So I am around 1200 miles (oh, that reminds me that I need to clean, lube and possibly tighten my chain :) ) and have noticed some huge gains in my skills as a rider. I used to even be nervous to take my left hand off the grip and rest it on the tank for a second (I thought I would crash :o ). Now I am comfy with one hand on the bars, even on the freeway, or no hands to quickly make an adjustment of my gear, or a quick standup to adjust my...um...yeah... you know, and even sitting on the tank is no problem (not a common practice, but my nieces are 5 and 7 and think it's the funniest thing in the world). But my biggest jump is in cornering.
I used to read the speed sign posted before the curve and follow it exactly. Then I started to notice I was going 5 MPH over around the turn. Then 10. Then I notice myself almost doubling the speed around familiar turns that are posted at 25 MPH. I am getting the hang (no pun intended) of cornering, which I am really happy about.
So I got to thinking: how fast over the posted speed, either in MPH or multiples of, do you feel comfortable going? Do you find yourself taking a 35 at 50? Do you see a 45 and not even decel from 85 MPH? I'm just curious on how you take corners.
Dave :cheers:
when I had my gs I was good for at least 2x over posted. usually 65 through a 25, hanging off.
Now, that same 25 turn is more like 75-80. sometimes more. I'm taking a 15mph corner in my local canyon route around 40. scraping parts.
:thumb:
the gs is a great learning tool.
I like going wide.
I clean and lube my chain at 500-mile intervals...
Corner speed signs are made for the lowest common denominator perforce; trucks. I ignore them completely. Each turn has its own character, and its own ideal speed. But there are very few turns on the road that can't be taken far in excess of the legal limit for a given road. That's why I like the track - that, and that you don't have to worry about what's waiting on the other side of the curve.
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDXNow I am comfy with one hand on the bars, even on the freeway, or no hands to quickly make an adjustment of my gear
Big pet peeve of mine, like watching someone go down the road with one hand at noon in a car. Keep both yer hands on the bars. :P You sacrifice control and reaction time without both hands on.
(And personally, when I see a guy with one hand on the bar and his left hand on his hip, I just have the overwhelming feeling that he is broadcasting to the world "Look at me, I'm the sheeot!", and that's a big turnoff for me.)
Hey there. I never said that I was putting the hand on the hip and sashaying (however you spell that word :dunno: ) down the street. Ever been on a long, straight, empty freeway (trip from Estacada to PDX is a good example) and your left hand gets tired? I'm a fan of throwing the wrist over the bar to let the hand rest or putting the arm on the tank to relax the whole left arm. Say what you will, but I know the details of the roads I'm on, and there is nothing for miles.
Back to your normally scheduled topic... :)
Dave :cheers:
There are a set of particularly fun turns on flat ground here in town that i regularly hit at nearly double the posted (posted being 35). Its about 3 miles out of the way to hit it on my way home from work, but I still do it nearly every day. Just fun stuff :) PLUS my chicken strips are almost gone, and IM still very confident in the CBR (which may or may not be a bad thing).
Chicken strips? Explain... :dunno:
The one in particular that comes to mind is when I leave work in the 'Couv and get on 205 to PDX. There is a tight loop that goes 270 degrees around (you start going West and end up going South) and dumps you onto the freeway on-ramp. 15 MPH is the posted limit, I believe. And when I was still new, believe me that 15 is what I did. And I'd look in the rearview for a millisecond and see like 6 cars just stacked on top of each other. And no doubt were they hating me :x . I didn't care though; ride your own ride, right? Whether in a car or on a bike. But still funny that I was so timid :o
Dave :cheers:
chicken strips....
from those to chicken to corner...
flat spot in the center of the tire... new rubber on the sides
I see. Only wearing down the inside of the tire, due to the lack of cornering. Sheet, I'll be seeing those if (well, when... ;) ) I move to a 600 or 750. 15 MPH curves will be taken at 11, max. :lol:
Dave :cheers:
Quote from: Roadstergal(And personally, when I see a guy with one hand on the bar and his left hand on his hip, I just have the overwhelming feeling that he is broadcasting to the world "Look at me, I'm the sheeot!", and that's a big turnoff for me.)
Hehe, she says that as if every guy is out to impress her :roll:
If I clutch too much, like on long distance rides, my hand gets kinda sore too and sometimes I take it off the clutch for a bit. No sense in helping the onset of carpral tunnell...haha. It isn't about "Hey look at me I am cool", it is about "#$%, my hand hurts so I am gonna rest it". If we wanted to look cool, we probably would have bought a GSX-R 1000 or an R1 ;)
But anyway...I don't have a specific formula for cornering speeds. I don't ride like a bat out of hell anyway. Even on the straights, if it is posted 55mph, I usually do less than 65mph. I guess I am a granny rider! So if I am buzzing along about 60-65 in a normal 55, and the corner says "30mph" I prety much stay consistent with my speed..55,60,65. Unless I see a "20mph" or a "10mph" corner, then I do slow down because I know some of them, atleast those we have around here, are TIGHT. In those instances, I'd probably drop it down to about 40mph..so probably like everyone else says, around double the posted cornering speed give or take, depending on the conditions. Some of those corners, atleast in my area, are marked way off anyways!
BTW, I've only been riding since last Summer and only have about 6,500 miles under my belt so I am a fairly new rider too. :cheers:
Hey, i read in a previous post that she has nice...um...boo...um...boots, yeah, boots. So I will keep both hands on the bars if that's impressive to her. ;)
What has two thumbs and is a dirtbag? This guy! :nana:
Dave :cheers:
shaZam! i don't ride to get chicks... how i look doesn't matter. my wife keeps my balls under lock and key anyways... not like i could do anything when i impress a chick anyway. therefore, if i'm riding with 1 arm it is for comfort and that only.
what about riding with the feet kicked out on the hwy pegs and both hands hanging down?
Quote from: davipuwhat about riding with the feet kicked out on the hwy pegs and both hands hanging down?
The whos on the what now? Highway pegs? :dunno:
Wha...?
Dave :cheers:
Davipu has highway pegs on his bike. As a matter of fact, his bike is set up for cruising long distances. It was amazing to see his bike when he stopped in Visalia and had dinner with us.
You have any pics, Davey Poo? ;)
Dave :cheers:
I welded on hwy pegs to my engine gaurds.
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/davipu/bike%20pics/saddlebags.jpg)
oh yeah baby, your a dirty girl and you like it. dont ya?
That takes "scraping the pegs" to a whole new level.
D :cheers:
and with those ice skate tires she'll get down and do it too.
Quote from: Roadstergal...(And personally, when I see a guy with one hand on the bar and his left hand on his hip, I just have the overwhelming feeling that he is broadcasting to the world "Look at me, I'm the sheeot!", and that's a big turnoff for me.)...
.... I do the hip thing now and then. It's a nice comfortable rest. I don't usually do it for long though... always seem to end up asking myself what would happen if I needed to stop or swerve quickly.
My best broadcasting is when I stall at a light or shift down when I meant to shift up. "Look at me, I'm the dufus who doesn't know what he's doing". :oops:
I found a new favorite road to hit on lunch! Its literally around the corner from me. Its about a 1/4 mile long, and I can just go down and back repeatedly. Speed limit is 40, i think I was hittin at about 70 or so after I checked for spills, gravel, and checking out traffic. I got about 6 good passes in down and back before I decided to spend ther est of my lunch break speakin with some friends.
Quote from: Roadstergallike watching someone go down the road with one hand at noon in a car.
:? Gotta keep it gangsta!
Quote from: Roadstergal(And personally, when I see a guy with one hand on the bar and his left hand on his hip, I just have the overwhelming feeling that he is broadcasting to the world "Look at me, I'm the sheeot!", and that's a big turnoff for me.)
:lol: I find myself doing that 'cause it helps me move the back pain around a little...
Quote from: 2005-GS500-PDXhow fast over the posted speed, either in MPH or multiples of, do you feel comfortable going?
Well... I was a big chicken for a long time... About a month and a half. Then I started pushing it a little in longer turns... Then shorter turns... Then pushing it more in longer turns. Gaining little bits of confidence along the way. Then...
I was taking an freeway interchange that has a posted speed limit of 25 at 75 when my bald-ass old tire decided to let me know that I'm really really stupid and broke lose twice. I didn't crash, but I nearly had to clean out my pants.
I'm a corner chicken again. :oops:
Quote from: Roadstergal(And personally, when I see a guy with one hand on the bar and his left hand on his hip, I just have the overwhelming feeling that he is broadcasting to the world "Look at me, I'm the sheeot!", and that's a big turnoff for me.)
But...but.... the shallow chicks I'm after think it's cool.....
It's all about the shallow chicks, really -- the smart ones are way too much work and realize how much of a prick I am FAR too soon.
... that and they hardly ever believe my "I'm a secret agent" story.
PS: Any of the sexy ladies out there who want to snog a genuine secret agent should give me a call!
To get back on topic, 2x the suggested corner speed seems about right. I've been caught by surprise a few times on unfamiliar roads, though, so I've been trying to keep a rein on my speed recently.
C
So this "Posted" speed thing, is it a suggestion or a compulsion? presumably it's a simple sign is it? State or national thing, is it all over or just some places??????? Never seen that in Europe, just the occasional "SLOW" sign which is rather subjective.
Suggested... It's a yellow sign with a speed on it... Sometimes there's an arrow showing you the corner...
Nearly every curvy road I've seen in WA, OR, CA, NV, and AZ has them.
My personal favorite (favourite) corner signs are the ones that are the same as the speed limit... I guess they're reminding you to stop speeding for the corner.
Compulsory speed limit signs look like this:
(http://www.bbburma.net/ScreenShots/Signs_SpeedLimit.gif)
While warning signs with suggested speeds (anything lower than the currently in-force limit) look like this:
(http://www.bbburma.net/ScreenShots/Signs_WarningWithRecommendedSpeed.gif)
(Although I must say, I just about NEVER see those particular warnings. Usually the upper sign just shows a curved arrow or an S-shaped arrow. :mrgreen: )
For more info on driving/riding in the States, see the Utah handbooks on this page (http://driverlicense.utah.gov/handbook/index.html). They're representative of the rest of the country.
The images above came from pages 29 & 30 of the Utah Driver booklet.
Got it! The sign on the right means "Sniper About" shooting at anyone over 20mph, That must be Ed_ ? ?
I'll check the links, ta.
it depends on how I"m feeling that day.
Tonite I was out shooting around some backroads and had just put my new superbike bars on so the bike felt different than usual. There's a beautiful set of S's posted at 15mph not far from my house. I have taken them at around 45-50, but tonite I was only doing about 30 maybe a little less.
I've been battling a slow leak in the back tire and don't have the utmost confidence in my tires right now. It's really aggravating. It happened last time I put sport demons on the bike as well.
There's a set through the park on the way to work that cars take at 15, that I take at 45. Someday I need to take the camera and snap a pic of those curves. It makes going to work worth it.
Jake
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/ngpatel/jgp1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v56/ngpatel/jgp2.jpg)
thats an "almost" bone stock GS ...:Dand I taped up my speedo ... if you are looking down on your speedo right before goin into a corner you are heading for trouble ... try to find and experienced rider to teach you ... you cannot learn how to be fast and smooth SAFELY simply by reading on a board ...