You're looking ahead & you see something lying in the road that you really need to avoid, you're doing about 70 mph. I learned the countersteer swerving technique in MSF course, but that was from a low parking lot speed on a much smaller bike (Honda 250).

From my limited experience on my new RR, it doesn't seem nearly as easy to do from any sort of highway speed. The bike is so stable & balanced it likes to really track straight. So what are you guys doing about these situations?

I'm being very vigilant looking as far ahead as I can on a continual basis. Longer reaction time is key to me at this point. What about you?

 

close my eyes and say "oh crap"! hahaha j/k...

yea if you're going 70 straight and try to countersteer, it's hard...but you gots to mang...this is where it would totally help to get out of the bike and not just countersteer with your arms.

 

Yeah, I'm familiar with the "oh crap" stuff!!

Tell me more what ya mean here Tahoe -- I take it to mean you were saying "get OFF of the bike"???? Like weight shift into a corner deal? Not sure what you're saying here.

 

It's very easy to do on the RR, just keep practicing!

 

How do you do it Fretless? Counterswerve? Weight shift? How would you recommend practising? Thanks a bunch!!

 

Countersteer, obviously, but by 'get out of the bike' I assume he means hang off the bike a little bit. I would slide one butt-cheek over the side and lean out with my elbows and head (the rest of my body follows naturally). That'll help the bike turn. Also, relax your outside arm and let your inside arm do all the steering.

The most important thing is to look where you want to be, not where you don't want to be (i.e. the obstacle). That's easier said than done. Just make sure the next lane is clear before you start moving across.

 

It depends on the object. At that speed it might make sense to get your weight on the back of bike and ride straight over it. But again, it depends on the object.

If it's a car, your going to have to full-out avoid it. Swerving at high speed is possible, but like all things at speed it takes more distance to do it.

So if there's one rule from the MSF that you should apply to this scenario it's PREVENTION!!!!. Always give yourself enough room so that if you find yourself in this situation you'll have enough time to avoid safely, regardless of which method you choose. You should always have 2-4 seconds worth of room between you and the closest thing in front of you. You should keep your eyes looking 12 seconds worth of distance down the road so you're prepared for an emergency.

 

I've ridden over some huge bumps/obstacles at decent speeds and the bike always felt stable under me. Like you said, sometimes it makes more sense to just shift your weight back, grip the tank with your knees and just ride over it. You'd be surprised how well the bike will take it.

Prevention is ideal, but his question was how to avoid the obstacle. I do agree with you though; ideally, he wouldn't have gotten himself into a situation where emergency avoidance was necessary.

 

Get up to speed and give a push on the bars (we'll use a right turn/swerve) and you'll see how quickly it moves. Push on the right bar and pull on the left and the bike will turn so fast it almost falls out from under you...so start out lightly and move up from there...push right go right, push left go left (and you pull on the opposite bar at the same time).

 

if I see it and I usually do I just go around it.... uuuhhhh not sure what you are really looking for but its as simple as that... When riding I like to try and stay 2 steps ahead of everything (when at all possible) And the biggest mistake people make is they either target fixate or over think it.... just go around it why is it that hard for people to do when avoiding situations but when swerving lanes they do it without thought. over thinking things can screw up you're reaction times.... don't take my word on it just a simple test... next time you ride think you're way through every gear (I mean completely think about pulling the clutch shifting and release and think about trying to make it smooth) you more than likely wont ride the same as when you just do it. there are some that have no problem with it but a lot more have trouble doing it when they pressure to do it exact.