Yup, I have a Versys 650 and a DRZ400S as well. Just need to take a different approach to riding the Softail.


But I really don't feel like I ride fast. And I do not scrape frequently. I am just trying to understand the limits of the machine and to make sure it is functioning the way it is designed to function. If better suspension would give me a little more room for error and a more solid ride, it would be worth it to me.

 

My old boss (73) had a Triumph Bonneville.
He took a turn around kinda quick and I tried to follow him and damn near ended up hitting the curb.
After that I never tried to follow him around a corner again!!!!

 

That drz400s and versys are going to make the softail feel even worse when riding them the same day. The weight alone, the drz is what? 350lbs? Harleys are great bikes don't get me wrong, but they will never be as fun as something like a drz400s or wr250r or even a xt500 around town.

You don't think you ride fast but fast on a versys and fast and a softail are very different in the corners. Just cruise on the harley and use the supermoto when you want to have some not so legal fun. That's what I try to do.

 

I've had my bike for about a month and scraped for the first time today. Scared the living **** out of me! I guess I now know its limits and they aren't very extreme.

 

Yes that is exactly what happened. Hopped off the DRZ and got right on the softail. Will have to make a mental adjustment in the future.

The DRZ is closer to 325 lbs and 37 inch seat height. Double the weight and almost a foot lower seat height on softail. But I think the softail is just as fun. It is just a different kind of fun.

Yup - use the right tool for the right job.

But the Harley is fun to zip a bit. I just need to learn how much zip it is capable of.

 

Hahaha I rode the wr and dyna the same day it was so depressing. My dyna felt like it was 100 years old. I hear you though the wr has a 37 inch seat height too and it's around 300lbs even. With the dyna around 600lbs, the dual sport is half the weight. Just can't compare around town.

Don't get me started on the suspension... 10 inches of travel compared to a little over 2 inches on the harley. Its just not right hahaha.

 

What I have observed some people do is lean a bike over a lot further than necessary to turn or go around a curve.

There is also a technique where you use your body weight more and shift around without pulling the bike over as much.

I am not trying to be critical, and am only offering up something to consider.

 

Yes, my technique could be improved. I am familiar with the idea of getting the rider weight on the inside of the turn to reduce lean angle and I do it sometimes, but it is not automatic yet.


One of the things I like about riding the Harley is that I am closer to where techniques like that make a difference. On the DRZ and Versys I am so far away from their limits that such techniques provide little benefit.


But on the Harley, learning to ride better makes a difference.

 

Your footboards will fold up a little as a warning. My mufflers are so low they hit first. They don't fold and the minute you hear the scrape you're bottomed-out with no more room to lean. Not to mention you're scraping the crap out of the bottom of the muffler.

What happens is as you lean you'll ultimately strike something on the bike with no 'give' to it and as you continue to lean the bike will raise up (leveraged against the hard part you're now riding on) and your tires (rear most likely) will not have sufficient contact with the roadway and you'll lose traction and 'low side'. The guy on the white SG in the video clip is a fine example of this.

It's a necessity to understand the limits of your lean angle on both sides and to understand the points on your bike that will hit first and/or the first 'solid' thing with no give you'll hit on both sides. Once you get that figured out you have to keep in mind what your limit is and ride, if you're smart, leaving yourself a little bit of leeway always. This translates into riding slower rather than faster into corners. Once you get into a corner too hot you're going to either run off the road or low side, or maybe even high side if you hit the rear brake then release it suddenly. Point being, you have to stay ahead of things and not get into corners too fast. I suppose it's self-restraint based on pre-analysis.

Always leave something in the bank, so to speak, when cornering. That is, don't ride to the limit with regard to speed/lean. Self-discipline and experience. And even then, we all get tempted to push things or just simply F-up at times. Just don't give fate too big a hand in things and always be mindful of the 'safe' speed before you enter a turn.

Take a riding school course, e.g., Keith Code's Superbike School, or similar. You will be a better rider for it and will learn a lot of useful information about cornering. I took it after I crashed. Be smarter than me and take it before you do. LOL.

Alan

 

Very good advice. I rode as a kid. No training. No thought about technique. I could ride a bicycle and drive a manual transmission car. How hard could it be? I crashed in 1979. Lucky I was not seriously hurt. Total rider error, no other vehicles involved. Can still picture it as vividly as if it was yesterday.


Rode very little on borrowed bikes from then until June 2015. I have been riding pretty regularly since then. Not a lot of miles, maybe 9,000 or so. mostly short trips around town. Longest day is about 250 miles. I usually ride at least a few times a week, but sometimes it is just running to the market for my wife.


I have considered a track day. Closest track is about 3 hours away.


I think most of my scrapes, perhaps all are when I misjudge a corner or encounter a road irregularity.


I think the softail is capable of taking corners as aggressively as I want to if all goes according to plan, but I think I am not leaving myself enough room for error and the lack of room for error is going to bite me sooner or later.


I think I will make a mental note to take her easy on the softail and save my zippy riding for the bikes made to be ridden in that way.


I have been practicing u-turns, figure eights and circles in parking lots. I am learning to get them tighter and tighter and I have not scraped the boards once doing this.