I know this is a broad question, but does anyone have any tips for how I (a noob rider) can improve my riding skills?  I don't really have access to a track, so that is out of the question.  One of my goals is to become more comfortable taking corners.  I am getting out and riding as much as I can, but I want to make the most out of my rides by developing my skills.  Your suggestions would be appreciated.

Chilly Willy

find an empty parking lot and practice . set points . i.e two light polls do some figure 8s to start with .. then look around and see if you can find some rocks .. or better yet .. take some of your own .. or an old shoe . somthing that can be seen easly . and make a small corse or maybe just make a big loop . when you get comfy with this make it an off camber corner (when i say off camber the turn starts to seem easy all smooth like most then it just kinda of gets sharper at the end ) the only reason i say this is so it will better prepare you for the real world (RW) cuz you will more then likey hit a few roads you dont know . and you dont want to be freaked out when the corner just dose this rapid switch back and throws everything off .  but most of all just practice .. practice some low speed sharp corners (getting lower and lower as you fell comfy with ) i guess i could get out to a parking lot one day and kinda of make a video for the HT/FAQ part of it .. i just need to get someone with a cam and time

MSF!!!

If you know more-experienced riders (who aren't squids), follow them, listen to them, learn from them. Have them follow you and critique your riding. 

Thanks all for your excellent suggestions.  An, I took the MSF course over the summer with some great instructors.  Unfortunately I would have to spend $100 for a 1 day advanced class through MSF.  Perhaps I'll treat myself to that once I have a bit more experience under my belt. 

Pandy, I often do ride with a more experienced person and I guess I need to be more "vocal" about getting feedback from him.  Today I rode with someone only slightly more experienced than I am.  She has a "lead hand", so that encouraged me to keep up to speed--but she was doing some foolish stuff too (like following cars too closely).

Feared, thank you for the drills.  I'll have to give them a try.  Low speed manouvers (sp?), especially figure eights, were the hardest part of the MSF beginner's class this summer.

Chilly Willy

yea if you had trouble on the 8's then keep pratcing them they do good ! but dont forget the basics !!!!!

The main thing when trying to improve your skils is to be smooth. Go down a twisty road, slowly at first, and make sure it's clear of any gravel or other hazards. Then go up and down it a few times, each time going a little faster and leaning a little further. It's amazing what the bike can do when you're smooth. When I first started, I was bad at cornering but then I realized that it was much more dangerous to take the corner too wide and go off the road.

Once I came into a corner too fast, but I knew if I paniced I'd probally crash. So I just got off the brake before the turn, looked through the turn and leaned it over as far as I needed to. I barely scraped the footpeg but I wasn't even close to skidding out. What really gets people in trouble when cornering, is abrupt imput. Steering, throttle brakes, it dosen't matter, jerky motions unsettle the suspension and make you loose your focus.

When coming to a corner, do all your braking before you enter the turn, then look through the turn and lean the bike over smoothly into the corner, once it's leaned over, you can start rolling in a little throttle. If you've ever watched a motorcycle race, the bikes don't look like they're going that fast (even though they are) they just look smooth, and smooth lets you corner faster and get arround the track in less time. Just practice and you'll get the hang of it.
Have fun, be safe 

J7

Quote from: Wrecent_Wryder on October 01, 2006, 06:15:58 AM
Just in addition to what others have said...  read up. There's a lot of good books on riding technique out there, "Proficient Motorcycling" is excellent, and, unfortunately, we have some "down" months coming.

Small tip.. if you don't mind a little expense for the parking lot excercises, go to Wal-Mart or someplace, buy some el-cheapo brightly-colored (they all are now) tennis balls. Cut them in half with a utility knife or X-Acto knife, and you have some very visible course markers that won't be hurt and won't hurt your bike if (when) you hit them.

Awesome suggestion (with both the book and the tennis balls)!  The author of Proficient Motorcycling lives near me, I've read his book--maybe I should stop by and say "hi."  I like the tennis ball idea--the road construction guys might get a little pissed off with me constantly "borrowing" their cones.

[78

if you want to become more proficient at taking corners I'll assume you mean in the canyons instead of on city streets, like a proper sport rider would...if so read Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist II" and Nich Iensatch's "Sport Riding Techniques". Then put them into practice when you go out with your more experience buddies. That worked for me; thats exactly what I did.

I'd drop the $100 on the MSF ERC.  Been trying to do it but haven't due sched and location...

David Hough's "Proficient Motorcycling" and "More Proficient Motorcycling" are great reads.  Getting' out and doin' it are what really make the difference (as though I know...)

Thanks again--It looks like I've got some reading to do.

Then again, I could always move to India:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2063667852598904740&hl=en

Quote from: FearedGS500 on September 30, 2006, 09:01:21 PM
find an empty parking lot and practice . set points . i.e two light polls do some figure 8s to start with .. then look around and see if you can find some rocks .. or better yet .. take some of your own .. or an old shoe . somthing that can be seen easly . and make a small corse or maybe just make a big loop . when you get comfy with this make it an off camber corner (when i say off camber the turn starts to seem easy all smooth like most then it just kinda of gets sharper at the end ) the only reason i say this is so it will better prepare you for the real world (RW) cuz you will more then likey hit a few roads you dont know . and you dont want to be freaked out when the corner just dose this rapid switch back and throws everything off .  but most of all just practice .. practice some low speed sharp corners (getting lower and lower as you fell comfy with ) i guess i could get out to a parking lot one day and kinda of make a video for the HT/FAQ part of it .. i just need to get someone with a cam and time

Figure 8's are really good, when I took my test in Hong Kong, we have to do some figure 8's on 18 feet slope, most of the rider fail to do that.