Jump to content

Long, fast corners, how?


Dezo

Recommended Posts

Hi all, what is the best technique to go through very long fast corners.

Full throttle and cornering doesn't look like best idea (I would expect something like higher risk of highsider), however I'm still a novice, and maybe with given lean angles and this is not an real issue.

To be more concrete please check this video from Most circuit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJjI5ltEFiI there are at lest three such corners - time 0:34, 1:00, 1:27. (This is not my video :-)

Thank you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of this has to do with the specifics of the corner but for the general approach:

- You usually want to shift the weight balance forward to change direction. Depending on the bike and corner this can vary from a pause in the roll on, a partial roll off, a complete roll off (preferably with intent, not just chopping the throttle), or application of the brakes.

- Once on line you roll back on, moving the weight back, stabilizing the bike. Again depending on the corner and bike the nature of this can vary.

There's a corner at one of my local tracks which, on a 250cc bike, I don't even roll off -- the lean needed is not high and the power of the bike is such that I can keep it pinned very safely within the bike and tire's limits. On the S1000RR then it depends on how I came to that section -- on a 'good lap' I need to roll off (though not brake), if my approach is slowed for whatever reason then instead I pause or perform a very mild roll off (very comparable to the "Double apex" throttle control described in TWOTW).

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very long corners have a huge radius by definition.

The lateral cornering forces that make you lean your bike are inversely proportional to that radius.

For that reason, the necessary lean angle should be moderated and your tires should be far from the limit of traction, unless you speed is too high.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Lnewqban said:

Very long corners have a huge radius by definition.

The lateral cornering forces that make you lean your bike are inversely proportional to that radius.

For that reason, the necessary lean angle should be moderated and your tires should be far from the limit of traction, unless you speed is too high.

You are right - but only partially I think. Lateral forces are not big, however you are potentially under full throttle. So question is, how much more force tire can handle. On video I've posted in time 1:27 it's not visible very much, however that corner is even "over horizon". So in the middle of the corner you are lean, under throttle, and lighten.

By default I'm pretty defensive so in reality with my FZ8 with smooth throttle I'm safe. However I would rather not highside at 130km/h 🙂

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a very broad question. The answer will depend on a variety of factors about the corner: radius (and whether it is increasing, decreasing, or staying the same), camber, surface (grip, bumps, etc.) so I am not sure what sort of answer you are hoping we can provide.

If the radius of the corner is increasing, and the camber is either unchanging or getting more favorable, you should be able to accelerate through the corner, however if the radius is decreasing and/or the surface is going off-camber, you may have to be slower later in the corner instead of faster. A corner with a crest in it may, as you mentioned, lighten the bike as you go over it and may require a pause on the throttle to maintain traction.

My recommendation would be get ahold of a copy of "The Soft Science of Road Racing Motorcycles" and have a look at Chapter 2, which includes info about how to sense traction for yourself, and Chapter 3, which talks about making a plan for how to ride a turn and how to adjust the plan to fine-tune it, and Chapters 9-10 that get into how to increase your speed through corners, and specific riding styles and how to make the best use of the strengths of your specific motorcycle and your own riding skills. There is a lot of information about how to handle certain types of turns, adjustments that can made to line or throttle and the effects those adjustments will have, and a ton of other information I am sure you will find very helpful. 

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/31/2020 at 6:08 AM, Hotfoot said:

This is a very broad question. The answer will depend on a variety of factors about the corner: radius (and whether it is increasing, decreasing, or staying the same), camber, surface (grip, bumps, etc.) so I am not sure what sort of answer you are hoping we can provide.

If the radius of the corner is increasing, and the camber is either unchanging or getting more favorable, you should be able to accelerate through the corner, however if the radius is decreasing and/or the surface is going off-camber, you may have to be slower later in the corner instead of faster. A corner with a crest in it may, as you mentioned, lighten the bike as you go over it and may require a pause on the throttle to maintain traction.

My recommendation would be get ahold of a copy of "The Soft Science of Road Racing Motorcycles" and have a look at Chapter 2, which includes info about how to sense traction for yourself, and Chapter 3, which talks about making a plan for how to ride a turn and how to adjust the plan to fine-tune it, and Chapters 9-10 that get into how to increase your speed through corners, and specific riding styles and how to make the best use of the strengths of your specific motorcycle and your own riding skills. There is a lot of information about how to handle certain types of turns, adjustments that can made to line or throttle and the effects those adjustments will have, and a ton of other information I am sure you will find very helpful. 

Excellent, thank you for pointing me to the chapters.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...