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Message started by justin_o_guy on 04/07/07 at 07:46:47

Title: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by justin_o_guy on 04/07/07 at 07:46:47

One of the roads I take to town has a fairly wide sweeping turn & a pretty tight turn (at 35 accelerating to 40 in the Honda it's squeeling tires). I have been working on this one section pretty hard for just over a year & yesterday, it all came together. Since it's a left turn it is mostly off camber or flat with just a few feet at the center of the corner, if ya dive across & cut low to get as close to the stripes as possible, that are canted to make staying in the corner easier. Staying outside & cutting across a little later than usual really worked out, good thing cuz I was quite a bit faster going in than usual, & instead of scraping a peg & wobbling out at 40 or so, nothing touched down & it came out of there very smoothly at 50 MPH. I am pretty sure I felt the whole bike drift a bit sideways in the last 10 feet, but no fork flex was apparent, since, ( I guess this is the reason) I didn't hardly use any countersteer to get it in the turn. I think heavy countersteer flexes the front pretty bad. I have tried it just running down the road & iit feels like it to me.
I guess the suggested "late apex" really does work. That 1 section with the 2 90 degree turns of different radii offers 4 corners to play with. I now feel like I have 2 of them pretty well handled. I hope I can remember the spot where I turned in & hit it again.
The early attempts at this corner have seen me in the ditch twice. Maybe I didnt Have to let it go there, but had I been too proud to do it, I would have been totally on the edge of a crash to make it stay on the road, so standing it up & laying on the brakes till the grass got there & then rolling it out & slowing down gently seemed smarter than seriously risking dumping it just to be able to pretend I hadn't screwed the corner up reallly badly.
*** Legal disclaimer... I do not recommend taking chances or breaking any laws, not man law regarding speed or God's laws of physics, wherein the laws of friction & speed are challenged.In other words, if you BUST your Buttt because you think I inspired you to take a chance, It ain't MY Fawlt!

Most surprising part of it? It went faster thru that turn than ever, by 8 MPH at exit, & didn't drag the peg. I have had that peg on the ground in that turn lots of times & have suspected a better rider could go faster thru & NOT drag it. Yesterday, I proved that.Now, I hope I can learn how to ride like that all the time instead of once in a while.

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by Greg_650 on 04/07/07 at 10:04:24

Doesn't everyone have one of those "challenge" spots like that?

As they teach in the MSF course for executing a curve, "Slow, Look, Lean and Roll".

Of course, the step they don't mention is "Kiss". Looks like you figured that one out. Congrats :P

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by klx650sm2002 on 04/09/07 at 02:05:17

Howzit

My most challenging corner (On the way to a real beauty spot - Lake Ullswater) is actually a pair of corners, a tightening left followed by an opening right.
I go into the left wide and turn in what seems like too early gas her a little and flick over to the right full throttle and go.
What I'd been doing wrong all this time was turning into the left too late and arriving at the right on the right hand side of the lane.
Much fun, touch 85mph on the following short straight.

Clive W :D

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by Greg_650 on 04/09/07 at 05:04:41

Yeah. Curves with a decreasing radius, off chamber roadways and high center crowns make it all fun. Especially when that grinding footpeg surprises you :)

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by skatnbnc on 04/15/07 at 11:01:25

Yeah, about that dragging footpeg - any way to make the front pegs into flip ups?

Or something along that idea line to keep from experiencing the ACK! of scraping when you are concentrating on a smooth turn with a deep lean?

And what about repair of pegs that are showing a little, uhmmm, 'wear' on the sides?

Any recommendations of a different type of peg maybe?

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by Tammi on 04/16/07 at 13:17:40

skatnbnc wrote:

Yeah, about that dragging footpeg - any way to make the front pegs into flip ups?

The foot pegs of the Savage/S40 do flip up a little. That is, they have a little "give" in them.

This softens the shock a little bit when a peg makes contact with the road.

I learned this by ... um ... by ... reading my Clymer's manual. Yeah, that's the ticket!

Cheers. Tammi

Title: Re: Nailed that Corner,, finally!
Post by hutch on 04/16/07 at 14:46:58

Good to see you back Tammi. Haven't seen any posts lately, though you road your bike off the edge of the planet or something. Hutch P.S I used to build those Devil machines for 20 years, but don't tell anyone. I cringe and go on full alert everytime I see one.