What Could Possibly Go Wrong In A Curve?
According to Murphy, you know, Murphy's Law - if anything can happen, it will, or something like that. After all, one of the great things we like about riding is "the Lean Factor" in the corners and twisties.
In an earlier article, I wrote about Experience versus Instinct, and how your instinct tries to tell you one thing, but your Experience can tell you to do something completely different, even if it may not seem logical (thank you, Mr. Spock) . This no more important than when you have to take a sharp curve at speed. As you probably already know, the vast majority of single motorcycle accidents occur on curves, for a number of reasons. Speed, direction and severity of the curve, objects such as gravel on the road, improper lane placement, and not looking through the curve are just some of the reasons that can lead to disaster. Let’s take a look at issues, and corrections to them before you get into a situation you really need to avoid.
As Bachman Turner Overdrive once said, You’re “Rollin’ Down The Highway” at the designated road speed, when all of a sudden there is a sharp curve that you where not anticipating.
What Are Some Problems You’re Creating For Yourself?
Hope for the best!!!!
What are some of the ways that we can use Experience and Skills to overcome Panic instinct?
In an earlier article, I wrote about Experience versus Instinct, and how your instinct tries to tell you one thing, but your Experience can tell you to do something completely different, even if it may not seem logical (thank you, Mr. Spock) . This no more important than when you have to take a sharp curve at speed. As you probably already know, the vast majority of single motorcycle accidents occur on curves, for a number of reasons. Speed, direction and severity of the curve, objects such as gravel on the road, improper lane placement, and not looking through the curve are just some of the reasons that can lead to disaster. Let’s take a look at issues, and corrections to them before you get into a situation you really need to avoid.
As Bachman Turner Overdrive once said, You’re “Rollin’ Down The Highway” at the designated road speed, when all of a sudden there is a sharp curve that you where not anticipating.
What Are Some Problems You’re Creating For Yourself?
- Where are you in your lane before you get to the curve? Where are you as you enter the curve?
- Now that you have entered the curve, are you trying to use body lean to steer into the corner? You are now starting to go wide in the turn.
- Rolling off the gas in the turn, removes power to back wheel, now you are only coasting and have little counter control to the laws of physics. Oh-oh, panic is starting to creep in. Your stomach starts to tighten as you start to drift wider.
- Now you might be counter-leaning (vs counter-steering) to the angle of the bike because it seems more “natural”, this forces the bike to come more upright and want to go straight.
- Tightening the grip on the bars (more panic instinctive reaction) and it will not change what has already been set in motion.
- A frantically narrowed view has you looking everywhere, especially straight ahead, except where you should be looking (which is around the curve where you really want to go).
- Transfixed attention on something created by the increasing grip of panic. This has been referred to as “Visual panic”. Your eyes basically have stopped moving and are focused on one place. Your brain has determined what you see ahead is the problem that needs to be fixed.
- Tunnel vision- mind and eyes have now become fixated on where you are looking (usually where you shouldn’t be looking, such as the ditch or guardrail) and you are now frozen on the bars, with on steering or ineffective steering occurring.
- Panic instinct takes over completely and promotes the last resort- hammering on the brakes, and any control you may have had is now basically lost. A “high side’ or “low side” event is in the making.
Hope for the best!!!!
What are some of the ways that we can use Experience and Skills to overcome Panic instinct?
- Where are you in your lane, and how far ahead are you looking? Looking far enough ahead (12 - 14 seconds) goes a long way from having a sharp turn or curve “sneak up on you”. Look for the “Vanishing point”. How soon does that point occur? The sooner it disappears the tighter the turn.
2. Are you “Charging toward the corner”? What speed are you
approaching the curve? Tunnel vision begins. Any braking should be
done here, using both brakes, smoothly. Thus, knowing when to
brake is important. As is knowing when to stop braking.
3. Throttle control for the curve. Roll off throttle slowly, smoothly before
entering corner, then accelerate slightly through the turn to transfer
weight to the larger contact patch of the wider back tire. You do not
coast around the corner, but maintain power to the back wheel. If you
have to reduce throttle in a corner, do so and methodically, and
regain your line through the curve. Practice smooth roll on and off in
corners to help prepare yourself. Fast roll on and roll off creates bike
instability by transferring the bikes, and your weight front to back or
back to front too quickly and can mean the difference from controlled
recovery in a corner to “high or low siding”.
If the corner is slippery or has some debris on it, try to bring the bike
more upright as you smoothly roll off the throttle, but maintaining
power to the back wheel. The less the lean angle here the better.
Smooth operation is key!
4. Holding onto bars- How you hold on to the bars plays a very
important role. It is a big mistake by many, especially on grooved
roads. Allow the front tire to search for the best line while riding. The
harder you grip the bars, the more the input will be amplified to you
from the road, causing you to instinctively to grip even harder as you
try to keep the bars straight. This only makes controlling the bike
harder and makes you tired. There is no fun in that. Allow the bars to
move back and forth. Relax!
5. On a bumpy surface, riding too straight armed or too much grip on
the bars can, and will, effect good throttle control. It also causes your
head and helmet to shake, impairing your vision and focus. Riding
loose armed, and using your legs and bent arms and back allows the
suspension to properly do its job, and you will be able to maintain
your throttle control.
6. If you are going to shift your weight for a corner (move your butt in
direction of turn do so before you roll off the throttle to start the turn.
Doing so after you roll off or in the corner causes instability because
of weight transference from multiple inputs on the bike all at once. So
hang off early and not too far. Gripping the tank or the bike in a turn
with your legs, especially the one on the outside of the turn, takes
pressure off of having to more firmly grip the bars.
Stabilizing the bike in any corner is the goal, and setting up the right line, with good throttle control, eyes looking ahead to where you want to go, and a relaxed posture, taken from experience, is imperative to maintaining a safe and enjoyable ride.
Remember 3RS Ride Skilled - Ride Smart - Ride Safe
approaching the curve? Tunnel vision begins. Any braking should be
done here, using both brakes, smoothly. Thus, knowing when to
brake is important. As is knowing when to stop braking.
3. Throttle control for the curve. Roll off throttle slowly, smoothly before
entering corner, then accelerate slightly through the turn to transfer
weight to the larger contact patch of the wider back tire. You do not
coast around the corner, but maintain power to the back wheel. If you
have to reduce throttle in a corner, do so and methodically, and
regain your line through the curve. Practice smooth roll on and off in
corners to help prepare yourself. Fast roll on and roll off creates bike
instability by transferring the bikes, and your weight front to back or
back to front too quickly and can mean the difference from controlled
recovery in a corner to “high or low siding”.
If the corner is slippery or has some debris on it, try to bring the bike
more upright as you smoothly roll off the throttle, but maintaining
power to the back wheel. The less the lean angle here the better.
Smooth operation is key!
4. Holding onto bars- How you hold on to the bars plays a very
important role. It is a big mistake by many, especially on grooved
roads. Allow the front tire to search for the best line while riding. The
harder you grip the bars, the more the input will be amplified to you
from the road, causing you to instinctively to grip even harder as you
try to keep the bars straight. This only makes controlling the bike
harder and makes you tired. There is no fun in that. Allow the bars to
move back and forth. Relax!
5. On a bumpy surface, riding too straight armed or too much grip on
the bars can, and will, effect good throttle control. It also causes your
head and helmet to shake, impairing your vision and focus. Riding
loose armed, and using your legs and bent arms and back allows the
suspension to properly do its job, and you will be able to maintain
your throttle control.
6. If you are going to shift your weight for a corner (move your butt in
direction of turn do so before you roll off the throttle to start the turn.
Doing so after you roll off or in the corner causes instability because
of weight transference from multiple inputs on the bike all at once. So
hang off early and not too far. Gripping the tank or the bike in a turn
with your legs, especially the one on the outside of the turn, takes
pressure off of having to more firmly grip the bars.
Stabilizing the bike in any corner is the goal, and setting up the right line, with good throttle control, eyes looking ahead to where you want to go, and a relaxed posture, taken from experience, is imperative to maintaining a safe and enjoyable ride.
Remember 3RS Ride Skilled - Ride Smart - Ride Safe