leaning in?

[mondo27]

my bike feels like it's going to drop sometimes when i'm leaning into a turn. my first instinct is to straighten up and slow down. i'm thinking that i'm not rolling enough on the throttle thru the turn. could it be a combination of that and the fact that my fork seals are a bit leaky? or is that just normal with the stock suspension on the GS. your thoughts would be appreciated.

[roguegeek]

I am the last one in the world that should reply to this post because of how little I've been on a motorcycle compared to the other people on this forum, but I think I may have a little insight since I dealt with the same problem during my first week of full riding. I felt the exact same thing in a turn. Felt like I couldn't turn enough because I'd fall. My solutions were to either slow down and lean back straight (causing me to run wide) or just simply not turn enough (also causing me to run wide). With the more hours I was able to put on the bike, the more comfortable I got.

I think you're just not rolling on your throttle enough (if at all) in a turn. Giving it gas stabilizes the bike and seems to actually give you more traction. After you understand this and start to apply it without hesitation, you're gonna find you can take corners with the greatest of ease. I can already tell you nothing is going to beat experience. Just get out there and keep riding. You'll eventually feel comfortable and everything will fall into place.

I wouldn't know anything about the front forks, but I can tell you the stock suspension on the GS seems very very soft compared to other bikes I have played with. I have no idea why that is, but I see a lot of people on this forum have modified their front suspension because of this reason. Still, I think the main problem is what I said above.

Sorry for being so general. Someone like Pablo with a crap load more experience than me could give you a more technical assessment of what is going wrong. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on any of this.

[Kerry]

I agree.  If this is your first bike you may just need to get used to the whole "leaning over" thing.

The stock front suspension is pretty low-budget, but I put many thousands of miles on mine before replacing the stock fork springs with Progressives (which I recommend, BTW).

One question: What air pressure do you have in your tires?  (Particularly the front.)  The front should be at 33 psi and the rear at 36.  Having insufficient pressure results in a very "unsettled" feeling when turning.

[roguegeek]

Are these the ones you're talking about? Easy to install? Is there a lot of adjusting to do or can I just plug them in? Are you using the spacers they recommend? If it's gonna stiffen up the front, I'm all for them. Can't stand the squishy feeling of the stock front suspension.

[Kerry]

Yep, those are the very ones I'm talking about.  

For a couple possible sources, see the Chaparral price hike on Progressive springs!!! thread.  For installation and spacers, the following Search will give you PLENTY of reading material:

Keywords

progressive install* spacer*

Search for all terms checked[/list:u]The short answer is Yes, they are easy to install.  You need a 6mm Allen wrench to loosen your handlebars, and a 1/2" drive socket wrench to loosen/tighten your fork caps.  It also helps to have a magnet to fish the old springs out with, but you could use a "hook" of some kind.

To do the job "right" includes measuring oil levels, etc.  I still haven't done the job "right" on my 34,000 mile bike (I used pantablo's "lazy man's" method somewhere around the 20,000 mile mark) but I have helped 2 other guys do it the "right" way on their bikes, while replacing their fork seals.

[roguegeek]

Just read through everything. Looks very easy. Ordering now. Just to clear this up, is it not recommended to use the spacers that come with the springs? Do I have to cut a PVC pipe or my original spacers? I'm much rather use the ones that come with it if it's ok.

[TheGoodGuy]

ahh here is where I can chip in.

The reason you are having trouble with turning in is the weight of the bike. If you started on a Ninja 250 you would have no problem leaning in. I must admit after not riding the GS for a while i have trouble turning in initially.

What I got to say is ride straight line for a while until you get used to the weight of the bike. You need to get used to the weight of the bike. You can try oscillating the bike slowly when riding in a straight line to get used to the weight).  Next take some slow curves (gentle curves) and slowly work it at a comfortable speed. Do it everyday, eventually you will get to a point that you can start taking those same curves faster and the weight of the bike will disappear.

One thing that will help when dealing with turns is to keep the speed reasonable (try gentle curvy road - not intersections)  and to look through the turn. Keep the eye level over the horizon and look into the turn, you will slowly start getting used to the weight of the bike into the turn.

THe first time I did a S turn it scared the shaZam! out of me. I had to go from left to right and I was middle of the pack so i couldnt even slow down. After that super fast S curve I must say that scary part of weight of the bike disappeared all together. HoOwever I had gotten used to the bike weight by then, but I hadnt in such radical lean angles.

However I suggest a curvy road that isnt too twisty (gentle curves) to slowly try out get used to the bike weight. You need to get used to the weight transfer into a turn. I am trying to think of gentle curvy roads in LA that you can practice on.

Fixing your springs will help a lot, but air pressure and taking it slow will help more.

[Eisenfaust]

Ok. The most practical advice I can offer is this: your inner ear is telling you, when you lean over in a turn, that you've tipped over past your body's maximum lean angle. If you were to stand up on level ground, and start leaning your whole body off to the left or right, past a certain point, you'd fall over. As you pass through that angle of lean on the bike, your inner ear flips out.

There are two solutions to this, that I've noticed. One you can take advantage of immediately, the other will come with time (I've only ever experienced it as a passenger on the bike of a faster rider).

The best thing to do is *actively* tilt your head opposite the direction you're leaning. Look through the corner and conciously tilt your head off to the left (if you're making a right hand turn). Dont move your whole body (you dont need to worry about body positioning too much yet, just dont fight the lean angle with your upper body), just your head. As you lean in, just tilt it. Your eyes should automatically adjust a bit, if you're looking far through the corner, but at first, some concious head lean will get rid of that falling sensation, Once the bike is moving more than 10 or 15 mph, you can lean it over until the pegs scrape, and as long as you dont lose speed (failing to roll on the gas), the bike will not fall. The object here is to get your head level with the ground, and let your body and the bike move underneath your ears, so you dont trigger the "i'm falling" reflexes.


Now, the second thing. Once you start cornering faster (a natural consequence of more lean angle), and using more throttle, the forces of cornering (centripital force trying to pull the bike upwards and outwards; gravity pulling the bike down, gyroscopic force balancing it all) will start feeling different. Rather than feeling as if you're falling, you'll feel pushed down into your seat., and wont even feel as if you're leaned over much at all, especially if you're keeping your head level. Like I said, I've only ever experienced this as the passenger on a sportbike with a very competent rider at the bars... but its out there.

[mondo27]

thanks for all the great info. i did take the MSF course last fall. i guess i should work more on the basics. i have few things to fix before i can practice.

1) replace chain and sprocket
2) stage 1 jets
3) fork seals and springs
4) wileyco exhaust (if theyre still cheap by the time i get done w/ 1-3)

I waiting for the jets from Srinath. I hope it clears the inconsistencies with my throttle. Maybe then I'd have more confidence powering thru on a turn. I do need to check my tire pressure. How often do you guys check yours? Before every ride?

[scratch]

Another reason you may feel like your falling is that you may be gripping the bars too tight. When you get set up for a turn (get all your braking, downshifting done) grip the tank with your knees and flex your back to get your weight off your wrists. Put pressure on the out side peg and push that leg into the tank. Push on the bar and roll on the throttle. Another tip is to commit yourself to the turn and continue to roll on the throttle all the way through the turn.