| Turning is the second most important element | | | | they roll over it. Try to keep your bike in |
| of safely riding a motorcycle besides braking | | | | the area of the road where the car tires |
| and accelerating. It requires a solid | | | | typically travel. |
| understanding of other elements including | | | | |
| grip, dynamics, education, and a good dose of | | | | Some of the worst times for traction are the |
| mental rationality. | | | | first few hours of (or after) rain, when oil |
| | | | and debris floats to the top. Extra care |
| The ability to choose the right line through | | | | should be taken to eliminate sudden inputs, |
| a corner, how to get through the apex | | | | sharp turns or hard braking/acceleration when |
| effectively, and a basic understanding of | | | | conditions are poor. |
| counter-steering are all key components to | | | | |
| successfully and effectively wrapping around | | | | Unlike a car, you only have two tires on your |
| a corner. | | | | bike. If you lose one tire due to a flat or |
| | | | because you run into dirt, oil etc, |
| When you approach the corner, never over-ride | | | | especially in the front, you will almost |
| your line of sight. In other words, don't | | | | surely fall if you're not ready for it. Don't |
| drive faster than you can see to stop in case | | | | take your tires for granted. Make sure |
| of an emergency. Determine a safe cornering | | | | they're in good condition, and keep them at |
| speed before you initiate the turn, braking | | | | the proper air pressure. When they're worn or |
| hardest before you start counter-steering, | | | | damaged, replace them immediately. |
| then letting off the brake as you lean the | | | | |
| bike in to the corner. By the time you reach | | | | The dynamics of a motorcycle related to the |
| the apex, you should be ready to start | | | | physics involved in keeping it upright are |
| accelerating again. | | | | pretty interesting. They're also handy to |
| | | | know in case of an emergency. By its very |
| Perhaps as much as 1/3 of all motorcycle | | | | nature, a motorcycle in motion is more likely |
| accidents are single bike accidents where the | | | | to stay upright than when it's not moving, or |
| bike ran off the road because the rider "just | | | | when it's moving slowly. |
| couldn't make the turn." In many of those | | | | |
| cases, proper cornering technique may have | | | | The faster you're going, the harder it is to |
| played an important part in preventing the | | | | fall over, and the more violent it will be if |
| accident. Knowing how far your bike can lean | | | | you do. The reason for this is gyration. The |
| in a turn is key to knowing how quickly you | | | | major moving parts on a motorcycle, (tires |
| can make a corner. On todays sport bikes, if | | | | and engine), create stability while in |
| you're not scraping parts on the ground in a | | | | motion. If you are riding slowly and are |
| lean, you're not leaned over all the way. | | | | 'bumped' by an outside force, less pressure |
| | | | is required to knock you over than if you |
| Your tires are the only thing that separates | | | | were moving faster. |
| you from the pavement. On an average sport | | | | |
| bike, there are only a few square inches of | | | | The Important Elements in Riding: |
| rubber "contact patch" for each tire. Good | | | | |
| grip is determined by things like tire | | | | 1. Acceleration and Braking |
| condition, road conditions, dynamics, and | | | | |
| sudden inputs. | | | | 2. Turning |
| | | | |
| You don't have much holding you up, so every | | | | 3. Grip |
| aspect of grip is important and must be | | | | |
| considered when riding. If you take even one | | | | 4. Dynamics |
| aspect of grip out of the equation, you put | | | | |
| yourself at great risk of falling. You can't | | | | 5. Assertive Predictability |
| control the road conditions, but you can keep | | | | |
| yourself in the area of the road where more | | | | 6. Sudden Inputs |
| grip is available. Riding in the tracks from | | | | |
| car tires will usually provide you with the | | | | 7. Mental Conditioning |
| best traction. This is because the car's | | | | |
| tires are constantly cleaning the surface as | | | | 8. |