Decreasing radius turn. What is your technique?

[OreoGaborio]

yes if you have the skills and can do it without panicking then a little brake is good. if you ever get to the track, the decreasing radius part of the long sweeper at Thunderbolt (NJMP) is a good place to practice this.

That turn opened my eyes to just how hard you can trail brake.

Having your knee burried and still feeling like you're braking almost as hard as you do when straight up and down is a surreal experience.

[OreoGaborio]

One of the biggest let downs of the track day was that I did not learn as many new/improved skills as I had hopped. ~$250 and a day of vacation time is real money to me. I was dead set on maximizing my return. Unfortunately I just don't think that is possible, in reality. Not on day 1. Too many new situations.

Day 1 is all about managing information overload and learning the track itself.

This is why we urge first timers to do both days.... not because we're greedy, but because we fully understand what it's like on your first day at the track and day 2 is when you make MUCH more progress in your individual skillsets.

[tsorfas]

I agree with Pete 100%
2 day events is major league progress from first timers to usual track addicts (I'm not gonna say racers just yet).

[nhbubba]

Honestly, I'm not sure my body could have handled two in a row. Given, that's a function of my physical condition. But dayumn! Was I ever a hurtin' puppy that night.

Two in a season would have been perfect.

[OreoGaborio]

Work smarter not harder!

[nhbubba]

I am working very hard on that. Wait, whut?!

Anyhow, OP, do a track day. Yester-frickin-day. You'll thank us.

[tsorfas]

I am working very hard on that. Wait, whut?!

Anyhow, OP, do a track day. Yester-frickin-day. You'll thank us.

you gotta let me know if you make the track this year dude

[GingahNinjah]

Sav and Colin... ill be doin tonys both days in May

[tsorfas]

Sav and Colin... ill be doin tonys both days in May

i dont think ill have any time for TDs in may :/ racing and managers training. blah
you never know though

[nhbubba]

Sav and Colin... ill be doin tonys both days in May

Hear that guys? Avoid May!

I have a budget-approved by the CO-that has me down for 2 days this year. I may try and overspend, we'll see. No planned dates yet though.

I am hoping to head to the races 1st weekend though. I was planning to follow the crowd with DucDave. With his date change, we'll see.

[Tricklidz]

I'll take a stab at the question. First things first, the fact that you've found yourself in a decreasing radius corner tells me your riding on the street (on the track you'd know every corner) so you've been surprised by the sight of the outside of the turn when you were expecting to see the apex or at least the middle by this point. So, before you do anything you must turn your (probably, panicking) eyes away from there and instantly look inside!! NOW! Find a point in the turn where you want to be, might not be the apex, but it can no longer be the outside of the turn. If you don't immediately do this you will not make the turn!!
Ok, now that you can see where you want to be, you will take the appropriate actions to ( hopefully) make it happen. May be more brake, more lean angle, more hanging off, pushing the bars, or most likely all the above. I fail to see how giving it more gas would help?
BTW- I ride a Ducati, so I don't know anything about this rear brake thing that others talk about!

[Garandman]

r. My experience was that the first day was overload, overload, overload. I walked the track the night before (I strongly recommend this, BTW). But I still didn't know "T3" from a hole in the wall. Everything from where do I start braking to where the hell is the bathroom was on my mind.

Graham kept giving us visual markers:
"Look for the tires exiting T3 through T4"
"Uh? T3.. that's somewhere over there, right? There are tires? Where?!? Didn't see those."

One of the biggest let downs of the track day was that I did not learn as many new/improved skills as I had hopped. ~$250 and a day of vacation time is real money to me. I was dead set on maximizing my return. Unfortunately I just don't think that is possible, in reality. Not on day 1. Too many new situations..

The first time you went fishing - did you catch all the fish?

Next time you visit a riding friend in the hospital, ask him how much it is worth to him to not have that accident - trashed bike, crutches, whatever. Riding a motorcycle poorly is much, much more expensive than riding it well.

[Chippertheripper]

The first time you went fishing - did you catch all the fish?

Next time you visit a riding friend in the hospital, ask him how much it is worth to him to not have that accident - trashed bike, crutches, whatever. Riding a motorcycle poorly is much, much more expensive than riding it well.

This man is good at words.
Bottom line: get the vhu to let you do all the trackdays you want. If she really loves you, it will be so.

[jwm2k3]

This man is good at words.
Bottom line: get the vhu to let you do all the trackdays you want. If she really loves you, it will be so.

I generally ask for forgivness, not permission....

[nhbubba]

The first time you went fishing - did you catch all the fish?

No, but I sure as hell wanted to catch at least one fish. I also did not go to a lake that I'd just about never seen before in my life and try to drive a speed boat around it at full throttle.

Did I seriously just compare a V-Strom to a speed boat?!?

[Garandman]

Colin, I watched you and you improved a lot.
So that one that got away was huge!

This man is good at words.
Bottom line: get the vhu to let you do all the trackdays you want. If she really loves you, it will be so.

I'm sure all wives support this "safety training."

[BSR6]

As a rookie who has done a few track days, my opinion is that you probably have no idea how much traction is available to you and therefore are nowhere near the limit. Yes, you can learn that much after just a couple track days. With that being the case I agree with the "look, press, lean" answer. Basically, just turn harder but make sure you do it right by applying all the fundamentals. Applying those fundementals is where a track day will come in handy.

A track day will teach you the corner basics and give you a chance to apply them. When I say basics I mean things like looking far enough ahead, weighting the pegs, maintainence throttle, and staying off the bars. These points are more important than anything else and can make a big difference at your level.

[nhbubba]

Your first track day will give you an opportunity to find out what kind of candy ass you've been riding like on the street for all this time. This hits home like a sledge hammer in the nuts when you watch a 900 lbs Gold Wing pull away from you in T6.

I agree, way more grip than you think.

[jasnmar]

... when you watch a 900 lbs Gold Wing pull away from you in T6.

That wasn't happening by the end of the day. By the end, I could no longer keep up with you .

[CBR929RE]

That turn opened my eyes to just how hard you can trail brake.

Having your knee burried and still feeling like you're braking almost as hard as you do when straight up and down is a surreal experience.

I wouldn't know anything about that. I always pick the bike up a little before braking there. I just cannot get that turn down at all. never been comfortable through there.

[OreoGaborio]

I wouldn't know anything about that. I always pick the bike up a little before braking there. I just cannot get that turn down at all. never been comfortable through there.

I used to do that, too.... until that one time briefly described above where I THOUGHT I was gonna run it wide, but made the conscious decision to relax my arms, look through the turn, trail brake it in and really try and FEEL what that contact patch under my hands was doing. That front tire pushed & pushed, but held on & hooked me right around.
Absolute bliss.

[nhbubba]

That front tire pushed & pushed, but held on & hooked me right around.
Absolute bliss.

No joke, I am somewhat aroused now.

[scottieducati]

To answer OP's earlier question, trail breaking should inherently be done with the front brake, especially while braking hard... with so much weight transfer to the front of the bike, rear brake will do little but can be useful in some situations. The best skill to work on is slow and smooth hands, on both throttle inputs and braking. At tracks like NJMP or VIR or Calabogie where you have the opportunity for some nice, long, decreasing radius corners you get to practice this technique a lot... I'm almost always using 1 or 2 fingers on the front brake all the way until the apex. When you need to tighten, it's only a slow rolling off the throttle (if it's open, which it shouldn't be if too much speed is your issue) or slow increase in front brake pressure that helps the front end hunker down a bit, better geometry and a tighter turn are the result.

[RandyO]

I learned on icy frost heaved roads with shitty stock SV suspension, even straight roads have decreasing radius curves, now that I have heavier V-strom with upgrade suspension, I ride those roads in blizzards with the same confidence as a Sunday morning ride in the summer, still have to swoop around major heaves or holes, that may or may not appear on straights or corners. What you do depends how hot pace wise, what does it look like you have for traction (pavement, tar snakes, gravel, wet, frozen, the asshole that pushes snow across the road, shit spreader just dripped down the road in front of you, etc. I've seen it all)

there is no way to explain how on the internet, every situation can be a new experience