Mike, excellent video. What so many street riders don't understand about cornering like their favorite racers is that racers have been around the track, the same track corners, over and over again, gradually ramping up their speed and technique as their time on track increases. Contrast that with street riding, where no two corners are the same, and we ride the corners only once on an outing, and it becomes vital to not pretend one is a racer when riding on the street.
Not every ride is through an out of town road once. LA and Malibu area riders rip up and down Mullholland multiple times. The length from the rock store to the famous hairpin is just about 4 min on a conservative pace. I don’t mean people should be racing on this public road, but not every ride is a totally unpredictable trek with unfamiliar changing roads. You can build some skills on some roads, but the video makes it feel like you should practice at the track and there’s no room for fun on the street.
I disagree, I ride the same corner more than any pro has ridden the same corner on a track, unless they go twice a day, 5 days a week 300 times a year for the past 7 years, I back it in on that corner too.🤷♂️ it’s the one of the few corners I can see all the way through and is easy to see the conditions from a long way off.
The blind corner is by far the most dangerous. Riding with 'friends' is where you take too many risks. Relax, safe and conscious that a two wheel can be deadly.
The blind corner is a very important issue. I was riding at night one time and I approached a long blind corner. I told myself mentally to really slow down. Sure enough, 2 does and a 10 point buck in my line. The buck didn’t even move as I slowly passed them. If I didn’t slow down, I would have hit antlers at 40 mph.
true one week ago a friend of mine drived behind me a route he never drove before. I already knew the route so I took the turn with a bit faster. He tried to drive as fast as I (he wasn't that experienced so he just thougt nothing of it) he didn't made the turn and fell to the ground. He was lucky though because it was a dangerous turn on a mountain and he could have injured himself severly and destroy hes bike completly. But he's fine and the motorcycle too besides some scratches and a broken mirror.
Yeah, you can tell about the scary hazards of a blind corner over and over... The truth is, we only REALLY understand how it is when we come into a blind corner a bit too hot... The lucky among us live long enough to learn from it, either by "saving it" that one time, or by just not having a bad enough crash to kill us outright... That's the nature of the sport of motorcycling... You get good quick, or you get dead quicker. Glad I was among those who moved up to trail-braking early. In the mountains (where I live) it's indispensable... There's always a road that's "new to me" and blind curves that turn out a bit longer and then reduce radius or add another apex (or both... that was fun) and if you're faster than you normally take the "new situation" then you're just f***ed... Trail-braking lets us keep the balance a bit forward and we can add some drag to the rear brake (my favorite for most trail-braking) or even get a little aggressive with the front... either way, we can do it without worrying... It SHOULD BE all about "HOW" you use your brakes, NOT "whether" you can use your brakes. If you can't stop your motorcycle ANY TIME and ANY WHERE on the road, turn or not, then you DO NOT have full control of your motorcycle. Out here in the mountains, there are rock falls, land-slides, fallen trees, damaged vehicles, deer, bears, cattle from time to time (horses too)... and a MYRIAD of other things that can just randomly be in the middle of a blind, double-apexed, reducing radius turn that drops you four or five inches from asphalt into gravel at 50 mph... Good luck! ;o)
The only moments l’ve had fears on my bike is when riding with a group ! I am so much more relax alone on my GS 1250! Evaluate & respect your limits! Ride safe. Marc Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦😉🏍
I've been riding for over 25 years and still have heaps of stuff to learn. I'm still perfecting my skills, they are crucial to my safety and that of other road users.
I like what you said "other road users", I am responsible for myself, if I get hurt due to my own doing, I can live with that and learn, but if I hurt somebody else because my skills failed me or lack of, that is something that will be very hard to live with.
I've been riding most of my life although I was off of bike for some years. I have been riding again for about 6 years now but still find it wise to watch and re watch videos like this. You're approach is great and I have no problem getting the point. Thank you. Keep safe and enjoy.
6:00 the main benefit is the engine/ chain is constantly under tension if its fighting the rear brake so you dont get any lurching. its much smoother and less jerky. i know everyone probably already knows this, but it wasnt explained in the video.
On the streets i always use the rear brake and engine brake. Front Brake only for emergency. I have the fingers at the lever, but usually don't use it. Hanging off is such a stupid skill for public roads. Makes your riding unstable in case of an emergency. As you said, there is a big difference between public road and track. On a track you can be sure, there is no traffic, no peds, no parked cars, no potholes and the road is much wider. And you can see the end of corners. So it's much safer on the track for you and for others.
It blows my mind how many people I see trying to get their knee down on the street. Normally they are going slow through corners but hanging right off the bike. Just so risky, a small patch of gravel or something and you're done.
It's like they don't even realize that's adding body position... If you're not pushing the bike to it's limit in THAT turn, you're just going to stand it upright... It's still going to turn and all (provided you did the turning part correctly)... BUT adding body position takes away lean angle... SO on the street, they're doomed from the start... They CAN'T be riding fast enough 90% of the time to get the knee to touch... so they just look like a goof dangling off the side of a motorcycle going WAY too slow to need to do that... I'm on a cruiser... AND I can take a pretty fast pace... The MOST body position I've used puts my chest just about in line with the inside handle-grip on the road... AND I LIVE in the mountains. ;o)
Excellent video. I've been doing all those mistakes (except "backing it in" because it is not easy to do, especially with zero track experience) and always tried to correct them but sometimes it is really difficult to go against "instincts". For exemple, now it's a cold, cold winter and i have to ride everyday also at night, and between all corners being somewhat blind, the slippery roads, the cold , i end up turning too early, fearing to put enough lean angle, being tensed on the handlebar.
Holding on to the handlebars too hard happens to everyone, the important thing is to be aware of it and always try to relax. I catch myself holding on too hard to the handlebars all the time when racing in Supermoto. Being loose on the handlebars is especially important in supermoto racing because the bikes are optimized for lower speed sharp turns. Going 90 mph + on the straights makes the bike start head shaking if I grip the handlebars too hard, so I get direct feedback of what I'm doing wrong. As soon as I get loose on the handlebars the shaking stops, works every single time.
This winter has been the winter I discovered Alpaca Wool... I'd heard of it before (obviously) since I wasn't born or raised under a rock somewhere... BUT the stuff is a bit expensive ($50 for a sweater) to me... AND I was always of the opinion, "Yeah, wool's fine for insulation even wet, but THAT much?" Well, I ordered one... AND two days after it arrived, I ordered the socks... even the $20/pair Boot-socks... AND I absolutely LOVE them... Now, if there isn't great big splotches of ice everywhere in the road, I'm riding... no excuses, and I'm not freezing my a** off... I WILL BE COLLECTING! The hardest thing in the WORLD to do is try to ride a motorcycle when you're shivering, because your WHOLE BODY stiffens right up and you can't effectively move... In that state, even dry pavement doesn't help... If you can't flex, you can't lean... Good LED upgrades (add-ons and mods) help with visibility at night, both to help you be noticed on the road AND to help you see ahead, whether there's "shiny" meaning "black ice" or chucks of snow/ice or sand or whatever other debris... ...AND of course, taking your time (slowing down a bit) helps reduce the wind that chills you down as much as it helps you manage turns without too much lean requirement... Another bit that can help reduce lean angles AND still turn is "Body Position"... SO by shifting your upper body INSIDE the turn (line up your chin/chest with the inside handle grip) will let the bike stand upright a bit more and still take the turn (everything else done normal)... Hope this helps out... ;o)
@@the_real_P0t4t0 Merino is definitely nice... among my favorite for sheep. Alpacas live in the mountains of South America, and their wool is "hollow" like a polar bears, so extra insulating. They also don't produce lanolin like sheep do, so the wool doesn't tend to itch as much for those of us who are sensitive to that sort of thing... in any case, I think you'll be suitably impressed... AND I certainly hope the advantage helps with your riding! I know how tough it can get trying to ride year around... ;o)
safest corning mantra to repeat to yourself as you practice in the twisties: outside to inside to outside. "outside to inside to outside to inside to outside to inside to outside" helps me get the flow of things while im twisting it up
When I was learning to stay loose on the bars, it helped to consciously grip the tank with my knees. Whenever I would grip the tank I would automatically loosen my upperbody.
I like to blip the rear brake, aswell as dangling the leg. I learned it from going 30% speed and slowly faster the more I practice... Really helped me on my 4 day alps tour wiht my father. I rid e a125cc 15hp Yamaha MT125 and basically smoked everyone on 99% of the turns, setting myself up so i can pass themsafely after the turn. I brake where thy turn in andam able to carry so much more speed throught the turns.
I don't own a sport bike the sportest bike I have is my 85 cb650 but after having been riding for over 5 years I want to try it at a track, have fun and learn more.
I got a huge scare last summer in the twisties going in to what I thought was just another blind corner. Turned out to be a blunt hair pin corner.luckily I was able to correct the speed with my rear break and force myself to uncomfortable lean angle enough to make the corner
As an addition to that, I've heard that it's better to use the front brake if you need to slow down mid-corner, because if the wheel locks up then you'll likely just low-side, whereas if you lock up the rear wheel mid-corner, you're more likely to have a high-side crash.
I have come back to bikes after a 20 year gap. These are very useful tips and when the weather warms up I am going to find a carpark and practice my low speed turns.
A very succinct overview, and one of the best I have watched, of the basics that account for probably 90+ percent of what goes into being a smooth and competent rider.
I'm guilty with dangling my leg when in corner. I know it has minimal effect in street ridin, but it's a bad habit I developed. I'll try to unlearn it. I have much to learn about riding.
Just do what suits you and your style. As long as you ride safe and within your capabilities its fine. There is no rigid right way in anything - riding included
Excellent, as always ! A quibble, however : on the street, as you mention, trail braking can be useful in blind corners (especially going downhill). I would add a maybe more important skill for street riding, as the unexpected can also happen when you're in the maintenance throttle section of the turn: one cannot avoid learning how to apply the front brake smoothly when the pads aren't on the rotors anymore !
Something that you have over in the USA which we don't have in the UK is training the performance way which to my view is similar to track racing with a different attitude towards bends etc. I note that some 4.500 riders are killed on your roads annually and over here its about 350 killed so greater differences. On canyons apart from not seeing round the bends, in the UK that is normal as being a smaller country with much narrower roads and much farmland and hills everywhere its difficult to find long straights and so we train to narrow roads and plenty of blind bends. This mean that our training for bends is different and we do most of our braking prior to the bend and view what we call the vanishing or limit point. That is the distance that we can still see to be clear on that bend. A point ahead where the outside kerb or verge meets the inside one. What we are looking for is to maintain a correct braking distance with the distance to that limit point and throughout the bend. Having reached that point prior to that bend we are easily keeping up with that limit point. Say its some 140 ft ahead of us,we follow it and the distance to it round that bend at the same speed with a maintenance throttle only. So the curve of the bend dictates our limit point [ as far as we can see round that bend ] and our optimum safe speed around it. If we are catching up with it we are going too fast as we cannot guarantee to stop in the lesser distance now being seen so we slow down or if it is going away from us it means that we can slightly increase our speed to remain constant with it if we wish to do so and to keep up with that safe stopping distance to our limit point. It may also signify that we have now passed the apex of the bend and the bend is now opening up for us. After the apex and the road straightens out we can then lift the bike up and accelerate again to our limit point in the distance, that distance that we can see to be clear ahead. So our way of taking bends is quite different from your performance lines which I believe is the cause of many of the problems that you have with motorcyclists on your roads.
I have been riding for over 45 years. I just do things naturally. Nowadays they have names and procedures for things that I do or learned at Superbike schools in the 80"s and 90's. I have probably learned some bad habits over the years but I am doing something right.
Great video. I was once riding with a pillion through a winding section in the mountains (one way traffic only, for coming back you have to take the shorter tunnel) and I do lean a bit. During the ride I almost crashed at a corner because the pillion rider instead of leaning with me decided to correct the lean by being upright. That is the day I decided to never have a pillion rider on my joy rides.
I learned pretty quickly that looking where you want to go in a corner is how you corner effectively. You will after a bit riding get a sense of how the bike moves and looking where you are going makes controlling what is next intuitive. I don't think about lean angle or any sort of technique. I just move the bike how it feels right to. Maybe that isn't going far enough and maybe I should develop technique but I never push the bike to its' limits.
Cruiser new rider here. never in a rush, just enjoying my ride, always ✌️ thank you for the tips, i like the turn one (not correcting the turn half way but instead turning a little later makes sence)the others are less relevant to me.
I've been guilty of all of those, especialy as a beginner. The one thing that made me change is that now I mostly ride two up with my loved one. It made me re-think the risks I was taking. Now I spend more time practicing low speed manoeuvres on parking lots and less time trying to put down the knee on canyons.
"Racing techniques applied on street can save lifes". Thats the motto of Alejandro Torres, rally champion. Nice video buddy, but i can't be totally okay with you, since I really think like Alejandro.
I'm a relatively new rider. The one advice that really changed the way I ride was to not lean with the bike in corners but to counterlean. FortNine has an amazing video explaining why counterleaning is better and I definitely agree. Ever since started using that technique, I feel much more in control in corners and have much better situational awareness.. Not only that, my 200Kg+ Vstrom feels flickier too!
I've seen that video too and I agree with you! However, I don't always feel confident using counter leaning. I use counter leaning when on lower speeds and this gives me much more control, but when I'm on the highway doing 100 km/h I'm definitely not counter leaning but leaning completely. It just feels right to do it like this. Would you say the same? I'm a beginner too and I'm curious what you think about this.
Counter leaning isn't always what's best.. Go full speed and counterlean and youll be flying in no time. Slower speeds require more counterlean, faster not so much
@@manbiteslife3110 Not sure what you mean by full speed, but I have run around 60MPH and counter leaned fine. But it also didn't take much either. on a 55MPH road, I'm not taking any curve more than 10 over.
@@spartanx169x slow speed meaning like under 10mph counter leaning is good so you can lean the bike more and not be off balance. Normally its best to be at the center of weight. At curves it's best to be inside the turn if the motorcycle has enough power to push away like pro do. Sorry for bad English and I'm open for suggestions
When we are trying to have a bit of fun on a back road we always ride up and down it a few times, easing into it, checking for debris, learning the corners. Even so we never get close enough to scrape pegs or get knees down, just not worth it with an oncoming lane of traffic and ditches, fences, barriers, or trees on the side of the road. Just have some fun without needing to be on a track and also not taking too much risk. If you're solo definitely don't push it.
Great video! It's really funny that you can discourage a lot of riders from doing something wrong (myself included) by just saying that it looks goofy to someone who knows what they're saying! Riders are prideful people, if nothing else.
I never really tried to "back it in" in all my commuting years. One day, a big pickup almost took me out, veering off the main road right behind me on a side road and stayed right on me. A red flag went off and I thought I have to lose him. The next corner I took elbows up forward in the seat, inside foot out moto style. No rear brake. The back end stepped out engine braking and I eased the clutch in as the bike started to point towards the apex eased clutch and throttle out of the corner. By far the best and coolest corner I ever did. Surprisingly under stress and not thinking about it. Never want to push it that hard on the street again. Lost him. Not really sure what was going on there.
you dont HAVE to use the front brake to back it in if contitions are right, feel it out, if everything is right you can back it in just by blipping the throttle and when it time to grab traction again you can pull back a TINY LITTTLE FRACTION on the throttle and the rear tire will grab again and you can shoot yourself forward its so fun lol. i remember trying to back it in thinking it was using the brake xD never worked just ruined my stock rear tire haha. be careful when backing into a turn in one direction immediately followed by one in the other direction, grabbing treaction at the wrong time while you turn over to the other side can cause a highside im still trying to master that technique. also this stuff can be done in empty parking lots at slow speeds after work you dont need a racetrack
nice explanation there bro...but here in phil. most end up in hospitals even worst the morgue just to master the art of banking on public roads where trucks n cars are the obstacles beside blinds corners...
Interesting points (i know old video etc) but specifically to backing it in, I've most definitely ended up inadvertently using it on the street. I ride an S1000XR, and not sure if it just makes it easy, it's basically got supermoto ergos with a bit longer reach, but under hard braking and shifting down you can definitely get the back end to step out without any rear brake at all very easily and then leaning on the TC a tiny bit you can get great drive out of tight corners. Without TC I doubt I'd be quicker but on the street I'm not ashamed of using my electronics to have safe fun.
Thanks for your videos, i am really learning a lot and will surely try to use rear brake more when doing very slow maneuvers. Bonus: you have a very crystal clear voice and it helps for subtitles haha thanks!
Great clear ideas that work for safe enjoyable riding. One,should be able to distinguish between street and track riding. If one can not, they are using their emotions and imagination more that their intelligence. Thank you for making cycling safer and more comprehensible. Cheers! 👍
I don't put my foot out when I'm going into a turn on my bike but it's seems to feel quite natural on a dirt bike even though it's quite useless on the road.
My front wheel sliped a bit on a dead skunk in a blind corner last summer. That cooled me down for the rest of my day! Thats not how i wanna die, slipping on a dead skunk.
locking up the rear brake is still a good thing to do. (edit: in the right situation.) 1. its fun. 2. its pretty safe. 3. it teaches you how the bike behaves if you lock up the rear brakes. learning is never a bad thing. but yeah, of course its not gonna make you faster.
When you're hanging on too tight, you'll know because you're terrified to let go of the handlebars. I remember when I first started riding, when I would be terrified to let go at highway speeds, because as soon as I let go, the bike would start drifting to the left (since I was slightly pulling on the right side). One sign that you're not hanging on too tight, beside the chicken wing flapping, is being able to ride one handed, since I don't think its possible to ride one handed if you're hanging on to the handlebars, if I'm not mistaken.
I've only been riding for a few months, my instinct developed to steer with my hips several weeks in and I only allow the bars to tilt to assist with my turn angles am I wrong?
You should counter steer to turn, and slightly lean into the turn with you’re body. You will not be able to turn as precisely and quickly if you’re just steering with your hips.
Thanks for the video. I agree with most what you say..... HOWEVER everyone has a different style in riding. Saying someone is wrong doing what they do is just unfair. Providing the safe fundamentals of riding (good foresight, balance and awareness) each and every rider can do whatever they feel necessary-to make his or her ride enjoyable. ....As far as i am concerned as long as you TEND to move your weight to the inside of the corner (and transfer the weight any way that you see fit for you) the bike will do what its meant to do with minimal interference, need less lean and importantly allowing better centre of gravity increasing ground clearance. The higher skill trail braking technique will come as more experience or training is carried out. It isnt really necessary for road riders that just want to ride and have fun even at a more than average pace as long as the rider knows their own limits. Your exaggerated picture in this post of leg dangling out and unbalanced body is of course a little silly, but somewhere in between there is nothing wrong with that. I think what tends to happen is skilled riders (me in the past included) sometimes are critical of other’s styles and forget everyone has their own way. What opened my eyes was the Japanese style circuit racing where sportbike riders raced a special version of motorcycle having what appears to be totally awkward strange looking set up ( in fact looks similar to a chopper) going against a lot of the logic we all know and are used to seeing in MotoGp or Superbikes. The bike had skinny tyres and when riding he seemed rigid on the bike not leaning off at all (opposed to the full lean technique of the sportbikes) It seemed obvious to me the sportsbike riders would clean up BUT quite the opposite occurred. The funny looking skinny wheeled bike basically wiped them and won the race. Now that was rider skill mostly, & admit the bike looked to be set up exactly for that style of race. But........It made me aware we dont know everything, to be not so critical or judgemental, and however you decide to do anything in life -there is always another way! Sometimes there is no right or wrong - just different.
Getting out of the bike in the direction of the corner can be dangerous: if you have to do an emergency stop, a dodge or manage to stay on the bike when the rear slips and regain traction brutally (risk of high side), it's WAY easier to perform correctly what you have to do when you're in the bike, the two legs holding the tank, than out of the bike, with only your hands holding your bike. Even more, considering the fact that when you're leaning your body in a blind corner, you see the obstacle later than if you're not leaning you body (the head being the most "out of the bike" part of the body when leaning). It's not about what you must do and what you are forbidden to do. It's about being aware of what is safer, and knowing that there are ways to ride "fast" and not too risky ;) PS I've seen that WTF japanese video, mind blowing haha
Getting “out” of the bike as you say is a “loose” term. Just because you are out of the bike as you say - the body is still in full contact with the bike and in full control. This is something that you train to do and its a style of riding that many can do in 100% control. During my racing experience many many times the bike got loose for different reasons and it was simply corrected or handled by the skills learned from past riding and training. I must also disagree with your comment about lack of vision, i find the position to be entirely better for vision as you are unimpeded by the bike (or bike parts) and can see very very well as you are totally committed with body and head to the direction you are travelling. This to me is true for road and track. On the other hand....If you happen to be learning this style of riding or haven’t achieved a certain standard of skill in positional riding and something happens, then yes perhaps what you say could be true, but its the same whether your being rigid on the bike or “hanging” off. It’s basically handled the same way but you are in a different position. If someone is “out” of the bike thats not used to riding or trained for that style of riding -then yes agree it may compromise their riding if something unforeseen happens. Let me say this though.... after learning the skill of good weight transfer its just like ....seeing the light or turning a corner so to speak, its amazing the step up in control you achieve and enjoyment level skyrockets!! You realise what a skill to have in your repoitoire 👍👍👍 Try it and see! Its one of those things that not knowing we tend to disagree or have a negative outlook on......😉 Yes that Japanese race is amazing 🤩
I think the main point is that if you're riding so fast on the street that you need to hang your body off the side of the bike in order to make the turn, you're going way too fast. A little body motion is fine.
6:12 _"This is probably a mistake all motorcycle riders have done at some point"_ Small correction: replace 'all motorcycle riders' with 'everyone' This is not exclusive to riders, this is something car drivers, cyclists, heck … even runners and pedestrians have made.
Some great tips in this video, but I strongly disagree about not practicing track techniques on the street (when riding sportbikes anyway). Yes, 99.9% of the time you should never need these techniques. But when you're in too hot in a corner you thought was wider, a truck is taking up half your lane, etc, track techniques mean you live.
I sometimes back it in on the street (when there's no one around to crash into) , not to go fast or look cool or anything, i just think it's super fun! Really wakes you up on boring commutes.
I have an issue with trail braking, when I enter a blind corner at a low and safe speed there's no need to lower the speed further. So if I want to trail brake effectively (so the front suspension is compressed/loaded) I have to enter the corner faster than I actually want.
Cause that's why you use trail braking :P to get a healthy controllable entry speed into the corners, if you enter a corner that slow then you don't need trail braking, you don't have to always use the technique, specially if is not working side to side with the way you ride. When you are entering corners at a fast pace trail braking can be the most beneficial and safest. If you don't want to go that fast on a corner then just counter steer and lean a bit and be done with the corner X)
Trail braking does not have to mean hard braking. Just having a tiny bit of pressure on the brake lever will make a big difference in terms of loading up the front and just having the brake pads against the disc(s). Just resting a finger or more on the lever, having a tiny bit of pressure on it is trail braking. You can simply get most of the braking done before the corner and then still have a tiny amount of pressure on the lever further into the corner. This is pretty much how trail braking works on the race track as well.
I learned a lot from today's video. I have a question. When to use counter steering? I knew it was used for urgent turns, but it seems to be used for general cornering as well. Is counter-steering what racers use when cornering at high speed? If possible, I would really appreciate it if you could reply.
I think Mike already did a video about counter steering. The short answer is: you always use counter steering. If you're not doing it consciously, you're doing it instictively, but it's the only way to turn a motorcycle above 30 kph.
@@jaimgom Thanks. It's been a while since I've subscribed to your channel, so I haven't seen all of your videos yet. Let's try to find it. Thanks for the kind reply.
Any time you steer above 15km/h (not sure what that is in mile, you shoukd use counter steering. You can even test the point where you need to. Start by going very slow and turn left to go left and right to go right. Start slowly accelerating and at one point, it will switch and pushing left will go left.
Thank you Mike for this video! Next saison is coming slowly and I know what techniques I have to concentrate on. Also I realized how goofy I’ve been looking while riding last year 😅
I have to disagree with the "Rossi leg Dangle" I feel like it makes riders safer. They can use the rear brake but come off of it and only use the front when entering. That can help make sure they don't lock the rear. Also the leg dangle helps shift the whole bike to the opposite side between your legs and give you more room to keep the bike upright. You also learn to have the foot on the balls of your feet on the peg and learn to look through the corner. It helps give more safer and correct body positioning
I have one problem with trailbraking that I could use some advice on, when in the street, going the speed limit, trailbraking in the corners slows me down an unnecessary amount and I'll suddenly be going way too slow, clumping up traffic and even in some cases destabilizing the bike because its going so slow that it doesn't stay upright by the use of traction. this is mostly a problem in these long corners, I'm told to trailbrake all the way through and not roll on the gas until I'm inline with the apex, until I can afford to reduce lean angle, but I feel that if I use zero gas all the way through that corner and trailbrake as well, I will almost have stopped before reaching the apex where I can reduce lean. aka. roll on the throttle again. Thanks in advance, hope someone can give me advice on this
Sounds like you just need more practice. There's only 2 solutions, go faster into the corner, or don't brake as hard. You can still practice trail braking with 10% brake pressure then when you're more confident at higher speeds you will be used to it.
I wish you could make a video on "What can you do when you lose grip in a corner on the front tyre" like on low grip surfaces, oil, fuel, gravel, sand in the road etc
Well you can look at Moto GP riders for the answer. They drop the bike easily 50% of the time they lose the front, probably more. I've dropped 2 bikes from tucking the front and I felt zero control to save it.
Number 3 there are legit reasons to correct your line on the street. Nature being one of them. Being stood up mid corner due to wind requires correction, Stuff in the road that you avoid is another one, Same thing wtih lose traction due to stuff on the road and or it being wet.
On a race track there are rarely, if ever, blind corners. And they never have oncoming dump trucks or fallen tree limbs, and very rarely have a turtle or some gravel. Winding roads are NOT the same as race tracks. So don’t ride like they are. When I ride with friends, if their pace is too high I simply tell them I’ll catch them at the next stop. If they give you a hard time, these are not your friends.
Regarding #5: most important is not even thinking about taking curves as shown in this video. Sorry to say, but this bad riding. Better not try this in the Alps.^^ Good intentions and the other hints are not bad though. Thanks for that and regards from Austria. :)
Or worse, a trip to the morgue. (⊙_⊙;) Proper knowledge, practice and common sense goes a long way. And on top of that in my case, the mother of all my adult fears: being the trigger to someone else life altering event. Insurance will cover a lot of things, but it will never undo the damage you may inflict on others. Great info as always Mike! 👍
Well everything said and done, but hitting non abs front disc brake first before rear brake in corner is not advisable. I ride yamaha fz for 6 years. Front slips all the time
I ride sumo almost 1 year, but i think i still not good to handle every posibility will come, like u turn on narrow road, how to brake well on slipery road, or sometime go off the road with sumo, bcause the main road is broken or anything, maybe you can make new video for make everything clear (im on street public road, not go offroading with sumo)
Mike, excellent video. What so many street riders don't understand about cornering like their favorite racers is that racers have been around the track, the same track corners, over and over again, gradually ramping up their speed and technique as their time on track increases. Contrast that with street riding, where no two corners are the same, and we ride the corners only once on an outing, and it becomes vital to not pretend one is a racer when riding on the street.
I love this take
Not every ride is through an out of town road once. LA and Malibu area riders rip up and down Mullholland multiple times. The length from the rock store to the famous hairpin is just about 4 min on a conservative pace.
I don’t mean people should be racing on this public road, but not every ride is a totally unpredictable trek with unfamiliar changing roads. You can build some skills on some roads, but the video makes it feel like you should practice at the track and there’s no room for fun on the street.
I disagree, I ride the same corner more than any pro has ridden the same corner on a track, unless they go twice a day, 5 days a week 300 times a year for the past 7 years, I back it in on that corner too.🤷♂️ it’s the one of the few corners I can see all the way through and is easy to see the conditions from a long way off.
@@merkel2750 a lot of people here have never seen Zach Courts test ride motorcycles and it shows.
Is everyone here just averse to having fun?
The blind corner is by far the most dangerous. Riding with 'friends' is where you take too many risks. Relax, safe and conscious that a two wheel can be deadly.
The blind corner is a very important issue. I was riding at night one time and I approached a long blind corner. I told myself mentally to really slow down. Sure enough, 2 does and a 10 point buck in my line. The buck didn’t even move as I slowly passed them. If I didn’t slow down, I would have hit antlers at 40 mph.
You said it mate👍
true one week ago a friend of mine drived behind me a route he never drove before. I already knew the route so I took the turn with a bit faster. He tried to drive as fast as I (he wasn't that experienced so he just thougt nothing of it) he didn't made the turn and fell to the ground. He was lucky though because it was a dangerous turn on a mountain and he could have injured himself severly and destroy hes bike completly. But he's fine and the motorcycle too besides some scratches and a broken mirror.
Yeah, you can tell about the scary hazards of a blind corner over and over... The truth is, we only REALLY understand how it is when we come into a blind corner a bit too hot... The lucky among us live long enough to learn from it, either by "saving it" that one time, or by just not having a bad enough crash to kill us outright...
That's the nature of the sport of motorcycling... You get good quick, or you get dead quicker.
Glad I was among those who moved up to trail-braking early. In the mountains (where I live) it's indispensable... There's always a road that's "new to me" and blind curves that turn out a bit longer and then reduce radius or add another apex (or both... that was fun) and if you're faster than you normally take the "new situation" then you're just f***ed... Trail-braking lets us keep the balance a bit forward and we can add some drag to the rear brake (my favorite for most trail-braking) or even get a little aggressive with the front... either way, we can do it without worrying...
It SHOULD BE all about "HOW" you use your brakes, NOT "whether" you can use your brakes. If you can't stop your motorcycle ANY TIME and ANY WHERE on the road, turn or not, then you DO NOT have full control of your motorcycle.
Out here in the mountains, there are rock falls, land-slides, fallen trees, damaged vehicles, deer, bears, cattle from time to time (horses too)... and a MYRIAD of other things that can just randomly be in the middle of a blind, double-apexed, reducing radius turn that drops you four or five inches from asphalt into gravel at 50 mph... Good luck! ;o)
The only moments l’ve had fears on my bike is when riding with a group ! I am so much more relax alone on my GS 1250! Evaluate & respect your limits! Ride safe. Marc Quebec, Canada 🇨🇦😉🏍
I've been riding for over 25 years and still have heaps of stuff to learn. I'm still perfecting my skills, they are crucial to my safety and that of other road users.
I like what you said "other road users", I am responsible for myself, if I get hurt due to my own doing, I can live with that and learn, but if I hurt somebody else because my skills failed me or lack of, that is something that will be very hard to live with.
@@mannyechaluce3814 yeah or if i get others in a situation where they hurt me, even if it was my fault, they may not recover mentally.
I've been riding most of my life although I was off of bike for some years. I have been riding again for about 6 years now but still find it wise to watch and re watch videos like this. You're approach is great and I have no problem getting the point. Thank you. Keep safe and enjoy.
6:00 the main benefit is the engine/ chain is constantly under tension if its fighting the rear brake so you dont get any lurching. its much smoother and less jerky. i know everyone probably already knows this, but it wasnt explained in the video.
All good advice. Thanks. Been riding all my life on all types of bikes. I'm 65 now and ride a ZX14....and yes I learned something.
On the streets i always use the rear brake and engine brake. Front Brake only for emergency. I have the fingers at the lever, but usually don't use it. Hanging off is such a stupid skill for public roads. Makes your riding unstable in case of an emergency.
As you said, there is a big difference between public road and track. On a track you can be sure, there is no traffic, no peds, no parked cars, no potholes and the road is much wider. And you can see the end of corners. So it's much safer on the track for you and for others.
In France you have to learn those techniques in order to have your license. Good video people should know !
6:50 if you can not see enough road to stop, you are going too fast
I love how the main message of this video is to take it slow. So important yet so many don't do it. Thank you so much for this.
Your swedish accent makes it way more accessible! Bromsa bak och titta fram!
It blows my mind how many people I see trying to get their knee down on the street. Normally they are going slow through corners but hanging right off the bike. Just so risky, a small patch of gravel or something and you're done.
It's like they don't even realize that's adding body position... If you're not pushing the bike to it's limit in THAT turn, you're just going to stand it upright... It's still going to turn and all (provided you did the turning part correctly)... BUT adding body position takes away lean angle...
SO on the street, they're doomed from the start... They CAN'T be riding fast enough 90% of the time to get the knee to touch... so they just look like a goof dangling off the side of a motorcycle going WAY too slow to need to do that...
I'm on a cruiser... AND I can take a pretty fast pace... The MOST body position I've used puts my chest just about in line with the inside handle-grip on the road... AND I LIVE in the mountains. ;o)
Excellent video. I've been doing all those mistakes (except "backing it in" because it is not easy to do, especially with zero track experience) and always tried to correct them but sometimes it is really difficult to go against "instincts". For exemple, now it's a cold, cold winter and i have to ride everyday also at night, and between all corners being somewhat blind, the slippery roads, the cold , i end up turning too early, fearing to put enough lean angle, being tensed on the handlebar.
Holding on to the handlebars too hard happens to everyone, the important thing is to be aware of it and always try to relax. I catch myself holding on too hard to the handlebars all the time when racing in Supermoto. Being loose on the handlebars is especially important in supermoto racing because the bikes are optimized for lower speed sharp turns. Going 90 mph + on the straights makes the bike start head shaking if I grip the handlebars too hard, so I get direct feedback of what I'm doing wrong. As soon as I get loose on the handlebars the shaking stops, works every single time.
This winter has been the winter I discovered Alpaca Wool... I'd heard of it before (obviously) since I wasn't born or raised under a rock somewhere... BUT the stuff is a bit expensive ($50 for a sweater) to me... AND I was always of the opinion, "Yeah, wool's fine for insulation even wet, but THAT much?"
Well, I ordered one... AND two days after it arrived, I ordered the socks... even the $20/pair Boot-socks... AND I absolutely LOVE them... Now, if there isn't great big splotches of ice everywhere in the road, I'm riding... no excuses, and I'm not freezing my a** off... I WILL BE COLLECTING!
The hardest thing in the WORLD to do is try to ride a motorcycle when you're shivering, because your WHOLE BODY stiffens right up and you can't effectively move... In that state, even dry pavement doesn't help... If you can't flex, you can't lean...
Good LED upgrades (add-ons and mods) help with visibility at night, both to help you be noticed on the road AND to help you see ahead, whether there's "shiny" meaning "black ice" or chucks of snow/ice or sand or whatever other debris...
...AND of course, taking your time (slowing down a bit) helps reduce the wind that chills you down as much as it helps you manage turns without too much lean requirement... Another bit that can help reduce lean angles AND still turn is "Body Position"... SO by shifting your upper body INSIDE the turn (line up your chin/chest with the inside handle grip) will let the bike stand upright a bit more and still take the turn (everything else done normal)...
Hope this helps out... ;o)
@@gnarthdarkanen7464 thanks for the advices. I'm already a big fan of merino wool, but never heard of alpaca wool, i will definitely give it a try!
@@the_real_P0t4t0 Merino is definitely nice... among my favorite for sheep. Alpacas live in the mountains of South America, and their wool is "hollow" like a polar bears, so extra insulating. They also don't produce lanolin like sheep do, so the wool doesn't tend to itch as much for those of us who are sensitive to that sort of thing...
in any case, I think you'll be suitably impressed... AND I certainly hope the advantage helps with your riding! I know how tough it can get trying to ride year around... ;o)
safest corning mantra to repeat to yourself as you practice in the twisties: outside to inside to outside. "outside to inside to outside to inside to outside to inside to outside" helps me get the flow of things while im twisting it up
Awesome stuff. I’ve been riding street and track for over 20 years and still I see all kinds of stuff in this video I need to work on! Thanks!!
Always enjoy when you post because there is always something to learn.
Thanks!
When I was learning to stay loose on the bars, it helped to consciously grip the tank with my knees. Whenever I would grip the tank I would automatically loosen my upperbody.
I like to blip the rear brake, aswell as dangling the leg. I learned it from going 30% speed and slowly faster the more I practice... Really helped me on my 4 day alps tour wiht my father. I rid e a125cc 15hp Yamaha MT125 and basically smoked everyone on 99% of the turns, setting myself up so i can pass themsafely after the turn. I brake where thy turn in andam able to carry so much more speed throught the turns.
I don't own a sport bike the sportest bike I have is my 85 cb650 but after having been riding for over 5 years I want to try it at a track, have fun and learn more.
I got a huge scare last summer in the twisties going in to what I thought was just another blind corner. Turned out to be a blunt hair pin corner.luckily I was able to correct the speed with my rear break and force myself to uncomfortable lean angle enough to make the corner
As an addition to that, I've heard that it's better to use the front brake if you need to slow down mid-corner, because if the wheel locks up then you'll likely just low-side, whereas if you lock up the rear wheel mid-corner, you're more likely to have a high-side crash.
I have come back to bikes after a 20 year gap. These are very useful tips and when the weather warms up I am going to find a carpark and practice my low speed turns.
A very succinct overview, and one of the best I have watched, of the basics that account for probably 90+ percent of what goes into being a smooth and competent rider.
I'm guilty with dangling my leg when in corner. I know it has minimal effect in street ridin, but it's a bad habit I developed. I'll try to unlearn it. I have much to learn about riding.
Just do what suits you and your style. As long as you ride safe and within your capabilities its fine. There is no rigid right way in anything - riding included
its a good opportunity to free up a sore leg. if riding a long time you kinda have to do that sort of thing from time to time.
Does it help or make you more comfortable? Then go for it
The quality of your videos is through the roof (video and content). We want more. ✌
Thanks!
Excellent, as always !
A quibble, however : on the street, as you mention, trail braking can be useful in blind corners (especially going downhill).
I would add a maybe more important skill for street riding, as the unexpected can also happen when you're in the maintenance throttle section of the turn: one cannot avoid learning how to apply the front brake smoothly when the pads aren't on the rotors anymore !
Trail braking very useful on the street.
@@beanwithbaconmegarocket Yes, of course, but that was not my point
@@stef2269 i was agreeing with you
@@beanwithbaconmegarocket Sorry, I misread your comment !!
@@stef2269 No worries my guy. Your comment was great. Mine was unclear. Ride safe!
Thanks Miki for your vlog about how to ride a motorcycle safely.good tutorial vlog for safety .ty again Mike.
Something that you have over in the USA which we don't have in the UK is training the performance way which to my view is similar to track racing with a different attitude towards bends etc.
I note that some 4.500 riders are killed on your roads annually and over here its about 350 killed so greater differences. On canyons apart from not seeing round the bends, in the UK that is normal as being a smaller country with much narrower roads and much farmland and hills everywhere its difficult to find long straights and so we train to narrow roads and plenty of blind bends.
This mean that our training for bends is different and we do most of our braking prior to the bend and view what we call the vanishing or limit point. That is the distance that we can still see to be clear on that bend. A point ahead where the outside kerb or verge meets the inside one. What we are looking for is to maintain a correct braking distance with the distance to that limit point and throughout the bend. Having reached that point prior to that bend we are easily keeping up with that limit point.
Say its some 140 ft ahead of us,we follow it and the distance to it round that bend at the same speed with a maintenance throttle only. So the curve of the bend dictates our limit point [ as far as we can see round that bend ] and our optimum safe speed around it. If we are catching up with it we are going too fast as we cannot guarantee to stop in the lesser distance now being seen so we slow down or if it is going away from us it means that we can slightly increase our speed to remain constant with it if we wish to do so and to keep up with that safe stopping distance to our limit point. It may also signify that we have now passed the apex of the bend and the bend is now opening up for us.
After the apex and the road straightens out we can then lift the bike up and accelerate again to our limit point in the distance, that distance that we can see to be clear ahead.
So our way of taking bends is quite different from your performance lines which I believe is the cause of many of the problems that you have with motorcyclists on your roads.
I have been riding for over 45 years. I just do things naturally. Nowadays they have names and procedures for things that I do or learned at Superbike schools in the 80"s and 90's. I have probably learned some bad habits over the years but I am doing something right.
Great video. I was once riding with a pillion through a winding section in the mountains (one way traffic only, for coming back you have to take the shorter tunnel) and I do lean a bit. During the ride I almost crashed at a corner because the pillion rider instead of leaning with me decided to correct the lean by being upright. That is the day I decided to never have a pillion rider on my joy rides.
I learned pretty quickly that looking where you want to go in a corner is how you corner effectively. You will after a bit riding get a sense of how the bike moves and looking where you are going makes controlling what is next intuitive. I don't think about lean angle or any sort of technique. I just move the bike how it feels right to. Maybe that isn't going far enough and maybe I should develop technique but I never push the bike to its' limits.
Cruiser new rider here. never in a rush, just enjoying my ride, always ✌️ thank you for the tips, i like the turn one (not correcting the turn half way but instead turning a little later makes sence)the others are less relevant to me.
I've been guilty of all of those, especialy as a beginner. The one thing that made me change is that now I mostly ride two up with my loved one. It made me re-think the risks I was taking. Now I spend more time practicing low speed manoeuvres on parking lots and less time trying to put down the knee on canyons.
In my opinion the main thing I can teach new riders is counter steering, and that wherever you look in a corner, is where your going to go.
"Racing techniques applied on street can save lifes". Thats the motto of Alejandro Torres, rally champion. Nice video buddy, but i can't be totally okay with you, since I really think like Alejandro.
Nice to know that the tecnic I used to ride being safe and having fun actually have meaning and purpose.......Thanks
I'm a relatively new rider. The one advice that really changed the way I ride was to not lean with the bike in corners but to counterlean.
FortNine has an amazing video explaining why counterleaning is better and I definitely agree. Ever since started using that technique, I feel much more in control in corners and have much better situational awareness.. Not only that, my 200Kg+ Vstrom feels flickier too!
I've seen that video too and I agree with you! However, I don't always feel confident using counter leaning. I use counter leaning when on lower speeds and this gives me much more control, but when I'm on the highway doing 100 km/h I'm definitely not counter leaning but leaning completely. It just feels right to do it like this. Would you say the same? I'm a beginner too and I'm curious what you think about this.
Counter leaning isn't always what's best.. Go full speed and counterlean and youll be flying in no time. Slower speeds require more counterlean, faster not so much
@@manbiteslife3110 Not sure what you mean by full speed, but I have run around 60MPH and counter leaned fine. But it also didn't take much either. on a 55MPH road, I'm not taking any curve more than 10 over.
@@spartanx169x slow speed meaning like under 10mph counter leaning is good so you can lean the bike more and not be off balance. Normally its best to be at the center of weight. At curves it's best to be inside the turn if the motorcycle has enough power to push away like pro do. Sorry for bad English and I'm open for suggestions
When we are trying to have a bit of fun on a back road we always ride up and down it a few times, easing into it, checking for debris, learning the corners. Even so we never get close enough to scrape pegs or get knees down, just not worth it with an oncoming lane of traffic and ditches, fences, barriers, or trees on the side of the road. Just have some fun without needing to be on a track and also not taking too much risk. If you're solo definitely don't push it.
Great video! Thanks! I still have many things to learn…
Thanks!
All the skills I've learned most of them were from this channel. Thank ya Mike for these amazing contents.
Yup, you're the best, man. Most motorcycling related TH-camrs should ask you first before posting. 😆
Great video! It's really funny that you can discourage a lot of riders from doing something wrong (myself included) by just saying that it looks goofy to someone who knows what they're saying! Riders are prideful people, if nothing else.
I never really tried to "back it in" in all my commuting years. One day, a big pickup almost took me out, veering off the main road right behind me on a side road and stayed right on me. A red flag went off and I thought I have to lose him. The next corner I took elbows up forward in the seat, inside foot out moto style. No rear brake. The back end stepped out engine braking and I eased the clutch in as the bike started to point towards the apex eased clutch and throttle out of the corner. By far the best and coolest corner I ever did. Surprisingly under stress and not thinking about it. Never want to push it that hard on the street again. Lost him. Not really sure what was going on there.
you dont HAVE to use the front brake to back it in if contitions are right, feel it out, if everything is right you can back it in just by blipping the throttle and when it time to grab traction again you can pull back a TINY LITTTLE FRACTION on the throttle and the rear tire will grab again and you can shoot yourself forward its so fun lol. i remember trying to back it in thinking it was using the brake xD never worked just ruined my stock rear tire haha. be careful when backing into a turn in one direction immediately followed by one in the other direction, grabbing treaction at the wrong time while you turn over to the other side can cause a highside im still trying to master that technique. also this stuff can be done in empty parking lots at slow speeds after work you dont need a racetrack
nice explanation there bro...but here in phil. most end up in hospitals even worst the morgue just to master the art of banking on public roads where trucks n cars are the obstacles beside blinds corners...
Interesting points (i know old video etc) but specifically to backing it in, I've most definitely ended up inadvertently using it on the street. I ride an S1000XR, and not sure if it just makes it easy, it's basically got supermoto ergos with a bit longer reach, but under hard braking and shifting down you can definitely get the back end to step out without any rear brake at all very easily and then leaning on the TC a tiny bit you can get great drive out of tight corners. Without TC I doubt I'd be quicker but on the street I'm not ashamed of using my electronics to have safe fun.
Thanks for your videos, i am really learning a lot and will surely try to use rear brake more when doing very slow maneuvers. Bonus: you have a very crystal clear voice and it helps for subtitles haha thanks!
Totally agree..👌
Great clear ideas that work for safe enjoyable riding. One,should be able to distinguish between street and track riding. If one can not, they are using their emotions and imagination more that their intelligence. Thank you for making cycling safer and more comprehensible. Cheers! 👍
I don't put my foot out when I'm going into a turn on my bike but it's seems to feel quite natural on a dirt bike even though it's quite useless on the road.
My front wheel sliped a bit on a dead skunk in a blind corner last summer. That cooled me down for the rest of my day! Thats not how i wanna die, slipping on a dead skunk.
Really helpful advices, bro! Thank you.
Good stuff, as always, Mike.
locking up the rear brake is still a good thing to do. (edit: in the right situation.)
1. its fun.
2. its pretty safe.
3. it teaches you how the bike behaves if you lock up the rear brakes. learning is never a bad thing.
but yeah, of course its not gonna make you faster.
Turn left to go right on bikes. That first turn left will lean the bike right and then turn right to fallow into the turn.
Great video. Thx for sharing your knowledge
Thanks Mike. Very valuable information.. From TURKEY.
THIS IS ME LOL. Only have a couple hours riding so thank you mike!
When you're hanging on too tight, you'll know because you're terrified to let go of the handlebars. I remember when I first started riding, when I would be terrified to let go at highway speeds, because as soon as I let go, the bike would start drifting to the left (since I was slightly pulling on the right side).
One sign that you're not hanging on too tight, beside the chicken wing flapping, is being able to ride one handed, since I don't think its possible to ride one handed if you're hanging on to the handlebars, if I'm not mistaken.
Yup, over riding your abilities and over riding the conditions. Very common.
Hey Mike, does this also apply to a Vespa or large scooter?
I've only been riding for a few months, my instinct developed to steer with my hips several weeks in and I only allow the bars to tilt to assist with my turn angles am I wrong?
You should counter steer to turn, and slightly lean into the turn with you’re body. You will not be able to turn as precisely and quickly if you’re just steering with your hips.
Thanks for the video. I agree with most what you say..... HOWEVER everyone has a different style in riding. Saying someone is wrong doing what they do is just unfair. Providing the safe fundamentals of riding (good foresight, balance and awareness) each and every rider can do whatever they feel necessary-to make his or her ride enjoyable. ....As far as i am concerned as long as you TEND to move your weight to the inside of the corner (and transfer the weight any way that you see fit for you) the bike will do what its meant to do with minimal interference, need less lean and importantly allowing better centre of gravity increasing ground clearance. The higher skill trail braking technique will come as more experience or training is carried out. It isnt really necessary for road riders that just want to ride and have fun even at a more than average pace as long as the rider knows their own limits. Your exaggerated picture in this post of leg dangling out and unbalanced body is of course a little silly, but somewhere in between there is nothing wrong with that. I think what tends to happen is skilled riders (me in the past included) sometimes are critical of other’s styles and forget everyone has their own way. What opened my eyes was the Japanese style circuit racing where sportbike riders raced a special version of motorcycle having what appears to be totally awkward strange looking set up ( in fact looks similar to a chopper) going against a lot of the logic we all know and are used
to seeing in MotoGp or Superbikes. The bike had skinny tyres and when riding he seemed rigid on the bike not leaning off at all (opposed to the full lean technique of the sportbikes) It seemed obvious to me the sportsbike riders would clean up BUT quite the opposite occurred. The funny looking skinny wheeled bike basically wiped them and won the race. Now that was rider skill mostly, & admit the bike looked to be set up exactly for that style of race. But........It made me aware we dont know everything, to be not so critical or judgemental, and however you decide to do anything in life -there is always another way!
Sometimes there is no right or wrong - just different.
Getting out of the bike in the direction of the corner can be dangerous: if you have to do an emergency stop, a dodge or manage to stay on the bike when the rear slips and regain traction brutally (risk of high side), it's WAY easier to perform correctly what you have to do when you're in the bike, the two legs holding the tank, than out of the bike, with only your hands holding your bike.
Even more, considering the fact that when you're leaning your body in a blind corner, you see the obstacle later than if you're not leaning you body (the head being the most "out of the bike" part of the body when leaning).
It's not about what you must do and what you are forbidden to do. It's about being aware of what is safer, and knowing that there are ways to ride "fast" and not too risky ;)
PS I've seen that WTF japanese video, mind blowing haha
Getting “out” of the bike as you say is a “loose” term. Just because you are out of the bike as you say - the body is still in full contact with the bike and in full control. This is something that you train to do and its a style of riding that many can do in 100% control. During my racing experience many many times the bike got loose for different reasons and it was simply corrected or handled by the skills learned from past riding and training. I must also disagree with your comment about lack of vision, i find the position to be entirely better for vision as you are unimpeded by the bike (or bike parts) and can see very very well as you are totally committed with body and head to the direction you are travelling. This to me is true for road and track.
On the other hand....If you happen to be learning this style of riding or haven’t achieved a certain standard of skill in positional riding and something happens, then yes perhaps what you say could be true, but its the same whether your being rigid on the bike or “hanging” off. It’s basically handled the same way but you are in a different position.
If someone is “out” of the bike thats not used to riding or trained for that style of riding -then yes agree it may compromise their riding if something unforeseen happens. Let me say this though.... after learning the skill of good weight transfer its just like ....seeing the light or turning a corner so to speak, its amazing the step up in control you achieve and enjoyment level skyrockets!! You realise what a skill to have in your repoitoire 👍👍👍 Try it and see! Its one of those things that not knowing we tend to disagree or have a negative outlook on......😉
Yes that Japanese race is amazing 🤩
I think the main point is that if you're riding so fast on the street that you need to hang your body off the side of the bike in order to make the turn, you're going way too fast. A little body motion is fine.
Number 6: Dropping your bike
Chill, everyone is guilty at one point
For sure; All MotoGP riders have crashed many times.
6:12 _"This is probably a mistake all motorcycle riders have done at some point"_
Small correction: replace 'all motorcycle riders' with 'everyone'
This is not exclusive to riders, this is something car drivers, cyclists, heck … even runners and pedestrians have made.
As always, very educational videos
Absolutely. Nice vid!
I like to use The rear brake to keep my revs down
Some great tips in this video, but I strongly disagree about not practicing track techniques on the street (when riding sportbikes anyway).
Yes, 99.9% of the time you should never need these techniques. But when you're in too hot in a corner you thought was wider, a truck is taking up half your lane, etc, track techniques mean you live.
I sometimes back it in on the street (when there's no one around to crash into) , not to go fast or look cool or anything, i just think it's super fun! Really wakes you up on boring commutes.
I have an issue with trail braking, when I enter a blind corner at a low and safe speed there's no need to lower the speed further. So if I want to trail brake effectively (so the front suspension is compressed/loaded) I have to enter the corner faster than I actually want.
Cause that's why you use trail braking :P to get a healthy controllable entry speed into the corners, if you enter a corner that slow then you don't need trail braking, you don't have to always use the technique, specially if is not working side to side with the way you ride. When you are entering corners at a fast pace trail braking can be the most beneficial and safest. If you don't want to go that fast on a corner then just counter steer and lean a bit and be done with the corner X)
Trail braking does not have to mean hard braking. Just having a tiny bit of pressure on the brake lever will make a big difference in terms of loading up the front and just having the brake pads against the disc(s). Just resting a finger or more on the lever, having a tiny bit of pressure on it is trail braking.
You can simply get most of the braking done before the corner and then still have a tiny amount of pressure on the lever further into the corner. This is pretty much how trail braking works on the race track as well.
@@MikeonBikes Tack :)
I learned a lot from today's video. I have a question.
When to use counter steering?
I knew it was used for urgent turns, but it seems to be used for general cornering as well.
Is counter-steering what racers use when cornering at high speed?
If possible, I would really appreciate it if you could reply.
I think Mike already did a video about counter steering. The short answer is: you always use counter steering. If you're not doing it consciously, you're doing it instictively, but it's the only way to turn a motorcycle above 30 kph.
@@jaimgom Thanks. It's been a while since I've subscribed to your channel, so I haven't seen all of your videos yet. Let's try to find it. Thanks for the kind reply.
Any time you steer above 15km/h (not sure what that is in mile, you shoukd use counter steering. You can even test the point where you need to. Start by going very slow and turn left to go left and right to go right. Start slowly accelerating and at one point, it will switch and pushing left will go left.
@@leftspeaker2000 Hahaha! You are a wonderful person.
As you explain, I will practice hard.
I hope you always have a safe riding.
Thank you again.
Every time you ride you counter steer 😀
Thank you Mike for this video! Next saison is coming slowly and I know what techniques I have to concentrate on. Also I realized how goofy I’ve been looking while riding last year 😅
Excellent explanation!
Great stuff 😊
What is the song 🎶 at the end ? 😊
THNX. U LEARNED ME DUDE! 🤘
I have to disagree with the "Rossi leg Dangle" I feel like it makes riders safer. They can use the rear brake but come off of it and only use the front when entering. That can help make sure they don't lock the rear. Also the leg dangle helps shift the whole bike to the opposite side between your legs and give you more room to keep the bike upright. You also learn to have the foot on the balls of your feet on the peg and learn to look through the corner. It helps give more safer and correct body positioning
I have one problem with trailbraking that I could use some advice on, when in the street, going the speed limit, trailbraking in the corners slows me down an unnecessary amount and I'll suddenly be going way too slow, clumping up traffic and even in some cases destabilizing the bike because its going so slow that it doesn't stay upright by the use of traction. this is mostly a problem in these long corners, I'm told to trailbrake all the way through and not roll on the gas until I'm inline with the apex, until I can afford to reduce lean angle, but I feel that if I use zero gas all the way through that corner and trailbrake as well, I will almost have stopped before reaching the apex where I can reduce lean. aka. roll on the throttle again. Thanks in advance, hope someone can give me advice on this
Sounds like you just need more practice. There's only 2 solutions, go faster into the corner, or don't brake as hard. You can still practice trail braking with 10% brake pressure then when you're more confident at higher speeds you will be used to it.
@@dannycarlson5098 Thank you, does it also work for really long turns or should I great it as if there are two apexes?
I wish you could make a video on "What can you do when you lose grip in a corner on the front tyre" like on low grip surfaces, oil, fuel, gravel, sand in the road etc
Well you can look at Moto GP riders for the answer. They drop the bike easily 50% of the time they lose the front, probably more. I've dropped 2 bikes from tucking the front and I felt zero control to save it.
Number 3 there are legit reasons to correct your line on the street. Nature being one of them. Being stood up mid corner due to wind requires correction, Stuff in the road that you avoid is another one, Same thing wtih lose traction due to stuff on the road and or it being wet.
Hi Mike, I like you videos! What sprocket Ratio du you use on your 701 SM for the street? Stock or different set up?
On a race track there are rarely, if ever, blind corners. And they never have oncoming dump trucks or fallen tree limbs, and very rarely have a turtle or some gravel. Winding roads are NOT the same as race tracks. So don’t ride like they are. When I ride with friends, if their pace is too high I simply tell them I’ll catch them at the next stop. If they give you a hard time, these are not your friends.
6:00 me riding a 50cc, so the engine cant overpower my brake and i fall HAHAHAHAH.
Regarding #5: most important is not even thinking about taking curves as shown in this video. Sorry to say, but this bad riding. Better not try this in the Alps.^^
Good intentions and the other hints are not bad though. Thanks for that and regards from Austria. :)
Thanks brother from India
Anyone remembers what books Mike recommended on motorcycle physics? I remember he did at some point but can't find it now.
thx for your video👍🏻
Biggest advantage of the rear brake is to stop at each red lite with a skid mark 🤔😅
2:45 should've let the footage run! something just asmr of seeing the gopro fall
What kind of levers do you have on your Husqvarna?
I needed the tip 4 in December when I dropped the bike just because of that.
I use track corning on the street because I'm bored and think it's funny to dangle my inside leg on a slow corner.
Very imperative thanks a lot dude....still lets be responsible of our actions😊
Or worse, a trip to the morgue. (⊙_⊙;)
Proper knowledge, practice and common sense goes a long way. And on top of that in my case, the mother of all my adult fears: being the trigger to someone else life altering event. Insurance will cover a lot of things, but it will never undo the damage you may inflict on others.
Great info as always Mike! 👍
Well everything said and done, but hitting non abs front disc brake first before rear brake in corner is not advisable. I ride yamaha fz for 6 years. Front slips all the time
Dziękuję ❤I pozdrawiam serdecznie wszystkich z Polski ❤Państwa bardzo policyjnego
Awesome video
make a video on what not to do but also teach me how to get back wheel sliding, ty my dude 😉😅
That's going up the James lick observatory haha we should go ride
Loose arms = funky chicken; thanks to the Woods from NHIS back in the day. I still teach that!
I ride sumo almost 1 year, but i think i still not good to handle every posibility will come, like u turn on narrow road, how to brake well on slipery road, or sometime go off the road with sumo, bcause the main road is broken or anything, maybe you can make new video for make everything clear (im on street public road, not go offroading with sumo)
Master the basics, and you’ll basically be a master.