[Shopshirt Mofo]

As usual went riding around town where there is a decent country road fairly level and smooth. There are several good S turns. It was fun working on some of the techniques I've been studying in Proficient Motorcycling and Twist of the Wrist.

Slow (outside of the turn), Look, Lean (countersteer), roll. However, I noticed I was leaning away from the turn. I've got to get used to leaning with the bike. I found it's almost a reflex reaction to lean away.

So I took it to the parking lot at work where I could have some wide open spaces except the occasional light pole. practiced counter steering left then immediately back right again. I'm still pretty rough but getting smoother, still having to remind myself to relax on the bars. As I go back and forth I find that I unintentionally get tighter on the bars.

However, believe it or not...I had a great time in the parking lot.

 

[knightslugger]

you should break the habit of death-gripping the bars like that now before it becomes second nature. it can translate into poor brake control and over exadurated movements.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

I agree, It's not a death grip just a slight tensing as I turn multiple times in a row.

 

[fog]

Parking lot practice is fine but not enough. The way a bike handles at those speeds is considerablby diffrent then at road speed. COmbine the parking lot with over the road practice. The leaning away is one of the things that will change.

FOG

 

[MPH 200]

Practice flapping your arms like wings when cornering this will force you to relax them - sounds stupid but works.
Shift your body weight in the direction of the turn too.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Oh I got it flap my arms and drive with my feet ;D Just kidding.

I went back and practiced some more on a few back roads and in the work parking lot. I've got a smooth parking lot that makes a nice quarter mile oval and it is actually wide enough to change it up and do different turns.

I've been concentrating on relaxing and I found that with more practice I relaxed alot more. I think that most of the tension came from over-thinking the turn, corner entry speed, countersteering. I just relaxed a little and tried to let it flow and leaned with the bike.

I know Fog says I should be going faster but I'm right around 30-35 mph in the parking lot and what ever the posted speed limit is on the roads that I'm riding, usually 45 to 50 mph

 

[MrSciTrek]

The cycling course I took last weekend... my biggest probs were

1) tensing up
2) over-thinking

Just like the previous comments.

 

[fog]

Oh I got it flap my arms and drive with my feet ;D Just kidding.

I went back and practiced some more on a few back roads and in the work parking lot. I've got a smooth parking lot that makes a nice quarter mile oval and it is actually wide enough to change it up and do different turns.

I've been concentrating on relaxing and I found that with more practice I relaxed alot more. I think that most of the tension came from over-thinking the turn, corner entry speed, countersteering. I just relaxed a little and tried to let it flow and leaned with the bike.

I know Fog says I should be going faster but I'm right around 30-35 mph in the parking lot and what ever the posted speed limit is on the roads that I'm riding, usually 45 to 50 mph

That's fine I assumed the your parking lot practice was at walking speed.

FOG

 

[mhess19]

I'm in the same place. I have to keep telling myself to lighten up on the bars and lean with the bike - I feel like a nutcase talking to myself while I ride but it helps.

 

[dragknee]

haha i talk to myself all the time when im riding... sometimes i sing songs

 

[stogiedmb]

^I'm with dragknee, I always catch myself singing in my helmet and wonder "if a motorcyclist sings while wearing a helmet, does anyone in the world hear him?"

 

[Nick D]

I usually do beat box.

 

[jlmay]

I have my mp3 player going so Im most likely rocking out to motorhead or metallica or something like that. I probably look pretty funny doing air guitar or doing a drum solo on my tank.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

I talk to myself too! At least I know I'm in good company LOL!

 

[MrSciTrek]

I'm in the same place. I have to keep telling myself to lighten up on the bars and lean with the bike - I feel like a nutcase talking to myself while I ride but it helps.

Back in the day... that's how I did my 30-60+ minute runs, or MS 150 bicycle rides...
Create a pattern (mantra?) that focuses on efficient motion... staying relaxed, proper techniques, breathing, positivity, path...

I find that suburban riding leaves me uncertain what gear I'm in. So now I'm trying to train myself:
clutch out to go ONE, TWO, THREE... counting the gears up, and then down. But there's so many other things to keep track of that, after a few minutes, I forget where I was at anyway. :

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Yes, I have to count gears too.

 

[jlmay]

I made mental notes of RPMs to MPH correlations now I don't have to count gears because like you all most of the time I would forget.

 

[jrocket]

There are many things that contribute to how your bike turns. Some of the biggest are speed, lean angle, and center of gravity. They all act together, meaning at a given speed, you can adjust your lean angle or center of gravity to make a turn of the same radius. If you take the same turn but increase your speed you either need to increase your lean angle or lower your center of gravity.

So if you are leaning out of a turn, it could simply be your own body working to solve the balancing act of speed, lean angle, center of gravity. So you could be leaning the bike too much and making up for it by leaning out of the turn, or you could be going a little slow.

I sometimes find my upper body leaning out, it is not because I wasn't comfortable leaning, I simply overestimated my speed and leaned the bike too much in relation to my body weight.

 

[Shopshirt Mofo]

Interesting

 

[sojon]

I have my mp3 player going so Im most likely rocking out to motorhead or metallica or something like that. I probably look pretty funny doing air guitar or doing a drum solo on my tank.

same but with better music ;D