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Basic Riding Errors

261K views 799 replies 229 participants last post by  Stuart fry 
#1 ·
What is the most common skill that you see inexperienced riders either not using or using incorrectly? Street or track does not matter, lets compile a list.
 
#347 ·
haha I love this one, imagine goin down like that. I don't care how bad ass you think you are, or how good you think you look. Some1 goes down like that the next thing you'll be showin off is your scars if you live to do so right or wrong??

my friend went down with unlaced shoes, they came off and his feet we the last thing 2 heal. was out of commission for a minute, can't put shoes on can't do much
 
#6 ·
Trying to do too much in a corner. Simplifying what you have to do entering a corner is a quickest way around it. For example, you can do braking and downshifting much earlier and be on the throttle already when you hit the apex. Then you can move the braking and downshifting points further into a corner as you feel more confident. I've seen (I also did) riders going through corners in false neutral (clutch pulled in all the way) because they didn't get a chance to be in the right gear and be on the throttle out of corners.

Another thing too is that many riders think they have to pull the clutch all the way in when shifting, when infact you can set it up to only pull about 1" and snap to shift instead of gradual release of clutch which can be somewhat inefficient.
 
#9 ·
New rider forgot to turn off blinkers, Look over their shoulder for impending danger, They try to keep up with more skilled riders, or ride above their skills level. Also new rider do not scan ahead enough, someone once told me that when your riding a motorcycle, when you get surprised, slow down.
 
#298 ·
I tell everyone that... Cars are the enemy... They don't see you... I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Basic rider course years ago. One instructor, Dave, said this same very fact.

When they are waving at you, flashing you, and screaming your name out the window... They do not see YOU. They are signaling someone behind you.

I think that's the biggest mistake, right behind not having paid for and completed an official basic riders program. I am actually considering being an instructor.
 
#13 ·
fixate on something instead of looking where they want the bike to go, my friend just got a new r6 and was going around a corner but looked straight ahead and went off the road trying to keep up with another rider.....another guy was doing a wheelie and should've let go of the bike but held onto it and scrape his knees down to the bone (IDIOTS!!!)
 
#14 ·
Yep. This is something that I still struggle too (does that make me an idiot? :smilebig:) Not so much on the track, but on the canyons. I know I can stay much calmer and stable if I look ahead, I sometime struggle to take my eyes off dark patches and marks on the ground. In the corner of my head, 'that's oil, you'll slip!' continues to ring, until I pass it, and nothing happens. There seems to be always something new to watch out on the streets even if I have been there a hundreds of times. However, even in the case of going over the patch of oil, looking through the turn will get through it safer than trying to do something about it in the mid-corner. I've had two wheels slide on a streak of oil for about 10-15" without crashing because I kept off the brakes and throttle hand steady. Not so easy as it sounds though...
 
#19 ·
Trying to control the direction of the bike solely by leaning the bike with their body weight instead of leaning the bike over by counter steering: it's not natural to turn right to go left and visa versa. It's hard to teach people to do this and once they learn, they sometimes will revert back to trying to guide the bike with their body lean, unintentionaly. Hope all that makes sense...
 
#22 ·
I think newbs take a long time to work out correct use of brakes. It's one of the most important skills on the street and the track, understanding that the front brake gives you the most stopping power and the rear brake can get you into lots of trouble. If your starting out go to a carpark somewhere and practice brakes.
 
#24 ·
Something very common for first time riders is to get the throttle open and find themselves not able to close it, especially when on a bike with some decent acceleration abilities. Always ends badly...
 
#25 ·
Something very common for first time riders is to get the throttle open and find themselves not able to close it, especially when on a bike with some decent acceleration abilities. Always ends badly...

There is a perfect video showing that somewhere on here. Some guy who has never ridden before and his friends put him on a 900RR and video tape it. He goes straight over in about .3 seconds. I can't seem to find it though.
 
#27 ·
So now that us newbs know we don't brake right, etc. Give us pointers step by step how to fix it.
I know my bike is faster than I need. The price was right. I love riding it. I have about 3000 miles that I put on it and still ride it everyday rain or shine.

I went around a corner the other day and was leaned over pretty hard. As I was coming out of the corner I was slowly throttling up. It felt like the front was pushing away from me. Luckily it stood up and carried forward. Did I not throttle up fast enough, was I to fast into the corner. Mind you it was after the apex when it started to feel this way. I have a brand new Diablo corsa on the front. I didn't see any gravel on the road after going back through there later on.
You guys talk about braking in the corner. My MSF instructor said never to do that. What is with that?
I am a 223 pound guy. How hard should the front suspension be to handle me?

How do I scrub speed if I come in to a corner too hot?

I scan a lot, especially now. I got sideswiped by a tractor who didn't use his blinker to signal he was turning. I was almost all the way past him with my signal on. I kept it on two wheels and the only damage was a bruised knee and bent foot peg bracket. 60 bucks later and it is all good.

In case I haven't updated my sig block I have an 01 929 it is one of three on the island and I love it. It is THE only one painted like mine.
 
#29 ·
not sure why it would have slid like that if you were standing it back up.

the MSF teaches not to brake in a corner because when you're new and you lean the bike over and grab the brake you're probably going to grab too much and end up lowsiding. it takes practice on how much to brake into a corner. once you start to get really proficient you'll find a lot of the stuff the MSF teaches about braking is backwards.

to scrub speed off in a corner you can gently apply the front brakes, just be real careful. if you're new the best thing is to do is probably just lean more, chances are you have a lot more lean angle to use. as I said before its all about trusting your tires.
 
#32 ·
"not sure why it would have slid like that if you were standing it back up."

Maybe, I was a little late throttling up or maybe there was a little moisture on the road. It was 0530. I don't know. Maybe the front is a little soft for my size and weight and pushing so hard. I had to be "close" to knee down.

I was in a hurry on the way home today and was leaning into a corner. I was moving at a good clip and started leaning into it. I noticed I was doing what one of you said. I was using my body more to get the lean than the counter steering. So thanks for pointing out common errors. And thanks for input.

I am reminded constantly at work not to point out problems without having a solution or suggestion to fix it. So while you are pointing out "newb" mistakes please give us a way to fix them too. We will listen if we are the ones wanting to ride better.
 
#34 ·
Maybe, I was a little late throttling up or maybe there was a little moisture on the road. It was 0530. I don't know. Maybe the front is a little soft for my size and weight and pushing so hard. I had to be "close" to knee down.

I was in a hurry on the way home today and was leaning into a corner. I was moving at a good clip and started leaning into it. I noticed I was doing what one of you said. I was using my body more to get the lean than the counter steering. So thanks for pointing out common errors. And thanks for input.
Slow down, it sounds to me like you are riding beyond your ability and certainly too fast for the street. I weigh the same as you do and while I'm sure my suspension is set too soft, I won't be changing it. The reason is that the streets here are very rough and softer settings really help on the comfort side. It could handle better but it's good enough for me.
I find that sometimes if I initiate a sweeping turn too aggressively the lean angle becomes very steep at the beginning of the turn. This could be a problem if the tires are cold or if there is some contamination on the road. And then we're back to my point about slowing down. When riding on public roads we need to ride at such a speed as to be able to compensate for crap on the road, other drivers and our own lack of ability. We all think we're heros on the street but lets face it, even a really good track rider does not necessarily make a good street rider.
I try to leave lots of room to compensate for problems but I still slip and slide the odd time.
 
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