Ed Bargy teaches a whole section of his race school about breathing and never getting that PUCKER moment, when you start freezing up locking up, freaking out.. you are going to grab brake, throttle, and anything your mind thinks is a safe grip.

If you find yourself getting in a corner too hot or out too hot, don't grab brake and don't start shifting and sitting up straight... you need to maintain throttle control and lean over further to make that corner. you would much rather low side the bike anyways... I have had many pegs and exhaust drag from this and I'm telling you sportbikes can handle more lean angle than you think if you maintain consistant throttle control

 

From what I remember the BRC instructor I had said the ERC was for experienced riders like those w/ a few years riding. Though looking at the course on their page it doesn't say anything about that. I'm not flying through turns or anything, just trying to slowly improve my abilities. Riding an hour any day that the weather permits. I was on a new to me road which has a lot of tight corners in quick succession, so I should have been more cautious. Thankfully I made it through the turn, but it was a wake up call.

Good advice, I appreciate it. I've gone over it plenty of times in my head, it's just something that I need to really beat into my brain and body to fight the survival reactions and stay calm and tell the bike what I need it to do. This thread and watching twist the wrist 2 have helped me understand a lot more of what's needed to be a safer and better rider. Now I need to practice and hone those skills until they become second nature.

 

That website was one of the first things I read when I first got my bike. I forgot about it. Now I can read it in different mind set. Thank you for sharing

 

ok Thanks I'm not on redline, but i use 2nd gear doing corners 40~50. I like it in 2nd gear cuz I feel it is more stable going through the corners and just feel like it has more grip on the ground. But I cannot accelerate after the corners like other people do. They take off after making the corner and gone. and I am way behind. if I am in 2nd gear, I would have to be going like 80 to be in redline. But that may be due to how I ride.

 

2nd gear is good...especially downhill cornering.....sharp corners...in control, holding your line...feels really good to be able to control the machine, and make it do what you want, effortlessly...slow or fast? Don't matter...stay relax, smooth & easy....I think it's like holding the bars like a golf club, if like you are holding a live bird in you palm. You want to hold it so the bird won't fly away...but not too tight, you'll suffocate and kill the bird.

 

You're going to learn the most from seat time. When you pull the bike back in the garage, think about things you did well and things you may want to get smoother on... e.g. (braking with the engine at time to keep a good rpm level on the bike instead of grabbing front brakes, pivoting off the seat but keeping an upright torso instead of just leaning off the bike with the top of your body first)

here's an example of looking through the turn and focusing on a good exit point...

notice my head is still straight up and down and not sideways, Bargy also preaches heavily about this... don't just hang off the bike to look cool, make sure you are rolling your hips over and keeping a nice upright center of balance.

 

Yea, I'm nowhere near being comfortable enough w/ my riding to hang off the bike like that. I pretty much just lean w/ bike at this point and am trying to build up slowly to the point where I can feel comfortable leaning more and/or hanging off. There's still plenty of chicken strip on my tires I don't use. Thanks for the tips, I'm always trying to improve my riding.

 

Don't worry about the "AMOUNT" of lean angle, work on pivoting the right way and keeping your center of gravity correct. As you get more comfortable, the angles will come. You can work on rolling your butt off the seat a little and keeping your upper body in the same area it starts in... do this without riding just sitting on the bike see how it feels and then go out and try it..

 

I try to make the corner smooth in the speed that I am comfortable with. And when I increase the speed each time, I would have to lean more. Also it might look bit strange, but I practice my butt hanging out on small corners too. When I hug the tank more with upper body, it seems to be easier to lean for me.

My head though... I don't have a video of me riding. So I am not sure. But I felt like my head was leaning as my body lean. so I try to keep my head straight like eamoto's pic when I lean

 

Counter steering was defined to me (30 years ago, gettin' older!) as 'push left - go left, push right- go right' . Most that ride bicycles do this quite naturally. This tactic has certainly helped all riding ( or almost crashing lol!) for me.