Crash106

I recently took my son with me to run some errands and work on cornering skills. He was on the back of my 650. Usually, my teenage son is a bit uncomfortable riding on the back and doesn't appreciate sharp turns or too much swooping around. Well, on this ride, I worked on setting an entrance speed that would allowed me to tip in once and roll on the throttle once. My son sat there like a rock, no jerking, no pulling away, no worries. When we stopped for sodas, he was much more relaxed than usual. We sat in the window of a KFC, enjoying the sunshine and watching all the H-D baggers cruise by on Main Street. Because I was riding more smoothly, he was more confident and relaxed as a passenger and we both enjoyed the ride. Cool.

Hello fellow cornering addicts. ABOUT MY NAME My signature says Crash106, but that doesn't mean I've crashed my bike 106 times. Nope. Only four times, if you count the time I fell over in the gravel with my 70 year old mom on the back. (Don't feel bad for her--she was okay and told that story for months!) When I say "crash," I'm talking about going into a paralysis attack. My muscles don't work right and can suddenly go weak or just stop working. I had it happen once while riding two up on the Cherohala Skyway and it was pretty scary! Mostly I'm fine, but some days I'm not. BIKES Anyway, I've been a motorcycle commuter for most of the last 25 years. I've ridden bikes from a 400cc single to a 1200cc touring bike. My current bike is a Suzuki Burgman 650 maxi-scooter. It IS the ultimate commuter bike (S1000RR with tank bag excluded). I've ridden to work on roads partially covered with snow, in temperatures down to 20-degrees and rains heavy enough to drown a Kawasaki Rhino. Recently, due to my muscle problems, I broke down and bought a car for the winter. I have had some years were I could not ride at all. TIME IN THE LIBRARY I've read a handful of motorcycle riding books, watched tons of fun crash videos on YouTube (well, they were fun for ME), and taken the MSF course twice. My wife rides. My mom rides. My son wants to ride--someone please tell him he doesn't need a ZX14 for his first bike! Mostly I commute to work, but my wife and I do sometimes go on weekend trips. I have no desire to race. I don't especially want to attend a track day. Although, I would like to do some land speed record stuff--see what it feels like to go 125-150-175-200 mph. JOY After being forces to stop riding for awhile, I decided that THIS time, I was going to figure out how to enjoy cornering. Of the books I've read, "Twist II" has probably helped me enjoy my riding the most. I think this is because it addresses fear the best and explains WHY I should ride the way Keith recommends. Thanks for that. Joy is very important to me and something we could all use a little more of. So, anyway, hello to everyone. I look forward to joining the forum. Best wishes, Crash106

I want an S1000RR for my commuter bike! You know, because of all the safety features.

I just came back from my first ride after reading "Twist 2." I was playing with accelerating smoothly through the curves and making one smooth drop to my desired lean angle. The smooth roll on worked GREAT! It was a little scary to let go and just keep with it, but I decided to close one eye, cross my toes and try it. The bike felt much more controlled and I was much calmer going into the curves--even the one that felt too fast (I just let the bike coast a second without chopping the throttle or adding any more). Wonderful. The one turn idea felt pretty good, but it seemed to me that I still had to make mid-corner adjustments for pot holes, sand, cars and strange combinations of curves--things I couldn't really see from the entrance of the curve. So, even at the posted speed limit on my little 650, the technology worked. I commute on my bike and like to toss my retired-supermodel-wife on the back for weekend trips. Anything that makes the ride smoother and more relaxed, while making us safer, sounds like a good idea to me.

Yes! I LOVE my throttle locker! It works even better with heavy gloves.

Dear Kai, Thanks for your input. We live near Charlotte, North Carolina. The local H-D dealership runs the MSF based "Rider's Edge" course, and we could make it up to Tennessee for the "ARC" at Dragon Safe Enterprises. She's had the MSF "Beginning Rider" training once (years ago). I've taken the MSF "Advance Rider" course twice (once on my 400 and once on my 1200). Any suggestions would be welcome. Best wishes, Crash106

I'd love to take the class, or the two day seminar, WITH my beautiful wife. I've been riding for years and would be very comfortable taking the class and blasting around. However, my wife, who has her MC license, usually rides right at, or below, the speed limit, slows way down for corners and looks very stiff on the bike. I'm actually a little afraid for her riding on the street because she seems so hesitant that I wonder what she would do in an emergency. Can CSS help a rider like her? On the other hand, she is an experienced passenger and has never been uncomfortable at the fairly normal speed I ride, including some swoopy curvy stuff on wet mountain roads. Would CSS be a good place for her to get more comfortable on the bike? Is there a group for riders like her?

I just finished reading "Twist 2" and had a thought--if throttle control is so important to good cornering (see Rule 1), then should I keep all four fingers on the throttle? Yes, half of all accidents are from hitting something and it would be good to have my fingers on the brake. At the same time, the OTHER half of all bike accidents are from bad cornering where having a full, comfortable, relaxed grip with all four fingers on the throttle might be better. What do you think? What grip do you use? Thanks.