On the straight, I agree you can anticipate and compensate but coming round a tight turn at a junction you are usually on the slippery bit before you see it. Go slow seems the only solution here. I agree though that it usually seems worse than it is. On the subject of tyres, I fitten Pirelli Routes to my Suzuki and that has helped grip quite a bit - mind you the stock oriental rubber was pretty poor.

 

Excellent, thanks for posting that back up.

 

Having been a telephone lineman and then a cable splicer for 33yrs and 9mos I can truthfully tell you that you can stand perfectly still on a wet manhole cover and still slip and fall hard. A moving rubber tire could only be worse. As mentioned above, avoid running over them unless going straight. Ocassionally they get sprayed with that black road sealer and get even slicker.


"The lesson is that when you are leaned over, doing nothing is often better than doing something. "
Para, I learned that lesson riding a MAICO in the 70s.

 

Hmmmm..........about the same thing applies to cars.

 

No worries.

Here is a great example of what I'm talking about.

This rider realizes he is coming in a bit too hot, and his instincts say "OH S#$T, slow down!"...so he follows his instincts by applying front brake and it causes him to violently lowside.

Most riders do the same thing, but they don't realize that:

1) If you are too hot into a corner, brake application will actually make your line run WIDER. This is counter intuitive, but true.

2) Most riders including this one, don't use as much lean angle as they could, or they have poor body position and use more lean angle than they need, because they are counter leaning with their body. The further to the inside of the corner your torso and hips are, the LESS the bike needs to lean to cut the same line. You will feel like you are leaned more, but the angle of the bike will be more upright. The more upright the bike is, the more grip you have due to the vertical component of normal force on the tires.

What this rider should have done: Smoothly apply a bit of pressure to the inside bar, and lean the bike a bit more while staying on *neutral* throttle. That would tighten his line and keep him from running wide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyfiIxf29JQ


Here is another one, in the slow motion replay you can see that just before this rider lowsides he makes a steering input correction (watch his elbows) he actually CAUSED this wreck by trying to mess with his line while leaned too far over. If he had done nothing, he probably would have made it out. This guy also has poor body position, causing him to use too much lean angle on the bike:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVhjKENRN6I

 

But a car won't highside ya when you steer into the slide to save the day, but you're absolutely right.

Smooth operating will save the day most often, quick responses bring disaster.

 

I was talking gentle urban cornering but as we have got on to race track situations, I was under the impression my 883R was designed to mimic the flat track 750's of years ago. Was surprised that a bike with some race pedigree (well in the marketing talk at any rate) slid so easily but perhaps race bikes do slide - it's just that I'd prefer not to! My rear wheel drive BMW 316 used to slide all over the place on wet corners and that was supposed to be a sporty saloon!

 

The thing is that EVERY concept taught in race school applies to all motorcycles trying to turn, even to heavy baggers!

 

Para, I used to tell my bosses that they could let me do more than they could make me do, its the same with a bike, as my instructor said, motorcycles are made to turn.

 

That is a great way to put it.