Cornering is perhaps the most exotic yet challenging aspect of bike riding. Cornering is an art. Cornering is philosophy. Cornering is skill. No matter how much you read about it or practice it, you may never reach perfection of this art in single life. Finding a perfect cornering line and adjusting your motorcycle on perfect speed is something that comes with birth. May be riders like Valentino Rossi and Dani Pedrosa got this skill as god’s gift. But for a rider like you and me, it’s a subject of constant meditation.
Looking at corner:
Looking and judging corners is a skill that comes with lot of practice. You will learn this art only by practice. Looking plays most important part in entering corner at right speed, in right lane and in right gear.
Always focus on where you want to go, not on which lane you want to ride. Don’t look at a tree standing at corner of road, but look at lane which takes you on right path. Focus ‘far ahead’ than immediate turn and try to judge your lane while looking at curve.
Choosing perfect lane:
Choosing perfect curve while taking a corner is most important. If you choose wrong lane and take too wide a curve, you might end up on opposite lane or go off road.
All curves are different and should be treated differently. However, there is one basic rule that you should always enter the curve from as much outside as possible to increase your line of sight. As you take the curve, ride towards inside of curve and while exiting, move you motorcycle to the outer side.
Riding at perfect speed:
Many a times, riders make mistake of entering a corner at wrong speed. If you enter a corner at higher speed then necessary, you will either end up braking your vehicle right in the middle of curve, losing all momentum. If you enter at lower speed, you will find your motorcycle struggling to clear the corner in effective manner and you might have to shit-up gears to get right momentum.
It is advisable to always enter the curve at lower speed to make sure there is no vehicle coming from opposite side and you have perfect leaning angle before exiting. Once you are at middle of curve and see the road ahead clearly, you should increase throttle and exit at increasing speed. This is called rule of ‘Slow in, Fast out!’
What is perfect lane and speed for any corner?
Well, there is no perfect lane or speed for any corner. Its all about your comfort and control over your motorcycle. Its about how skillfully you can clear a corner while maintaining perfect lane and speed. Never look at how rider ahead you cleared the corner. Rather, focus on how skillfully you can ride through it.
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