Running Wide

[Drum]

......... So whats the solution to not panic?

The solution is experience.
Unfortunately no-one can ever gain enough experience to prevent all such occasions.

[MattRSK]

OFC are a certain thing!

[WINJA]

You can brake in corner, but yes the bike will want to stand up, so you have to counter this with more counter steering .

IF YOU HAVE TO TOUCH YOUR BRAKES MID CORNER TO MAKE THE CORNER YOU WOULDA MADE IT MORE SAFELY AND EASILY WITHOUT TOUCHING THE BRAKES , BRAKING IN A CORNER IS A FUCK UP WAITING TO HAPPEN IT PUTS MORE LOAD ON TH TYRES AND ALSO STOPS THE SUSPENISION WORKING AS GOOD

[cowpoos]

- Don't panic.
- Ease off the throttle - the bike will tip in more.
- Counter steer (pull and push) hard. You'll be amazed just how far over some bikes will lean (it's times like these that you’re grateful for the fact you’ve got decent tyres )

Enjoy.

I disagree....throttle off will make you run wider....I would sugget throttling on unless you bike is badly set up and then who knows what will happen...

[Gremlin]

So whats the solution to not panic?

There are varying degrees of panick, and experience plays a large part. A learners classic response to an OFC is to panic hard, and generally, freeze. This is compounded by the urge to yank on the brakes hard. When you have been in those situations, then you have been in the same thing, but got out of it, you have far more confidence in the knowledge you are capable of wrangling your way out of it. This confidence allows you to not freeze at the most critical point.

Often, if the rider had braked hard, and once in the corner, let go, and leant like crazy with a touch of throttle, they could have come out fine (this happened to me, and I realised I had started to learn how not to run wide). When you have your rear wheel skipping, sliding, and you're heading for the oncoming, and you are trying like hell to corner, let go of the brakes, and you will be surprised how easily the bike will respond. Obviously, if you are still going insanely fast... well, that was basically your fault...

Almost every learner has no idea just how far their bike can really lean. And if you are at the limit... well, you should know how to do your best to get out of the situation... if you don't... well, it was only going to be a matter of time before you found out the hard way, especially if you are doing it on the road.

[MattRSK]

I disagree....throttle off will make you run wider....I would sugget throttling on unless you bike is badly set up and then who knows what will happen...

I agree with cowpoos, if you make sudden throttle changes the bike will become unbalanced. I have read that it is best to maintain a constant roll on of the throttle through a corner to maintain the perfect weight balance of the bike. Correct me if I am wrong, but thats what I do.

[mikey]

I agree with cowpoos, if you make sudden throttle changes the bike will become unbalanced. I have read that it is best to maintain a constant roll on of the throttle through a corner to maintain the perfect weight balance of the bike. Correct me if I am wrong, but thats what I do.

ok. ill correct you. as you are wrong.

it is best to think of yourself as peter pan, knowing tink is looking out for you and you will be fine. i practice this every time i go out. normally happens a few times each ride. it is an art really.
not once have i had to worry about "braking gently/not breaking gently, accelerating , rolling off"

[MattRSK]

ok. ill correct you. as you are wrong.

it is best to think of yourself as peter pan, knowing tink is looking out for you and you will be fine. i practice this every time i go out. normally happens a few times each ride. it is an art really.
not once have i had to worry about "braking gently/not breaking gently, accelerating , rolling off"

When I am high, I am peter pan!

[Fatjim]

I disagree....throttle off will make you run wider....I would sugget throttling on unless you bike is badly set up and then who knows what will happen...

Cutting the throttle on the VTR makes in run tighter, but not enough to get you back on the right side of the road. It does the trick if you are starting to run wide though. Must need setting up properly.

[hamie1]

Running wide today was totally my fault. Over took an old lady in a cage approaching a 55km/h corner, doing nothing like 55km/h. I thought it was the bushes for sure, even a car coming the other way seemed to slow down. I expect he was thinking he was going to be getting me out of the bushes. Saved it just. I'll admit I looked at the bushes, ditch and through the corner. I changed down, breaked way to late and got through, but hell it took a few minutes to get the head down and through a few other corners without a 'granny approach'. I did everything worng I know it but I made it out and I'm learning from it.

[Biff]

I disagree....throttle off will make you run wider....I would sugget throttling on unless you bike is badly set up and then who knows what will happen...

I strongly disagree with you ole chum. It's all down to physics and centrafungal forces. Increasing throttle is the worst thing you can do during an OFC for two reasons - firstly a bike wants to stand up the more power you lay down. Secondly the faster you go the less time you have to react, and milliseconds can count in times such as these. We're talking mid OFC split second decision time here - not attempting to maximise your exit speed.

It's the same principle as a gyroscope. The faster a gyroscope spins, the more upright it stands. It's the same with a bike - throttle off, and gravity will begin to overpower the perpetual motion balancy manthingy, and your bike lowers to the ground.

This is how I corner on the mighty Biffbird all the time - I choose a gear which offers me relatively high RPM then I enter the corner at a speed I feel comfortable doing - I then (very gently) roll off or on the throttle to 'chase the vanishing point', gently rolling off the throttle to turn tighter. But as quite rightly pointed out - sudden significant changes in throttle on the apex of a corner can unbalance the machine.


http://www.dps.state.mn.us/mmsc/late...?cid=5&mid=190
http://www.oldguy.us/easy-riding/art...-cornering.php
http://www.virginiawind.com/tips/steering.asp

Adjusting the throttle alone may not help you, but it's as sure as shit an effective tool to add to your skill set when used and understood properly.

[Ixion]

This only applies on seal. Gravel is another matter. If in the shit on gravel, gassing it may get you out of trouble. Maybe. Or you crash faster. But it usually works. Usually.

[MattRSK]

So now I am thinking a steady roll on or off will maintain the balance of the bike through a corner. Maybe even a neutral no change through a corner will keep the balance.

[Roj]

Running wide today was totally my fault. Over took an old lady in a cage approaching a 55km/h corner, doing nothing like 55km/h. I thought it was the bushes for sure, even a car coming the other way seemed to slow down. I expect he was thinking he was going to be getting me out of the bushes. Saved it just. I'll admit I looked at the bushes, ditch and through the corner. I changed down, breaked way to late and got through, but hell it took a few minutes to get the head down and through a few other corners without a 'granny approach'. I did everything worng I know it but I made it out and I'm learning from it.

This is called experience, as you said, having done it once you are less likely to do it a second time, the problem is that it is hard on the nerves gaining it in this manner, not sure if I am right but I suspect you weren't quite looking far enough ahead when you started passing.

Look ahead, and plan an escape route if needed.

[TerminalAddict]

the twist of the wrist suggest a throttle off will cause the rear of the bike to lower, and decrease ground clearance.
it also loads the front tyre with more weight, asking it to grip more, when in the perfect situation, the rear should have 75% (maybe even more) of the weight.

From my limited research (reading some shit on the net ) in any corner, most of the steering is done by the rear.
An example of this when I power out of a corner sometimes (like maybe twice ) my front can lift off the ground, and yet my bike continues to corner through the exit.

All the pros say throttle on, and it is what I have used so far ... in an OFC I would add an extra bit of throttle (maybe 5-10 degrees .. I dunno .. just a bit) plus I move my upper body, and counter steer ever so carefully .. I don't want my excessive heart rate translating into a heavy hand on the bars, and an eventual over reaction.
the times I've been in an OFC, what I have done in reality is shed as much speed as possible, tip the bike as much as my pea brain will allow it, then gas it . .gently


then again, I could be talking from hole in my arse .. wtf do I know