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Six Secrets to Better Cornering Control
By David L. Hough These days, about half of all motorcycle crashes are "single vehicle." Speed is often implicated as a major factor in crashes. And many single vehicle crashes involve corners. Crashes seldom occur as a result of one small error, but rather when a sequence of small errors add up to more than you can handle. Here are some tactics to help you avoid cornering errors. 1. Countersteer to control lean. Bikes have to be leaned before they can be steered into a turn. Lots of cornering crashes occur because the riders apparently didn't know how to get the bike leaned over quickly enough or far enough. Shifting your body weight can help, but the primary force in causing lean is from steering the front wheel. To lean the bike toward the right, press the grips toward the right. To lean left, press the grips more toward the left. It's called "countersteering" because you steer counter to the way you want the bike to lean. 2. Ride a "delayed apex" line. Riding on public roads, you are likely to encounter strange turns and surface cambers that can suddenly demand corrective action. A delayed apex line gives you a better view of the corner, separates you from oncoming traffic at critical locations, and points the bike more in the direction you want to go. The concept is to initiate the turn-in a bit later and farther toward the outside of the curve. 3. Sneak on the throttle as you lean. As you roll the bike into the turn, ease on the throttle. That helps stabilize the suspension, maintain leanover clearance, and limit lean angle. As you pass the apex, easing on a bit more throttle will help lift the bike up. The ideal tactic is to be able to gradually ease on the throttle from the lean-in all the way through the turn. If you can't ease on the throttle all the way through the turn, that means you entered the turn too fast. 4. Watch for clues to radius and camber. If the edges of the pavement appear to be growing apart (diverging) that's a clue that the radius is not tightening up, and that the camber is to your advantage. If the edges of the pavement are converging, that's a clue that either the curve is tightening up, or the surface camber is tilted away from the curve. 5. Slow down more for downhill corners. The downslope pull of gravity increases your braking distance. To avoid being hard on the brakes at the turn-in point, brake earlier, while you're still in a more-or-less straight line. That helps separate braking from cornering, and helps avoid loss of traction. 6. Adjust your speed based on the view. It's tempting to maintain speed even when your sight distance is closing up. But if you can't see around the corner or over the hill, you have no advance warning of a hazard. Not all blind corners have serious hazards, but if there is a hazard and you wait until it's visible, it can be too late to avoid a crash. To avoid hidden hazards, adjust your speed based on how far ahead you can see. When the vanishing point is retreating toward you, transition to the brakes. When the view is stretching out, it's OK to get back up to speed.  |
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