Cornering Courage

[jtemple]

So, the riding season is fast approaching. I just finished up the last of my winter maintenance last night.

I got to thinking about cornering.

In my area, there are no real tight twisties, just big sweeping curves. I'd have to push damn close to 100mph to have any hope of dragging a knee, I think. I'm not opposed to reaching those speeds (these are very low traffic, farmland type areas).

I wear full leathers. I stay in my lane, I only pass other vehicles when it's safe, etc.

I have these dreams of really pushing the limits, dragging knees, hanging way off the bike, blah blah blah. But, I live on a budget (yeah, like everyone else) and have a family. A wreck would be pretty hard on my family and our pocketbook. Not to mention the speeds I'd have to reach to do that out here. I'd love to do track days, but those are also out of reach, financially.

On to the question: How do you know when you start to push the limits of your tires' grip? I'm riding on Pilot Power 2CTs this season. Is the edge of your grip really sudden and startling, or does it come on fairly gradually? I'm a little afraid to find that spot, considering how fast I'd have to be going to do so. If it's a noticeable controlled loss of traction, I can deal with it. I just don't want my wheels suddenly washing out from under me at those kinds of speeds.

The only tires I've felt slip on me are OEM tires on both my SV650 and my ZX-10R. I had Pilot Powers on my SV650 and took the chicken strips down to about 1/8" - 1/4" or so, and never had any slipping issues.

Let's talk cornering!