In pursuit of safety for Motorcyclists

Positioning and Cornering:

There are some bikers who ride a steady two feet from the curb and others who ride a scary six inches from the centre line for the whole of their journey, and if you really want to do so, there is nothing to stop you. However, if you do, you won’t be getting the best view of the road ahead, you’ll be jeopardising your safety and you definitely won’t be getting the best out of your bike.

As a biker you can generally choose a position where you can both see and be seen as well as surrounding yourself with a ‘safety zone’.  That’s a buffer zone which as far as possible keeps you out of conflict with other road users and areas of risk.  By keeping about three seconds behind the vehicle ahead and manoeuvring away from hazards you give yourself time to react appropriately. For instance, move to the left when facing oncoming vehicles and to the right when passing parked vehicles or approaching a side road on the left.  You should also be aware of what is behind you and similarly position yourself to best advantage.

A good guide is: Expect the unexpected and always assume that you haven’t been seen!

For most bikers cornering is where the buzz is. Unfortunately, a quarter of biking accidents occur on corners and there isn’t a biker that hasn’t shouted ‘Whoa’, whilst wrestling his bike around a corner. There will never be a time when you will reach perfection on every corner but there are a number of aids that will help you as you practice.

And that’s the secret: Practise, Practise, Practise! Find a suitable stretch of road with a few good bends on it then spend a bit of time getting to know it. Only when you know its idiosyncrasies should you begin to gradually speed up, slowly building your confidence and improving your technique.

- Gauge the severity of the bend and adjust your speed according to the ‘limit point’. The limit point is the furthest bit of road surface clearly visible to you at any one time.

- Position yourself for maximum visibility, stability and safety.

- Choose a gear that gives you the greatest flexibility both to slow down and accelerate smoothly.

- Use the throttle so that a constant speed is maintained around the bend (if conditions allow) then accelerate out of the bend to get you back into an upright position.

- When negotiating a series of bends, plan ahead so that your exit point of the first bend puts you in a good position to enter the second bend and so on.

Remember: there is no one correct speed or position for a corner. They are dictated by your level of competence and confidence, road and weather conditions, your bike, your tyres, the position of other traffic, camber, road surface, sun in your eyes...you get the idea, the list is almost endless. Just take your time preparing for a corner. If you have to do everything in the last moment, you will not be smooth the bike will become less stable and smoothness with stability is the secret behind all successful biking manoeuvres.

This article only briefly touches on some of the techniques you can learn and adopt to make your journeys safer and faster. If you want to become truly proficient and be tutored by experts, just contact the friendly bunch at CWAM and book your free assessment ride today.

by Nick Crilly, Member, Coventry & Warwick Advanced Motorcyclists