Hi People i have a confession i,m a pussy at cornering.What can i do to gain confidence in myself and my bike ( 2006 FZ1 ).When do i need to countersteer?.I ride about 100 miles a day but this is motorway.I do try hard but it just doesn,t feel right and speed drops off too quick
.Just need to know what im doing wrong.Been riding for just over a year. Advise required please 
GREAT SITE BY THE WAY
Caterham Surrey sounds like fun
Ah, too far for me to show you how to get your knee down when cornering… Oh well…
Welcome to LB, btw!
Get yourself out on a trackday…It’s unbelievable how much it improves your confidence for cornering! When I did my first trackday I was sure it wouldn’t make any difference to my road riding but my mates kept on at me so I went. It really shows you what you and the bike can do!
Hey there, Thehead, Welcome to LB Get your name down for the St Georges Day ride mate, loads of us going, sure you will pick up loads of tips… Let me know if you want to come on the ride, and i will put you on the list. See the ride details in the Rideouts thread…
Hey there TheHead, welcome to LB! Cornering is an art, and with biking, it’s a near ongoing lesson we have to learn, there’s always something more to be had. There’s two things that can help you;
http://londonbikers.com/partners/bikesafe.aspx
http://londonbikers.com/forums/shwmessage.aspx?ForumID=35&MessageID=45547
Hope to see you at the Waterloo meet tomorrow.
If you can get the cash together, book yourself into a day with the California Superbike School. They are running sessions at Rockingham, Silverstone and one at Brands this year.
Cornering is what they teach, on a track. Countersteering, body position, turning points etc.
Superb and thoroughly recommended.
There are 4 levels, but level 1 is probably all you need for now for the road.
They cost between £ 300 and £ 400 per day. But spread that cost over time and it is very good value.
Track days are good, but the intruction is minimal compared to Cali SS.
You are not alone there mate! A trackday will boost your confidence and an advance riding course is the way to go! Welcome to LB
Thanks for the advise guys . Looking at the St Georges day ride most prob will go.( thats if i get the frostbite out of my fingers from this mornings ride into work )
Hello there. As people have already said, the track is the place to really learn what you and your bike can do together, far less distractions than you get on the road. Californian Superbike school is a good training place if you can afford it.
Failing that, practice makes perfect on the road. Perhaps you could change your route and avoid the motorway sections, do more A and B roads. There are plenty of decent roads round your way - the Caterham By Pass is not bad for practicing fast cornering capability, I know it used to be used for runs where you didn’t see less than 3 figures on the speedo.
Best not to get over confident yet, the grip levels do not seem to be all that out there.
Booked up a Bikesafe day, now to find a track day and crash mushroom sellers.
Trackday - you’ll then realise what your bike is capable of doing and stop worrying about the machine and can concentrate on your ability.
If you fancy a good run this weekend ( prob sunday ) let me know. I regularly go down the roads south of the M25 ( I’m fast but safe!!! )
A22 to Eastbourne is a good run! How long have you been riding??
Anyway, nothing wrong with being cautious ( safe ) - you should see me ride in the rain!!
J-man will come out to play one Sunday sorry cant do this one i’m on the bikesafe thing at the warren.It will be good riding with others and im sure i will pick up good and bad points
Bikesafe = good. Those rozzers know a thing or two about riding - thats where I did my bikesafe from.
No worries about Sunday ( I may be going Sat instead this weekend, waiting to hear when relatives plan to come 
)- just drop a line here if you up for it, I go out to play one day most every weekend
I’ve mentioned this in ‘chatter’…
June 3rd, George Whites in Slough…Thames Valley Police are providing two Police Motorcyclists and a couple of IAM observers for FREE assessments as part of the ‘SaferRider’ scheme…
just a thought!
Next time you’re on a motorway, and it’s safe to do so, try moving to the other lane by pushing down (like straightening your arm) on the bar that is nearest the lane you want. You should feel the bike lean slightly and it’ll change direction. You won’t change speed (noticeably) unless you roll off. So don’t.
Nothing violent or sudden will happen provided you don’t make any violent or sudden moves. Start by gently pushing of course, then build it up. You might then try pulling slightly on the opposite bar to heighten the effect.
Then you’ll realise that it’s what you do everytime you change lanes anyway, and wonder what all the fuss is about.
On the twisties, the required change of direction is more profound, and so the input required is likely to be more so too. Then you may realise that you have to make a concious counter-steering action to achieve the turns required.
Build it up in small steps until it becomes easy and you are relaxed doing it. Don’t race towards a hairpin thinking “Right, now it’s time to try that counter-steering thing” ok?
And above all, remember to look where you want to be before executing the manoever- often your body will sort out getting there!
