revtothelimit - motorbike forum

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:17 pm 1) go in a bit slower than usual so you have some attention to spare. Try to keep the bike on the same line right through a bend. Start middle of the lane.

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm
Once we got to the car park Diablo persuaded me to have a go at the practice drills - walking the upright bike in a circle then doing the same but with the bike leaning slightly into the turn to see just how much tighter you can turn with just a little bit of lean, but the real helpful bit for me was the “pointing your chin to where you want to go” as even in the car park I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

Bigyin wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:39 pm

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm
Once we got to the car park Diablo persuaded me to have a go at the practice drills - walking the upright bike in a circle then doing the same but with the bike leaning slightly into the turn to see just how much tighter you can turn with just a little bit of lean, but the real helpful bit for me was the “pointing your chin to where you want to go” as even in the car park I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

I must be doing something right as i make a big deal of this on CBT ..... i have an onboard video of Jonny Rea in wet race from Magny Cours from a camera mounted on the dash looking back at him with a clear visor. Superb example of " look where you want to go"

Cousin Jack wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:45 pm Bloody Hell! This internet thing is a PITA.

First it is Spin quoting me, now it is Horse quoting Beancounter.

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:36 pm

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

Say that again and I'll sue. We trainers have a bad reputation to maintain!

I hope you don't mind being quoted, but your parting comment at the end of the day was: "I've realised that I can't just arrive at corners and deal with them, i need to plan for them."

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:36 pm I hope you don't mind being quoted, but your parting comment at the end of the day was: "I've realised that I can't just arrive at corners and deal with them, i need to plan for them."

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:01 pm That's like saying "i can't just arrive at a set of stairs and expect to deal with them" well, you do... you arrive at them, then put one foot higher than the other each time, you get up the stairs.

Corners are no different, you don't arrive at them all at 130mph... you read the road and you go round the corner.

What's the difference between planning and reading a road ? You can't plan 5 corners ahead... because you can only see so far ahead of you (on most roads)

The Spin Doctor wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:04 pm

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:01 pm That's like saying "i can't just arrive at a set of stairs and expect to deal with them" well, you do... you arrive at them, then put one foot higher than the other each time, you get up the stairs.

Corners are no different, you don't arrive at them all at 130mph... you read the road and you go round the corner.

What's the difference between planning and reading a road ? You can't plan 5 corners ahead... because you can only see so far ahead of you (on most roads)

Reading the road IS planning.

Just as looking at the height of a set of steps, how narrow the steps are, how steeply angled they are and whether they are slippery or covered with a loose-fitting stair runner will give you a big hint

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:05 pm So what you're saying is..

To ride a motorbike you need to look at the road ahead and decide how fast to go ?

The Spin Doctor wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:07 pm

You look at the road ahead and decide how slow you should go.

There's a difference.

And of course, there are plenty of riders who don't achieve that successfully. If they did, we wouldn't have around 50% of all biking fatalities happening on bends, would we?

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:17 pm

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm I have an issue on right handlers, I don’t like being close to the verge, so I make an extra effort to get comfortable but it actually makes my riding rough and clunky and I’m not enjoying it.

Tip that might help... if you can find a short loop of bends, it's even better. 1) go in a bit slower than usual so you have some attention to spare. Try to keep the bike on the same line right through a bend. Start middle of the lane. Notice where your left / right mirrors are - if you can keep them same position with respect to the centre line / verge on both left / right sides, you're in the middle of the lane! 2) try the same shuffling half a metre to the left - the mirrors will have moved with respect to the centre line and verge, but try to keep the same relative position all the way through the bend. 3) repeat but another half metre to the left.

It'll feel weird to start with (and some riders say "it's distracting" but that's why we're riding a bit slower) but after a bit it becomes something we do in peripheral vision. It's how I recalibrate for riding on the wrong side of the road after a break from visiting the continent.

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:36 pm

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

Say that again and I'll sue. We trainers have a bad reputation to maintain!

I hope you don't mind being quoted, but your parting comment at the end of the day was: "I've realised that I can't just arrive at corners and deal with them, i need to plan for them."

Bigyin wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:39 pm

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm
Once we got to the car park Diablo persuaded me to have a go at the practice drills - walking the upright bike in a circle then doing the same but with the bike leaning slightly into the turn to see just how much tighter you can turn with just a little bit of lean, but the real helpful bit for me was the “pointing your chin to where you want to go” as even in the car park I was cornering smoother, more confidently and more calmly than before. The day made me enjoy riding more than ever before.

I must be doing something right as i make a big deal of this on CBT ..... i have an onboard video of Jonny Rea in wet race from Magny Cours from a camera mounted on the dash looking back at him with a clear visor. Superb example of " look where you want to go"

Beancounter wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:33 pm When my missus went to do a refresher day with the same CBT instructor she happened to mention that I'd been "banging on" about vanishing point and pointing her chin in the direction she needs to go, her instructor was very dismissive and said she didn't need to know any of that at her level.

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:01 pm

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:36 pm "I've realised that I can't just arrive at corners and deal with them, i need to plan for them."

Says who ?

Horse wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:43 pm

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:01 pm

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:36 pm "I've realised that I can't just arrive at corners and deal with them, i need to plan for them."

Says who ?

Beancounter said it.

But I'll take a guess at what he meant The alternative (at least, to what we covered during the day) might include:
- braking late, into the corner (no, not trail braking, or comfort braking)
- having to change gear mid-bend
- not using the throttle to balance the bike and drive through
- not looking through the bend

Yorick wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 12:08 pm

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 12:05 pm

Potter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 11:49 am I'm not even slightly surprised to find out that you started on old mans bikes

And I'm not in the least surprised by your attitude.

I think he was fishing and he got a little nibble

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:44 pm

Horse wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 2:43 pm

weeksy wrote: Tue Jul 06, 2021 12:01 pm
Says who ?

Beancounter said it.

But I'll take a guess at what he meant The alternative (at least, to what we covered during the day) might include:
- braking late, into the corner (no, not trail braking, or comfort braking)
- having to change gear mid-bend
- not using the throttle to balance the bike and drive through
- not looking through the bend

I've moved on fella, I should never have posted.

Beancounter wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 10:05 pm
I get asked why I want to join RoSPA.... then he says “What about being safer?”;