proper turning technique

[jimaug87]

I am in my first year of riding and I am learning a lot. I am doing pretty well in getting my bike to lean over and go thru some pretty tight turns, but I could be a lot better. I was wondering if any of your guys knew of a video or a place with pictures of proper techinque. I am getting by and having a blast with pushing the bike over and counter steering, but I want to eventually drag a knee.

Any links or advice is greatly appreciated

[keeena]

TTD

[s a x m a n]

First off, dragging knee on the street is not a safe goal to have.

The best place to learn turning and knee dragging is at a track day!

Tony's Track Days is a great place to do that. There are various group for different level riders, with assigned instructors to those groups to help people improve their riding.

Another way to learn how to turn the bike better is to ride with someone who can ride at your pace, but give you ideas on things to try as you go out for your ride, but making sure you don't ride over your head.

Alot of turning technique also has to do with body position and lowing the center of gravity so you can actually carry LESS lean angle ... thats right, LESS. Its safer that way, plus you can carry more speed, the more comfortable you get.

[Paul_E_D]

MSF

[KillBill]

I am in my first year of riding and I am learning a lot. I am doing pretty well in getting my bike to lean over and go thru some pretty tight turns, but I could be a lot better. I was wondering if any of your guys knew of a video or a place with pictures of proper techinque. I am getting by and having a blast with pushing the bike over and counter steering, but I want to eventually drag a knee.

Any links or advice is greatly appreciated

Jim =

Riding Skills Series - You Are Where You Look - Sport Rider Magazine

Motorcycle Riding Body Position Tip - Sport Rider

Motorcycle Blind Turns Riding Skills Series - Sport Rider

[OreoGaborio]

I am in my first year of riding and I am learning a lot. I am doing pretty well in getting my bike to lean over and go thru some pretty tight turns, but I could be a lot better. I was wondering if any of your guys knew of a video or a place with pictures of proper techinque. I am getting by and having a blast with pushing the bike over and counter steering, but I want to eventually drag a knee.

Any links or advice is greatly appreciated

Video & Pictures of other riders are practically worthless.... quit your job so you can go riding w/ me on the weekends

Yes, the ride invitation is still open but I'll be at the track this weekend. Maybe next weekend?

[mzdagrl]

MSF is probably the best place to start if you haven't done that. Other than that, trackdays. I did my first one on the 12th and learned so much about body position and cornerspeed.

[TTD]

... but I want to eventually drag a knee.

ahhh... if I had a nickel everytime I heard this.


And yes, I certainly said it myself. And then when it happened I almost crashed cuz it scared me. (I still remember it... it was the right hand Turn 1A)

Anyway, lots of good advice out there. Just keep worrying about the basics, and the speed/lean angle will come.

[SVRACER01]

twist of the wrist. its a book. youll have to read though

[jimaug87]

I did take the course, and it improved my riding more than words can express.

KillBill, I'll check out those videos when I don't have to get up at 5am. Thank you in advance.

Oreo, PM sent

[RandyO]

I think too much emphasis is put on "proper technique" what is proper technique anyway?

IMHO if its not comfortable, it's not proper sure, read some books, do a track day, nothing is going to improve your skills unless you ride, the more you ride, the more experience you have to know what techniques work for you

[Paul_E_D]

That's great Randy, but if you taught the Experienced Rider Course, you'd see some pretty weak riders with lots of miles under their belts. Many who can't even countersteer with confidence. Some guidance on technique is usually a good thing.

[RandyO]

That's great Randy, but if you taught the Experienced Rider Course, you'd see some pretty weak riders with lots of miles under their belts. Many who can't even countersteer with confidence. Some guidance on technique is usually a good thing.

did I say there was anything wrong with taking a course

I would prolly be one of your "weak" riders, ask me if I give a shit, I'm comfortable with my skills

take a course, read a book, even do a track day, you still have to ride to improve your skills, the street is to varied in technical skills for someone to be magicly expert after taking a course without practice in real street situations

there's more than cornering and stopping quick, the ability to read road surface, pick the right line thru hazards , to anticipate hazards are skills that you won't get anywhere else

[Kham]

The best place to learn turning and knee dragging is at a track day!

that rules out parking lot.

[Kham]

i think without proper technique you'd be doing this.

YouTube - 315Posers in the Twisties

not efficient i don't think

[OreoGaborio]

that rules out parking lot.

There's nothing wrong w/ practing in an empty parking lot or putting 100k miles on your bike, but minute for minute, mile for mile, nothing beats learning from a qualified instructor.

And Randy - Tony, Ken, Paul etc have all said it many times & i think most of us can agree that riding on the track only hones part of your total skill set. It's a big part, but it's not all of it. You can be a master on the track & a crappy street rider or a master on the street & crappy on the track, but if you only do one of the two, getting a taste of the other & applying the new skills you've learned makes you a better rider at both.

... make any sense?

[RandyO]

There's nothing wrong w/ practing in an empty parking lot or putting 100k miles on your bike, but minute for minute, mile for mile, nothing beats learning from a qualified instructor.

And Randy - Tony, Ken, Paul etc have all said it many times & i think most of us can agree that riding on the track only hones part of your total skill set. It's a big part, but it's not all of it. You can be a master on the track & a crappy street rider or a master on the street & crappy on the track, but if you only do one of the two, getting a taste of the other & applying the new skills you've learned makes you a better rider at both.

... make any sense?

does track skils hone your street skills sure, is it a big part, I say NO, it's more important on the street to see surface conditions and recognize when it wil be problematic, to anticipate what other traffic will do, to anticipate animal crossings, gravel washing and where trucks spill diesel and a zillion other things you will never see on a track or read about in a book

theres such a thing as slowing down for a corner that works even better than hangin yer ass off, which should you do in a blind corner? when you meet the semi in your lane half way around your sure wish you had slowed down instead of hangin your butt out,

is a line you learn at the track anygood on the street with tar snakes in the rain

[OreoGaborio]

Randy, try to be more open to seeing the whole picture.

Basically, you can't learn calculus efficiently just by looking at formulas, you learn it efficiently through being taught.
Biking is the same way.
You learned it through riding 50k + miles a year, other people dont have that luxury.


As for the benefits of track riding that apply to the street, the opening few paragraphs in this article gives some good examples of what a track day can do for you:
TrackDoD Novice Group Orientation

[RandyO]

You learned it through riding 50k + miles a year, other people dont have that luxury.

yes, and some people don't have the luxury of spending $250 on a track day, which is more cost effective, I say spending $250 on gasoline rather than a track day

[OreoGaborio]

yes, and some people don't have the luxury of spending $250

You're absolutely right.

which is more cost effective, I say spending $250 on gasoline rather than a track day

Depends on who you ask as I think that's entirely up to personal preference & prior experience.

If you ask me, I think the experience you get w/ 250 bucks worth of track time will undoubtedly develop most (not all) rider's skills more than the experience you get w/ 250 bucks worth of gas... Here's why...

In a 250 dollar track day, the average participant only puts on about 75-100 miles.
With 250 bucks in gas (assuming 3 bucks a gallon & 50 miles per gallon) you can do about 4k miles of street riding... Some people would say that's about a years worth, some would call it 1/2 a season's worth.... whatever, 4k miles is 4k miles.

Yeah, that's a big difference, 80 to 4,000... but I've heard countless people that do 4k miles or more a year who have have gone to the track & still say things like "I learned more today than I have in all my years of street riding!!!" & I'm sure for every person I've heard say that, the other veterans up there have heard it many times more.

But like I said... depends on who you ask. There will always be exceptions, I don't expect people to agree w/ me 100%.

[Kham]

yes, and some people don't have the luxury of spending $250 on a track day, which is more cost effective, I say spending $250 on gasoline rather than a track day

[OreoGaborio]

Kham, I'd love to see you out on the track. I think you'd be surprised at how much fun it is & how much you learn. Save your pennies & sign up for the back-to-back dates in September

[Kham]

Kham, I'd love to see you out on the track. I think you'd be surprised at how much fun it is & how much you learn. Save your pennies & sign up for the back-to-back dates in September

i know what you're saying.

i was gonna say; to each , what is your style of riding? what is fun about riding to you? touring, stunting, leaning, etc. if touring then all you need is public street. stunting? goto parking lot. as for leaning, you don't really need high speed for it. sure it's safer on the track but you can find an empty corners to put in a good lean and have fun if you know what you're doing. you don't have to drag knee to have fun. like Randy said it's a luxury that some dont have including myself. $250 goes a long way for gas. i think you'd see a lot more people on the track if it was 1/2 the price but that would too crowded due to limit # of track around here.

my techniqu:

1. read a book on proper riding techniq
2. find some empty corner roads to practice. sneak around the cocksucker like a mouse. you get caught sometimes
3. try the track when you have some extra $$.

and still have fun.

[OreoGaborio]

Khamster, since you're so into reading, check out the link I posted above labled "TrackDoD Novice Group Orientation". There's a bunch of good info in there, including reasons why track days are beneficial & technique application.

[Cheese]

sure it's safer on the track but you can find an empty corners to put in a good lean and have fun if you know what you're doing.

... and then some local calls the cops and you get bagged for 20 mph over and a $250 fine. You can do it either way 3 times for the same cost. Depending on which way you chose for the 4th time you're either loving the track or giving up your license for 6 months or more.

Oreo forgot to mention that Tony, Ken, Paul, Jamie, Oreo, etc. will teach you body positioning so that your lean angle will decrease at the speeds you're currently taking into the corners. That's a good thing for negotiating the extra hazards you may find on the street.