This might be of no use to the more experienced riders, but I learned from it so another may also. Any suggestions or thoughts are welcome.
I read a bit of Twist of the Wrist II everynight before hit the hay, and Im rereading a part that talks about lean angle.
"A motorcycle in motion is a pretty stable unit if left alone by the rider. Put the bike into a slide to see if its true. Does the motorcycle feel stable to you when sliding? It should, if youre doing it right."
I wont lie, going into a slide scares me. I needed to test this out without killing myself. I always think of a car and how easy it is to push the limits with a four-wheeled machine. There is no fear of highsiding or flipping over, the car (if its decent) gives plenty of feedback before it starts to slide, and when it does slide, its pretty managable (just turn into the slide). I always wondered how I could accomplish the same testing of limits on my bike as the benefits are blatently obvious. More advice from Keith Code:
"How far you can lean (the maximum safe angle) is a question that is answered by experience with your machine, but on any sportbike, your knee can be down way before you've arrived at the maximum safe angle."
This also got me thinking, I barely drag knee when I ride the canyons, more for fear of: 1) sliding, consequently losing control and 2) how far can my bike lean over.
Now it gets interesting. I want to practice both these things in a controlled environment. A track would be good, but it costs money, there are other riders to worry about, and one might feel intimated testing how far you can lean over and practicing slides in front of other riders, not to mention the basic embarrassment of having others seeing you crash if you are so inclined.
So tonight, I zipped up in all my leathers, and headed to the local community college. There, a massive chunk of asphalt with adequate lighting awaited as my testing grounds.
I started off in first just going in circles, getting more and more lean in, when my knee touched, I just rode around on it for a while to get the feel. After a few laps, I did the other side. I practiced figure eights, trying to get maximum lean at both apex's, knee's sliding along as happily as can be.
I had no idea you could lean a production bike on street tires over as far as I did tonight. I feel as though I still havent reached the lean limit, but it felt good for a first time practice session of this kind and I didnt push it.
Finally, I practiced accelerating hard enough to get rear wheel spin coming out of my turns. The bike felt stable and kept tracking where it was pointed, and the biggest fault of bad riding, or what Keith refers to as a Survival Reaction of chopping the throttle, was the furthest thing from my mind. There was no fear about the slide, no fear about how far it was leaned over, and a exhilerating sense of accomplishment and comfort with my machine.
I am so excited about this I just wanted to pass it on so others could benefit from the experience.
On a sidenote, the campus police did stop by to see what the noise was. Once I told him I was only practicing cornering at low speeds, and I wasnt stunting, they had no problem with it and let me continue.
Disclaimer: I am not a professional motorcycle racer nor teacher. Any ideas or suggestions you may get from this article and then apply to your riding I do not take responsiblity for. Try this at your own risk!
Happy Riding!
