Downhill corners… 🤔

Here is an issue of mine… and I find it strange!
Put me on a mountain bike and I can hold my own going downhill. I’m not the flashy type (I’ve ridden with Darren Howarth, Ruaridh Cunningham and Ben Cathro… so I have a fair idea what proper fast is) but going downhill on a motorbike has always been my Achilles heel! I just am not as comfortable as on the flat or uphill… Is it the bike weight, the tarmac or the Marks and Spencer’s XL blouse I’m wearing??? Dunno, but we all have a weakness! What’s yours???

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I know what you mean, I am a bit like that. I also feel much more comfortable doing left hand bends than right for some reason. I do “dress” to the right so maybe it’s the extra weight? :thinking::smile:

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Other way around for me, maybe because I “dress” the opposite side? :rofl::upside_down_face:

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Are you sure it’s not just small change causing the imbalance. :grin: :wink:

I feel slightly more comfortable in left-turning corners than right. I’ve wondered whether that’s something to do with being right-handed, not that I can see any logic in that. I also wonder whether it’s something to do with the line being clearer along the roadside. Perhaps if I’d grown up in Europe or America I’d have the opposite preference.

I understand the downhill trepidation but it’s odd how it happens on the ‘stable’ motorbike when you’re comfortable with it on a pushbike, @DCS222.

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I agree that right hand bends don’t feel quite as natural as left hand bends. I thought maybe it has something to do with being conscious of leaning into the oncoming traffic.

I also used to have a problem with right hand turns at T-junctions - left hand turns were no problem. Thinking about it, when turning left at a junction the bike is naturally pointing left, but when I turned right the bike would be pointing directly forward so the turn would be much sharper. I changed my approach to make sure that when I turn right I approach it so the bike is already pointing right as I come to a stop. A simple but effective change.

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Also right hand bends often have an adverse camber.

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My method for smooth junction exits is to visualise the path I’ll take before making the manoeuvre, particularly at complicated, unknown junctions with a lot going on around me - lanes, traffic etc.

Good point about camber in right bends. That rings true.

That’s what I do - that works really well in most situations.

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Blipping the throttle before I change down. I just dont practise enough so ends up, not doing it.

Got that into my system pretty early on…

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Couple of years ago I was up in North Scotland dipping left and right up and down for miles over moor. Thing is, the dips and lifts, the rights and lefts were all similar.
All this swaying and dropping got to feel like I was still and the ground was moving around me.
Same effect as when you are in a train, and the one next to it moves, then you think your train started. You get me?

So maybe dont worry about up and down.Hill.

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Gravity will have an effect though are you in too high a gear and going in on a trailing throttle so unbalancing the bike rather than being in a lower gear so the engine is higher up the rev range so is more balanced and responsive?

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Possibly, the weight distribution change is more significant on a motorbike… I do try and get my braking done before the corner (I’m no Rossi), to power through rather than coast, but I don’t suppose I load up the rear wheel to the same degree as a flat or uphill corner… it’s probably a bit of a mind game where I’m picturing myself washing out, but as far as I recall… I have no supporting evidence for my fears! If anything, the places where I have felt some lateral movement were on the flat and uphill, where I’ve been pushing on a bit more… I think I need to pop and see our continental brothers… get some confidence building on the shoelace passes!
:thinking::innocent:

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Yeah I get that, all the weight thrown onto the front wheel. My wife and I crashed years ago when a stupid woman pulled out on us while we were on the A590, I barked and lost the front end, fortunately as we would have hit a Land Rover if we were upright!
Maybe that’s where my fears come from.

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Have you seen this series of YouTube vids? The 3rd one deals with throttle control :+1:

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No, but I’ll give them a watching

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Predictive text :rage::smile:

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That’s a pretty ruff excuse.

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You’re such a wag😀

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