What really might be a good idea for you, is I don't know what area you live in, but here in Phoenix, after about 11:30-ish to midnight, they shut the lights off and make them blinking yellow, which means you don't have to stop... they're like a yield sign. No traffic on the road that late here, and you can definitely practice your turns at a higher speed, just WATCH OUT FOR ROAD DEBRIS!! and find a comfortable intersection for you, above all, BE CAREFUL.

 

Had to run to the office earlier today so I took the bike (gonna rain this week). Tried dropping my elbow prepping for a turn. Definitely felt a difference in the turn. Felt more stable.

Will have to play around more when the streets dry out

 

You need to get the hell out of the city!! Get maybe a couple hours out, find some quiet empty curves and go to town! Start slow and just focus on being smooth and work your way up in increments like Randy says.

You need some seat time without all the crap variables of other motorists and traffic control devices and pedestrians.

Track time is optimal of course, but like you said... it's expensive. Not in my budget either, so I make do with backroads in my local national forest.

 

I really appreciate threads like these. Being a newbie, I try and soak all this information up like a sponge.

Thank you.

 

LOL been living here 10 years and don't know the areas around Philly. Gonna try some exploring soon. I wanna grab some shift jeans (or maybe the new Dainese riding jeans ) first.

 

If you ever have a day to get out of the city, head towards the Poconos/Dingman's Ferry... Some of the best mountain roads I've been on for twisties. If you're willing to travel a bit further, google highpoint, it's technically in NJ I think, but once you leave the little downtown area there's a wide road that's just long sweeping lefts and rights and perfect to get used to mid-corner balance.

 

i live up in nw nj and up here and just over the border in pa theres tons of roads that are a blast to ride, i know thats a bit far from you but get a friend and go explore lol

oh btw i was thinking of doing a trackday with team pro motion at thunderbolt/lightning this summer, anyone have any opinions on them?

 

They've been recommended to me as far as trackdays at T-bolt.

 

Only that the guys at Revzilla endorse them. Dunno anything about them other than that.

 

Progress is being made I guess. On the way to / from work there are a couple places when I can take a turn at speed. The chicken strips on the rear tire are slowly getting narrower and narrower. When I got the bike, the rear looked like the guy rode it on a tight rope. But there's some wear up to about 1" - 1 1/2" from the edge of the tires now. The front ain't doing squat

Things that have helped:

• Dropping the inside elbow
• "Kissing" the mirror
• Improved throttle control

Something that I picked up from Nick Ienatsch's book: Push & Pull for counter-steering. I had been basically using one arm to initiate a turn at the suggestion of my MSF instructor. Something didn't quite feel right. Using both hands in concert feels much more stable and natural to me. Definitely less effort involved so it comes off smoother.

Haven't tried sliding my butt around yet. Still working on my seating position on this bike. I keep sliding back / forward too much, in my mind at least. Might look into getting some stomp grip pads if I can find some that won't **** up the lines on Ororo That or start working out more