braking in the corners

[Ducatista]

I don't really think a forum is the best place to get this kind of advice because techniques need context.

If you can lose speed by closing the throttle and using the rear brake then that's best.
If you need the front brake then that's going to make the bike "stand up" and go straight on. To counteract that you could brake, lean, brake, lean. You could try both together but you'll then be pushing the limits of your traction.
That sort of thing is really best practised and ideally on a track. If the first time you do it is in an emergency and you grab a handful of front brake then it might not go so well.

As already said, going in at the right speed is the main factor.
I don't always get corners right, in fact I messed up two bends on my recent Rospa retest (which didn't affect my grade) but it wasn't so far off that I couldn't correct it without a drama.

What you need to be learning correctly is "limit point analysis" and the best place to fully explore that safely is on a track.
There are some really good days offered to do that sort of thing, like the Rider Performance days offered by Somerset Road Safety Partnership.

I know where you are coming from but personally I think it's better to concentrate on the observation/planning and going in at the right speed rather than trying to dig yourself out of a problem because you are then putting yourself at the mercy the road surface and your bike performing as you expect.

[Kevinb]

Get some big fat sticky tyres, lean and get your knee down. I piled into the Westbury cement works corner outside Trowbridge too fast two up and got away with it. New underpants required but fun.

[Geordie Stu]

Get some big fat sticky tyres, lean and get your knee down. I piled into the Westbury cement works corner outside Trowbridge too fast two up and got away with it. New underpants required but fun.

I know that corner well

[Ducatista]

BTW - you might be interested in this company
http://www.i2imca.com/
Which have some training course to do the kind of things you want.
They also hire bikes on some of their courses which gives you more confidence to try the techniques without being worried about pranging your own pride and joy.
The problem is that you do need to practice the techniques to retain the muscle memory etc. so you can't just go once and forget it.

Sorry to harp on about it but that's another reason to concentrate on the planning side, because you can safely practise that ALL the time every time your ride your bike and drive your car.

[wiltshire builders]

If it wasn't lock to lock, then it wasn't a tank slapper!

By the sounds of it there wasn't a lot else you could've done. It's all very well people saying 'slow down' but would that have really made much difference? I'd rather choose good technique over slowing down to cover up loads of mistakes.
Your biggest enemy is being surprised. Your natural instincts take over and it's them that'll get you killed.
Once you're committed to the corner that's pretty much it. If you can't see around it, stay away from the white line.
Only you know if you approached the corner badly and you can't avoid every muppet on the road hell bent on killing you.
From the sounds of it you did ok so don't beat yourself up. Keep it smooth and controlled, gather as much info about the road ahead as possible and you won't go far wrong.

[Dan505]

i know my positioning was pants :-[ but being so close to car whilst leaning was a bit

if it banged from side to side so much i still feel the twist in my back 2 days laters i call it a tank slapper or maybe a back slapper :-/

[wiltshire builders]

Maybe you're the slapper....... ;D

[Ducatista]

you can't avoid every muppet on the road hell bent on killing you.

You can certainly have a jolly good go at looking for the right things and being in the right position, gear, speed etc. all of the time.

[Dan505]

Maybe you're the slapper....... ;D

that wishful thinking?

[470four]

By the sound of it the only thing you did wrong was to feed the bike a series of strange commands that made it try to go forwards, backwards & sideways all at the same time.

I have ridden a series of '70's & '80's steel-framed bikes that would pull the old twangy rubber-frame ass-twitcher in most corners where you were going Too Fast - it was simply a reminder that you were taking the piss & to slow down before you hurt yerself.

That end result of that first few seconds where you are aware that a car/bicycle/future roadkill is heading straight for you depends on your reaction times, and your natural reaction to such a situation?

Brake?

Turn?

Turn the other way?

Slur a Polish-sounding swearword wide-eyed whilst trying to decide between the hedge or on-coming traffic?

Fate will decide if you have made the right choice. DONT ride beyond your own capabilities or you will get found out! One day that corner you know so well will have gravel,diesel, tree branches or an animal sat in the middle of it? The roads are far from predictable & given the tragically poor standard of todays road users we do well to keep ourselves alive.

Whatever you did - it was the right thing and nobody got hurt! Your bike may have tried to stick its head up its own ass but who can blame it?


Ride safe. 8-)