Scrape!

[DrBob]

I think everyone should learn to lean their bike over enough to scrape, and do it for practice every now and then. That way you don't freak out when you do it by accident. It also gives you a great feel of where the limits of the bike's handling are, making you more confident in the curves.

[Pinhy]

i agree Bob....ive said that about me specifically. i dont lean much, have never scraped a peg (however i did hit my heal of my boot the other day for the first time on a turn i make every day) . i WANT to scrape when i am trying, so i know i can get that low, how it feels to be that low and how it feels to hit so when i have to due to emergency or a miscalculation on entry speed, i can do it without fear.

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[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Pinhy

i agree Bob....ive said that about me specifically. i dont lean much, have never scraped a peg (however i did hit my heal of my boot the other day for the first time on a turn i make every day) . i WANT to scrape when i am trying, so i know i can get that low, how it feels to be that low and how it feels to hit so when i have to due to emergancy or a miscalculation on entry speed, i can do it without fear.

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What have I told you?

Choose your apex based on your speed. Look through the turn at where you want to exit. Push. Roll on the throttle. All things will follow on their own.

[Rickster]

Something I learned a long time ago when I first started riding dirt bikes. If you put some weight on the footpegs, it lowers the effective center of gravity of the bike. You don't have to stand all the way up, just put some weight on your feet. This works great when making a turn on a surface like dirt where you expect to be sliding. The same principal works on the blacktop to, but instead of putting pressure on both feet, I find that I can corner harder,faster, and lean further if I put most of my weight on my outside foot.
I touched my right foot peg down riding my M50 home from the dealer, on the very first cloverleaf I came to. With the weight on your outside foot, it is less of a shock to you, and there is less of a chance of your tires loosing traction because of that new contact point. Also, if you do loose traction, and start to slide you have a better chance of saving it. You'r not going to just fall off the inside of the bike, like that guy did at the start of this thread. Just my 2 cents, but give it a try, see if it works for you.

[dragbar]

I probably look silly in the on twisty roads to most cruiser riders because I still have a habit of throwing my inside knee out during hard curves and shifting my weight. Guess that's the sport rider in me..hehe.

[Pinhy]

Tim: i KNOW how to ride...just no confidence in leaning too much yet....

Rick: man you hit the nail on the head...my MSF course has been lost on me! near the end of the course i figured out how to put pressure on the pegs and could turn much better, but didnt get much time to practice it...i even read it in Prof. MC-ing a couple weeks ago...but it hasnt sunk in with me yet. i need to get out and hit some empty roads and practice this...cause i am sure that as soon as i figure it out, i will be a much better rider.

thanks!!


(that whole BS about looking through the turn, i DO that already! i look as far as i can )

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[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by Pinhy

Tim: i KNOW how to ride...just no confidence in leaning too much yet....

Nobody said you didn't know how to ride. Don't be so damn defensive.

Drag...I agree with ya. I almost feel damn ridiculous leaning that 65.2 inch wheelbase bike over so far that it is dragging pegs. Just don't feel natural having that much gas tank and front end in front of you leaned over at 33 or so degrees.

On the plus side...Watching a cruiser glide through a corner that way does look cool though!!!

[Rickster]

I like Intimid8er's choice of words. Glides through a corner. Sounds kind of sexy in a laid back sort of way. Sport bikes are fun to watch to, but I would describe there action as attacking, or slicing through a corner.

[919Hooligan]

Originally Posted by dragbar

I probably look silly in the on twisty roads to most cruiser riders because I still have a habit of throwing my inside knee out during hard curves and shifting my weight. Guess that's the sport rider in me..hehe.

I'll crouch down on the tank and really throw that knee out when I'm in the right mood. I've never owned a "sport" bike, but I've had a number of older performance models (1981 GPz 1100, 1979 KZ 650, 1972 H2 750, etc) and I have to say I often miss the rush. The only cure for me is to have at least two bikes. The M is great, but it's a totally different animal compared to a dohc four (or a mean as hell two cycle three cylinder! God I miss that bike...) I'm gonna have to pick up some old bike to play with this winter I think. Something fast!!