A request - Cornering help

[justsomeguy]

Hi there,

I've been riding regularly for about 13-14 months now, mostly doing weekend rides and have done approximately 40,000 kms in that time.

Now for some reason I'm not as comfortable with my right hand cornering as my left hand cornering.

If there is any one who can give me some decent pointers on what I'm doing wrong I'll be really grateful and you can have in return a free lunch and $50 (fifty dollars) in petrol vouchers - I'm dead serious.

I'd prefer someone with a fair amount of track experience rather than someone with a lot of pure road experience.

Please PM me rather than reply in this thread if you feel up to the challenge.

Regards,
JSG

[SwanTiger]

You can follow me through Woodcocks/West Coast Road if you buy me a Pie in Warkworth tomorrow.

I use to have the same problem as you, but found the solution was changing my perception and lines. Its just the natural "consequences" effect, you think worse will happe due to environment/circumstances in regards to left/right cornering.

Just takes practise.

EDIT: Going around a Go Kart track on a bucket helps too.

First time on the track, straight after I could get my peg down on the hyosung when ever I wanted.

[James Deuce]

Look through the corner, not at it.

Don't look at stuff on the left hand side of the road.

Stay to the left of your lane on approach so you aren't dangling your body over the centreline.

Plan your approach: Where to brake, where to release the brakes, where to turn in, where to apex, where to accelerate out of the corner.

Do one thing at a time - brake - turn - accelerate.

Most of all look through the corner.

Practice. No one can do it for you.

Don't forget to look through the corner, not at it.

[scumdog]

Look as far ahead as precticable and focus on getting their - DO NOT stare at the road about 20 metres on front of you as that will only lead to soiled Y-fronts and tear-stained faces.
I had the same prblem of left bends being easy at any speed but right ones got to the "shit-shit-shit" a few times.

Dunno WHY - but now with the new bike, the T-Sport, I have not had that problem, maybe it's the wider bars???

[justsomeguy]

Uhmm......

I can wear out a brand new plastic left hand side knee slider down to the leather in a few minutes, can't get my right knee anywhere down.

I know getting your knee down is not the be all, end all - but it is a ground clearance marker and I would like to be equally comfortable with both sides.

I've gotten right to the edge of my front tyre on both sides.

I still feel I need to work more on my right hand side cornering.

I always do my best to use vanishing points, judge my turn in points and look through the corner, I managed to consistently lap the full Taupo track around the 2:15 to 2:20 mark at my most recent track day on a naked 250 with a max speed of "around" 160 on the back straight and 130 on the front straight.

That's why I wanted help from someone with a fair bit of track experience. I'm looking for tips on body positioning and some other bad habits that I don't have the experience to diagonise.

[scumdog]

Because we drive on the left (well MOST of us do) the left hand bends are sharper and we don't have to go so fast to get the same lean-angle...

[justsomeguy]

Getting your knee down is a waste of time, as far as I'm aware its only purpose is to help racers bring the bike back up faster when exiting a corner by exerting force through their leg.

Clearance means nothing.

People who sit upright and barely lean the bike over can be just as fast as someone who hangs off dragging their knee through a corner.

Not that I'm experienced by any means...

But by the time you enter the corner its all over. All your cornering was done in your head 50 - 100 meters back and now your instincts/abilities take over.

Practise Practise Practise.

Swanny mate, you are a great guy with an intelligent approach to most things, but your inexperience is beggining to show with the above post.

Kind Regards,
JSG

[SwanTiger]

I'll re-tract my comments and admit the truth, I'm an overweight rider on a bike second slowest to a GN 250 who knows absoloutely nothing after 6 months of road riding.

But! But! But!

Offer is still there though, even if you'd just like a short blat along a lovely piece of road.

[justsomeguy]

Offer is still there though, even if you'd just like a short blat along a lovely piece of road.

Offer accepted. Next weekend perhaps?

[Gremlin]

If your tyres are getting to the same on both sides, I would say its your positioning on the bike...

I have the same, I know I lean off more on the left, than the right.

[ZeroIndex]

sit on the bike in reverse.. it should help your right cornering, as you'll be doing 'left' in reverse P/T

..sorry i can't be of any use.. let alone help

[ManDownUnder]

Look through the corner, not at it.

Don't look at stuff on the left hand side of the road.

Stay to the left of your lane on approach so you aren't dangling your body over the centreline.

Plan your approach: Where to brake, where to release the brakes, where to turn in, where to apex, where to accelerate out of the corner.

Do one thing at a time - brake - turn - accelerate.

Most of all look through the corner.

Practice. No one can do it for you.

Don't forget to look through the corner, not at it.

Yup - all of the above. Especially the art of where to look/what to look at. I personally have a practise of riding in the right hand wheeltrack - with a few exceptions when I ride in the left wheel track... (Fast Lane on the motorway and riding in formation when following another bike who is in the right wheel track).

If you're hammering it through a corner... the wheeltrack thing goes out the window, but you can then "keep a safe head". I.e. keep your head in a line where nothing else will be.

Keeping a safe head mainly means I don't ride around RH corners with my bike in my lane but head in the other lane. A car or truck won't appreciate the mess, and I won't be able to help clean it up. It might be an optimal line for speed... but death has it's drawbacks.

Other than that - experience is a wonderful teacher, and a few more miles under your belt will do you good. I like the idea of the go-kart track on a bucket. Brilliant suggestion, or put a couple of cones out in some carpark somewhere and do figure 8's around them. (also good for learning how to drive/back and car and/or trailer...

Make sure there's plenty of space between the cones or you'll end up dizzy as hell and falling over when you stop though
MDU

[justsomeguy]

JSG, theres a track day starting RIGHT NOW, in manfield which you pulled out of. That is why you should be going, your question would have been answered by professional racers today. Fuck they would even have showen you how to do it, and what lines to take etc.

You think I don't know that??? I'm fucking pissed off at not being able to find transport

Hiring a van and going down myself would have been too expensive.

[Maha]

I'll re-tract my comments and admit the truth, I'm an overweight rider on a bike second slowest to a GN 250 who knows absoloutely nothing after 6 months of road riding.

But! But! But!

Offer is still there though, even if you'd just like a short blat along a lovely piece of road.

Dont be too hard on yourself, you have done the BRONZ thing at Whenuapai and must have learnt something from that, JSG should give that crack, i think i will do it also, i perfer lefty's for some reason, i did talk to Noel (CaN) about one night not so long ago and he explained why that is, cant remember the reason because of the rum i had that night but i do remember thinking, mmmmm, he has a point, i should put that to practice.....

[justsomeguy]

Dont be too hard on yourself, you have done the BRONZ thing at Whenuapai and must have learnt something from that, JSG should give that crack, i think i will do it also, i perfer lefty's for some reason, i did talk to Noel (CaN) about one night not so long ago and he explained why that is, cant remember the reason because of the rum i had that night but i do remember thinking, mmmmm, he has a point, i should put that to practice.....

Done it once already and went back as a volunteer the other time.

I'm not talking about basic cornering, I'd like to be able to drag my right knee as well as I can drag my left knee and attack corners with an equal amount of commitment on each side.