I can't go round corners anymore?

[Taipan]

Apart from larking about, I don't think I've ever hung off a bike to corner? Never knew I countersteered until I heard the term and realised I must be doing it. I just can't remember the last time I touched a boot or peg down when going around a corner. I think its because I ride such cool bikes i'm kinda obliged to go slower and let people feast their eyes n them. Yeah, that'll be it!

Probably looking in shop windows at your reflection rather than leaning the bloody thing

Damn. Banged to rights!

[Yorick]

Apart from larking about, I don't think I've ever hung off a bike to corner? Never knew I countersteered until I heard the term and realised I must be doing it. I just can't remember the last time I touched a boot or peg down when going around a corner. I think its because I ride such cool bikes i'm kinda obliged to go slower and let people feast their eyes n them. Yeah, that'll be it!

Probably looking in shop windows at your reflection rather than leaning the bloody thing

Damn. Banged to rights!

[MyLittleStudPony]

The key things are to:
* give it lots of throttle
* then gan it reet over
* don't be nesh

[wull]

The key things are to:
* give it lots of throttle
* then gan it reet over
* don't be nesh

[ZRX61]

Perhaps you’re riding with due care and attention and consideration for other road users.

Fuck that nonsense...

[The Spin Doctor]

But that doesn't work for every. Often going wrong when they make a conscious effort / attempt. Examples would be when they need to tighten their line in a bend*, or swerve.

Those instances are where they need to know 'how' - and have practiced so it's ingrained. Best way is to make it a conscious action.

I learned to dodge potholes before I learned about counter-steering, whereas I learned to swerve around cars at junctions after discovering counter-steering.

I realised quite some time later that whilst I use counter-steering to get around emerging vehicles, I actually tried to physically steer the front wheel in the direction I thought I needed to go to avoid potholes - completely the wrong technique...

...which explained why so often I failed! Only occasionally did I set up enough of a wobble to miss the pothole but it was luck.

And unless I have time to consciously remind myself to counter-steer around a hole, I still try to turn the bars the wrong way when a pothole leaps out from under the vehicle ahead. It's a good example of how failing to learn the right technique early enough can set up a pattern of faulty behaviour which is 100 times more difficult to break than it would have been to have got it right first off.

For @Taipan , if you're happily getting around the corner, you've leant over enough.

Works for me

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You're too close to the vehicle in front if you haven't got time to avoid an unexpected pot hole.

Riding on the road has become a lot like trail riding, I choose the line that has the best surface, and I'm definitely not brave enough for 100mph + cornering any more, the (lack of) road surface makes it far too risky for me.

[Yorick]

You're too close to the vehicle in front if you haven't got time to avoid an unexpected pot hole.

Oooooh. Spin's been told off

[Skub]

You're too close to the vehicle in front if you haven't got time to avoid an unexpected pot hole.

Riding on the road has become a lot like trail riding, I choose the line that has the best surface, and I'm definitely not brave enough for 100mph + cornering any more, the (lack of) road surface makes it far too risky for me.

Book yourself into the Wull school of flying low.

[Horse]

You're too close to the vehicle in front if you haven't got time to avoid an unexpected pot hole.

Oooooh. Spin's been told off

To be fair, Spin said that he had time - but did it wrong

[The Spin Doctor]

You're too close to the vehicle in front if you haven't got time to avoid an unexpected pot hole.

Riding on the road has become a lot like trail riding, I choose the line that has the best surface, and I'm definitely not brave enough for 100mph + cornering any more, the (lack of) road surface makes it far too risky for me.

As a rule, if I'd managed to counter-steer correctly, I'd have had plenty of space to avoid the pothole - the fault was not so much in the following distance as in the technique used to try to avoid it.

But generally, yes - hitting unexpected potholes, or speed bumps for that matter - someone crashed right in front of me some years back when he overtook into my following gap, then had to hit the brakes hard as the car had slowed suddenly, and found the reason was a speed bump...

...though I'd also say that riding in London if you leave anything like the comfortable gap I'd like to offer, you'll find yourself head-on with a Deliveroo kamikaze or an Uber doing a U turn.

[Tarmacsurfer]

My advice is to buy a pitbike.
800quid for the bike, 35 quid for a days riding and you'll quickly re-learn how to corner. If you crash you can pick it up and carry on.
National level riders use them to practise on during winter for good reason

[wheelnut]

Without reading all the thread, if you’re happy, safe and comfortable then it’s all good.

FWIW, the older I get the faster I was as well. Not riding as regularly as I did doesn’t help either. I used to ride every day and getting on the bike was like putting on a comfy pair of slippers (it is a bmw after all), now I’m riding every week or two I find it takes me 50 miles to settle down.

[Supermofo]

Riding on the road has become a lot like trail riding, I choose the line that has the best surface, and I'm definitely not brave enough for 100mph + cornering any more, the (lack of) road surface makes it far too risky for me.

This for me. Too many corners have potholes, gravel or bumps on them so I end up compromising corner speed for safety, not a bad thing of course. Could be age as well but I'm definitely not committing to corners like I used as I don't trust the state of the roads. Going home for a couple of junctions of the A1 yesterday there are pot holes definitely big/long enough to have you off, which was forefront in my mind at the sweeping bend off ramp that I've not done in ages and used to cranking it right over round. I was definitely leaving myself a lot more error room.

The council will no doubt shortly try to sort some of this by covering everything with 3 inches of gravel

[dern]

I've noticed that I no longer lean into corners anymore? Seriously, I blat towards them then go around at a normal speed with hardly any lean and a country mile of getting a peg down. Its not like i was ever quick or a destroyer of tyres, but I'd often feel my boot or peg touch down on the same roads I'm riding today, but not anymore? Strange?

I don't know when this started or when I stopped doing it? Maybe subconsciously I'm worried, as busting up a mechanical knee wont end well I suppose? Maybe just encroaching gifferdom? Or is it just the older I get, the faster I was syndrome kicking in...

I felt the same a few years ago and decided to do an IAM course. It's not for everyone but I found it very useful and helped my road riding, especially cornering, confidence no end. My problems all came down to a lack of confidence caused by poor positioning and observation.

[Screwdriver]

I've noticed that I no longer lean into corners anymore? Seriously, I blat towards them then go around at a normal speed with hardly any lean and a country mile of getting a peg down. Its not like i was ever quick or a destroyer of tyres, but I'd often feel my boot or peg touch down on the same roads I'm riding today, but not anymore? Strange?

I don't know when this started or when I stopped doing it? Maybe subconsciously I'm worried, as busting up a mechanical knee wont end well I suppose? Maybe just encroaching gifferdom? Or is it just the older I get, the faster I was syndrome kicking in...

I felt the same a few years ago and decided to do an IAM course. It's not for everyone but I found it very useful and helped my road riding, especially cornering, confidence no end. My problems all came down to a lack of confidence caused by poor positioning and observation.

I have the opposite problem currently. Not been riding a bike much for technical reasons but on the odd occasion I do, I still ride like a lunatic. I know I'm doing it, I can't help it (it's such fun). If someone else posted that, I would jump in with some helpful comments but for the life of me, I can't seem to find the self-awareness to advise myself iyswim.

What I notice is that I am throwing myself into situations, like aiming for a gap in traffic and when I get there, remembering I should have checked for nearby junctions, behaviour of fwd traffic. So even on a short journey, I constantly find myself thinking, "ooh that was lucky" or "should have done <this/that>".

Classic overconfidence. I think I'll retain myself by just literally going for a little ride with no fixed destination or just round in a big loop (not the North Circular!). The only other thing I can think of is jumping on a smaller bike just to refresh my traffic awareness without the temptation to nail it everywhere. Thank goodness it's still the old Fazer and not the SuperDukeR. I wouldn't last five minutes on one of those currently, I'm just too rusty.

[Skub]

I have the opposite problem currently. Not been riding a bike much for technical reasons but on the odd occasion I do, I still ride like a lunatic. I know I'm doing it, I can't help it (it's such fun).

See there's that balance of fun and safety. It's a bastard to get right all the time and you only need to be caught out once.

I was out on the bike today and on a road I know very well,caught up with a lad on a Fireblade. He maybe didn't know the road as well,or wasn't that confident a rider,but I considered picking my moment to go past in a non aggressive way,just to enjoy the road for myself. For whatever reason,the notion passed and I dropped back to sit at his pace. A few miles down the quiet road and we entered a left hander. Not far from the corner exit we were confronted with the rear of a massive tour bus jammed in the road with a bus coming the other direction,also stopped. A wall of buses,if you like.

We got stopped in time,but we had to work at it. All I could think of was,if I had decided to go by the Blade rider and ride at my usual pace,the outcome may have been very different.

I had a yarn with the Blade rider at a fuel stop,he said he hated that road and he was heading home!

[Horse]

I dropped back to sit at his pace.

All I could think of was,if I had decided to go by the Blade rider and ride at my usual pace,the outcome may have been very different.

Maybe not. There's a possibility that by choosing to ride at his pace, you mentally went into low power mode and didn't do some of the 'what if?' planning that you would have usually done. So your reaction time would have been slower. Also, your braking would have been affected by the presence of the other bike and that you couldn't be sure what he would do.

[ChrisW]

...at my usual pace,the outcome may have been very different.

Might have got there before the buses snarled up the road?

[Skub]

...at my usual pace,the outcome may have been very different.

Might have got there before the buses snarled up the road?

Cool idea. Necessary faster to beat accidents.