Some Advice Please - Will it fall over?

[OB_SoreHead]

A question for all you experienced riders.
Build picture for you: Riding whereever. Very windy.

I know we've discussed the effects of wind on the bike but..... I head into a bend and tip the bike over (using my newfound fancy countersteer I might add :-)
A gust of wind hits the bike from the low side and the sensation is that the bike is going to lowside. Is this just sensation or is there a real risk of the ending up sliding down the road? Problem is I tend to panic and stand the bike back up which is obviously not good mid-bend. I nearly hit the footpath last night doing this.

Should I back off/stand the bike up or carry on gunning it?

 

[OB_Superman]

Superman says "GO FASTER". Outpower it, pour the c*ck to her, don't be shy, you see what I'm sayin.

 

[OB_coco]

Too many variables to consider, weather conditions, pavement conditions, your riding abilities, etc. Best thing to do is maintain a steadily increasing throttle [don't gun it] through the bend. Bad things that may cause you pain if not careful, decelerate in the turn, brake, straigthen up too quickly (especially on a right-hander, two-lane road).

--Felix


[This message has been edited by coco (edited 08 December 1999).]

 

[OB_Velociraptor]

Most of the above suggestions sound good. I would like to add one other.....Don't push it when it's gusting! Radical cornering is fun when the conditions are safe(streets are clean, no cars, etc...). If you haven't done it yet, try a track school. You can get all your jollies in a safe environment on tracks with perfect curves and an ambulance on site in case something happens. I once rode a rented Harley Sportster in some major wind gusts on narrow roads in Hawaii. The combination of a dumpster like handling motorcycle and the gusts kept me going very slowly.

 

[OB_SoreHead]

Just been told by an old biker in here to keep weight all the time on the outside peg (right peg in a left turn)?

Sounds a bit odd though.

 

[OB_Dirty Pete]

SoreHead weight on the outside peg is sure how you do it when you're hanging off so it must be right for street cornering.

I don't trust gusty winds to lean into them for support, only steady hard winds.

 

[OB_SoreHead]

So lean as normal but always keep weight on the outside peg even when I'm not hangin' off? It is gusty as f**k.

I want to be able to hang off/scrap my slider but I think I'll wait until my next lesson with the advanced riding guy before I get into that :-)

 

[OB_Dirty Pete]

Yeah Sorehead, ride like you're racing all the time. Weight the outside peg even on easy turns and slide your butt across your seat to the inside a little..even just one fartwidth (that's a European measure).

Medium turns; push on your outside peg and slide a whole cheek off the seat. Throw your inside knee out much farther than you think you should...right to full ligament extension. Keep your chest square to the bars all the time no matter how little or much you hang off.

Nobody's going to laugh at you just because you're not on a track. It's good form even on 35 mph corners IMHO! And you're building second nature cornering reflexes by doing this all the time.

Pretty soon, you'll be hanging off your chair just to point the remote at your TV.

 

[OB_Konrad]

Keith Code writes about "peg steering"
in his second book. It works real well
and though not intuative [like counter steering] it gives you the most stability.
DP is right on[in my humble opinion] about practicing turning
technique with a majority of your turns,
despite the speed

 

[OB_tinhead]

Weighting the outside peg has the same /adds to effect as hanging off i.e. bike is more upright for amount of turning being done. This was one of the first things I learned dirt biking. Very handy when accelerating off turns. I also find it difficult to hang off above 120.

 

[OB_Dirty Pete]

Konrad and SoreHead I just wanted to add one more little cornering thing that really adds to the joy of street riding for me. Maybe a lot of other Members already do it on every curve.

On the street, even when I'm not pushing hard...alright when I'm cruising...I always try to apex every corner perfectly. Apexing is an art form and it feels great when you pull off a good one.

Sort of like slipping her panties off without her even noticing.

 

[OB_Big Ed]

SoreHead,

You are getting good advice from all these posts. The best is don’t push it wen the conditions don’t allow. I.E. Gusty winds or (my favorite) blind corners.

The one thing I would add to these fine suggestions is to roll on the power smoothly just after you have flicked the bike over. This will stabilize the bike and prevent the front tier from loading up and washing out. Of course to do this your entry speed must be right so you have enough traction left to get on the power. So practice and start slow. Its not a race, no one wins practice.

 

[OB_JudasIRL]

Sorehead
I'm in Dublin too and have been having the same problems with the wind the last couple of days. That front wheel feels like it's going to slide away. I've decided not to ride and wreck my nice new busa 'til the wind drops a bit.
BTW - I sent you a mail at your web site asking about your experiences with tyres here in Dublin. What tyres did you get in the end and where did you get them?

 

[OB_SoreHead]

Holy **** . I figured this was closed after 5 posts. Was I wrong. Thanks for all the advice.

Big Ed: I don't know how it even got on to the knee sliding thing. The original post was only to find out if the wind was going to lowside me or if it was just a sensation.

Judas: When did you send the mail? what was your email address? I don't really do anything with the site now that the car is goine so I might have missed the mail. I got Metzeler MEZ3's from Maddock's out past Bray and they are the dogs bollox. Much more grip in the wet and much more stable (DP can explain why they are so much more stable. it hurts my head). Where are you living J? I've only seen 1 other Busa and that was a Black/grey one on Capel street a couple of weeks ago. Turns out he wanted a bronze one but there was too long a wait. I wanted a black/grey one but the same thing. Go figure.

 

[OB_Hapo]

...why don't you two switch bodys?( I hear the English are Big on that sort of thing), but as you are Irish, we are of course refering to the Busa Bodys...and yes, the wind will fuk you up on this bike....I've had it leaned WAY over just to keep it going straight! If it "feels like " the front tire is slipping it may well be! This don't mean you MUST crash...but it helps! Hanging off can help in that it allows a more upright position for the bike at any given cornering speed and can leave a few more degrees of lean angle available for unforseen occurences...don't forget that some out there slide both tires around for fun! But not on wet or windy days! It all comes back to the basic Squid Coda of When, Where, and How Much...

[This message has been edited by Hapo (edited 10 December 1999).]