My advice, find Keith Code's books A Twist Of The Wrist 1 and 2, read both, they'll explain in detail how to get through a corner quickly, and efficiently. helped me learn a LOT about riding.

 

Three good books:

Smooth Riding/Reg Pridmore
Sport Riding Techniques/Nick Ienatsch
Total Control/Lee Parks

Learned a lot from these...

 

Of the books JJHunsecker listed, I thought the Sport Riding Techniques was excellent. I found the Kieth Code books hard to read...odd writing style.
Anyway, we've all been where your at right now. My two cents would be to try to ride at all times with relaxed slightly bent arms and minimal grip pressure on the bars. Fight the tendency to
tense up and instead transfer your tenseness to your knees on the tank when appropriate. With relaxed arms, you will find the bike will respond easily to your natural riding skills and a will cure a lot of problems automatically. Tense arms will also transmit road bumps thru you and to the suspension bouncing you around. Run your hands on the road and feel the roughness and imagine your soft Z rated
rubber compressing into those irregularities. These bikes are hellacious cornering machines if you let them.

 

Cornering, the best thing (to me anyway) of riding a bike. If I tried to explain to someone wot I do to take a corner, I would only be able to explain probably half the things I do, it all boils down to physical & mental input, riding experience, and Confidence in you & your bikes capabilities. And believe me when I say that most riders ride well below wot their bikes are capable of doing (unless it's a Harley), and yet we still manage to stuff up in the twisties at some stage. If your that concerned about cooking a corner, then my suggestion is to do a riding course. Yeah it costs a few bucks, but they are usually held at place where not only get the information your specifically after, you get a lot more info & experience as well, pluses usually include a bit of track time, under the supervision of instructors of course.
failing that, the only bit of advice I can add to what the others have said, look ahead into a corner as far as possible, where you look the bike will follow. It's better to go to slow into a corner, than have to brake half way through one. Good luck

 

I'm concerned that perhaps Job Boy is a bit more junior in his riding career than maybe other posters have.

If I'm not correct, I applogize and have spoken way under you.

IMHO,

The first thing we have to do before going fast is get smooth. The second thing we have to do is remember that this is a public road, and that many techniques that apply to the race track, shouldn't really be applied to the street.

Many people suggest carving the road so you start close to one painted line, touch the other, and come back to the original painted line. This is a beautiful line, and certainly the best for the track. The problem is that if you ride this line hard, when something goes wrong you're in trouble. Second, it puts you on the most vulnerable parts of the road. Gravel on one side, cars on the other. At this point I'd suggest keeping away from the extreme edges.

Many people suggest putting a knee down. Certainly on the track, but not really for the street. Certainly not for you first few thousand miles.

At this point I want to measure the quality of the turn, not by the speed, but by the smoothness.

First exercise:

Find a road that has some nice curves - nothing too dramatic like hairpins, nothing too straight. Put the bike in one gear and try not to leave it. This is not a speed exercise, so don't feel tempted to click through a few gears on the next straight. As you approach the turn ease off the throttle to get to the correct entry speed. Try not to use brakes, but for gods sakes use them if you're hot. LOOK AS FAR INTO THE TURN AS YOU CAN. As you enter the turn softly give it enough throttle to maintain or gain a tiny bit of speed. Try not to give any major bar inputs, but rather one smooth flowing input. As you see the exit coming, gently increase throttle and exit at straight speed. Hold this speed. Repeat for the next turn.

Notice that you can change your line by very subtly changing the throttle position. Pinching inwards? Apply a bit of throttle. Running wide? Increase lean angle or very softly decrease throttle. I say very softly because if you're running wide the last thing you want to do is destablize the bike with big inputs. When you've got it right the turn will become 3 distinct parts, and you won't be changing throttle mid turn often at all:

1) off throttle
2) hold throttle
3) throttle out.

What you should feel happening is that at first it feels all choppy, but as you practice it becomes one smooth line connecting each turn and each straight. At this point the only thing moving is your head, your left and right arms, and the the throttle wrist.

Once you have mastered this then you can increase the tempo a little bit, brake into the turn, stabilize the bike, and exit on the throttle. Again this isn't a speed exercise so don't start blasting down the straights. IF the road gets too straight find a better road.

Second exercise:

Once you have mastered turning with the throttle (above) - the next is body position. Moving your body weight to the inside of the turn, decreases the lean angle the bike has to acheive to turn in the same radius. Any one can rub pegs on the ground - toss your weight on the outside of a turn in a parking lot and lean until she hits - it's just that the reason most riders touch pegs is that the ride wrong.

As you enter the turn move your body to the inside of the turn. Keep looking into the turn. Use your outside leg and inside toe to support your body. Do not use your arms to control your body as that will effect steering badly. Keep your body low, and controlled. At first only

 

I love this thread. It is arguable that the Holy Grail of sport bike riding is running through some wicked twisties. We are all aware of all the good places to ride in our areas, and all anxious to try some of the more famed roads some day. I was on a run this weekend and had an experienced rider in front and one behind me. We kept a fair pace for my skill set, but I was up and down in my confidence. I did fairly well, but was told at the end of the run that I was going trhough many of the turns like the mummy, all stiff armed. Part of it was my mental confidence. I am afraid to lean too much because my self-preservation gene tells me I will fall over. I am hoping that practice will boost my confidence level and help me to reduce my chicken strips...

 

Aww Woot,
U had 2 go and mess up a guud thang, didnt U? How dare U offer good advice like dat.
2 things:
I've tried the 1st excercise. It works
You've posted this before, I started getting the Dejavu experience as I read the posts that led up to yours.

 

Sorry Jaybird180... I can't help myself... it's just the way I like to ride.

Nothing IMHO feels as good as running some twisties when you're in the zone.

I can't remember who if anyone taught me that... I just do it... it's the first thing I do with the bike in the spring (or if I just feel rusty). A few hundred miles and I'm back to regular riding form - and having a blast.

 

Awesome thread. Wish florida had some twisty roads. I hate going in a straight line everyday... [sm=bangbang.gif]

 

No twisties in Fla???? You're kidding, right? I was considering moving there. That's one more strike against Florida.