Still a newbie rider

[theglove1978]

Got back yesterday after stonking 3 day trek and 350miles enjoyed on my first and only bike, the humble Fazer!

Morecambe to Scarborough via Thirsk.  Scarborough to Keswick via Alston (that was a twitchy bum route in high wind and p*ss poor visibility).  Then a mince around the lakes via Devils bridge (it would be rude not to) and Sedbergh. 

Still getting used to riding after 10months since passing test and what i found myself doing on the twisty and long-ish bits was staying in 4th.  The engine and rev combination was perfect to give immediate access to the power band as well as suiting a variety of different slower road conditions.  Of course i changed up and down for obvious reasons, but 4th for me was ideal for enjoying the finest rural roads on offer. 

Is this good practice or reflection on the wide ranging Fazer gearbox? 

[unfazed]

Whatever your happiest with, I know many who use that technique.
I prefer to use all the gears and drop them going into the bends as I need them even when caning it.
Each to his own. Learning to read the road and using the vanishing point is the probably the most difficult thing to learn but worth it weight in gold when riding fast.

Glad to see your enjoying yourself, take care.

[wickedmonkey]

I've been riding about the same amount of time and am still experimenting with gears and corners. I find roundabouts a bitch to get right sometimes -- especially if they have a large camber, rough surface and potholes...which seems to be most of them

Got back yesterday after stonking 3 day trek and 350miles enjoyed on my first and only bike, the humble Fazer!

Morecambe to Scarborough via Thirsk.  Scarborough to Keswick via Alston (that was a twitchy bum route in high wind and p*ss poor visibility).  Then a mince around the lakes via Devils bridge (it would be rude not to) and Sedbergh. 

Still getting used to riding after 10months since passing test and what i found myself doing on the twisty and long-ish bits was staying in 4th.  The engine and rev combination was perfect to give immediate access to the power band as well as suiting a variety of different slower road conditions.  Of course i changed up and down for obvious reasons, but 4th for me was ideal for enjoying the finest rural roads on offer. 

Is this good practice or reflection on the wide ranging Fazer gearbox? 

[theglove1978]

Yeah I've found the bike "jumping" a little bit on rough surfaces which has effected my roundabout or other cornering manoeuvres.  I've messed up a few but it just gives you another excuse to stay out a bit longer to practice 

One thing the weekend did teach me is leaning the bike a little bit more, but that's just coming with confidence and experience.  That may help roundabout manoeuvres but I will bow to more experienced views on that.

[unfazed]

Four ways to take a corner, includes roundabouts 

Slow in - slow out (Safest) 

Slow in - fast out (Fastest) 

Fast in - slow out (Slowest) 

Fast in - crash (You don't want to do this) 

Have fun, definition of slow and fast dependant on the ability of the rider

[noggythenog]

Keep it up the glove.


Ive only been riding a few years and when something clicks it is amazing....just dont force it, keep your whole body loose like john wayne riding his horse and look where you wanna go.


I can corner reasonably now but im totally shit on roundabouts...i dunno...maybe it's the camber or something but i just hate them......much more interesting doing corners than roundabouts anyway.


& like you i seem to hold low gears...ie ill happily hold 3rd high up the revs and wait for an overtake....& then just go instead of shifting gear first...the fzs engine expects it as it loves revs...4th gear is pretty useable at such a broad range of speeds...depends how much fuel you wanna save.


My dad has a strange style....he gets up to 6th as soon as possible & he just canes it round corners without needing to down change.....he still drops gears on really tight ones but it's a confidence thing i think and he's more confident and experienced whereas i feel like dropping a gear before a corner will give me more control etc but sometimes i think it's just a bit like comfort braking that some folk do where no matter what speed they're doing they have to dab the brake before every corner as if to check if they havent fallen off the wheel or somethin.




Best idea is not to try go fast in a big jump & you'll end up going faster...take it progressively faster as part of a smooth ride.....ie getting cought in a race with someone might be fun but it isnt very progressive and you'll soon end up tense and out of your comfort zone.

[stevierst]

The 'jumping' on a bend could be lack of throttle as the bike settles into the corner with the suspension/tyres trying to find a medium.
I was taught to do all your braking before the bend, change down if needed, then apply the power so the bike is just pulling as you lean the bike. Once you feel the bend straightening, start applying the power as you pick the bike back up.

It's a bit of a nack, but as noggy said, once you get it, it just clicks and feels good

[johna6968]

Always preferred left hand bends to right, which is a bit of a pity with our roundabouts .. Dont know where it came from but cant help toes on the pegs when it all gets bit lairy on the twistier routes.. At least the end of me boots should last a good while 

[Hedgetrimmer]

Using engine braking by dropping gears on corner entry will unsettle the bike less, you'll get used to what revs to be at for this, start slowly/mildly - as stevie says, get your braking done before you tip in. Start by going into corners too slow, rather than too fast and wobbling round/crashing, build up speed as your confidence in tyres etc grows BUT don't keep pushing and pushing - find your comfort zone and don't exceed it - no prizes for visits to A&E.
 
If you think you're running out of turn, about to go too wide, push forwards on the inside bar - countersteering, practice it at slower speeds, see how much easier and safer it makes those turns feel. Shift your weight over on to a bum cheek, you don't have to be proper hanging off and knee down for this to help - lean in to the inside mirror, weight over the front of the bike; again, get this done before you tip in to unsettle the bike as little as possible.
 
Use mostly your front brake - again, gradually learn how much stopping power you have so you'll know how late you can leave it - and remember, brakes take time to warm up just as tyres do so don't pile into the first corner ten minutes from home on full anchors at the last second! And you CAN use rear brake in corners, but be much gentler with it - it can provide a steadying influence in those long, fast sweepers.
 
Vanishing point - where the 2 kerbs/carriageway edges meet in perspective, will give you earliest possible warning of where the road is going on blind corners. But don't forget to take any opportunities to look across the bend you are about to enter if your vision isn't blocked by hedges/walls/trees etc - this gives you more pre-warning of how tight it's going to get than anything else.
 
And of course, the oldest one in the book, look at where you want to go - if you stare at that hedge on the outside of the bend, that's where you'll wind up.

[Millietant]

"Wide in, Tight out" is far and away the best way to ride on the road. This gives maximum visibility into/around corners and as an added bonus usually allows for earliest acceleration out of a corner.


For example, enter a right- corner close to the curb until you can see the exit of the bend, then aim for the exit point which will be more towards the centre of the road - the added benefit is that using this method, if the corner tightens up on the exit then you've got a bit of road to play with.


On left-handers, enter the corner close to the white line (centre line) and aim to only get close to kerb on your way out of the corner.


Both of these approaches mean a late turn-in point, but this goes hand in hand with best visibility. It's the method the police use and also it's what most of the racing schools teach beginners.


My favourite "riding drill" is minimum braking riding - it prompts the wide-in approach, the use of the right gears and the smooth application of the throttle as you accelerate around a corner.

[theglove1978]

Just got round to reading the replies.  Thank you all for the feedback and advice.   


Out again today for a sedate run to Raceways in Fleetwood, nice bendy road from Glasson Dock with a bit more gearbox control and less brake, far more rewarding!!


Although i think last weeks adventure seems to have caused a bit of a fault