Cornering

[Cab305]

Originally Posted by Misti

How does a highside occur? Do you think that if you just get on the brakes mid corner you are going to highside the bike? Can you clarify please? Thanks!

Misti

Sure thing. Here is a quick definition I found on Motorcycle-glossary.com

High Side: A type of motorcycle crash that occurs when the rear wheel starts to slide in a turn (sometimes due to a locked brake and the resulting skidding tire), and then suddenly grips the pavement (which could occur when letting off the brake) flipping the bike sideways. The name derives from the side of the motorcycle that the rider will separate from. If forcibly thrown over the bike, the rider is said to have dismounted on the high side.
Riders are usually advised to do a lowsider rather than a highsider if neither can be avoided. The highsider has the additional disadvantage of the rider often being catapulted into the air by the sudden jerking motion of the motorbike and the increased possibility of the motorbike sliding behind the rider with the potential of striking him or her.

Because highside accidents are so much more deadly than lowside accidents, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation recommends that if a rider locks the rear brake, it should be kept locked until the motorcycle comes to a stop. If necessary, locking the front brake to deliberately cause a lowside is recommended. -

P.S. Here the example says locking the brake, but releasing the throttle will have the same effect, the bike will want to stand up. (not as violently)

Hope this helps clarify. I've never had to do either, thank god, knock on wood. But I concur, from the research I've done on You Tube, the lowside always seems the better choice.

[Misti]

Originally Posted by Cab305

"I think you meant "brake" but it is a common mistake "
How embarrassing, I is usually a good speller. Cause I is an ex college student.

"I've been surprised how hard I can be turning and then still brake or just roll off the throttle"
You are practicing, bad technique SR#1(Keith said so). For whatever reason you felt you needed to "brake" or roll off, there was a better solution. You will eventually find the point where you can't brake or just roll off anymore.

I personally still have trouble not doing it. SR#1 is hard to overcome.

SR #1 is hard to overcome and in a lot of situations there are better solutions than getting on the brakes but there are some occasions where you may need to get on the brakes mid corner (usually to avoid hitting something) and there is a way to do it more safely. Keith Code will tell you the same thing, sometimes you need to get on the brakes mid corner but there is a technique to doing it right.

As JMcDonald says below, some cases require braking in the turn, like his example of having to avoid a piece of cardboard. He chose to add some brake and ride over the cardboard more straight up and down then to hit it in full lean, probably a good choice in this situation. The KEY to doing so is to stand the bike up more vertical at the same time as you are getting on the brakes.

The reason that most "brakes in corner" causes a crash is because the rider is at a considerable lean when he gets on the brakes. Brakes while leaning suddenly loads the front tire with weight and the combination of that weight while the bike is on the edge of the tire is what pushes you over the edge of traction limits. We all know that we can brake pretty hard while the bike is vertical so if you MUST get on the brakes mid corner then stand the bike up as much as possible before doing so."

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

Oh I know it's bad, but the solution to every possible mid-turn situation cannot always be "more throttle and lean harder." For example, in one of my cases I looked up to see I was headed strait for a large piece of cardboard. I did not want to risk going around it, because in approaching the edge of the road I could have hit some gravel or even dust. So, between the options of hitting the piece of cardboard at nearly full-lean and KNOWING I will crash, or rolling off the throttle to go over it as vertically as possible, I chose the latter (and survived).

Next question, what is the best (and fastest way) to stand the bike up mid turn IF you need to slow down, add brakes or avoid hitting something?

Misti

[Cab305]

I would think that easing back on the throttle without cutting it would be the best solution (cardboard scenario). The Bike would stand up (reduce lean) then if you must apply brake at least the bike won't be as leaned over.

However I would probably try to go to the inside of the debris (more lean) than to try an stand up and brake. 1 step instead of 2, plus if you hit cardboard you'll probably low-side, if you stand up and still hit cardboard, you will be closer to the center of the lane or outside shoulder of road while sliding.

But like I said, I have trouble overcoming SR#1 so who knows exactly how I would react in situation, I'd like to think I could keep my composure and ride it out.

[indr]

Originally Posted by Listerineteeth

I remember when I was just starting out I had a 'enter corner too fast - going to hit a house' moment. Being so brand new to riding at the time I did the stupidest thing in the world and grabbed a handful of front brake. I wasn't too leaned over (I was just starting the turn) but enough to make me think 'STUPID STUPID STUPID'. Amazingly, no trouble, no locking up, the bike just slowed down and I made the turn.

Afterwards, I went through it a thousand times, and didn't ride for a week (knowing I could do something so stupid). Obviously it's the only time I've grabbed the front brake during a turn, (and now I know much better, thanks ninjette.org!) but am still amazed that the bike just slowed down, no fuss, no problem. It still puzzles the hell out of me. (in a 'oh look, I didn't crash. Now lets NEVER do that again!).

All the advice here is great, but just wanted to share my cornering 'moment' (and if anyone can explain why I didn't launch into the air or low/highside, it would be appreciated)

Once I was going up a ramp connecting one street to another (not highway ramp). The curve was somewhat tight. The ramp was 4 laned; two lanes for each direction traffic with small curb in the middle. Right after the curve ended, there was a stop light with cars already stopped. I was comming in too fast and did apply front brake while in a lean. I ALMOST felt the bike trying to up itself and the rear wheel sliding out. Any more brake than what I did apply would've sent me off into the other lane with oncomming traffic. So, never again. I just don't cover the front brake lever in a aggressive curve anymore.

But downshifting works fine for me.

[rockNroll]

push the outside clip on/bar.

[JMcDonald]

How would the bike stand up with reduced thrust? Ive never had that happen under any circumstance. If you let off the gas and dont change steering, you will fall over to the inside, no?

And yeah I totally forgot to mention tht any time ibrake in a corner iam standing the bike up (with steering) before or gradually at the same time.
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[Cab305]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

How would the bike stand up with reduced thrust? Ive never had that happen under any circumstance. If you let off the gas and dont change steering, you will fall over to the inside, no?

Yes, my mistake. Releasing the throttle won't make bike stand up, but the weight distribution will change. More weight will be transferred to the front tire, increasing the possibility for it to slide out.

[backinthesaddleagain]

On my ninja I did a lot of trail braking - as long as the road was dry and the surface was clean. I feathered the brakes, never grabbing them too hard or abruptly. Due to the road conditions I got away from it.

On the 600RR I have ABS and I do a bit of trail braking. Everyone talks about the virtues of ABS on wet or sandy roads with the bike up straight. Misti - since California Superbike School is using the S1000RR are you seeing any corner braking by students using that bike with ABS on? Successful or unsuccessful as no one has really addressed cornering with ABS braking.

[JMcDonald]

I do a lot of trail-braking if I want to make a turn into a parking lot or something, and am either trying to beat oncoming traffic or get out of the way of following traffic as quickly as possible. I have less traction issues if I get my weight far to the inside and can brake harder (and can thus enter the turn faster and / or have a larger margin of error).

But, it is not actually faster, so I try not to do it in spirited rides or if I will need to accelerate hard at the turn's exit. The transition from engine braking to on the gas upsets the bike enough that speed has to be significantly reduced to prevent a loss of traction, so any benefit of rushing into the turn is definitely outweighed by the slower overall corner and ESEPCIALLY exit speed.

[almost40]

Originally Posted by Listerineteeth

I remember when I was just starting out I had a 'enter corner too fast - going to hit a house' moment. Being so brand new to riding at the time I did the stupidest thing in the world and grabbed a handful of front brake. I wasn't too leaned over (I was just starting the turn) but enough to make me think 'STUPID STUPID STUPID'. Amazingly, no trouble, no locking up, the bike just slowed down and I made the turn.

Afterwards, I went through it a thousand times, and didn't ride for a week (knowing I could do something so stupid). Obviously it's the only time I've grabbed the front brake during a turn, (and now I know much better, thanks ninjette.org!) but am still amazed that the bike just slowed down, no fuss, no problem. It still puzzles the hell out of me. (in a 'oh look, I didn't crash. Now lets NEVER do that again!).

All the advice here is great, but just wanted to share my cornering 'moment' (and if anyone can explain why I didn't launch into the air or low/highside, it would be appreciated)

Because street skills in most cases are not enough to exceed the bikes ability. You would be amazed at what these little 250s can do with the stock suspension stuff and a good set of tires.

[JMcDonald]

Yes misti, I just turn harder into the turn to stand the bike up. Sometimes, I let the bike stand up independently of my body so i can get on the brakes more quickly (basically, I just let my body hang off like a normal hard turn).

As far as going around the cardboard, like I said the risk of hitting a low-traction surface on either edge of the road was too great (it was a large piece of cardboard).
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[revstriker]

I didn't read all of the responses, but this is a timely thread for me to read. On my way home from work today, I turned into my housing development a little faster than normal. My natural reaction was to give it a little more throttle and to lean a little more. Made the turn without an issue.

[JMcDonald]

I have a question.

When we are referring to the realization that you a going to fast, are we assuming this occurs BEFORE the lean is initiated, or after? I have been thinking we were assuming before, in which case I never have any problem trail braking while putting my weight to the inside to keep the bike upright as long as possible. If we are talking about AFTER the lean is initiated, then yeah either accelerating and leaning more, or standing the bike up and stopping are appropriate responses.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Don't feel stupid for braking. Although its not the thing to do it is a human survival instinct that is hard to not do. It just takes practice.
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[ninja3575]

Originally Posted by randomwalk101

Most of crashes (rider's fault) occurs in corner. Mostly hitting them too fast. So when you enter a corner a little too fast, what do you do?

Lean more?
Rear brake?
Engine brake?
Soft front brake?
Abandon bike and bail?
Pray?

Well.. after watching Twist of the Wrist II for the fourth time.. The proper way to handle coming into a corner too fast is to roll of the gas so u decrease speed and once you negotiate the turn roll on the gas... In the video it specifically states that if you try to lean more and accelerate you are setting yourself up for a crash... not that it is inevitable... just not the most prudent thing to do...

[JMcDonald]

That makes more sense. Interesting that such a credible source seems to go so against the grain of what many seem to think is common doctrine? I really need to check out those books / DVDs.

[8gauge]

most of you know what i'm talking about, but if you watch videos or see pics of people doing some hard corners, it looks like they're hanging off the bike and holding on with only one leg.

There's no MSF course here, just a written test, permit issued and then "good luck with not getting killed". so i've had basically no training except for jumping on and trying everything new as slowly and cautiously as I can.

I've done some pretty sharp corners but i don't think i hang off like that. I lean the bike, but try to keep my body centered. dunno if that makes sense. I still feel myself lowering to the ground going around the turn, but i dont think my form looks like the pics i've seen.

any techniques other than, "look where you're going" that would help?

[Cab305]

Originally Posted by 8gauge

I lean the bike, but try to keep my body centered. dunno if that makes sense. I still feel myself lowering to the ground going around the turn, but i dont think my form looks like the pics i've seen.

any techniques other than, "look where you're going" that would help?

By body centered do you mean over the bike while leaning? or you let the bike lean under you?

Because I think letting bike lean without you is bad. You upset the center of gravity. Its hard to explain without a visual.

Here, one of my local track gurus put this up on local forum.

Link to original page on YouTube.
Hope it helps!

[JMcDonald]

It is not that the center of gravity is "upset," it is just that the more you lean the bike, the more the tires inherently lose traction due to the angular motion of the rubber relative to the concrete. Think about how if the tire is leaning at an angle, but at that instant going in a strait line, a given point on the rubber will also be moving laterally, and not just vertically, if that makes sense.

Also, the bike will absorb road imperfections more readily without losing traction, again largely due to the increased traction.


But yeah, the more you lean off the bike, the more vertical the bike can be, and the more traction you have. This increased traction can be used to take the same turn at the same speed but with a larger mrgin of safety, OR it can be used to take the same turn at a higher speed with the same margin of safety, OR it can be used to make a tighter turn (like the inside line) at the same speed and with the same margin of safety.

[8gauge]

Originally Posted by Cab305

By body centered do you mean over the bike while leaning? or you let the bike lean under you?

Because I think letting bike lean without you is bad. You upset the center of gravity. Its hard to explain without a visual.

Here, one of my local track gurus put this up on local forum.

Link to original page on YouTube.
Hope it helps!

yeah i meant let the bike lean under me, but usually when i'm just going on a really wide but long turn.

so say im going to make a left turn, take my butt off the seat and hang off the left side of the bike, how do you hold on? hug with my right leg? I guess it's one of those things i'm gonna have to find a good road to try on, because most of the training i've had was through this site. lol

[JMcDonald]

When I was getting used to hanging off, I found I was quite comfortable sliding my butt off, but keeping my inside knee against the bike. This allowed me to hold the bike between my knees for stability, but still get my torso far off to the inside. It was actuall stable enough that I would regularly take my left hand on the bars and stay in exactly the same position without losing any stability, and be quite comfortable. Now that I stick my knee out, I am having to re-learn locking my body into place with the reduced leg force available.

[8gauge]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

When I was getting used to hanging off, I found I was quite comfortable sliding my butt off, but keeping my inside knee against the bike. This allowed me to hold the bike between my knees for stability, but still get my torso far off to the inside. It was actuall stable enough that I would regularly take my left hand on the bars and stay in exactly the same position without losing any stability, and be quite comfortable. Now that I stick my knee out, I am having to re-learn locking my body into place with the reduced leg force available.

so what's the advantage of sticking your knee out as opposed to your old method?

[JMcDonald]

Im not really sure yet. After getting used to it it does feel a little more natural, but I was doing it more for just to try to get more "proper" form than for increased performance. I feel significantly less stable with me knee out than with my inside knee squeezing the tank, but I have just been working to get better at it just to get better at it. On the street I doubt there is any difference in how well I can corner, though. In fact, when cornering on uneven surfaces, transitioning quickly, or when I've had to make adjustments mid-corner I feel like I am more stable and secure with both knees in...

Hmm, I might try to see if I can't do a few turns with my knee in to get a more recent comparison.

[Misti]

Originally Posted by Misti

Next question, what is the best (and fastest way) to stand the bike up mid turn IF you need to slow down, add brakes or avoid hitting something?
Misti

Originally Posted by rockNroll

push the outside clip on/bar.

Yes, this is the answer I was looking for. Simple but effective. IF you need to add brakes mid corner for an emergency situation then the best way to do so is to get the bike the most vertical as possible before adding the brakes and this is done by coming off the gas while pushing the outside clip on/bar to effectively countersteer the bike back up. You will run wide which is why it is not an idea thing to do but if you came flying around a corner only to encounter a 3 car pile up and had to get on the brake to avoid hitting them then your best option would be to steer the bike upright and get on the brakes.

Misti

[Misti]

Originally Posted by ninja3575

Well.. after watching Twist of the Wrist II for the fourth time.. The proper way to handle coming into a corner too fast is to roll of the gas so u decrease speed and once you negotiate the turn roll on the gas... In the video it specifically states that if you try to lean more and accelerate you are setting yourself up for a crash... not that it is inevitable... just not the most prudent thing to do...

The best way to approach a turn is to have the entry speed set correctly BEFORE you turn the bike so that you can just turn the bike, and then roll on the gas. If you are approaching too fast (BEFORE YOU HAVE TURNED IN) then you roll off the gas, get on the brakes and get the speed set. Once you turn in then you would roll on the gas evenly, smoothly and consistently throughout the remainder of the turn.

If however you feel as though you are going too fast WHILE already in the corner then the worst thing you could do would be to try to get on the brakes and/or roll OFF the gas. In this situation, if you feel like you are going to fast in the middle of the corner, the best thing to do would be to hold the throttle steady or to continue to roll on slightly.

Misti

[Misti]

Originally Posted by 8gauge

most of you know what i'm talking about, but if you watch videos or see pics of people doing some hard corners, it looks like they're hanging off the bike and holding on with only one leg.

There's no MSF course here, just a written test, permit issued and then "good luck with not getting killed". so i've had basically no training except for jumping on and trying everything new as slowly and cautiously as I can.

I've done some pretty sharp corners but i don't think i hang off like that. I lean the bike, but try to keep my body centered. dunno if that makes sense. I still feel myself lowering to the ground going around the turn, but i dont think my form looks like the pics i've seen.

any techniques other than, "look where you're going" that would help?

The reason why people hang off the bike and lean into the turn is because doing so allows you to get through the corner with less overall lean angle then if you stay upright on the bike (centered) or lean away from it. Having less lean angle means that you have MORE ground clearance and more available traction.

Before you try to hang your butt off the seat and completely change the way you ride I would suggest you practice letting your body "go with the bike." By this I mean instead of keeping your body centered on the bike you would let it kind of fall into the turn. I tell my students to try to be a good passenger on the bike and follow it wherever it goes. If you are going into a right hand turn then let your right shoulder and head fall into the turn, be one with the bike. It is counter-intuitive because we think that leaning with the bike will make it fall over or make the bike skid out from underneath us but it actually makes the bike stable and gives it more traction.

Cheers,

Misti

[Domagoj]

Originally Posted by Misti

Before you try to hang your butt off the seat and completely change the way you ride I would suggest you practice letting your body "go with the bike." By this I mean instead of keeping your body centered on the bike you would let it kind of fall into the turn. I tell my students to try to be a good passenger on the bike and follow it wherever it goes. If you are going into a right hand turn then let your right shoulder and head fall into the turn, be one with the bike. It is counter-intuitive because we think that leaning with the bike will make it fall over or make the bike skid out from underneath us but it actually makes the bike stable and gives it more traction.

Cheers,

Misti

Lets try to look at this "how to hold on to the bike" from slightly different perspective:
Think about the basic forces which are affecting your body while the bike is going through a turn. You have the centripetal force pushing the motorcycle to change direction, which you "feel" working in opposite direction because your body wants to keep traveling in a straight line. And there is gravity pulling you to the ground. The wonderful thing of being leaned over is that the centripetal force is being countered basically the same way that gravity is being countered when the bike is traveling in a straight line - you are being pushed into the seat (more accurately seat is pushing your butt). Gravity on the other hand is countered partially by friction between your butt and the seat (and this increases with increased centripetal force), and with your outside leg and arm, resting on the tank. So if you keep everything nice and smooth as it should be, there is no real danger of falling off, so there is no real need to "hold on" too hard with any of your limbs. Your inertia is doing the hard stuff for you.

About cornerspeed, there is a topic here crack or roll which covers some of the stuff mentioned in this one. Everyone has most likely read it though
Well, Misti is right, totally. About upwards/downwards/increasing/decreasing turns, you can always work with light roll on. Just get your entry speed right.

And one last thing on my mind atm. Keith Code also speaks about those, was it 70% ? Anyways it was some percentage of your capabilities at which you are able to completely keep your cool and do things properly. Dont underestimate that, it feels much better to feel all the things which are being spoken of here without being scared and panicking.

[JMcDonald]

Misti, I have a question. I find myself much more confident in hard left turns than right turns. Do you ever encounter that in your schools?


I think it might possibly be there are more nice left turns around where I live than right turns, giving me both more practice time and more confidence in the tires holding. But the difference is pretty noticable.

[rockNroll]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

Misti, I have a question. I find myself much more confident in hard left turns than right turns. Do you ever encounter that in your schools?


I think it might possibly be there are more nice left turns around where I live than right turns, giving me both more practice time and more confidence in the tires holding. But the difference is pretty noticable.

Lots of people feel this way out on the roads, right hand turns are sharper. After a little track time you'll feel more equal.

[Alex]

Also, throttle position is harder on right hand turns, especially if hanging off a bit. It can help to move your hand farther to the end of the throttle grip, and almost grab it from the side a bit. Will try and find a pic. But yeah, that's something that you don't have to deal with on left hand turns.

[JMcDonald]

Ah yeah actually I do remember once thinking throttle control was more difficult when hanging off to the right. And I mean right-hand ramp curves, of which there are many with longer radii.
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[Misti]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

Misti, I have a question. I find myself much more confident in hard left turns than right turns. Do you ever encounter that in your schools?


I think it might possibly be there are more nice left turns around where I live than right turns, giving me both more practice time and more confidence in the tires holding. But the difference is pretty noticable.

All the time It's normal. I'd say the majority of people feel more comfortable in left hand turns than in right, myself included and I think it has to do with the fact that the throttle is on the right. People feel a little bit more awkward leaning right, pressing the right handlebar and at the same time using the throttle.

M

[backinthesaddleagain]

Even in the dirt, where I have more experience, a left hand turn just seemed so much more natural. Leaned over in a berm on a right hander seems like there's less room to roll on more throttle. But in a left turn the right arm is up and seems like so much less restriction for the throttle hand. I know it sounds weird.
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[JMcDonald]

Oh yeah I totally understand the feeling on dirt. In large part that was because if I need to use the back brake, I could still use my left foot to stabilize my bike as I slide it around the corner (mostly in trails riding). Obviously, I don't do a lot of sliding on the street, so I wasn't sure if that was just an old thing stuck in my head, or if there was something to it.


Though, discussing it and finding out why it is awkward (throttle hand position and manipulation), it felt a little less scary today.

[JMcDonald]

The other day I decided to leave a few minutes early and hit a few of my favorite on / offramps on my way to work. One of them is a very quick s-curve (two inverted ~75-80* curves, with no strait section in between... aggressive exit speed is maybe 40-45mph). I guess I made it through the first part of the curve faster than I thought, because I think I came in a little fast for the second one. I didn't roll off the throttle in the second right-hander, but I didn't accelerate nearly as much as I have recently learned keeps the bike planted. Low and behold, the rear end started to step out. This wasn't out of the ordinary, so I stayed in it. However, it kept going and going, probably about 6" to the left as I made the turn. It happened really fast, but I am excited to report that I was able to semi-consciously look down the strait ahead (this was almost at the turn's exit) and stay on the gas! And, viola, she lined herself back up without any more fuss!

It was definitely a puckering experience. I remember that instant when the tire slipped beyond my current limit of comfort, and I thought "ah, well this is it, at least there isn't much around here for me to hit." But I guess I must have switched back to "fight" mode .


Anyways, I guess my point is this stuff works!

[Lou]

Had this happen to me last week. Johel and my self (both of us new riders) went riding this Friday to put the last break in miles on our bikes and decided to take some back roads (which are horrible in the Imperial Valley BTW). As we came into a S-turn i realized that it was much tighter than i had first thought and came in a little fast. By the time i realized how the turn was i was already initiating the lean. I felt my stomach drop and puckered her up while i said to my self "OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP". My brain went into survival mode and remembered what i had read here on this same post a couple of days earlier lol. I leaned , throttled on the gas, looked throught the curve and out of my peripherals saw how i barely stayed on the yellow road line (gravel on the outside of it). We made it out fine, had to go home and change out my boxers though haha. Learned alot, dont panic, trust the bike.

BTW on the turn the road was all broken up and in bad shape, during my lean i hit some nasty bumps and actualy felt the bike jump almost like i was in the air that really did feel horrible.

[kkim]

"Trust the force, Luke."

[ninja3575]

Originally Posted by Misti

The best way to approach a turn is to have the entry speed set correctly BEFORE you turn the bike so that you can just turn the bike, and then roll on the gas. If you are approaching too fast (BEFORE YOU HAVE TURNED IN) then you roll off the gas, get on the brakes and get the speed set. Once you turn in then you would roll on the gas evenly, smoothly and consistently throughout the remainder of the turn.

If however you feel as though you are going too fast WHILE already in the corner then the worst thing you could do would be to try to get on the brakes and/or roll OFF the gas. In this situation, if you feel like you are going to fast in the middle of the corner, the best thing to do would be to hold the throttle steady or to continue to roll on slightly.

Misti

Ah.... I see the distinction now... and have to say that I'll be putting that into practice if ever I face a similar situation... Or maybe i'll just give it a go thanks Misti !

[Misti]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

The other day I decided to leave a few minutes early and hit a few of my favorite on / offramps on my way to work. One of them is a very quick s-curve (two inverted ~75-80* curves, with no strait section in between... aggressive exit speed is maybe 40-45mph). I guess I made it through the first part of the curve faster than I thought, because I think I came in a little fast for the second one. I didn't roll off the throttle in the second right-hander, but I didn't accelerate nearly as much as I have recently learned keeps the bike planted. Low and behold, the rear end started to step out. This wasn't out of the ordinary, so I stayed in it. However, it kept going and going, probably about 6" to the left as I made the turn. It happened really fast, but I am excited to report that I was able to semi-consciously look down the strait ahead (this was almost at the turn's exit) and stay on the gas! And, viola, she lined herself back up without any more fuss!

It was definitely a puckering experience. I remember that instant when the tire slipped beyond my current limit of comfort, and I thought "ah, well this is it, at least there isn't much around here for me to hit." But I guess I must have switched back to "fight" mode .


Anyways, I guess my point is this stuff works!

YAY!!!!

Originally Posted by Lou

Had this happen to me last week. Johel and my self (both of us new riders) went riding this Friday to put the last break in miles on our bikes and decided to take some back roads (which are horrible in the Imperial Valley BTW). As we came into a S-turn i realized that it was much tighter than i had first thought and came in a little fast. By the time i realized how the turn was i was already initiating the lean. I felt my stomach drop and puckered her up while i said to my self "OH CRAP OH CRAP OH CRAP". My brain went into survival mode and remembered what i had read here on this same post a couple of days earlier lol. I leaned , throttled on the gas, looked throught the curve and out of my peripherals saw how i barely stayed on the yellow road line (gravel on the outside of it). We made it out fine, had to go home and change out my boxers though haha. Learned alot, dont panic, trust the bike.

YAY!!!

Originally Posted by ninja3575

Ah.... I see the distinction now... and have to say that I'll be putting that into practice if ever I face a similar situation... Or maybe i'll just give it a go thanks Misti !

YAY!!!!

Glad you guys are all able to put some of this stuff into practice and that you are able to see the benefits and are noticing a difference! It pays to take a good hard look at your own riding and to work on improving aspects of it every day!

Sweet

Misti

[Sailariel]

Originally Posted by Cab305

Sure thing. Here is a quick definition I found on Motorcycle-glossary.com

High Side: A type of motorcycle crash that occurs when the rear wheel starts to slide in a turn (sometimes due to a locked brake and the resulting skidding tire), and then suddenly grips the pavement (which could occur when letting off the brake) flipping the bike sideways. The name derives from the side of the motorcycle that the rider will separate from. If forcibly thrown over the bike, the rider is said to have dismounted on the high side.
Riders are usually advised to do a lowsider rather than a highsider if neither can be avoided. The highsider has the additional disadvantage of the rider often being catapulted into the air by the sudden jerking motion of the motorbike and the increased possibility of the motorbike sliding behind the rider with the potential of striking him or her.

Because highside accidents are so much more deadly than lowside accidents, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation recommends that if a rider locks the rear brake, it should be kept locked until the motorcycle comes to a stop. If necessary, locking the front brake to deliberately cause a lowside is recommended. -

P.S. Here the example says locking the brake, but releasing the throttle will have the same effect, the bike will want to stand up. (not as violently)

Hope this helps clarify. I've never had to do either, thank god, knock on wood. But I concur, from the research I've done on You Tube, the lowside always seems the better choice.

Cab, That was an EXCELLENT clarification. Thanks for the Recon.