pritch]

hire an Isle of Man video/dvd; skip to the on-board footage and listen to what they do.
'course, they gods on wheels and all that, but basic principles apply to us mere mortals too.

Not too sure about that, taking Shaun Harris' 2003 winning lap as a for instance: he is at maximum revs virtually all the way (except where effected by fog). His comments on keeping the weight off the front wheel, using the throttle to steady the bike, the effect of lean angle on gearing, and his comments on his thought processes etc are highly informative but rather too far advanced to answer the original question here.

The original poster needs to know that he should be at the correct speed in the correct gear as he arrives at the corner. He probably needs to learn two finger braking so that he can brake and blip the throttle at the same time. When he can do that well enough so that he doesn't lock up the wheel on downshifts maybe he can look at learning other necessary but still fundamental skills.

[iwilde]

That's a great idea justsomeguy, I went riding with a few friends that have been ridind since they could walk, I lern't so much in one afternoon that I'm sure it's saved my skin a few times in my short riding exprience. I'ts good to see an exprienced rider passing on some skills.

[WRT]

Just as a foot note to a lot of the tips already posted in here, you dont need to "blip" the throttle, just as effective is if you dont roll it all the way back to the stopper when you back off, hold it just slightly on, say enough to give you 2-3000rpm with the clutch in, the engine will naturally meet the wheels speed with a minimum of fuss and you wont lock up or have to worry about letting the clutch out at just the right time. Means you can focus more on the brakes.

Speaking of which, you should be able to quite comfortably brake using two fingers, with the other two still around the throttle. In fact, you can also maintain throttle control with four fingers on the brake, and just using your thumb and palm on the grip. Just find whatever feels natural to you, but it does pay to work on getting these things sorted now, rather than having to train yourself out of bad habits further down the track.

And for all those that say you shouldnt brake with two fingers because they limit how far back you can pull the lever, if you can pull it far enough back to squash your fingers, get your brakes looked at - theres something not right there.

Good luck for learning these techniques, its good that you are going to meet up with some other riders who can help out and pass on some advice. Always look to improve your riding, you will never know it all, and you should always be trying to improve your style - its the best way to remain upright on the bike. Its good to see that you arent afraid to ask!

[betti]

get your braking done BEFORE you get to the corner, the correct gear will come with practise, but on a small high revving bike, the lower the gear the better, in case you need to accelerate around an obstruction or pedestrian/ball/dog/cat, (delete as necessary).
If it feels unsafe generally you're goin too fast!.

As a beginner K.I.S.S. applies at all times Keep It Simple Stupid (No offence meant) dont worry about two finger brakin, blippin or all the other complicated stuff you'll get it in time.

[Biff]

Yup - what the rest have said...change down gears and use the front brake for maximum braking effect, but try your best to use both brakes in order to maintain optimum balance and control of your machine. If you brake too hard on the front the forks will compress, not ideal when you're about to take a tight turn.

It sounds as though you're hitting a 90 degree bend too fast anyway if the back wheel locks up. At least when taking the corner at a lower speed, in a lower gear, you have more engine control around the corner (in terms of getting the bike setup for powering out of the corner, engine braking, and coping with any 'unexpected' incidents).

Me? I try and avoid using my brakes at all - relying on the bikes gears to achieve optimum speed and control for taking tight corners. Unless there's a cage close behind, in which case I sometimes pump my brakes slightly to get the rear brake lights to flash, warning any potential muppet that I'm slowing down.

[HDTboy]

Mops: Listen to Motu, my bike's similar gearing to yours and I rarely use 4th in town. You'll find it easier to go down two gears than to go down 4

The reason the bike's pulling 9000rpm at 100kph is because that's where it's most efficient, that's also a good amount of revs to be pulling around town

[Korea]

A lot of good advice from everyone...

About the weight on your arms: At higher speeds the wind and acceleration will probably take enough weight off your forearms to keep you comfortable.
At slower speeds (i.e. around town) try gripping the fuel tank with your knees a little - takes the weight off a bit.

Meanwhile, blipping practice: Find a nice clear bit of road to speed up/slow down on and practice down changes, matching engine revs to rear-wheel speed by clutch-in, blip, clutch (well-timed and smooth) out WITHOUT the brake first. Start off with changing at slower speeds and work up to faster deceleration/down changes using the engine braking. At faster downchanges you'll be revving (wringing) the engine quite a bit to keep the engine speed matching the rear wheel speed without locking up.

Ultimately, the blipping thing isn't too important for beginners and small bikes (even 4 cylinder 600s don't seem to need it so much) because the engine compression isn't really high enough to lock-up the back during a muffy down-change. Bigger bikes are coming out with slipper clutches too, so you can be more ham-fisted with the throttle.

Most importantly: Blipping sounds cool!!! Rooowl- Rrrrowwlll-Rrrrrrrooooowl! (Just kidding; don't attract unnecessary attention to yourself)