As I've mentioned in previous posts, every time I ride I make an effort to improve at least one aspect of my skills. Every ride is a practice ride in one way or another. Lately I've been focusing on my cornering technique when riding my 2012 GSX-R750.
The chicken strips on my Shinko 011 Verge tires are down to 3/8" wide on the rear tire and 1/4" on the front, yet the knee pucks on my AGVSport leathers are as shiny and untouched as the day I bought them. Leaning off when cornering is a lot of fun, and as I've been practicing, it has been the comfortable way to go around a curve.
One thing I've figured out is that if a technique feels uncomfortable or unstable, or if it feels unsafe, then I'm probably doing something wrong. Conversely, if I go around a corner smoothly and easily, then whatever I was doing was probably correct.
The single most important aspect of cornering I've learned seems to be looking ahead, through the turn. Doing so makes any corner smoother and more stable. Once that aspect of my technique became rote, the next thing I worked on was my grip. I make sure my hands are relatively loose and that I don't have a death grip on the bars. This reduces fatigue and increases my endurance. It also avoids zigzagging through the curve.
The next thing I've addressed has been my body position. I grip the tank with my knees and support my weight with my legs, freeing up weight on my hands and wrists. By doing so, I'm able to finesse the front end more easily. In the curve, I use my legs to shift my weight across the seat to the inside of the bike. I press the inside of my outside thigh against the tank to help support my weight. My chest is pressed down against my tank bag, my inside elbow is kept loose, and my hands keep a slightly loose hold on the grips.
The final piece of this equation is my head position. I point my chin ahead through the curve and even keep my eyes steady. I noticed that even if I kept my head in a single position, if my eyes were wandering around my cornering was jerky. Now, I maintain a steady head and eye position as I go through the turn. This makes my cornering smooth and easy and more enjoyable.
Taking a corner at speed with good technique is almost anti-climactic. Entering the corner is smooth, using both deceleration on the throttle and an easy application of the brake. I smoothly shift my body to the inside of the bike using my legs, not my hands, I hold a steady head and eye position through the curve using gentle throttle inputs, and as I transition out of the corner I use a smooth application of throttle. As I accelerate out of the corner, the bike stands up and I again use my legs to smoothly shift my body back onto the center of the seat.
When it's all done, as I continue onward, I have a smile on my face and a realization that nothing abrupt happened, there was no jerkiness or zigzagging around the corner. It was smooth and I approach the next curve with a feeling of confidence and control.
Showing posts with label cornering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cornering. Show all posts
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Hanging off up the river
We've had two dry days in a row in Western Oregon and I've taken advantage of it to put some miles on the GSX-R750. I rode it to work on Friday, carrying my gear in my MotoCentric soft bags. They are light, functional, and look fantastic. I rode the long way home, following the Sandy River through Springdale, past Oxbow Park, then through the rural communities of Aims and Bull Run before emerging back up the hill to Sandy and home.
Saturday I took the Gixxer up the Clackamas River on Highway 224 to Ripplebrook Ranger Station. It was overcast and chilly up the river valley but the pavement was mostly dry. There was only a smattering of sanding gravel in the center of each lane on the last few miles before reaching the turn-around point.
The ride wasn't just for fun (although it certainly was that). I was specifically practicing my right-hand turns. To counterstear, you push right to turn right, and push left to turn left. The problem with pushing right to turn right is that's where the throttle is. You don't want your pushing to affect your throttle input. So how do you push without pushing?
I practiced two techniques. The first was gripping the tank with my knees and keeping my upper body directly lined up with the bike; i.e. no hanging off. This works fine for slower cornering, but doesn't work if you jack up the speed around the turn.
The second technique was to lean my body to the right, hanging half of my butt cheek off the seat, and supporting my body by pressing the inside of my left leg and my left elbow against the tank. This removed weight on my right wrist. I made sure I was supporting myself enough by flexing my right hand and ensuring I had a light touch on the grip.
After riding 80 miles of a decent set of turns, it started to become easier. By the time I was heading home I was easily able to double the posted corner speed with a great deal of control and comfort.
Saturday I took the Gixxer up the Clackamas River on Highway 224 to Ripplebrook Ranger Station. It was overcast and chilly up the river valley but the pavement was mostly dry. There was only a smattering of sanding gravel in the center of each lane on the last few miles before reaching the turn-around point.
The ride wasn't just for fun (although it certainly was that). I was specifically practicing my right-hand turns. To counterstear, you push right to turn right, and push left to turn left. The problem with pushing right to turn right is that's where the throttle is. You don't want your pushing to affect your throttle input. So how do you push without pushing?
I practiced two techniques. The first was gripping the tank with my knees and keeping my upper body directly lined up with the bike; i.e. no hanging off. This works fine for slower cornering, but doesn't work if you jack up the speed around the turn.
The second technique was to lean my body to the right, hanging half of my butt cheek off the seat, and supporting my body by pressing the inside of my left leg and my left elbow against the tank. This removed weight on my right wrist. I made sure I was supporting myself enough by flexing my right hand and ensuring I had a light touch on the grip.
After riding 80 miles of a decent set of turns, it started to become easier. By the time I was heading home I was easily able to double the posted corner speed with a great deal of control and comfort.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Zoom, zoom!
Lately I've only had time for short rides on weekends, and when weather and errands allowed, the occasional commute to work. As a result, when I ride, I want to make it count.
I'm fortunate that I live next to some tasty roads that remain snow-free 99% of the year. They tend to be through rural or semi-rural areas and are a diverse blend of curve types and elevation changes. This makes them excellent rides to keep my skills sharp during the off-season.
The downside to these short but challenging rides is the lack of a proper warm-up period. It's a good idea to maintain a moderate pace for the first half-hour of riding and to pay attention to your presence in The Zone. I'm a big believer in this kind of self-awareness. If I'm in the zone, I'm more likely to challenge myself. When I'm not, however, I back off and play it safe. Having curvy and diverse roads so close to home requires that I be somewhat engaged before I even set off. This means I don't ride if I'm already fatigued from other activities -- I ride before chores, not after.
I also give my tires a chance to scrub in (warm up) before attempting any significant lean-angles when cornering. I'm not hitting 60% lean-angles like Ben Spies or Casey Stoner, but my V-Strom will definitely lean over enough to scrape pegs despite how high they are above the pavement.
All of these factors go into the skill-building effort. Practice doesn't just involve cornering technique, it includes muscle memory, evaluation of riding conditions due to road surface, visibility, and weather, and perhaps above all constantly being aware of oneself and the state of my ability at the time -- my ability to ride well varies from day to day, road to road, hour to hour, and I must constantly weigh that against my desire to go zoom, zoom, zoom.
I'm fortunate that I live next to some tasty roads that remain snow-free 99% of the year. They tend to be through rural or semi-rural areas and are a diverse blend of curve types and elevation changes. This makes them excellent rides to keep my skills sharp during the off-season.
The downside to these short but challenging rides is the lack of a proper warm-up period. It's a good idea to maintain a moderate pace for the first half-hour of riding and to pay attention to your presence in The Zone. I'm a big believer in this kind of self-awareness. If I'm in the zone, I'm more likely to challenge myself. When I'm not, however, I back off and play it safe. Having curvy and diverse roads so close to home requires that I be somewhat engaged before I even set off. This means I don't ride if I'm already fatigued from other activities -- I ride before chores, not after.
I also give my tires a chance to scrub in (warm up) before attempting any significant lean-angles when cornering. I'm not hitting 60% lean-angles like Ben Spies or Casey Stoner, but my V-Strom will definitely lean over enough to scrape pegs despite how high they are above the pavement.
All of these factors go into the skill-building effort. Practice doesn't just involve cornering technique, it includes muscle memory, evaluation of riding conditions due to road surface, visibility, and weather, and perhaps above all constantly being aware of oneself and the state of my ability at the time -- my ability to ride well varies from day to day, road to road, hour to hour, and I must constantly weigh that against my desire to go zoom, zoom, zoom.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Fork brace
I installed a fork brace on my V-Strom last night. It's a flat piece of metal with two holes on either side that attaches to the front forks just below the boundary between the inner and outer bars. It provides stability and keeps the forks from flexing in or out during turns or when riding in windy conditions.
Although I didn't notice a difference when riding to work this morning, it's supposed to improve turning and cornering performance and stability. The biggest benefit I hope to gain from it is stability when riding with heavy cross winds. From everything I read the improvement is dramatic.
I purchased my brace from "Richland Rick" (Google it), a guy in Richland, Washington that makes them himself. Cost was $80 plus $7 shipping. I received it the next day after placing my order (via PayPal, ick).
Update 8/2/2010:
After giving my bike a thorough work-out riding 160 miles to Detroit and back via twisty (but well-paved) forest service roads, I can say the fork brace makes the bike seem tighter and more solid in curves. It's not like going from a Harley to a sport bike in improvement, but it is definitely noticeable. What's even more noticeable, however, is the bike has become quite a bit more stable in windy conditions. Although I didn't experience a strong crosswind, I did follow other vehicles and the back blast is far less dramatic and head winds almost feel non-existent. The fork brace is definitely a worthwhile upgrade and should be standard equipment from the factory.
Although I didn't notice a difference when riding to work this morning, it's supposed to improve turning and cornering performance and stability. The biggest benefit I hope to gain from it is stability when riding with heavy cross winds. From everything I read the improvement is dramatic.
I purchased my brace from "Richland Rick" (Google it), a guy in Richland, Washington that makes them himself. Cost was $80 plus $7 shipping. I received it the next day after placing my order (via PayPal, ick).
Update 8/2/2010:
After giving my bike a thorough work-out riding 160 miles to Detroit and back via twisty (but well-paved) forest service roads, I can say the fork brace makes the bike seem tighter and more solid in curves. It's not like going from a Harley to a sport bike in improvement, but it is definitely noticeable. What's even more noticeable, however, is the bike has become quite a bit more stable in windy conditions. Although I didn't experience a strong crosswind, I did follow other vehicles and the back blast is far less dramatic and head winds almost feel non-existent. The fork brace is definitely a worthwhile upgrade and should be standard equipment from the factory.
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