best way to gain confidence through twisties?

[Hoologan]

To me the most important thing is to look, all the books/instructors will all tell you this and let me tell you, it made the single biggest improvement in my riding.

If you look at any pics of any racers on the track, in the turn there head is always pointed farther into the turn, as they are always looking towards the end of the turn, NOT in front of them.

When you can learn to look ahead you will naturally ride faster. My friend was doing the exact same thing as you and when he started practicing looking ahead, he got way faster. Not looking ahead is what made me always run off the road or go wide. Because you go where you look.

Its especially important on long sweepers to keep adjusting your head around the turn, if you don't you will go around the first part of the turn, and then run off the road, because when your head was turned the first time you were fine, but now half way through the turn, if you haven't readjusted your sight you will now be looking straight ahead and run right off that road!

Don't worry about hanging off the bike until you can go throught the same turns pretty fast, and you think that to go faster the bike has to lean harder, then you will need to start hanging off some, which can just be a little bit. Just before the turn kinda position your butt to the side just a little and it will come natural. don't try to do to much at first. You will just look silly. Just a little bit of weight shift on the seat will do a lot.

Also don't have your right hand on the throttle and the brake. If you hit the brake through the turn its curtains. Sometimes through too fast of a turn its natural to look straight ahead instead of through the turn, which will make the bike stand up, and then you will hit the brake=crash. Instead just re adjust your sight, look through the turn and lean! Your bike is going to be able to take just about any speed/turn you are going to try, so just remember to trust the bike, LOOK THROUGHT THE TURN, and lean. and make sure all your braking and downshifting is done way before the turn, you should e ready to accelerate throught the turn

+1
I agree, good advice. However, I believe you should always be in the habit of leaving a finger on the brake just incase.

Also A1yola, don't be so worried about looking silly, because right now you are experimenting with different techniques, some which may look silly to others who are so vain as to judge you, but if you worry about it, you are just taking the focus away from your riding and could end up in the dirt. Do what you feel is most comfortable. You will find your niche eventually and it will all fall into place. Just practice.

 

[Climber]

Don't be in a rush to get maximum lean, it will come in time. If you're riding at a rate that's scaring you then you're riding too fast. If these are your buddies then they'll either understand that you need to work up to their speed and wait for you at periodic places or they need an attitude change.

The best way to progress quickly on cornering is to do a track day, it is far, far, far safer to push your limit on the track where you don't have cars, trees, guardrails, etc. that can really do damage to you and your bike. Most tracks have long runoff spaces and pretty smooth pavement. In addition you'd be doing the same corners many times during the day and can slowly increase your lean/speed each time to take the corner so that you can learn what you and your bikes are capable of.

 

[lamkee]

i have been practicing the same turns over and over again. i feel that i turn much better to the right than i do to the left.

also, i think it's much easier to turn while going up hill and it is down. are there reasons to explain why it is so?

 

[chrono-X]

Something I still have yet to fully grasp is why people are so concerned about "being fast". Why does it matter? If you're going fast enough to scare yourself you would think that for the time being that is fast enough.

Obviously I dont know a damn thing.

+ 1

I want to go fast, but i want to go fast without shitting in my pants. And besides, i've been riding less than a year so what do i need to prove? Having fun is all that matters, and if having fun means full throttling on the straight and braking at the turns is fun for you, then go do it. If you like to go slow to enjoy the scenary vs. racing down highway 9, that's cool too. I like a mixture of things, sometimes i feel like Rossi, sometimes i feel like the old guy on the Goldwing just taking their sweet time.

i have been practicing the same turns over and over again. i feel that i turn much better to the right than i do to the left.

also, i think it's much easier to turn while going up hill and it is down. are there reasons to explain why it is so?

I'm better at turning left than turning right. I think you'll get about 50% of ppl telling you they like left turns and the other 48% likes right turn and 2% that doesnt turn.

Going uphill is ALWAYS easier than going downhill. When going downhill, you have gravity pulling on you meaning you cant be stupid on the throttle and you have to be smart on the brakes. While on uphill, you need to fight gravity so you can always give more gas and use less brakes.

 

[pvd]

practice

 

[Eldritch]

I'm wondering if there are any techniques or practices that I, or anyone else, should do in order to gain more confidence when riding through the twisties.

I knew that I was slow, but I found out that I am REALLY slow compared to the other guys I rode with yesterday. They said I need to start leaning off the bike more and to accelerate faster through the turns. My problem is that when in the turn, I get kind of scared to accelerate hard...dont know why. Also, I tend to slow down before turns, way more than anyone else. My other problem is getting my ass off the seat. I try to do it, but can't seem to get it off when leaning to the right...this is getting frustrating.

I wont have a bike for a couple months, but I'd like to have a boosted confidence level when I get back on the road.
Any suggestions:confused

Well, I can tell you this, Nothing, I repeat, Nothing, not training videos, not personal coaching sessions with Rossi, not coaching tips from the fastest guy you've ever encountered is any replacement for miles under your belt. All of those other things can help you develop faster and with better principals, but more miles, ANY miles on your bike make you better. If you want to get faster, live on the bike, commute on it, go to the grocery store on it, visit your friends on it. Ride, ride, ride in the rain, in the Sun, on the freeway, on the streets, in the backroads. Ride everywhere, all the time and you will learn what you want.

 

[NoGall]

Re: Re: best way to gain confidence through twisties?

Ride, ride, ride in the rain, in the Sun, on the freeway, on the streets, in the backroads. Ride everywhere, all the time and you will learn what you want.

That's alot of riding. Man, I am already tired from just reading that paragraph.

 

[Eldritch]

Re: Re: Re: best way to gain confidence through twisties?

That's alot of riding. Man, I am already tired from just reading that paragraph.

It's all about the love baby, all about the love. When my rats work, I ride all the time, my cages just gather dust.

We need to go out again one of these days, do you Team Geritolians ever wait until a decent hour to get started?

 

[scepter]

to be fast you have to be white. white people are just plan nutz when it comes to sports. they don't care man. i'm atleast half white so i might have a chance to get better.

 

[autoredial]

You can probably take 100% of the turns without getting off your seat. Most guys who do drag knee don't need to drag, they just want to. If you are going so fast that you actually need to drag, then you are going way too fast for the uncontrolled conditions of public roads. You should be scared at that speed because you have NO control if something unexpected happens.

 

[faz]

When you get a bike, start riding it at speeds at which you are not getting too tight on the handle bars. Keep riding at those speeds ONLY and you will see that they increase, little by little, as time goes by.

Unless you are of course in a hurry to get fast soon, and if that is the case, my sincere comment is to stay away from motorcycles altogether.

Also, attend a few of Doc Wong's free riding clinics. They help a lot.

 

[Thirdnalga]

drop it a few times, to know just where the limit is, you have to pass it.

remember to go limp

 

[GiorgioFurioso]

Re: Re: best way to gain confidence through twisties?

Ride, ride, ride in the rain, in the Sun, on the freeway, on the streets, in the backroads. Ride everywhere, all the time and you will learn what you want.

I have to respectfully disagree. While riding a lot is certainly a good idea, good sport riding technique won't come naturally from riding a lot, and in fact the rider may break his neck while trying to do so. So I feel this advice is bordering on dangerous. A rider really needs 1-on-1 instruction is order to get faster, safely. Trying to do it alone by putting on a lot of miles and "pushing it" (I know you didn't say to push it, I'm just inferring what will most likely happen) is a recipe for disaster.

Here's a metaphor: it's like you're telling a guy who wants to play guitar better (but who doesn't know what a scale is), that all he needs to do is just play more guitar, night and day. But the fact is, it's not gonna happen that way. He could play his heart out until his fingers bleed for many years, and what he'll most likely learn are more bad habits that will have to be unlearned later on. Someone really needs to show him some scales and talk some theory. Otherwise he'll be wasting most of his life figuring out stuff that should have only taken months to learn from a good teacher. At least with a guitar, though, if you screw up Stairway To Heaven, your guitar doesn't get splintered and leave you in a body cast.

Personal experience: When I learned to snowboard, the first thing I did was take a lesson (several, actually over several weekends). I rapidly became a competent boarder. Sure, I could have done it entirely on my own, but it would have taken forever, and who knows how I might have injured myself along the way, the way I did when I first learned to ski. By the end of my first season on a snowboard I was easily taking on most of the expert runs, but only because I had some decent instruction.

Anyway, my advice to the original poster is to get one of his friends who he trusts, preferably an older and more mature friend who is wise enough not to endanger the life of a less experienced rider, and take it to the twisties. Ride "the pace". Take turns leading and following. Stop frequently to get feedback/advice. Practice your FORM in the twisties, not SPEED. I won't bother describing proper form; your friend should be able to fill you in on all that. When you're comforatble with the form, it's time to go to the track.

And for f*cks sake, if you're coming up on a turn and there is a speed sign indicating 20 or 15 mph for the turn, don't go faster than that until you know what you're doing. Those slow speed turns are almost always a decreasing radius turn, and they will bite you hard if you try to fly through them.

Reading all the books mentioned is not a bad idea, but you still need to put it in to practice, preferably with a more experienced rider watching out for you.

So anyway...riding a lot is good, but you should seek out the help of someone more experienced if you really want to improve (and live).

Disclaimer: I suck. Don't listen to a thing I a say, unless you think it really makes sense for you.

 

[Samurang]

When I first started riding streetbikes, I used go up to 4 corners and wait for some riders to pull out of there, then I would follow them. I'd study their form, their lines, and often "hook in" on them. Match their pace or try at least. There are a lot of good riders up there. Then go back to 4 corners and do it again.

Also helps to familiarize yourself with the roads, which comes with seat time.

 

[sytfu_RR]

as Samurang said, When I first started to ride with my friends I used to watch the guy in front when I first started out, just like you I used to be scared to go through the turns, but after watching others and following them and also going through the road alot I'm slowly progressing, remember theres no rush, just desinate a point in which you guys can meet at the end, and just ride at your own pace. Now I can keep up with them, even though I dont get as "low" so I still have those delicous chicken strips, but that'll go away all in due time.

 

[silverbelt]

Just ride your ride and practice. Competence will come eventually if you read the above posts and use good form. A track day certainly won't hurt. Best advice I have is NOT FOLLOWING the fastest guy out there trying to catch up. He is much more experienced than you and will only cause you to make mistakes by not focusing on good technique.

 

[swerv512]

Like eveyone else here is telling you... ride at a pace you are comfortable with. Alot of us buy these superbikes with dreams of dragging knees and dropping biaggi if we ever see him on the street, but the fact is that streets are not the best place to learn to go fast. Trust me, i sent my bike down several times trying to do exactly what your searching for- MORE SPEED, MORE CONFIDENCE. I'll tell you this, confidence only comes in small packges on the road. Even if you listen to the guy who says that you got to find your limits sometimes by going too fast, or leaning too far, and then falling off - the highways are no place to scare yourself. Better to ride safe that to spend $$$ and regrets when you make a mistake.

DO A TRACKDAY- lord knows I need to. ..
Why do i spend so much $$$ on the bike and not on my skillz....????

 

[07chuck]

There is no substitute for seat time... until you have ridden enough you will have no idea of what or how... There is no book that can teach you until you understand what the book is talking about... I would suggest an advanced MSF course. Punks like the y.dster will say the gear/saftey nazis(like me) are just pissing on your parade...I say yes, I am, and I mean it, better a wet warm spray from me than the cold breath of a oxygen mask in a heli. Nothing ruins a ride like having to help land a helicopter(but I'm really glad they are there).

 

[Red6Rdr]

I was going through a dry spell in the twisties to. After 3 seperate occassions of crossing over the DB up at Alice's I was getting into a bad funk and irritated that I was actually getting worse at riding. But I realized that I just need to go do it more and keep practicing and not push it. Pushing it will get your bike over those dangerous yellow lines.

 

[ScottRNelson]

Re: Re: Re: best way to gain confidence through twisties?

I have to respectfully disagree. While riding a lot is certainly a good idea, good sport riding technique won't come naturally from riding a lot, and in fact the rider may break his neck while trying to do so.

The snowboarding example was nice and all, but I'm going to have to disagree a bit with your post as well. There's a big difference between trying to learn totally on your own and trying to learn with the help of people like Keith Code, David L. Hough, and others who have really studied how to ride safely.

And I didn't see anything in the original post about wanting to be a fast rider. I suppose maybe "not slow" kind of means that, but the rider seems to want confidence rather than speed.

I still stick by my advice:

Read Keith Code's A Twist Of The Wrist 2 (not the first book) and practice one thing at a time.

Read David L. Hough's Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling (especially chapter 7), paying attention to the cornering techniques sections.

Work on being smooth and never having to make mid-course corrections. You're probably better off doing the majority of your riding alone, or with a mentor behind you, until you finally feel that you're a confident rider.

The most important thing is to practice a lot. It helps to pick one section of road that you like, a few miles long, and ride it over and over and over. Keep count until you've gone through there 100 times. Go back and read the books in between practice sessions.