STEPPING OUT OF LINE

I struggle with the exit of the turns when I start to ride faster and find myself running wide on the exit, either towards oncoming traffic or the hedges, depending on whether it’s a left or right turn.

Running wide on the exit can be a scary thing, as I’m sure we have all found out one time or another, and there are some things for you to think about.

Most riders will start to turn the bike in too early, and this can be due to them not wanting to lean the bike over too much in the turn or they don’t want to steer the bike too quickly. Our eyes have a part to play in this too. As they’re not designed for riding motorcycles, they start to work against us instead of for us. As the rider approaches the turn he will begin to look into the part of the turn he considers to be the safest, which is the inside of the turn, but as the rider does so, they will steer the bike at the same time. This causes the rider to apex the turn early and run wide on the exit, most likely target fixing on the outside of the turn as they run wide, making the situation much worse.

Turn the bike when you have enough visual information to commit to the turn; you have a good idea of the shape of it. Apex the turn later, this will keep you away from the traffic or hedges on the exit. Are you sure you have finished turning the bike before you do anything with the throttle? Adding throttle and lean will push you wide in the turn, also causing you to lean the bike over more than necessary to get through the turn. This is one of the most common causes of crashes we see at the school, and is to be avoided at all costs.

What do you look at on the exit of the turn? Do you look at the oncoming traffic or hedges? If so, you will find yourself going there! Look up the road on the exit of the turn and choose the place where you want to go and this is where the bike will go too.