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How Low Can I Lean?


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Hey y'all, I was riding my '98 vfr today on the way back from work (I started riding last year), and I'm trying to take these sweeping turns a little bit faster each time. like 35 -40 is my max at this point. And I know that if I feel i'm in too fast in the middle of the turn, I should just countersteer more.

The thing is, once I get past a certain piont with my body slightly off the side, the centrifegual force pushing me against the bike and the bike towards the outside of the turn feels pretty strong. In my stomach there's this feeling that's it's just gonna slip off the road and slide out into the bushes.

But that's just me not used to leaning right? In reality I'll probably scrape my pegs LOONG before the bike's traction loses the battle against the centrifugal force of the run right?

Thanks! :cool:

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Good reading! in my opinion you need to get comfortable with the bike, I have realized that the bike knows what to do, if I give her gentle hints she knows how to make it happen. The only time I have issues is when I try to force things.....just go smooth and pay no attention to speed just ride what is comfortable and you will find yourself getting faster and faster without realizing it :unsure: Good luck and if you haven't taken a MSF class I would check into it!

I am a little north of you, shoot me a note and lets go for a ride :wheel:

Gary

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You can crash the bike before hitting your pegs. You can ride a corner well past hitting your pegs, no one answer. All teqnique. Braking, lean angle, position. Leaning off the bike on the road had less to do with it then one may think. Just a leeding knee can really get the job done. Pilot the bike as opposed to thinking about how you are going to imposs your body position on the bike. Be one with the bike Danialson.

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Hi Josh,

Good idea to ask some questions now, rather than running off the road and/or crashing. You didn't mention what class you took, or where you got your basic motorcycle riding info, so not sure where to begin to help you. Is your bike set up correctly? Correct air pressure in the tires? Did you actually learn "counter steering" somewhere? The things being mentioned so far are not relevant to basic motorcycle control skills for a beginner. "Body off the side", "centrifugal force", "scraping pegs", "leading knee" (Austin), none of these things are required or needed to turn a motorcycle!!

If you cannot turn that bike at more than 40 mph, I would strongly recommend getting off the street for now, find a good large parking lot you can use, and practice the basic procedures for steering a motorcycle: Steady Throttle, Holding On To The BIKE with your Knees (so you can RELAX your arms), Looking where you WANT to go, and Pressing forward on one handle bar to make the BIKE lean. The bike is what has to lean for it to turn, YOU do NOT! If you are not comfortable with this process, borrow a smaller bike or a dirt bike, find a safe place with lots of unobstructed room and start practicing this technique. It's what you should have learned in the basic riding class.

Sorry if that sounds contrary to your idea of learning to ride, but from what you wrote, it sounds like you are thinking about riding at an advanced level without knowing the basics well enough to control the bike. Most everyone on this forum gives great information with the best intentions, and most of the information is correct in the right situation. You are not in that situation yet. LEARN THE BASICS, everything else comes after you have the basic skills, just like anything you do, but on the motorcycle you are risking your life and health.

I have been an instructor for many years, and taught probably close to a thousand people to ride. If you have not completed a basic rider course, do it now. I'm happy to answer any questions if you want. Send me a PM.

Good luck,

Ded

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it will feel wrong at first, but force yourself to look farther down the road, farther into the corner. It may feel like you are not looking where you should be, when in fact it really, really is.

As all the good instructors will tell you, riding a bike is kinda counter-intuative and against self-preservation. It will feel beter as you go, but take baby steps, and self critique. You have the good fortune of starting off right, and making your habits good ones. I still am trying to shake bad habits after over 30 years of riding

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In addition to this excellent advice thus far, realize that the further you're leaning in a turn, the less room for error if you hit a gravel, tar snake, wet leaves (!), etc. Those types of obstacles can hang you out to dry in a real hurry if you are riding 9/10 and aren't alert for them. If you can't see that your line is clear, leave some room for surprises.

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I won't offer riding tips that is what professional rider training is for, what I will offer & from personal exp is what NTRabbit has mentioned always leave a margin for the "shit happens scenario" on the road. The place to push your skill level is rider training/track/closed road which weeds out allot of variables you might not have left any skill to deal with when pushing limits your not used too. Enjoy yourself but don't scare yourself is a good rule of thumb when finding limits.

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I'll add a little personal tidbit to what was said earlier.

Don't assume that you can go through the turn at the same speed as the other, more experienced guy did, just because the bike can do it.

Yep. The bike CAN do it, but you need to do all the right things as well in order to be faster.

Learn, practice, take your time, and if you encounter too many Oh Shit! moments during the ride, you're not taking your time. I speak from personal experience here :wink:

Enjoy the ride!

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Sign up for an Experienced Ridercourse, then a Total Control clinic, then maybe a track school.

(I skipped the Beginner Ridercourse, but I had been riding since I was 5. Not sure if you should start at beginner or experienced)

The experienced course is also very inexpensive last I checked.

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Sign up for an Experienced Ridercourse, then a Total Control clinic, then maybe a track school.

(I skipped the Beginner Ridercourse, but I had been riding since I was 5. Not sure if you should start at beginner or experienced)

The experienced course is also very inexpensive last I checked.

I started riding at 10 and had many years trials experience when I took the beginners MSF course. I learned many things that I frequently see people on bikes do wrong and possibly endanger themselves. Don't discount a beginner riding course just because you're not a beginner.

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Sign up for an Experienced Ridercourse, then a Total Control clinic, then maybe a track school.

(I skipped the Beginner Ridercourse, but I had been riding since I was 5. Not sure if you should start at beginner or experienced)

The experienced course is also very inexpensive last I checked.

I started riding at 10 and had many years trials experience when I took the beginners MSF course. I learned many things that I frequently see people on bikes do wrong and possibly endanger themselves. Don't discount a beginner riding course just because you're not a beginner.

Have you taken the experienced course? Back when I took it in '95, it was an extension of the beginner course. Same concepts and many of the same exercises, but at a higher speeds.

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Sign up for an Experienced Ridercourse, then a Total Control clinic, then maybe a track school.

(I skipped the Beginner Ridercourse, but I had been riding since I was 5. Not sure if you should start at beginner or experienced)

The experienced course is also very inexpensive last I checked.

I started riding at 10 and had many years trials experience when I took the beginners MSF course. I learned many things that I frequently see people on bikes do wrong and possibly endanger themselves. Don't discount a beginner riding course just because you're not a beginner.

Have you taken the experienced course? Back when I took it in '95, it was an extension of the beginner course. Same concepts and many of the same exercises, but at a higher speeds.

No but I've always wanted to. I wonder how much it costs, the basic course was $750 years ago.
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"No but I've always wanted to. I wonder how much it costs, the basic course was $750 years ago."

$750 f*ck'n dollars, do you get sex with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with the course :ohmy: ...

ACE


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"No but I've always wanted to. I wonder how much it costs, the basic course was $750 years ago."

$750 f*ck'n dollars, do you get sex with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with the course :ohmy: ...

ACE

Now do you see why I haven't taken the advanced course? Incredible really that wanting to learn to be safe has to be so expensive. If I didn't have a wife and young family, I probably wouldn't have bothered, still, I'm glad I did.

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Well then BCmcrider, for those of us down here in the States (I noticed your location & think maybe pricing is higher up there?), my suggestion to the OP would be the Total Control riding schools, from beginner on up. I took the 1st TC school (after riding for over 30 yrs), enjoyed it & found it helpful. I had the MSF beginner course, but too many years ago to think it hasn't changed by now :biggrin: ... I agree with the poster who put track day last, for a beginner :smile2: ...

ACE

I can't help myself, I just have to say it ... how low can you lean ... all the way until you hit the ground :laughing6-hehe: ...

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"No but I've always wanted to. I wonder how much it costs, the basic course was $750 years ago."

$750 f*ck'n dollars, do you get sex with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with the course :ohmy: ...

ACE

Now do you see why I haven't taken the advanced course? Incredible really that wanting to learn to be safe has to be so expensive. If I didn't have a wife and young family, I probably wouldn't have bothered, still, I'm glad I did.

In the US, you use their bikes for the beginner course and your own bike in the experienced course. So it's significantly cheaper for experienced.

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"No but I've always wanted to. I wonder how much it costs, the basic course was $750 years ago."

$750 f*ck'n dollars, do you get sex with a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader with the course :ohmy: ...

ACE

Now do you see why I haven't taken the advanced course? Incredible really that wanting to learn to be safe has to be so expensive. If I didn't have a wife and young family, I probably wouldn't have bothered, still, I'm glad I did.

In the US, you use their bikes for the beginner course and your own bike in the experienced course. So it's significantly cheaper for experienced.

Yes, same here, the beginner course did include using their bikes. Using your own bike was not an option.

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The basic MSF course in Michigan when I took it was like $25. In Georgia, it is $300. I think Michigan state subsidizes the course to encourage people to take it......something more states should do IMO.

I took the experienced riders course in Indiana when I lived there and I don't remember the cost, but I don't think it was more than $50 or $75.

Shoot, Ed Bargy was only about $400.......for a race oriented class, that is cheap, especially compared to $750 for a basic riders class.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another link to a doc you might find useful below...

http://www.iam.org.uk/fullcontrol

but as others far more experienced than me have said so well already, best idea is to try to find some training, or someone who knows what they are doing to take you through cornering. I was at a recent safety course in the UK run by the met police, who said that for nearly all accidents in turns the bike could have made it round, but the rider didn't have the confidence/skill to carry the bike through the turn, they also said you hit what you stare at - so keep looking through to the exit of the turn if in trouble - not at what is troubling you! They find lots of solitary lamp posts and trees with bikes embedded in them after an accident... The other bit of advice they gave was never travel at a speed faster than you can stop in the distance you can see ahead (and on your side of the road). That has certainly kept my speed down on open roads in the UK! most of which are "blind" (ie you can't see the exit at the start). Hope this helps. I'm no expert by a long shot, but hope this is useful.

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Hey Josh..I know your a newb and all but the hangin off aint for the streets...like the other guys suggested Keith Code and track days........there are plenty of schools to pick from so not to pick up bad habits...learn it right the first time. JMO Bud

Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2

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