Am I not cut out for biking?
Discussion
I think cornering is probably the most challenging thing about riding a bike. I passed my DAS a few months back and cornering is the one aspect of my riding I work on the most.
A few things that have helped me-
I found a couple of quiet, wide roundabouts close together and just went round and round and round for about an hour one night. Remember the speed you went in at the first time and force yourself to increase it by just a couple of miles an hour. Also, practice braking in the corner (gently and with both brakes) so you know how the bike will react. I regularly ride out to Milton Keynes just so I can get some good practice on roundabouts!
Keep your eyes and head up, look down the road past the bend. The bike will go where you are looking.
As my instructor on my DAS said, slow into bends, fast out... Fast into bends, fast into hospital.
Most importantly just keep practicing, it will take a while but every tiny improvement feels fantastic. Trust the bike, stick with it and it WILL come.
A few things that have helped me-
I found a couple of quiet, wide roundabouts close together and just went round and round and round for about an hour one night. Remember the speed you went in at the first time and force yourself to increase it by just a couple of miles an hour. Also, practice braking in the corner (gently and with both brakes) so you know how the bike will react. I regularly ride out to Milton Keynes just so I can get some good practice on roundabouts!
Keep your eyes and head up, look down the road past the bend. The bike will go where you are looking.
As my instructor on my DAS said, slow into bends, fast out... Fast into bends, fast into hospital.
Most importantly just keep practicing, it will take a while but every tiny improvement feels fantastic. Trust the bike, stick with it and it WILL come.
There will be peaks and troughs. I used to be supremely confident in the wet until i lost the front. My own fault for wanting to take the bike out on worn tyres on a day which started out dry only to get a lot wetter. In my head it was a combination of lean angle and worn tyres and conditions, but getting my head around that is very difficult, so I know how you feel. I know where i went wrong but still i'm learning cornering in the wet all over again. Practice and patience I'm getting there again and so will you.
edited to add another vote for Keith Codes, A twist of the wrist 2
edited to add another vote for Keith Codes, A twist of the wrist 2
Edited by Riggernut on Friday 17th October 05:15
I was the same - had an off on the road section of my CBT (still passed) that knocked my cornering confidence and I felt EXACTLY how you feel. On my DAS I raised it with the instructor who showed me how to corner properly - I then hired a 125 & practiced what I'd been taught.
Even then I wasn't much better but I've since passed my test and done over 2000 miles and I'm much happier, more confident and above all enjoying it. Relax, lean with the bike and go as slowly as you like.
One interesting way of doing things is to lean further than the bike - you'll find by moving your body more you have to lean the bike less. Most of all, remember that the bike can do a hell of a lot more than you can, you'll not be pushing it's limits for a long time so just trust in the tyres, the suspension and the designers who have made people much better than you or I enjoy their bikes
Even then I wasn't much better but I've since passed my test and done over 2000 miles and I'm much happier, more confident and above all enjoying it. Relax, lean with the bike and go as slowly as you like.
One interesting way of doing things is to lean further than the bike - you'll find by moving your body more you have to lean the bike less. Most of all, remember that the bike can do a hell of a lot more than you can, you'll not be pushing it's limits for a long time so just trust in the tyres, the suspension and the designers who have made people much better than you or I enjoy their bikes
Distant said:
I think cornering is probably the most challenging thing about riding a bike. I passed my DAS a few months back and cornering is the one aspect of my riding I work on the most.
A few things that have helped me-
I found a couple of quiet, wide roundabouts close together and just went round and round and round for about an hour one night. Remember the speed you went in at the first time and force yourself to increase it by just a couple of miles an hour. Also, practice braking in the corner (gently and with both brakes) so you know how the bike will react. I regularly ride out to Milton Keynes just so I can get some good practice on roundabouts!
While I agree that it’s good to practice you should never push yourself faster than you are comfortable with even if you were going faster last time you did a particular bend. As for braking in a corner A few things that have helped me-
I found a couple of quiet, wide roundabouts close together and just went round and round and round for about an hour one night. Remember the speed you went in at the first time and force yourself to increase it by just a couple of miles an hour. Also, practice braking in the corner (gently and with both brakes) so you know how the bike will react. I regularly ride out to Milton Keynes just so I can get some good practice on roundabouts!
I would not recommend you practice that until you are completely confident with corners (not Rossi level but relaxed, smooth and progressive.) Braking in a corner is an absolute last resort and only used when riding around the problem is not an option. Get the confidence to ride around first then think about braking.Distant said:
Keep your eyes and head up, look down the road past the bend. The bike will go where you are looking.
As my instructor on my DAS said, slow into bends, fast out... Fast into bends, fast into hospital.
This is superb advice. Most noobies (and a fair number of experienced riders) focus on the road 20yds ahead. You need to focus on the road as far ahead as you can see. If you are coming to say a 90degree right hander you should already be looking at the straight beyond the bend before you start to tip the bike into the bend. Even after 30 years of riding I still find myself thinking ‘eyes up’ as I’m approaching a bend.As my instructor on my DAS said, slow into bends, fast out... Fast into bends, fast into hospital.
Distant said:
Most importantly just keep practicing, it will take a while but every tiny improvement feels fantastic. Trust the bike, stick with it and it WILL come.
I remember the first day, after passing my test on an F650GS, it was raining and I was overtaken by a guy on a Honda C90!
I just couldn't keep up with him and really thought that I was crap.
Your bike will generally be able to corner far better than you think it will and I must admit that a wet road surface looks very slippery, but generally isn't.
You do, though, have to keep an eye out for manhole covers and diesel spills etc.
Just keep riding and the more that you ride, the more addicted it will beome.
You don't have to ride fast to enjoy a motorcycle. Many do, but an awful lot don't.
You just have to be aware of your own mortality out there and ride within your comfort zone.
As said by others, look where you want to go not where you don't. All of us, from time to time, get terminal fixation - it's just realising it and snapping out of it in time.
Chill, take your time and enjoy a whole new world of travel.
It puts the fun back into the mundane commute!
I just couldn't keep up with him and really thought that I was crap.
Your bike will generally be able to corner far better than you think it will and I must admit that a wet road surface looks very slippery, but generally isn't.
You do, though, have to keep an eye out for manhole covers and diesel spills etc.
Just keep riding and the more that you ride, the more addicted it will beome.
You don't have to ride fast to enjoy a motorcycle. Many do, but an awful lot don't.
You just have to be aware of your own mortality out there and ride within your comfort zone.
As said by others, look where you want to go not where you don't. All of us, from time to time, get terminal fixation - it's just realising it and snapping out of it in time.
Chill, take your time and enjoy a whole new world of travel.
It puts the fun back into the mundane commute!
daver777 said:
go do an off-road course which teaches countersteering properly.
mallory park do one i think. advanced cornering? this will fix the problem in a day.
I was reading all of the excellent advice above (and even directed my Mrs to look at this thread - have you read it yet Northern Chimp?!) - but was thinking to myself the best training I have had is on an off road course. Then I saw Davers quote - and this sounds like an excellent idea.mallory park do one i think. advanced cornering? this will fix the problem in a day.
I did the BMW school, and even though I was past the worrying about corners, and riding in the wet stage by the time I did it, I learned so many skills I could transfer to the road. Such as locking the front wheel at 30 mph and (eventually) still keeping the bike up when it slides away (has happened a few times on the road and I have not yet gone down), balance of a bike and the fact a bike will stand up on its own without a sidestand (I have still not tried on my own bikes!), engine braking down big hills etc etc.
Remember, if you are prepared to listen and learn, any advanced riding training is worthwhile. I even took skills from wheelie school and applied to the road, and I obviously don't just mean how to wheelie!
lawrence567 said:
mitzy said:
Simple:
You mate's mate is a cock.
And you carry on as you are, this riding is like having a shag, sometimes its good, sometimes its crap. It gets better with practice!
Dont give up
x
Someone always has to bring sex into it You mate's mate is a cock.
And you carry on as you are, this riding is like having a shag, sometimes its good, sometimes its crap. It gets better with practice!
Dont give up
x
aph202 said:
Familiar stuff
You sound similar to me - a lot of my issues with biking are to do with corners!I think I'm getting better - the advice on the thread I posted:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
was good, and thanks again to everyone who gave their thoughts. You're welcome to have a laugh at my crapness if that helps: I know it's easy to think everyone else can do it apart from you!
Advice on this thread sounds good too - stick at it, practice in slow, safe environments and good weather and gradually your confidence will improve. I think getting better at biking has a large element of confidence and relaxation to it. If you're anxious, stiff and afraid, you'll ride badly and cornering will be very difficult.
The tip of looking as far as you can through a corner is a good one. It looks like this w/e might be decent weather - choose some slowish corners you know and practice going back and forth. Don't even try to speed up or force yourself to do anything you're not comfortable with: I bet you'll just naturally go faster on the 3rd or 4th run. I'd say good luck, but you won't need it.
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