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Tip of the Week
Go In Slow to Come Out Fast
This tip, and all of our tips-of-the-week, are general
principles provided for your consideration. They are not
hard and fast rules that should be applied without thinking
in all circumstances. Always use your judgement and take all
current safety factors into account while riding.
What's The Problem?
Most single-vehicle motorcycle accidents occur in curves.
Many are the result of entering the curve too fast.
The excess speed can cause you to run off the road or into the
oncoming lane. If you try to correct by braking while turning,
it is easy to lose control and crash.
Even if you maintain lane position and control, entering a curve
too fast is not fun. You will experience a moment of panic
and have to correct either by adjusting your steering or braking.
Braking causes the bike to try to stand upright and straighten its
path which may lead to further lane problems. All of this throws
you off your stride. You'll probably find yourself slowing down
or stopping to recover your wits, and your ride will be less
enjoyable for a while.
Solution
Recovering control (by slowing or steering) in a curve is an important
skill that you should certainly practice. However, you'll enjoy your
ride much more if you avoid the problem entirely. Enter the curve at an
appropriate speed by slowing, if necessary, before you begin the turn.
By slowing before the curve
you can enter under complete control, then, once you are far enough through
to see a clear path to the curve exit, accelerate
out.
Try this the next time you're on a twisty country road.
Slow down to a very comfortable turning speed before you get
to the turn, and accelerate out of the turn, back to your
cruising speed. Experiment with different corner entry
speeds and braking points, and you'll find yourself
enjoying cornering more. You'll be riding more safely and,
because you aren't wasting time correcting from errors,
you will actually make better time on your overall trip.
The MRC Tips of the Week are a collection of riding tips written by, and drawn from the riding experience of, the MRC instructors, a group with hundreds of years of cumulative riding experience. The tip changes every week. Check back to our main page every week to learn more from experienced riders.
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