[WeaponZero]

Last night I went out on a group ride with some guys and I noticed that I couldn’t keep up with them because on roads where I was uncertain of roads conditions, and around blind corners, I just could not bring myself to hustle into the bends or even go in at a pace that was even “fun.” Even when I saw the guys in front of me went in with no problems I just could not bring myself to go hard into corners where I couldn’t see what was around the bend, or where I was uncertain of road conditions (too much tarmac snake for my liking, etc). Is this normal? Is it bad that I can’t get over this fear of the unknown and uncertain? Is this why lots of people stick to riding only on the track?

[ranette]

I think this would definitely fall into the category of “Ride your own ride.” Any time the road conditions aren’t optimal there is some sort of risk, and of course the hotter you enter the corner, the more the risk increases. The fact that you are more concerned about the risk than your riding partners doesn’t say anything about your abilities, more about your mindset. And yes, I would consider it normal, and no I wouldn’t consider it a problem.

[JackTrade]

I do the same thing. For me, it’s about the (cue cheesy educational video music) ladder of risk concept.

On the street, there’s a baseline of danger posed by the existence of the unknown and the uncertain (good terms BTW). It’s always there, no matter what (e.g. someone may turn left in front of you at the last minute), and you have no control over it.

But there are things over which a rider does have control that move that level of danger further upward, things like going 100% into a blind corner. Sure, the odds are there’s *not* a broken-down car just on the other side of the bend, but that doesn’t mean it *can’t* be there.

So it’s a matter of risk tolerance, and we each have our own level (like when we debate safety gear in here). For me, I love riding, but I also like my other hobbies/pursuits, and I’d hate to have to give them up while I’m recuperating from a nasty motorcycle injury. So I err on the side of caution, which is annoying sometimes, but I know it fits my outlook on the bigger picture.

[A]

Just like driving through blind corners, you’ll get used to it as you get more familiar with your ride & skills.

[briderdt]

Even if you HAD gone into the corner at the same speed as your riding buddies, and you had that pucker factor hit you, what would you have done (or been able to do) at that point?

You stayed within yourself and capabilites, rode your own ride, and you’re here to tell the tale. Awesome!

[eon]

You did the right thing. Period. Barreling into a corner faster than you can see/stop might get the adrenalin going but it has nothing to do with skill. Assuming the conditions will remain constant throughout the bend is playing russian roulette IMO. I would say 90% of the time my corner speed is set by how far I can see, not how fast I think I can take the corner. After my one brief stint on the track (for a training class) I noticed afterward how many corners I could not see around on the street and my speed therefore had to be much slower. Pain the ass so I can certainly see the attraction of the track where you get to explore your limits more easily.

I look round the corner as far as I can see and set my speed based on that. If that vanishing point gets closer I slow down. If it moves away I speed up. I also hold an outside line till the corner opens up before heading for a late apex. Getting all this right is hard and is very satisfying when I do it well. As I get better at it my speed goes up but I left behind my “oh shit” moments a long time ago, which means I enjoy my rides more than ever.

[TrialsRider]

If you actually want to pick up the pace, you might work on breaking a little harder, later and accelerating out of the turns a little earlier. But full tilt into a blind corner on the public roads is a fast way to terminate the fun.

Some track time sounds like an excellent idea, it would help you to establish a better concept of just how fast is too fast for your tires. Otherwise stay with what you’ve been doing, you might be the only one that realizes it’s a pleasure ride and not a race.

[WeaponZero]

I want to do track time but I’m not small enough to fit into leathers yet. I’m losing weight at a pretty quick rate, but I think it would be pointless to invest in leathers to do track time right now at the rate I’m dropping sizes.

[TrialsRider]

For me it’s a constant challenge to gain weight. Good news for you, the lighter you get the faster your bike will be

[A]

I can’t think of “m”any track with blind corers… most track corners I can think of are visible well through… with exception of the “corkscrew” in Laguna Seca.

http://www.motodemons.com/images/CorkS1109pG.jpg

[megaspaz]

t1, t3, t5, t9, t10 at thunderhill are blind. t2, t3b, t5, t6 at sears point are blind as well. reno fernley has a few blind corners as well. I don’t know the turns off hand for that track since it has like a bazillion turns. blind turns are fun… a nice exercise in patience but seeing how much you can get away with…

Weapon, find a place that rents leathers and go to the track, hook up with an instructor, learn a few things, and have fun.

[A]

This Thunderhill?

http://www.trackpedia.com/mediawiki/images/d/db/Thunderhill.jpg

[megaspaz]

yup

[A]

Lack of “mom on cell phone in minivan full of kids” really makes blind corners that much easier.. on the track.

I do love a good video with good sound clip.. such as the F1 engine.

[WeaponZero]

I know! I lost about 30 lbs in the winter of 2009-2010 while my bike was garaged and when I pulled it out in the spring, I noticed the weight I lost made for a drastically different riding experience. Not so much on acceleration but on handling & control. Back when I was 300+ lbs I could not have even attempted to do low-speed exercises like “the box” on my SV650 but once I no longer weighed nearly as much as the bike I was riding, that stuff came much easier. I wouldn’t have thought 30 lbs would have made THAT much of a difference.

[Author]

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