Physics of Cornering...and Recovering

Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum

Help Support Yamaha FJR Motorcycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Many moons ago I attended a CLASS School by Reg Pridmore (winner of the AMA Superbike Championship in 1976, followed by 1977 and 1978). He suggested putting weight on the inside foot peg to "body steer" the motorcycle. At one point in the class, I got to sit behind Reg as he circled the track. We were passing other solo riders and my boots kept touching the tarmac! Man, was he a smooth rider! I could not tell when he was shifting or braking.
 
GREAT advice so far. Yup, did three Reg Pridmore track days in the early 2000s, and that has saved my bacon countless times. Do a good track day with good instructors. Look where you want to go, not at the danger (target fixation, as mentioned before). Relax your grip, and grip with your knees. BREATHE (you would be surprised...). Lean farther; modern motorcycle tires have amazing grip. You have run out of clearance when the solidly-mounted parts start scraping, not the spring-loaded peg feelers. Pay attention to the force you are putting into your (relaxed) grip on the bars, and consciously countersteer; it really does work. Even if you don't slide off the seat, at least put your inside shoulder and head to the inside of the turn, and even a little forward. Once again, I can't emphasize a good quality track day enough. You will learn SO much, then you will want to go back as often as possible.
These things are not difficult to do, but it is very difficult and takes practice and discipline to stop your brain from panicking and doing the exact wrong things. THAT part is hard, but you can do it. Good luck.

One more thought......You can always speed up if you want to in the middle of a corner, but sometimes you can't slow down enough. Like was said earlier, slow in, fast out.
 
Last edited:
I recently took a ~200 mile ride with the wife on her own bike through the back roads of SC, and was thinking about this thread. Keeping my speed at no more than 10mph over the limit, at no point did I have to do anything more than gentle steering input to make the corners.

Maybe the best advice for not going into corners too hot is to follow the road rules? Surely nobody on this forum would be breaking the law while riding :eek:

Also: My wife watched the videos in the thread with me earlier, and I heard her on the intercom while going into corners, "braaaaaake brake brake, see exit and throttle throttle throttle" :D
 
Howdy all. Living in the Northeastern US, our twisties are riddled with blind corners. I couldn't stay alive or feel safe if I wasn't covering the controls 90% of the time and trail braking regularly. Get in the habit of covering, and you just bought yourself a fraction of a second in an emergency situation. On the mighty FJR, because we have linked brakes, you only need to apply light pressure on the front brake to quickly bleed off some speed. Do so confidently, with a light touch so as not to upset the apple cart. For sporty riding, you'll need to slide that butt around to get you through that corner faster while not necessarily increasing your lean angle. Practice for emergencies so there will be less of a surprise when you happen upon one.
 
On the mighty FJR, because we have linked brakes, you only need to apply light pressure on the front brake to quickly bleed off some speed.
With respect to the linked brakes for Gen II and III/IV... The right front lower piston pair is activated via the rear brake pedal (along with the rear brake). The rear brake IS NOT linked to the front brake lever/master cylinder. It activates JUST the two front-left piston pairs and the top right piston pair. If you want to calm the bike by applying some rear brake, you need to use the brake pedal.

Living in the Northeastern US, our twisties are riddled with blind corners.
Yup, and a profusion of suicidal forest critters as well.
 
With respect to the linked brakes for Gen II and III/IV... The right front lower piston pair is activated via the rear brake pedal (along with the rear brake). The rear brake IS NOT linked to the front brake lever/master cylinder. It activates JUST the two front-left piston pairs and the top right piston pair. If you want to calm the bike by applying some rear brake, you need to use the brake pedal.


Yup, and a profusion of suicidal forest critters as well.
Down here it’s gravel, gravel and piles of gravel. Particularly after it rains.😱
 

Latest posts

Top