Fear of Curves
#31
10-04-2010, 02:01 AM
dont worry about it.i am the exact same way.. i have been riding since i was 9yo. unless you are on a race track you have no idea what is around that turn, and if you are going too fast and a car is in your lane or oil,gravel,debris you will never save it.. i have went down 3 times from taking a turn too fast,bad tires,locked brakes when a van was in my lane,and gravel. all when i was young but i still have dreams of flying thru the air and sliding down the street.. if any one tells you how to take turns on the street more agressivly they arnt very good riders.. keep the racing to the CLEAN,predictable race track,and just enjoy the ride on the street
#32
10-04-2010, 02:15 AM
dont worry about it.i am the exact same way.. i have been riding since i was 9yo. unless you are on a race track you have no idea what is around that turn, and if you are going too fast and a car is in your lane or oil,gravel,debris you will never save it.. i have went down 3 times from taking a turn too fast,bad tires,locked brakes when a van was in my lane,and gravel. all when i was young but i still have dreams of flying thru the air and sliding down the street.. if any one tells you how to take turns on the street more agressivly they arnt very good riders.. keep the racing to the CLEAN,predictable race track,and just enjoy the ride on the street
#33
10-04-2010, 02:21 AM
That uneasy feeling you have when riding too fast should tell you something.....slow down!!!!.....sounds like you need a new riding partner?.....I dont know if this is true but i believe harleys are too heavy for dragging pegs consistently and dont think its wise to push our heavy bikes anywhere near the tires ability to hold the road. I have too much money invested in my bike to risk picking it up out of a ditch!!!!
#34
10-04-2010, 02:30 AM
Everybody here is exactally right, ALWAYS look all the way through the turn, remember the tree line can give good indication of the road path. For big street cruiser type motorcycles the posted speed is usually the perfect speed, NOT the legal posted speed but the recommended yellow sign speed usually present just before a turn. Important like the OP said select a gear that allows some accelleration and engine breaking on decelleration. Practice picking a line and never, never, never crowd the center line(double yellow). I always assume I'm going to meet a speeder or a big truck as soon as I start into a blind curve. That way I'm not startled if they are actually there.(and they usually are)
Keep the tires in good condition and proper inflation and TRUST your tires. The other half of the "look where you want the bike to go" is trusting the bike will go there.
Lastly..... Don't worry about other people pressing you. For faster riders, Tell them to ride ahead , you will catch to them at the next stop.
Keep the tires in good condition and proper inflation and TRUST your tires. The other half of the "look where you want the bike to go" is trusting the bike will go there.
Lastly..... Don't worry about other people pressing you. For faster riders, Tell them to ride ahead , you will catch to them at the next stop.
#35
10-04-2010, 02:32 AM
my advice is, let him go as fast as he is comfortable with, and you do what your comfortable with, Accidents happen when a person pushes themselves into riding beyond their ability. Just ride, if you need to corner slower, then slow it is, and go home intact with a bike intact...really man, just ride your ride.
#36
10-04-2010, 02:56 AM
Bottom line, never ride outside of your comfort zone. It is mostly for your own safety, but don't forget, you take someone else head on you could be hurting them too. To anyone who likes to zip through a ride, let them run speed trap catcher. Grin and nod as you cruise by the red and blues that pulled your friend over...lol
#37
10-04-2010, 06:14 AM
I have been riding motorcycles since I was 19, but bought my first H-D 2 years ago. I have always had a terrible fear of taking curves, especially blind, downhill curves, and have to slow down to a crawl, until I can see my way around them before I accelerate through the curve. I always get left behind on mountain roads, but I have one buddy in particular who rides an Ultra and always takes the curves at speeds that seem a little crazy to me. He leaves me in the dust on twisties and loves giving me advice on how to keep up, to point where I feel pressured to ride at speeds where I don't feel comfortable. I don't mind scraping floorboard or anything, I just feel uncomfortable taking curves at speed, which I can't see around, for fear that they might tighten up on me, sending me into a ditch or worse, oncoming traffic. Is there anything I can do help overcome my fear? Any advice from anybody here, or does it just come with practice and experience? It just seems to me that no amount of experience can bring comfort in taking a blind curve at the speeds I see a lot of riders do.
I noticed you have Japan, as a location, as you've mentioned you've just started riding there (took a 32 hour class, in the past 2 years)
Perhaps it's an effect of going from a "ride on the right USA, to a ride on the left Japan?
Everything you learned over your lifetime, is "wrong" including those ingrained skills we call "instincts"
!) ride your own ride.... whether your friend is 22 or 62... let him do HIS thing, while you do yours
2) Practice. practice, practice...... ( I like the RLaP videos... but they are set up for US riding... or at least ride on the right. Ask around for a local advanced riding class)
3) curves are the "hardest thing to master" Most of all motorcycle wrecks are single vehicle wrecks, and most of those.... are "failure to negeoiate a curve".
Any one can ride in a straight line. Curves are diffucult. The "natural instinct" is to turn the bike via direct steering. To turn right, one believes they must STEER right. This is how we turn bikes at parking lot speeds. Anytime we ride above 10-15 MPH (16-24 KPH ??) we use COUNTER STEERING.... Which brings us back tp #2 ie: practice
I never enter a curve at speed, unless I can see the exit, and know what's in front of me. Far too often, I've found gravel kicked up in the middle of a turn... or a pot hole.. or...... the turn is a decreasing radius curve.
Learn to take a "late apex" and enter a curve at YOUR comfort.... if you have to meet your friend later.....so be it.
Never allow yourself to be pressured by another rider....
#38
10-04-2010, 06:28 AM
Seasoned HDF Member
You are in Japan, right? Don't speed in Japan! Those roads are narrow and you are riding on the left side of the road.
As far as curves, take a track day course. You will learn to trust the capabilities of your bike and yourself.
And...ride to enjoy, not to impress! ;- )
As far as curves, take a track day course. You will learn to trust the capabilities of your bike and yourself.
And...ride to enjoy, not to impress! ;- )
Last edited by bjewell; 10-04-2010 at 09:24 AM.
#39
10-04-2010, 06:28 AM
I don't think it's fear.....I think it's a skill set
I noticed you have Japan, as a location, as you've mentioned you've just started riding there (took a 32 hour class, in the past 2 years)
Perhaps it's an effect of going from a "ride on the right USA, to a ride on the left Japan?
Everything you learned over your lifetime, is "wrong" including those ingrained skills we call "instincts"
!) ride your own ride.... whether your friend is 22 or 62... let him do HIS thing, while you do yours
2) Practice. practice, practice...... ( I like the RLaP videos... but they are set up for US riding... or at least ride on the right. Ask around for a local advanced riding class)
3) curves are the "hardest thing to master" Most of all motorcycle wrecks are single vehicle wrecks, and most of those.... are "failure to negeoiate a curve".
Any one can ride in a straight line. Curves are diffucult. The "natural instinct" is to turn the bike via direct steering. To turn right, one believes they must STEER right. This is how we turn bikes at parking lot speeds. Anytime we ride above 10-15 MPH (16-24 KPH ??) we use COUNTER STEERING.... Which brings us back tp #2 ie: practice
I never enter a curve at speed, unless I can see the exit, and know what's in front of me. Far too often, I've found gravel kicked up in the middle of a turn... or a pot hole.. or...... the turn is a decreasing radius curve.
Learn to take a "late apex" and enter a curve at YOUR comfort.... if you have to meet your friend later.....so be it.
Never allow yourself to be pressured by another rider....
I noticed you have Japan, as a location, as you've mentioned you've just started riding there (took a 32 hour class, in the past 2 years)
Perhaps it's an effect of going from a "ride on the right USA, to a ride on the left Japan?
Everything you learned over your lifetime, is "wrong" including those ingrained skills we call "instincts"
!) ride your own ride.... whether your friend is 22 or 62... let him do HIS thing, while you do yours
2) Practice. practice, practice...... ( I like the RLaP videos... but they are set up for US riding... or at least ride on the right. Ask around for a local advanced riding class)
3) curves are the "hardest thing to master" Most of all motorcycle wrecks are single vehicle wrecks, and most of those.... are "failure to negeoiate a curve".
Any one can ride in a straight line. Curves are diffucult. The "natural instinct" is to turn the bike via direct steering. To turn right, one believes they must STEER right. This is how we turn bikes at parking lot speeds. Anytime we ride above 10-15 MPH (16-24 KPH ??) we use COUNTER STEERING.... Which brings us back tp #2 ie: practice
I never enter a curve at speed, unless I can see the exit, and know what's in front of me. Far too often, I've found gravel kicked up in the middle of a turn... or a pot hole.. or...... the turn is a decreasing radius curve.
Learn to take a "late apex" and enter a curve at YOUR comfort.... if you have to meet your friend later.....so be it.
Never allow yourself to be pressured by another rider....
#40
10-04-2010, 06:55 AM
Ultimate HDF Member
dont worry about it.i am the exact same way.. i have been riding since i was 9yo. unless you are on a race track you have no idea what is around that turn, and if you are going too fast and a car is in your lane or oil,gravel,debris you will never save it.. i have went down 3 times from taking a turn too fast,bad tires,locked brakes when a van was in my lane,and gravel. all when i was young but i still have dreams of flying thru the air and sliding down the street.. if any one tells you how to take turns on the street more agressivly they arnt very good riders.. keep the racing to the CLEAN,predictable race track,and just enjoy the ride on the street
Failure to negotiate curves is a big killer of riders so we all should have a healthy respect for them. Unless I know a curve well I take it very cautiously. If it's a blind curve you have no idea what's around the bend. Could be a stopped car or animal. Could turn into a decreasing radius turn or switchback. I don't like surprises.
I prefer dropping my speed till I have a chance to see what I'm dealing with. Trying to play a game of catch me if you can with the lead rider is a recipe for disaster.
Ride your own ride.