Motorcycle handling.

area51_for_psx

area51_for_psx

area51_for_psx

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Hi guys. As some of you know I have a 600 bandit that I have been riding for just over a year. Now the problem is I still corner like an old lady. Do you get better with time or should I push harder. Only problem is I dont want to dump it by pushing too hard.

Is there anyway to learn?

Any advice would be appricated.
 
As long as you have faith in the bikes ability you should be able to push it harder.
My Firestorm was a pig regards cornering, used to see-saw in long sweepers, but then i got the forks re-valved/re-sprung and a custom penske shock and it totally transformed the ride. Could push it hard into corners plus it helped i was running 207RR's on it.

One bike i could really push hard in corners was the NC30 especially with a set of BT090's fitted. Dont think i found the limit of that one.

Learning to counter steer helps as well.
 
I have a 650 bandit and very thin chicken strips. The bike will definitely lean, perhaps not to the point where you get your knee down, but still pretty damn well. Bandits feel quite planted when compared with other bikes I've ridden.
 
First up, do you need to go faster around the bends and corners?..if you do then make sure you don't skimp on the tyres..you get what you pay for. The best tip has already been mentioned..counter steering and make sure the suspension and tyre pressures are up to scratch....oh and get crash bungs fitted!
 
Just try to get out of your comfort zone a couple of times on each ride out. Don't over-do it though :D

One thing I still suck at is counter steering. I've got massive wide bars which makes it dead easy to (if i want) apply loads of force, but that also makes me nervous about over-doing it :/
 
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The ground clearance is pretty poor on the bandits , you will be scraping pegs before you run out of tyre.

I would just practice on roads that you know and a change of tyres can massivly change the way the bike handles. I am currently running harder fork springs and a 2008 ZX10R rear shock on my sv650 the problem is the zx10r shock is far to soft for the front forks so i will have to get a pro to change the spring and possibly revalve. :mad: ching
 
Bandits are not a knee down kind of bike really, not in my book anyway!

A mate of mine just sold his bandit 1200 and he had some tiny chicken strips :p

He used that bike for cruising all over but on the other hand his gsxr the tires are pretty much edge to edge wear!!
 
I find its allot to do with the bike as well.

It was allot easier to push my gsxr compared to my old zzr , the gsxr is allot lighter with a lower centre or balance. She just drop it the corners without much assitance, although the zzr was like wrestling a bull in comparison.
 
I commute on my bike every day, and have a couple of favourite corners. I just try and go a little bit quicker every day, to see how far I can go.
 
area51_for_psx said:
Hi guys. As some of you know I have a 600 bandit that I have been riding for just over a year. Now the problem is I still corner like an old lady. Do you get better with time or should I push harder. Only problem is I dont want to dump it by pushing too hard.

Is there anyway to learn?

Any advice would be appricated.
Click to expand...


I would offer advice, but you've not told us what the problem is :(

Do you wobble? do you take it in sections? do you lean in stages? do you find yourself having to accelerate for fear of falling off cause you dont have enough speed?

Describe how you corner.
 
build up to it. the roads are too slippy for much kneedown so ignore that. on hondas the best judge is the footpeg as this will be the first thing to touch down.

this is a *very* rough guide but your suspension should have about 25mm static sag on front and 8-10mm on rear. however thats for racing. for road use it's more but the same kind of ratio applies. however that should only be considered when you're having trouble handling or stopping.

the counter steer arguament is that it does knowingly help however you HAVE to do it subconsciously anyway to corner. try turning a bike left by turning the handlebars left. ;)
 
If you want to really learn a lot go and have a trackday. You will learn more about cornering in 1 day on track than you will in a year on the road.

Don't worry about adjusting suspension unless you know what your doing. Either set it to manufacturers default or have someone who knows what their doing help. Buy some sports/road tyres such as Pirelli Diablos (not the race compound tyres just the road going version) or Michelin 2CT's.

Take it easy and build things up gradually
 
Couple of things.

As mentioned already - Trackdays. Not one of those "free for alls" where everyone piles onto the track and rags it around until inevitably someone dumps it into the kitty litter but a proper trackday session with instructors who will show you where you may be going wrong and how to rectify it.

Secondly, phone your local Police bods and ask them if they are currently running any Bikesafe schemes. Believe me, you will learn a shedload from a good police rider which will relate more to real world riding on the roads as far as speed, positioning etc go. It may even save your life one day. ;)
 
Was out today for a run again and cant pin point the problem.

So when Scuzi is over in my neck of the woods again Im going to get him to follow me with his bullet cam and then ill post the video.

Have looked into the ridesafe thing and am going to book for next year.


Gareth
 
Dude I told you what the problem was! :p

Having followed you a couple of times from what I could see when you were approaching corners, you weren't looking far into the corner, instead you were looking straight ahead. If you look far into the corner the bike will naturally follow that path whereas if you look straigth ahead, the bike will go straight ahead.

To be honest the roads around where we live aren't confidence inspiring for bikes so it's hard to push yourself. Your best bet would be to spend a few hours surfing the roundabouts in Craigavon when the roads are quiet and gradually pushing yourself a little fast each time forcing yourself to lean.

Also, don't bother with the front brake in corners. If you find yourself a bit too fast in the corner, drag a bit of back brake and it will pull the bike around nicely.


I should have the bike back over sometime in the next few months. We'll try to get some time at a trackday or something and work on it. Hopefully you won't end up in a hedge this time :D
 
I agreee with dont mess with settings unless you know what your doing...

I dont have a clue so went to racelab, for £50 they setup the sag etc and settings for my weight and how i sat on bike, used my comments on bikes handling to make it hold line better mid corner..

They 'tipped' the bike forward abit to let me turn in better and hold line, it's a trade off though... 'tip' the bike forward to much and you sacrifice to much rear traction.

http://www.racelab.co.uk

It's £50 well worth spending, these guys often sit down at track days sorting peoples bikes...
 
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