Hey, fellow noob rider here (and new to forum, hi! I've been riding barely a month but I've been riding every day and steadily improving with each. I can definitely identify with the fear of cornering as I'm sure everyone can. The rear tire that came on my bike was also worn down the middle squaring off the profile. It also had cracks forming in the tread grooves which only exacerbated my fear of getting low. I had tires on order but in the meantime no choice but to ride on these cubes. Getting over the squared profile made my pulse skip at first but I found that the rarely used tread on the sides was more than capable of holding an edge.

I practiced on a familiar street in my neighbourhood which had several good turns with good pavement. I didn't over practice either, which can lead to frustration... just took it day by day and enjoyed the ride! Once I got comfortable with the physics of it all my lean improved slowly but surely. When the new rear tire came in my confidence increased because I wasn't worrying about the integrity of the tires not to mention the lack of a pant-soiling square edge made it easier to roll onto the side. I also made sure I was geared up to help alleviate the worry of injury should things go south.

So I guess my advice is to practice on a familiar road, be mindful of conditions, gear up, take chances in baby-steps and, if in doubt, replace any questionable parts to remove those worries from the equation so you can focus on improving your skill. I'm sure you're way ahead of me already but I hope sharing my learning experience helps to calm some nerves. Safe riding!

 

There is no trick to getting comfortable at riding except being conscious of body positioning before the turn and knowing the road.

If you find a good road then master it. Learn which gear gives you the best drive and try not to brake or shift mid corner... At least until the noobness wears off

And yes, get new tires dammit...they are a lot cheaper than body work and hospital bills

Around my way there are 3 very good set of twisties. I try and hit them up every chance I get, and slowly those chicken strips burn away.

 

Wise words as ever from Sprock

The bike will go where you look - so don't look at the hedge. Front tyre first as this is your 'leadong' edge into a bend. Remember to relax - being tense makes the ride worse.
Personally I prefer the same brand front & rear

Good luck and keep learning at your pace

Bugkiller

 

Listen man. I use to be one of those guy who would brag about "I'm the best rider in town" and that "I should be a pro racer" and "I have a really control over my bike" and "I have the fastest bike in town"

and the day I went down:
(1) It killed my ego
(2) I realized that I didn't know **** about cornering.
(3) I realized how much I was missing out

Learning how to corner well will only come with time and practice but here is my advice to you other than what other members have been telling you.

When you are in a corner and if you realize that you are going too fast for the corner.
(1) Never apply the brakes
(2) Lean more by counter-steering (It will save you in 99.99% of dangerous situations)
(3) In tight corners, use your body weight to lean
(4) Look where you wan't to go, not where you don't wanna endup

If I would have followed these steps, my baby would still be with me.

After that incident, I used to be scared as **** to ride in the twisties but every weekend I would go to a empty parking lot and practice counter-steering and cornering techniques

Now I am proud to say that I improved alot but in no way i am an average rider. I bet most of the guys on this forum will leave me in the dust in the twisties.

Be confident, relax and take your time and you will get there.

 

Sprock has excellent advice, as always.

To others, particularly prospecitve motorcycle owners/riders: This is an outstanding thread in support of NOT starting your motorcycling 'career' on a 600cc supersport. A Ninja or CBR 250 (American market, maybe even a 125 elsewhere?) won't cause nearly this much anxiety, as acknowledged up the thread where the poster says they now feel confident on the GZ250, but not the CBR.

 

I agree but also acknowledge the market here in the US limits peoples options... As does some people's ego. I also feel the tool every new rider needs is confidence.

That's why I started with the tires issue. No matter how much motogp a person may watch, its hard for a new rider to believe THEIR bike will stick thru a lean. And if they're thinking to themselves "oh man, I should a replaced that front tire..." it'll eat at that confidence even more.

"Know your bike". People sometimes make fun of the fact I name my bikes. But Ororo is like a partner to me. I can feel when something is wrong, hear different noises that tells me how she's running. I KNOW she's in good shape and that a higher speed turn is within her mechanical capabilities. I just have to have confidence in her.

And there is a downside to 250s too: overconfidnce. A 250 can kill as quickly and thoroughly as a 600 and a liter bike. It forgives mistakes more than either. But none of them forgive stupidity much.

All bikes can go from 0 - Stupid in less than "I wonder if this will be a good idea?"

 

Size of the bike was not the problem I had. It was just being a first time rider and not really know what bike CAN do if I let it to do. As long as you keep your macho ego in check, you can learn to ride on 600. When I fell or making the turn wide or very slow in the beginning, it was the voice in my head that saying "OMG do you think you can do this?" and I pulled the brake. More and more I get to know about my bike's capability with my body, I get comfortable, not over confident, more and more.

 

Remember too that if your bike weighs 500lbs with you on it, there are 500lbs of weight against the contact patch where the tires meet the road. Leaned in a turn, the bike still weighs the same. As long as inertia and centrifugal force generated by the bike's velocity doesn't overcome traction, you can lean in the turn as far as your tires have tread, or until you scrape the toe of your boot/ footpeg (happens to me on my 1991 600 f2). Even with Shinko tires I can get this much lean comfortably in a turn as long as I don't come in too hot. The ability to judge proper speed for a given turn is something that comes from experience. All of these guys who have posted before me made great points, and +1 for taking a Safe Riding/ Basic Skills course.