We all have our breathtaking moments while riding a motorcycle. The most heart-in-the-mouth moments occur when the corner suddenly tightens up and you have no room left to complete your turn.
Well, we all go through this experience. And I am telling you if it hasn’t happened to you, then you should thank God because, when it does, it will be frightening. Anyways, if you have ever noticed whenever we find ourselves in this situation, it leads to either an off-the-road encounter with oncoming traffic or a low slide into the corner.
So, the best way to handle a cornering situation comes in four parts which you will see below.
- Avoid Being Caught Unaware
- Position Your Bike
- Handling the Corner
- Over Committed
We will discuss each part one by one.
Tips for Handling Decreasing Radius Corners
Avoid Being Caught
If you are riding on a road where you’ve ridden before then make sure you remember the signs or markings that remind you of a tight turn and prepare yourself for it. But, if you are on an entirely different section of the road where you’ve never ridden before, then look for markings or clues that show signs of a tight turn ahead.
Use this trick to check for yourself, “If the outside line is getting closer to the center or the inside line is bending, then it means a tighter turn is ahead and you better prepare for the corner.”
Survey all corners carefully, so you can lean your bike at the correct angle and adjust your speed to corner your motorcycle.
Position Your Bike
Now, you have found yourself in a situation where you need to corner the bike. So, to corner perfectly, make sure you position your motorcycle as wide as possible and don’t use the brakes; otherwise, it puts exertion on the suspension and your bike will have low clearance. Especially, if you are riding a cruiser.
You must know, How to Corner on a Cruiser Motorcycle?
If you approach widely, then you will make the apex further around the bend and this will alert you of the tightening radius. Don’t get distracted by looking at the corners, stick to the line, lean into your angle, and put your weight on the inside for balance. If you look at the outer line or to the other side of the road, you may become distracted and end up where you shouldn’t be.
Handling the Corner
It is time to corner the motorcycle on a tight turn.
Make sure you tighten your arc. The wider the arc, the less lean angle you need. And as I said above, don’t try downshifting or slow down. You may even need to speed up a bit to finish the corner safely. Plus, if you use the brake, it will affect your motorcycle’s suspension and you might hear the sound of foot pegs scraping on the road.
If you need to use the brakes, then use the rear brakes, which will pull the motorcycle into a steeper lean, as well as slow it down. But, never use the front brake.
Over-Committed
If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve over-committed and have run out of ground clearance, then use the front and rear brakes smoothly without changing your lean angle and never use the throttle to finish the cornering. You may end up off the road where you can fall on gravel and mud.
Conclusion
I hope these tricks will help you to handle a decreasing radius corner on a motorcycle. If you know any other techniques, then please don’t forget to share them with us in the comment section below.
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