Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Hey all wanna try and pick your brains to improve my sharp corner taking, i just cant seem to get around them without excessively scrubbing off tons of usable speed, im sure they can be done quicker than i am at present so any tip will be apprechiated and tried

hey Vince,

i once thought that i had cornering down to an art, doing all the stuff we think is the best way, jump on the brakes late and hard, get right off the seat and dig your knee into the tar, and that it was just grow a bigger set of balls to go faster. That all changed when a i did a RIDE SCHOOL.

the guys running the show took me right back to the basics and slowly rebuilt my technique. i can tell you it is all about thinking & looking thru the cnr, being smooth, and having trust in a well setup machine.

My advice: Go and do a ride school. it is well worth the $$$. i think that the California Superbike School have a school in the UK??

Check out this thread

Start slow and gradually work at the same corner. No extra points for being a hero upsidedown in the gutter. Slow right down, keep ya head up and look through the corner.

I think scrubbing speed *is* good. On the street you don't get a trophy for going fast, and slower speed also makes allowances when they're dirt etc.

A Twist of the Wrist II was a big help to me. But that will only get you so far, so in a couple of months I'm off to the Australian chapter of the Californian Superbike School for a cornering and breaking course.

vinze wrote:Hey all wanna try and pick your brains to improve my sharp corner taking, i just cant seem to get around them without excessively scrubbing off tons of usable speed, im sure they can be done quicker than i am at present so any tip will be apprechiated and tried

go grab the last few editions of that great UK mag...BIKE
they have had a series on improving your cornering
with some very good tips

or go find a cornering school like that at Donington
.... http://www.doningtonpark.co.uk
or
if you are up near Derby or Notts
try ... http://www.shiresmt.co.uk

Hold it flat!

Nah only joking, the school thing is a great idea, I want to do one myself when I can afford it.

And remember: Exit speed is more important than entry speed, although they are related. The sooner you can get on the gas, the quicker you will get to the next corner.

Better to practice at the track but its basicly about being smooth and keeping you head horizontal and your eyes up and looking for the exit/ next corner.

Once you have all that down you can go faster and faster.

Better add to that dont outbreak yourself i am a sucker for it, try breaking earlier and setting you entry speed well before you get there, picking your turn in point and sticking with it.

Some guys can virtually pull a rolling stoppie into the corner and not feel unduly unsettled by it and others have to work at it and keep it all smooth the important bit is when you get to the turn point make sure you turn/look for the exit and get on the gas.

If in doubt go and do a cornering and breaking course.

hmmm dont fall off.....if u can do that, ull probably be in front of me...cos ill be the guy mike described..laying upside down in the gutter...

Neka79 wrote:hmmm dont fall off.....if u can do that, ull probably be in front of me...cos ill be the guy mike described..laying upside down in the gutter...

yep...neka practising

scan the corner well before you get into it.
i spot my entry, apex and exit 4-6 times each corner, that way i've seen everything. and that gives me more confidence going into the corner. you're always afraid of what you can't see or more importantly what you potentially don't see.

and for christ sake, have faith in your bike's ability, it's most likely capable of much more than you are.

Smitty wrote:

Neka79 wrote:hmmm dont fall off.....if u can do that, ull probably be in front of me...cos ill be the guy mike described..laying upside down in the gutter...

yep...neka practising

hey man, at least id be a hero..if only in mike's eyes...

Some good advice up there.

As Diesel said keep scanning from Apex through to where the road goes dont worry about whats immediately in front of you as you enter the corner as you should have already scanned that & decided your entry line & brake release point. Soften your hands, take weight on outside knee & any bumps etc will be sorted out by the bikes momentum. Also try to "crack the throttle into the apex it will make the bike want to keep upright & make for a much smoother cornering experience.

It's all about confidence champ so get someone to help sort out your suspension & tyre pressures. This eventually comes down to how you like to get imformation from the bike. Lots of little tinkering on the same piece of road will help. Write down your starting & finishing settings. I continaully tinker I've found as i become more confident I can appreciate smaller changes then previously. Also Different tyres work in different ways to get to a similar point.

After that Get to a school it's money well spent.

Neka79 wrote:

Smitty wrote:

Neka79 wrote:hmmm dont fall off.....if u can do that, ull probably be in front of me...cos ill be the guy mike described..laying upside down in the gutter...

yep...neka practising

hey man, at least id be a hero..if only in mike's eyes...

ROFLMAO........

neka...KRSC Crash Test Dummy.....

Pontikat wrote:Some good advice up there.

As Diesel said keep scanning from Apex through to where the road goes dont worry about whats immediately in front of you as you enter the corner as you should have already scanned that & decided your entry line & brake release point. ...snip....

as the saying goes.....

look where you wanna go