Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gas_Up_Lets_Go
First off all, it is not your body that controls the lean of the bike. It is your steering. Without knowing, when you enter a corner, you actually steer the wrong way - except for certain conditions, you cannot steer a bike around a corner fast, it is very different to a car (or quad).
When you enter a corner you will steer towards the outside of the corner, this (through a whole load of physics theories) will cause the bike to lean into the corner - we call it positive steering (you will also hear the term 'counter steer'). The more you steer out of the corner, the more the bike will lean into, and the tighter the turn will become.
You need to learn this. The best way, find a quiet road with long sweeping corners that you can see to be clear. approach the corner in a road position that you feel comfortable with and keep you body upright and as stiff as you can. As you approach the corner push one side of the handlebars (the side in the direction you wish to travel), so if it a bend to the right, push the right bar forward. You will feel the bike start to lean and turn to the right. On left bends, push the left bar.
The more you push the bars = tighter cornering.
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Well GLUG, you provided a really great explanation of on-road cornering. Thank you!
I tend to be consciously aware of positive steering out on the tar - but I seem to do things differently on dirt roads. After reading your post, I found myself over-thinking it out on the dirt trails last weekend and lost a bit of confidence. I was deliberately trying the inside bar 'push' technique on the dirt and it feels like my front wheel is gonna wash out, yet my old technique of elbows up, weight forward, pushing down on the outside of the bar to plant the front wheel - seems a bit at odds with the physics of steering you detailed in your post.
I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on steering on loose dirt trails (not necessarily on the MX track but just the loose gravel forestry tracks that is the domain of our bikes).
We're never too old to learn and pick up new skills!
Cheers!