What is your riding style on the curves? Relaxed, or butt off the seat?

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Depends on the the mood I'm in, speed of travel and corner parameters.
Having fun and being a little more spirited = hanging off a bit (not dragging knees on the street though).
Average day ride = shift butt if corner is a bit tighter.
Decreasing radius = definite butt shift or smallish hang.
 
Red_Liner740 said:
shifting my body to the inside of the curve and putting more pressure on the inside peg makes the bike more stable and i feel more confident.

first time i went to deals gap i had no clue about proper riding technique and i wasnt shifting my weight in the corners = dragging foot pegs and no chicken strips. i read and read and read and practiced a lot since then and i can now go faster through the corners with less bike lean. Since deals gap i've never dragged any hard parts or scrubbed my chicken strips off and yet imperically i am going faster around the same corners.
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Exactly why when any discussion about chicken strips comes up I'm always wondering how fast people must be going that they are actually getting all the way down while also using proper technique.
 
My objective on a bike has never been to see how much faster I can go around a corner on the street.
I prefer being smooth and graceful at a nice speed.
If I want the feeling of going extremely fast around a corner, I hop on the Behemoth and other rides at Wonderland.

I can imagine someone going fast enough to need to hang off at Deal's Gap and spotting one of those transports coming around the bend at the last minute - Ouch!

I imagine that if you need to get your butt off the seat to make the turn - then you are way over the speed limit and not in complete control of your vehicle.

If I was at a track however, I might eventually hang off.
 
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ike said:
My style is to just relax and countersteer around curves in the road. This way, my butt stays on the seat and my upper body naturally attempts to stay upright as the bike leans over into the corner.
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This isn't a big deal if you're going pretty slow but as speed increases this can get you into trouble. If you're trying to stay vertical while the bike leans you're working against it and making it lean even more than necessary. By shifting your weight into the turn your bike doesn't have to lean as far. When you're going fast this can provide you a buffer zone of safety. You'll always have more lean available should you need it.
 
Baggsy said:
My objective on a bike has never been to see how much faster I can go around a corner on the street.
I prefer being smooth and graceful at a nice speed.
If I want the feeling of going extremely fast around a corner, I hop on the Behemoth and other rides at Wonderland.

I can imagine someone going fast enough to need to hang off at Deal's Gap and spotting one of those transports coming around the bend at the last minute - Ouch!

I imagine that if you need to get your butt off the seat to make the turn - then you are way over the speed limit and not in complete control of your vehicle.

If I was at a track however, I might eventually hang off.
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Too many people on both the track and the street only have the goal of being fast, with no regard to the smoothness of their inputs or style.

I've always wanted to be smooth before fast and I've come a long way.

On the street I never get my butt of the seat anymore....maybe shift it but really there's no need.
 
I don't ride a sport bike so generally amble around corners with a nice countersteer ( dum dee dum )
The last two years however I've gone over to Shannonville and taken Michele Mercier's course on a GSX600. Fantastic times and he teaches a lot about geometry, traction, lines etc..
Even on my 1200R it's improved my confidence and technique around the corners and ramps.
 
I didn't buy a sport bike to ride it like a cruiser. I'm not really aggressive on the streets, but I like to see how much speed I can put on the on ramps.
 
What's a curve? Do 90 degree perpendicular intersections and on ramps count?
 
Baggsy said:
I imagine that if you need to get your butt off the seat to make the turn - then you are way over the speed limit and not in complete control of your vehicle.

If I was at a track however, I might eventually hang off.
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So if you need to hang off that means that you aren't in complete control of your vehicle? Interesting...

Also when you hit the track be careful because when you need to hangoff you wont be in control anymore.

I hang off and stay in the seat depends on the way im riding. I don't hang off because I have to or because I want to look cool but because I feel the most confident and comfortable that way.
 
ATTS said:
I hang off and stay in the seat depends on the way im riding. I don't hang off because I have to or because I want to look cool but because I feel the most confident and comfortable that way.
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Yep. Keeps the bike more upright which means if I misjudged the turn I can pull it over a little farther.
 
ATTS said:
So if you need to hang off that means that you aren't in complete control of your vehicle? Interesting...

Also when you hit the track be careful because when you need to hangoff you wont be in control anymore.

I hang off and stay in the seat depends on the way im riding. I don't hang off because I have to or because I want to look cool but because I feel the most confident and comfortable that way.
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Frivolous argument. You can hang off going straight. :)
If you need to hang off to make the turn on the street then you have misjudged your entry speed i.e. you are not in complete control. Instead of taking the time to shift and hang off, use the time to brake and stay in control.

On the track everyone is going in the same direction, and others are expecting you to hang off. That makes a big difference.
 
Baggsy said:
Frivolous argument. You can hang off going straight. :)
If you need to hang off to make the turn on the street then you have misjudged your entry speed i.e. you are not in complete control. Instead of taking the time to shift and hang off, use the time to brake and stay in control.

On the track everyone is going in the same direction, and others are expecting you to hang off. That makes a big difference.
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kettle, pot. Pot, kettle.

If the guy decides that he wants to hang off and that gives him extra safety by allowing the bike to be leaned over further in case of a missjudgement, it is the exact same argument used by you.

not everyone wants to go 40km/h around a bend because there "might" be something there.

misjudging an entry speed that then requires you to shift your cheeck over and "hang" off the bike does not equate to "not being in control"
 
Red_Liner740 said:
kettle, pot. Pot, kettle.

If the guy decides that he wants to hang off and that gives him extra safety by allowing the bike to be leaned over further in case of a missjudgement, it is the exact same argument used by you.

not everyone wants to go 40km/h around a bend because there "might" be something there.

misjudging an entry speed that then requires you to shift your cheeck over and "hang" off the bike does not equate to "not being in control"
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Lets also not forget a spirited boot around an on/off ramp when appropriate.

Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
 
Baggsy said:
Frivolous argument. You can hang off going straight. :)
If you need to hang off to make the turn on the street then you have misjudged your entry speed i.e. you are not in complete control. Instead of taking the time to shift and hang off, use the time to brake and stay in control.

On the track everyone is going in the same direction, and others are expecting you to hang off. That makes a big difference.
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In the post I quoted you didn't say anything about direction of travel, you said "if you need to get your butt off the seat to make the turn - then you are way over the speed limit and not in complete control of your vehicle"

So anyone that hangs off is out of control?
 
inyaknow said:
call me a idiot on the ramps but unless there's a car in front of me, slowing me down, I hang. N/B DVP ramp exit Bloor St 110 Km/hr etc...
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i don't think you need to ... i'm currently writing this message in the alps on a riding trip. i have not had to hang off for a majority of the corners, and i an tell you now, that the corners are tighter and twistier then any ramp in toronto. and i'm doing it on roads that are 1/2 as wide with oncoming cars in nmy lane
 
chiller said:
i don't think you need to ... i'm currently writing this message in the alps on a riding trip. i have not had to hang off for a majority of the corners, and i an tell you now, that the corners are tighter and twistier then any ramp in toronto. and i'm doing it on roads that are 1/2 as wide with oncoming cars in nmy lane
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Well then you're not going fast enough to warrant it.

Either that, or you are going fast enough but not leaving yourself any leeway for extra lean in case the turn tightens up or something comes your way blindly.


I see people lean off their bikes for no reason all the time... they're simply not going fast enough to need it. They're nowhere near the edges of their tires. But if you ARE near the edge and you still aren't leaning off, you'll eventually get a rude reminder.
 
meh to each there own i guess



mmmnaked said:
Well then you're not going fast enough to warrant it.

Either that, or you are going fast enough but not leaving yourself any leeway for extra lean in case the turn tightens up or something comes your way blindly.


I see people lean off their bikes for no reason all the time... they're simply not going fast enough to need it. They're nowhere near the edges of their tires. But if you ARE near the edge and you still aren't leaning off, you'll eventually get a rude reminder.
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