Originally Posted by No Worries (Post 50492)

And another thing, here's what Lee Parks states about body positioning: "A relaxed upper body makes it possible to change direction or speed with repeatable accuracy." Have you ever ridden behind a cruiser rider that looks like his back is stiff against a flat plank as he goes around a curve? Usually not a smooth cornering maneuver. He's either very slow or jerky. And they hardly ever turn their head to look through the turn.

Originally Posted by No Worries (Post 49797)

Wait a second. When you are riding mountains or canyons, there is no time between curves to rotate hips, weigh your feet, or hug the tank.

There is just no time to think about the other things, let alone do them, in the short amount of time that curves change direction in a canyon.

Originally Posted by DLIT (Post 49826)

Thanks, Kurt.

I like this thread.

Originally Posted by ceo012384 (Post 50995)

Another thing an instructor and very fast rider told me is that even the slightest bit of bar pressure mid turn not only decreases the bike's ability to stay settled and correct itself, but also increases the radius of your turn.

For example, if you are leaned over and still have pressure on the inside bar, the bike will continue to track more straight than if you let go of it. That's literally how important it is to reduce bar pressure; reducing bar pressure is what really allows the bike to hook into the turn and bite towards the apex.

It's also the reason why people are still completing their turn post-apex, when in reality all your turning should be done and you should be getting on the gas and standing the bike up, allowing the throttle to cause you to track out as you get to WOT and the bike is stood up.

I try to keep a feather's touch on my bars, holding the throttle where it is with a thumb and two fingers, and the other hand with barely a grip on the bars. I know I'm doing it right when I can feel the handlebars jiggling around inside my loosely gripping hands.

That being said, I'm not always good with this, and it's the hardest thing for me and many riders.


I've thought a lot about this stuff since getting this advice and can't wait to keep working on it.

There's plenty of time... ever ride NHMS?

And as far as think them... that's the point of practice, so it becomes automatic technique. Keith Code's $10 of attention, anyone?

:iagree: with both. Thanks Zort. And I like when we actual talk motorcycle technique on here :dthumb:

Originally Posted by DLIT (Post 51000)

iF YOU WEIGHT THE INSIDE CLIP-ON, YOU'RE working against the suspension and ultimately pushing your bike outwards. It's all physics.

Originally Posted by DLIT (Post 51010)

What are you talking about when you say "tracking"?

Originally Posted by DLIT (Post 51016)

Now I understand your previous statement...I think. You can be at max lean, but you won't be turning as much as you can be because your weighting the inside, which you would think just lean more and before you know it, you lowside. My avatar is at a point where I lean it just a bit more to finish off a decreasing radius turn. If I was weighting the bar too much, I could easily lowside or over-shoot the turn.