Corners, Control and Crowns
Did you know ....... approximately 80% of all motorcycle accidents are single vehicle accidents, and approximately 80% of those accidents occur on corners? Amazing! And in most cases with an accident in the corner, excessive speed was the contributing factor.
Although "excessive speed for the corner" can be viewed as "too fast", the term "too fast" may not be all there is to it.
"Too fast" could be referenced by the experience a rider has. If the rider is new (or with few kilometers under their belt, regardless of years holding a license) he / she may not know how to negotiate the curve or corner properly. With a bit of practice, knowledge, and experience things could (and probably would) turn out differently. So let's look at a few items that have an impact on issues in the corner.
1. Speed- Speed is the single biggest issue. Entering the corner or curve too fast for the rider to correct, and the rider usually doesn't realize it until they are in the corner. This is called the "Oh sh-- " moment. It is the realization that one is travelling too fast and it causes a number of things to happen. Instinct says brake and roll off the throttle. This more than likely causes the rider to slid out of control as they grab a handful of front brake and step on the back brake, and lock up. Rolling off the throttle takes away the power to the back wheel and now you have lost the control the friction patch of the back wheel offers.
Although "excessive speed for the corner" can be viewed as "too fast", the term "too fast" may not be all there is to it.
"Too fast" could be referenced by the experience a rider has. If the rider is new (or with few kilometers under their belt, regardless of years holding a license) he / she may not know how to negotiate the curve or corner properly. With a bit of practice, knowledge, and experience things could (and probably would) turn out differently. So let's look at a few items that have an impact on issues in the corner.
1. Speed- Speed is the single biggest issue. Entering the corner or curve too fast for the rider to correct, and the rider usually doesn't realize it until they are in the corner. This is called the "Oh sh-- " moment. It is the realization that one is travelling too fast and it causes a number of things to happen. Instinct says brake and roll off the throttle. This more than likely causes the rider to slid out of control as they grab a handful of front brake and step on the back brake, and lock up. Rolling off the throttle takes away the power to the back wheel and now you have lost the control the friction patch of the back wheel offers.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help- you are probably going to have to change your lean angle. This is much easier if your body stance is proper, that is, riding loose with arms at a deflected angle without "elbow lock-up). Bikes are made to lean, but also requires a shift in weight to help it out. On a sport bike, extending the knee out and shifting your weight (move your fanny like racers do) inward from the corner will help to maintain your "line". Motorcycles are made to lean, so lean them! They will lean over farther than you think, even cruisers. Use the above approach to place your weight on the inside of the curve, the same way a racing sailor would do with their sail boat.
As well, downshift, and if you cannot downshift, keep a constant throttle so that you have power to the back wheel, and actually accelerate after you have determined your "exit line". One more item to add to this is the back brake. You can brake hard (up to the braking threshold) in the corner with your front brake (and back brake) as long as your wheels are straight and the bike is leaning. If there is debris on the road, this is not a good idea! You can also use just your back brake as it is a "controlling brake" in the curve. Remember to keep power to it through the use of the throttle.
As well, downshift, and if you cannot downshift, keep a constant throttle so that you have power to the back wheel, and actually accelerate after you have determined your "exit line". One more item to add to this is the back brake. You can brake hard (up to the braking threshold) in the corner with your front brake (and back brake) as long as your wheels are straight and the bike is leaning. If there is debris on the road, this is not a good idea! You can also use just your back brake as it is a "controlling brake" in the curve. Remember to keep power to it through the use of the throttle.
2. Target Fixation - The motorcycle goes where you look, and as the instincts kick in and you look at the side of the road, the ditch, the curb, the trees, or the guardrail, chances are you will hit one of them because that is what you are concerned about. Isn't that where you were looking? Also referred in other aspects as "Tunnel Vision".
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - looking at the danger is natural for us as it prepares us for the "fight or flight" response. You have to train yourself to keep looking where you want to go, in other words, look away from the danger and "stay the line". You are looking for an exit in this way and will follow it. Thus, you can clean your pants out later!
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - looking at the danger is natural for us as it prepares us for the "fight or flight" response. You have to train yourself to keep looking where you want to go, in other words, look away from the danger and "stay the line". You are looking for an exit in this way and will follow it. Thus, you can clean your pants out later!
3. Road Debris - It is a fact of life here in Nova Scotia (and almost everywhere else) that something will be on the road surface that really shouldn't be there, such as parts from cars (usually mufflers), road kill, or loose gravel, just for examples. It is also a fact of life that a good deal of these objects occur in corners, just where they can cause you the most issues. In many cases, on many of our secondary roads, your visibility around the corner is restricted due to the curve itself and the vegetation (trees, bushes, tall grasses) that is growing next to the road bed. As well, gravel gets tossed on the road in corners, especially from the inside of a corner, by large trucks which may drop wheels off of the asphalt and onto the shoulder of the road because the road may be so narrow (did you also notice how many dirt roads exit onto asphalt roads on a corner?) Road kill (and depending on the size and state it is in) can be extremely dangerous. You are in a corner, in a lean, and all of a sudden, there it is! The "fluids" of the road kill can also make the asphalt very slippery as well (just like being on ice. Gravel, sand, and rock act as ball bearings under the tires which can have you "parallel to the pavement" in no time.
In the picture above, a corner can hide many obstacles.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - You are not going to be able to cage all the animals that may wander onto the road, and not all drivers are going to maintain their vehicles so that no parts fall off, and gravel is, well, there. So, some planning and scanning is needed. Slowing down for the corner before you enter is the beginning of any of these fixes. However, if you don't or can't because of certain situations where the vehicle following you wants to put its grill in your exhaust, a bit of planning before the curve is required. We sometimes have a habit of looking too close at the curve, instead of trying to look around the curve. Try to maintain the 12 - 14 second lead time as best you can before entering. Find your riding line by using the delayed apex approach. This allows you to see the maximum distance around the corner, and places you in a position to make adjustments to your direction.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - You are not going to be able to cage all the animals that may wander onto the road, and not all drivers are going to maintain their vehicles so that no parts fall off, and gravel is, well, there. So, some planning and scanning is needed. Slowing down for the corner before you enter is the beginning of any of these fixes. However, if you don't or can't because of certain situations where the vehicle following you wants to put its grill in your exhaust, a bit of planning before the curve is required. We sometimes have a habit of looking too close at the curve, instead of trying to look around the curve. Try to maintain the 12 - 14 second lead time as best you can before entering. Find your riding line by using the delayed apex approach. This allows you to see the maximum distance around the corner, and places you in a position to make adjustments to your direction.
As above, delaying your turn allows you to see around the "blind" farther. If you are into the corner doing everything right (or not so right) you can still counter-steer around the object is speed, distance, and enough room is available to maneuver. Maintain throttle and use back brake pressure (as already mentioned in Situation 1 above). If you have to brake, you can do so hard (without lock -up!) using just your front brake (if not on gravel, sand or other like debris) until the bike is close to righting itself from the lean, and apply back brake in concert with front (in a straight line), or if still able to avoid obstacle, use back brake only at this point, and off the front brake (this is a situation where we say that ABS brakes are the great equalizer!).If all else fails with an object in the road, prepare by not locking your arms, place as much weight on your pegs as possible, and try to make contact in as straight as possible, If on gravel, sand, etc. try to stand the bike upright as soon as possible, acquire a straight line as best you can and apply moderate braking.
After using all the skills at your disposal, you may still not be able to avoid "an incident". At least you will be better prepared to make that incident the least damaging as possible, and your willingness to wear your protective gear gives you a very good chance of surviving unscathed. You were wearing your protective gear, right?
4. Effect of Road Crown in a Corner - As talked about in "The Crowning Glory", found on this site, the road is engineered to have water run off of it to the shoulders of the road. In theory, this works well, in practical terms, with the never ending effects of cold, frost, and rutting, they can play havoc in a corner.In the following diagram, you can note the difference in available lean angle, depending on whether you are on the high crown or low crown. This does not take into consideration the rutting from heavy traffic over the years, which will give you at least 3 crowns and 2 "valleys" to contend with.
After using all the skills at your disposal, you may still not be able to avoid "an incident". At least you will be better prepared to make that incident the least damaging as possible, and your willingness to wear your protective gear gives you a very good chance of surviving unscathed. You were wearing your protective gear, right?
4. Effect of Road Crown in a Corner - As talked about in "The Crowning Glory", found on this site, the road is engineered to have water run off of it to the shoulders of the road. In theory, this works well, in practical terms, with the never ending effects of cold, frost, and rutting, they can play havoc in a corner.In the following diagram, you can note the difference in available lean angle, depending on whether you are on the high crown or low crown. This does not take into consideration the rutting from heavy traffic over the years, which will give you at least 3 crowns and 2 "valleys" to contend with.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - Again, as with all turns, your entry speed is crucial. But you didn't have the correct speed! Use all the skills already mentioned to find the proper line, and be aware that if you are in a "rut", you may find that it will effect the direction you are travelling by "guiding" you along. You may also hear that scraping sound as the lean of the bike causes your cruiser pegs to touch. Keeping calm and relaxed is the best medicine here.
5. Positive, Negative, and Neutral Corners- Close to where I live there is one section of the road that is on a turn and has a number of small memorials along the side of the highway to remember some loved ones who were killed there in auto accidents. There have also been many accidents on the same turn as well. Most of them single vehicle accidents. Why this corner in particular? When it was built, or engineered, it was not properly "banked" for the corner. The corner also includes an old train overhead bridge, and the bridge is flat as it goes around the curve. So, instead of having a bank or slope similar to those found on race tracks to help keep cars from "spinning off" (a positive slope), the corner slope here is downward on the outside ( a negative slope) which does not encourage vehicles to stay on the road. In addition, the friction caused by the asphalt with your tires is much less in cooler weather as the bridge loses its heat much quicker than the road bed. It is "an accident waiting to happen" - over and over again!
Positive slopes or road bank (slopes that bank toward us) help us to maintain our line through a corner as the tires push against the slope. A negative slope or road bank (the slope is away from us) requires more lean and care as slippery asphalt, or debris on the road, can cause you to slid out easier. A neutral slop or road bank is one that neither banks or slopes away, or banks and slopes toward us.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - In a negative slope, if you start to slide or have to make an emergency avoidance with an object, your cure just got harder. Getting your speed down as soon as possible, proper braking techniques already described, maintaining power to the back wheel, and searching for a new line or "out" are what is needed.
Positive slopes or road bank (slopes that bank toward us) help us to maintain our line through a corner as the tires push against the slope. A negative slope or road bank (the slope is away from us) requires more lean and care as slippery asphalt, or debris on the road, can cause you to slid out easier. A neutral slop or road bank is one that neither banks or slopes away, or banks and slopes toward us.
The Experience / Knowledge Factor To Help - In a negative slope, if you start to slide or have to make an emergency avoidance with an object, your cure just got harder. Getting your speed down as soon as possible, proper braking techniques already described, maintaining power to the back wheel, and searching for a new line or "out" are what is needed.
6. I Hate Surprises!-So what it all comes down to is the proper techniques before you go into the turn. Make sure your ability to stop is shorter than the distance you can see, and that your ability to stop safely is within your skill set. If not, it is time to get training and direction as part of your life long learning curve (err, no pun intended).
To the end, if you are going to go for a ride, especially on roads you are not familiar with, you should Be Aware, and Prepare before the trip, by studying road maps or make use of computer apps like Google Earth or Maps.
Last but not least, while on the road, Scan and Plan. Know what is ahead and plan your line.
To the end, if you are going to go for a ride, especially on roads you are not familiar with, you should Be Aware, and Prepare before the trip, by studying road maps or make use of computer apps like Google Earth or Maps.
Last but not least, while on the road, Scan and Plan. Know what is ahead and plan your line.