Hi everyone. It was a great cold sunny day today in BC so I took my 599 out for a ride. 8)
As a new rider, I am looking for advise from all you experienced 599'ers or any experienced rider that can give me some good pointers.

I was cruising at 110-120 km/hr on a slight windy road towards Squamish and I found it a bit hard to counter-steer the bike from one turn to the other. I found it easier when I shifted my weight towards the front of the bike and lean towards the turn but it was shifting the weight of the bike to the other side toward the next turn that took some effort. Could it be because of my size? 5'4, 140pounds.

The 599 is incredibly obedient and I always ride in my comfort zone. I know that it can bite back if you give it too much throttle without knowing how to handle the power. I have accidentally lifted slightly the front wheel once just before shifting to 2nd gear...:shock: ! power!

But yeah, back to topic. Please share your thoughts with me.

Hasta la vista amigos.

I've noticed something similar... usually anywhere upwards of 90 - 100 MPH it seems hard to quickly dive into a turn as if the bike wants to track straight.

The way I've overcome this is by shifting weight off the side of the bike like racers do, though i'm sure I'm doing it all wrong. I've heard (and experimented a little) with weighting pegs to assist turn in.

How's your tire pressure, especially the front?

I always check tire pressures before heading off to any long ride so im pretty sure that was not my case. I will have to do some more riding before starting to shift my weight off the side of the bike like racers do. Kinda freaky at this point for me. Everything at its time :ride
Should probably look into signing up for a racing course next summer.

Relax and stay loose have fun and dont get "stuck" on thinking about it .... look far ahead

I 2nd Mech's point. Just take it easy and don't over think it. Being new you'll find after a couple months of riding you'll wonder why certain things were ever an issue for you to begin with. I just started riding in April and I'm amazed at how far I've come in 5 months.

On another note, you're so lucky to be riding that great Sea to Sky highway there in BC! I was there a few years ago driving those roads in a Ford rental car thinking it would be amazing on a bike!

Have fun.

One tip I got that I'll never forget is that when turning, "Lead with your chin." It seems very simple, but try it. You're body will naturally follow and it will feel as though you're always in the correct position.

And get a gym membership... :lol:
Riding a bike is more physical than driving a car. For sure relax and realize that when it becomes work...you are probably starting to ride outside your safe zone... With experience and time it will come. Again, relax and ride with your head.

And move around in the saddle a little for balance/feel/fun but there is no (actual) need for all the exaggerated "MotoGP" stuff. (congrats to Mr. Stoner)

hahaha
yeah, i realize that riding a bike takes much more effort than driving a car. I work as an apprentice mechanic and my job keeps me pretty fit as its very physical. So does my gym routine ;)I really liked the "lead with your chin" tip. It works great!
I also believe that riders are more likely to have better physical condition than non-riders. plus a workout routine is a bonus. not only for better control over the bike but it makes you live healthier.
hmm you're right... probably I was pushing too hard but I was not nervous nor out of control. thats why I thought it was riding at my comfort zone.
"within my limits" is actually a better way to describe it.

Thanks for the tips! you guys are awesome!

110-120km/h, isn't that like 150mph? No wonder it's hard to steer in those curves.

:wink:

thinks its more like 70 mph or so

lift weights...push harder, bike has to go in that direction. Its physics!

I've NEVER noticed any abnormal difficulty in making the bike turn. Yes, the pressure you need to apply for countersteering increases the faster you go. Your wheel is a gyroscope, remember. The faster it goes, the more it will want to continue in its original direction. So to make it change direction -- ie, through countersteering -- you need to put more and more pressure on the bars to move the wheel, as your speed increases.

proficient motorcycling Mastering The Ride by David L. Hough explains it rather nicely, once I finished reading it, it was like duh, the light bulb went on...

YES yes, ride within your limit. I found a few good smooth back roads around me with some good winding turns. I like to hit the turns in third nice and slow, like 30-40 and kind of over exagerate leaning off the bike. I think that's part of what use to get me nervous, is actuallly getting my weight of the side of the bike. It does take a little shoulder strength. But the over exagerating, like a "racer" lets me feel the bike out alot. Also use a gear that is not giving you too much engine brakeing and smoooth throttle control. "meter the throttle." It has given me more confidence. Remember, only on turns that you can see all the way through. Look through the turn, I know it's hard when your worried about sticks and stuff on the road way. but it makes you hold a better line.

I'm no pro, but Practice make you safer.

I just read lee parks book total control. I have been using a suggestion he has made for turning and that is to give one arm all the control during the turn. The countersteering arm gets the control pushing and pulling accordingly. The other arm is still holding on but not fighting the countersteer. I was amazed at how much faster you can turn almost to the point of running off the inside of the turn until you get used to it. Choosing the correct line and appropriate speed is also part of taking a series of turns. Having your upper body off center to the bike on the side of the turn and leaning forward also helps the cornering. I second Sachi on the gyroscope physics the bike wants to stay upright and it gets harder to counteract at speed. This should be helpful when hitting a series of twist as the bike helps you get set for the turn in the opposite direction.

I also find weighting my foot pegs makes the bike dive in and also feel more stable thru the turn as well. It's good to consciously practice this stuff sometimes so it becomes second nature.

That makes flicking the bike so much easier... almost scary how quickly I can change directions at lower speeds.

That makes flicking the bike so much easier... almost scary how quickly I can change directions at lower speeds.

Are you talking about counter-steering?

No, putting weight on the pegs. Sounds simple, but I never did it in my first 8 or 9 months of riding. No more than what it took for me to hold on, anyways.

Hmmm... I don't really know what you guys mean when you say putting your weight on the pegs. I mean, my feet are on the pegs, but when I make a turn, I don't feel as if I consciously put more weight on one than the other.

I'm also not really shifting in the saddle when going around turns. I just tilt my head to keep my vision up-right and just lean as much as I need to (I'm not really going that fast). Anyone care to tell me what the "weighting the pegs" technique should be?

Depends on who you read. Lee Parks and Keith Code (and maybe Nick Ienatsch) discuss it some... one of those guys says you should apply more pressure to the outside peg to force your body inside the bike. Another one says you should weight the inside peg.

Either way, if you start adjusting your body position in corners, negotiating them becomes a lot easier. I started experimenting with it on the track and have been working on it some more at home since. It works. You have to get over the sensation that you are kinda floating out there and vulnerable, but once you get the hang of it, it gets easier.

When I'm entering a turn I weight my inside peg. If I'm turning left I apply pressure to my left foot peg as I countersteer into the turn. Just press down like you were going to stand up on one leg, it doesn't take a whole lot of pressure and I find it really stabilizes how the bike feels thru the turn. I've also heard that people weight their outside pegs when really turning at a slow rate of speed. I just shift my fat ass around and I don't bother weighting pegs when I'm going slow. As I said, I find it really stabilizes the bike which I do find a bit twitchy sometimes.