how to know when your at the limit?

awesome, some interesting posts in here guys.
guess i will just keep clocking up the k's until summer when i can go out and do a proper course and track day.
soo...things to remember...hang off as much as possible, tuck feet up, pick the right lines and most importantly have fun!!

those are crap tyres. i would invest in a pair of gpr alpha-10's . they can really get your confidence going.


but then again ive seen someone scrape knees, pegs, and outride bigger bikes on the same tyres that were about 5 years old , and had absolutely no thread on them . all on a 93 fzr250

yeah they are dunlop arrowmax tyres and they are terrible!!
prob just wait 6 - 12 months until i get another bike rather than buy new tyres though...im too cheap!

Just lean it till it slides and then pick it up a little!!

FWIW I had no problems with the arrowmax's on the GPX250 - even at EC.
To be honest there wasn't alot of choice for the GPX at the time - but I never felt they were a problem.

My tyres are Bridgestone BT45 battlax - same tyre or different?

I've found them to be fantastic tyres!

In a bike mag tyre review article of my bike (gs500) going around a racetrack the bridgestone was the best tyre BY FAR over about 8 others from all the major manufacturers, some considerably more expensive!

ahhh just had a look at your tread pattern, totally different to my tyres, can't vouch for them then.

would you guys/girls suggest a cornering course/day ride only if youre really trying to push yourself, or would it help build confidence even if youre new on the bike?

would you guys/girls suggest a cornering course/day ride only if youre really trying to push yourself, or would it help build confidence even if youre new on the bike?

You can do as many courses as you can handle/afford, but at the end of the day you wil get the most, from experience......... Just get out there and ride and ride and ride....... and when you think you have ridden enough ride some more........ To reach your limit is to reach perfection........ No one is perfect.....

would you guys/girls suggest a cornering course/day ride only if youre really trying to push yourself, or would it help build confidence even if youre new on the bike?

Yes. Its a fast way of sorting out your technique. I do one each year, usually in spring.

would you guys/girls suggest a cornering course/day ride only if youre really trying to push yourself, or would it help build confidence even if youre new on the bike?

If you don't know anything about counter steering, where to position yourself and throttle control through a corner and where to look when riding then a course or a lot of reading will help you a great deal. Then, once you know what you should be doing, you can get out there and practice. There's no point practicing if you don't know what to practice.

haha i raced on those tyres, once and binned it haha. bin those tyres get the alphas and go nuts mate!

If you are seriously about pushing your limits ditch the arrowmax's and get some Dunlop Alpha GPR10's.

The arrowmax's are fine for commuting and the odd bash in the twisties but once you start talking about dragging pegs/knees etc, then they really aren't gonna hold up to it.

your at the upper limit of your ability in any particular circumstance when you have to remind yourself to breathe...............................

low siding is not all really a result of lean angle.

improper bike balance, improper braking and incorrect timing and use of throttle application and road conditions play a bigger part in the low-side.

Wish somebody told the assclown who threw a 675 speed triple at me last Sunday!? (oncoming bike down the high side of 220 apparantly when overtaking an oncoming vehicle, came so close to me (combined speed of 300+ km/hr) I wore Triumph bike blood , magnesium shavings plus a few chunks of stator !? )
(sorta found myself with less than 1 metre of road to avoid the oncoming bike inc' oil slick / rider / 4wd and honestly thought it was the end for me and the mighty 10 for a few split seconds !!

Please don't do this shit to other bikers if you can help it dude ,,, sorta pisses people off pretty quick !! I was pretty once I cleaned the mud out of my Draggins!!!!

Fortunately the guy got off pretty lightly considering he was wearing a soup bowl style o/f skull cap,work pants, no gloves , work boots , Dianese jacket.
He was so lucky in fact he scored a nice ride in the big green and white Mercedes with the flashing lights and sirens!!



End of hijack - sorry

Book yourself in for Level 1 Superbike school at the Island. Until then you should have the balls of your feet on the footpegs, not the middle of your foot. This will reduce wrecking your boots and also stop you from busting your ankle if it really digs in. Once your using all of your tyre you can start adjusting your body position to keep the bike more upright as you go through the corner which will allow you to increase your speed, until once again you are using all the tyre then repeat. More importantly is to be riding smooth. Set your entry speed to the corner, make one steering input and start rolling on the throttle as soon as the steering is done.
Reading books like 'twist of the wrist 1 and 2' will also help you understand what you should be doing. These are available to download on various sites (google will find you a copy for free (pirated)
Enjoy