So I was riding with a buddy of mine today, who is actually a member on here as well. We did a pretty nice route, plenty of elevation changes and turns. As I was riding, I noticed that I have difficulty turning/leaning right.... I feel 2x more comfortable turning left and such. I know that it is all about practice and patience, so I am not discouraged at all.
Do you guys have an easier time turning in one direction or another? Any tips and suggestions?
In much the same way as most of us are right or left-handed, most people find turning in one direction a little bit less 'natural' than the other.
Seat time fixes it. If you are riding a 675 and you're still experiencing a preference for one corner direction over another, all I can say is...be careful out there!
Everybody has that one type of turn that scares them, or that they are just bad at IMO. For me, that would be right hand curves that are downhill. I don't know what it is about them, but they scare the shit out of me. I think it was because I did this in one of them:
Thatll buff out with some elbow grease lol ... Sucks tho nonetheless.
I hear ya on the downhill right turns, had a couple on my route last night and took them both extremely wide and slow. It's ironic though, I'm right handed but left turns are easier.
Thatll buff out with some elbow grease lol ... Sucks tho nonetheless.
I hear ya on the downhill right turns, had a couple on my route last night and took them both extremely wide and slow. It's ironic though, I'm right handed but left turns are easier.
Same here. I think the fact of having to turn in with your right hand as well as twist the throttle makes alot of people feel unstable. I'm confident in my positioning all around, I just don't feel stable in the right hand downhill ones like I said.
Seat time improves it as long as you actually use correct body position and stay loose on the handlebars.
Last time I had problems with RH turns was on my 250, on which I can't hang off properly anyway due to ergo problems. On the D none of those issues exist.
Some people suggest turning your inside hand so you're holding the grip like a screwdriver, like my left hand is here:
This may or may not work for you...it's definitely better than bending your wrist 90 degrees when you're trying to drop the inside elbow.
And, of course, "none of this is relevant for the street because there's no reason to go that fast" disclaimer
my instructor told me the same thing bout the screwdriver method for right handers, said it makes it much easier to turn an NOT change throttle abruptly,
So...in left handers I can do that.
In right handers I find the screwdriver position extremely inconvinient. Oh, it feels great through the entire turn until I have to stand up and regrip the throttle..in which case, about half the time, the throttle slips in my hand and a nasty jerk follows.
So in RH turns I don't go for the extreme screwdriver, but rather keep the outer edge of the palm planted firmly against the grip and just "rotate" the hand around that. Still a screwdriver, and allows the elbow to drop.
So...in left handers I can do that.
In right handers I find the screwdriver position extremely inconvinient. Oh, it feels great through the entire turn until I have to stand up and regrip the throttle..in which case, about half the time, the throttle slips in my hand and a nasty jerk follows.
So in RH turns I don't go for the extreme screwdriver, but rather keep the outer edge of the palm planted firmly against the grip and just "rotate" the hand around that. Still a screwdriver, and allows the elbow to drop.
yea I wuldnt go full screwdriver either, an I watched his hand postion when he cornered myself, he doesn't either, his biggest shift is his thumb.. but he does enough to see it what he means and get the elbow out in the process but doesn't loose throttle control,
right handers on the street are always tighter turns. you're on the inside of the curve...at the apex to so speak. left handers are always on the outside of the curve...way wide of the apex. sight lines are most always shorter on right curves as well.
I'm hoping to get out this weekend and get some time in, I'll give the hand positioning a try too.
So off topic, maybe should make a new thread about this lol ... BUT, does anyone have better days when shifting? Like some days, my shifts are pro, like butter. Others, I'm like a blind man picking out a porno and can't shift smooth for dear life. What about you guys?
right side lean seems more natural to me - probably because on the street most sharp turns tend to be to the right - as stated above - or maybe because in hockey I stop to the right and avoid stopping on my left - or I just can't skate. Always a weaker than side so practice is the only fix.
You just have to relax. Your hands should be loose on the grips.it you have problems turning right go to barber and ride it a few days. Can't see changing my hand position like that as i'm usually using the clutch and brake on the way into the corner. Then again i don't really have problems with right hand corners most of the time.
I was just about to rant about your road positioning for right handers when I saw this was a Stateside post. Ooops! Here in England I of course ride on the left. (and possibly a bit quicker) :grin:
yeah, the opposite would apply in most of Europe. once i got on the track, i lost any perceived right/left bias. i accept your challenge to determine the quickest. haha.
GP shift...i've switched all my street bikes over to the same pattern to match the race bikes. not so bad to upshift when you mean to downshift (unless you're counting on engine braking) but the reverse can result in a premature top end job. this is why i've switched everything to reverse pattern...so i don't have to think about it.
When I first started riding I was more comfortable on right hand turns then left. I still favor the right a little bit more but I don't mess up left hand turns either. Biggest thing I noticed when I sit on the bike stationary with the stands I tend to not be off the seat as much on the left side then the right.
I think it's because of the weird angle it puts on my left wrist so I will have to try that screwdriver method. I forgot about that technique until you guys brought it up.
When I first started riding I was more comfortable on right hand turns then left. I still favor the right a little bit more but I don't mess up left hand turns either. Biggest thing I noticed when I sit on the bike stationary with the stands I tend to not be off the seat as much on the left side then the right.
I think it's because of the weird angle it puts on my left wrist so I will have to try that screwdriver method. I forgot about that technique until you guys brought it up.
Now...take this BP with a grain of salt...it's bad, but the throttle hand/wrist is actually pretty good, that's how my right side looks in RH turns. This allows much less severe wrist angles.
I ride with two fingers resting on the brake / clutch all the time (old dirt bike habit maybe?), and never feel that I need to screwdriver it. Like in Red October's photo above. I suspect that hand position might allow a less acute angle for the wrist than when you hold the grip with all four fingers.
+1 to this...I always cover front brake with a finger resting on top from dirt bike days...Wish I could add more about the track positioning but unfortunately they closed our track!
A good way to get more comfortable is find a place(preferably track but not everyone has that luxury) where you can make nice large ovals and try to use no brakes and you will enter your turns faster and faster which will make you have to lean more and more to hold your line.
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