Rode on the edge today
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Tourer
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 420
Likes: 0
From: Twin Cities
Rode on the edge today
put on a little over 200 on the speedo today. Leading 2 other bikes through some back country road twisties and building up the confidence level I hit this left hand turn, lay the fatty over and smile. Quickly I notice I'm going a little too fast and the right side shoulder is getting closer and there's a lot more curve ahead. I back off the throttle a bit and remembered that I need to give it more throttle. I didn't scrape a peg but I had to be close. At the same time I'm telling myself to not look at the stripe on edge of the road. So I gave it a little gas, pushed a bit more on the left grip and hung on. I pulled through probably by inches. Going down the straight I was thinking WOW. I was a bit more cautious after that. At the next stop the guy behind on a ninja said he's never seen a harley lean over that far before. I said, I've never leaned a bike over that far and laughed. It's amazing how much goes through the mind in such a short period of time. I'm glad I took that riders course, may have saved some road rash today. I'm gonna be more cautious next time, but man that was fun!
Look you where you want to go is the main trick, and accelerate out of the corner for maximum traction although it makes no sense until you try it. Centrifugal force is a strange thing. Glad you made out on two wheels.
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Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 70
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I love the twisties too.
It's a good thing you kept your head and didn't panic. A ton of crashes occur when an inexperienced motorcyclist gets scared half way through a curve, hits the brakes, straightens up, and flies off the asphalt. Usually, the bike can lean a lot more than the rider thinks.
Fat Bob seating position is awesome. Got me some Fat Bob bars on my Super Glide, loved it so much. Got a little more ground clearance on the FXD, but damn, those twin-disc front brakes on the FXDF would be nice.
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'09 FXD, 92HP, 104TQ https://www.hdforums.com/forum/membe...per-glide.html
It's a good thing you kept your head and didn't panic. A ton of crashes occur when an inexperienced motorcyclist gets scared half way through a curve, hits the brakes, straightens up, and flies off the asphalt. Usually, the bike can lean a lot more than the rider thinks.
Fat Bob seating position is awesome. Got me some Fat Bob bars on my Super Glide, loved it so much. Got a little more ground clearance on the FXD, but damn, those twin-disc front brakes on the FXDF would be nice.
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'09 FXD, 92HP, 104TQ https://www.hdforums.com/forum/membe...per-glide.html
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There are several corners here that I take almost daily that if I don't scrape my footpeg I believe I would crash. I find that more times than not I scrap the left peg more than the right one.
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Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
From: Western New York
Thanks for the post. Because of this post I'll go ahead and look for one of the motorcycle saftey courses. I'm 63, have ridden for a lot of years but always thought safety courses were for wusses. But I've read enough favorable comments on this forum over the months since I just started riding again that I'll have to do it. I just don't want to sit there and hear a bunch of common sense blurbs that a school kid would know. The hunters safety course was that way for me. Treated everyone like 6 year old kids and left me PO'd.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 173
From: Watertown, CT
One of the easiest ways to go through a tight corner is to "steer". Sounds strange and there is a name to it and most of us do it automatically and don't realize it. If your into a tight right hand corner push your bars lightly to the left, you see this in racing all the time. Try it out on the straights sometime as to avoid a pot hole or just to see how it works. Been working fine for me. I'm now 67.