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[ST] Cornering Philosophy



I've been reading and re-reading several books on riding technique for sportbikes (Twist of the Wrist 2, Total Control, Sport Riding Techniques) this winter. Seems all the authors are primarily concerned with maximizing speed, and minimizing lean angle by starting wide and ending wide (straightening out the corner) and by hanging off / body position. There is certainly a track bias to much of the content.

I don't consider myself a fast rider, but I generally cruise along the twisties and sweepers about 20-something over. I'm a "Pace" type rider, so I don't hammer the throttle on the straights. I use engine braking to adjust speed for corners and don't find myself on the brakes a whole lot in general. I ride at what I consider to be an interesting pace, not an intense one (for me, YMMV).

The roads around western PA aren't the most exciting in the world, but there are lots of pleasant sweepers and occasionally some twisty bits. If I followed the advice in these books on my local roads, I'd miss the fun of leaning the bike over in the corners. We're not talking maximum lean angles here as the (smallish) chicken strips on my tires show there is certainly room for more lean angle. NOTE: I *do* use all my tire on the twisties in WV.

So I tend to start corners wide (better view of what's coming up), but finish the corner on the inside. Yes, that makes the turn tighter, but it's fun to lean the bike over. If I know the road, I'll even take an inside line the whole way. The inside finish puts me on the correct side of the lane for the next turn if it's switching back and forth (common).

I'm not necessarily interested in riding faster (better yes, faster no) as I'm already a candidate for a large speeding ticket, but I do want to have fun and be safe while doing it. Aside from the line selection / lean angle question, there is certainly lots of good stuff (IMO) in the books that applies regardless. I'm all for becoming a better and safer rider.

So I guess the point of this ramble is wondering how the list members approach street riding on the Fast vs Fun vs Safe continuum...

Garry


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