Difficulty Making Turns on Bigger Bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

Difficulty Making Turns on Bigger Bike

OmegaBravo7

OmegaBravo7

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I've recently upgraded from a Ninja 250 to a 2002 GSXR 750 with complete Akropovic Exhaust and Power Commander. A bit more intimidating and faster/stronger than the average gixxer 750, which makes me wish I spent more time on my 250. Also wish I had gotten a 600 before the 750.

***NEWBIES!!! DO NOT GET A BIG CC BIKE FOR FIRST TIME!!! TO THINK I WANTED A GSXR1000 OR EVEN A 750 AS A FIRST BIKE MAKES ME WONDER WHAT THE FUKC WAS I THINKING!!*** You don't get to enjoy the bike at all, always riding like you're on thin ice.

I try making 90 degree turns as I did with the 250 but with more difficulty, and when I try making u-turns in a private street for practice I keep sliding out. I only use the friction/clutch and at a pretty slow speed but it keeps happening again landing me on my knee and hand. Luckily I get not a scratch on the bike, minor wrist pain but sh*t I can't make the U-turn. Any tips as to why this occurs and what I may be doing wrong?

I thought it was my tires sliding on gravel or oil or something or maybe bad tires but rear tire is brand new (required for safety -a continental) and front tire is decent (Michelen PP).

I'd like to get this down packed. I still haven't taken it out to the main streets in fear of not being able to make a u-turn when necessary and/or making a right turn into my own lane without veering off into traffic.
 
Presumably you could do all that with the 250? The difference is obviously the weight and the available steering lock. The clutch effort and grab point could have an effect too.

To compensate for the weight, it helps to go a bit faster in a turn to recover some stability. But of course you have to have the confidence that your line will hold. So before that, practice going at a crawl in a straight line. Get a feel for the bike's balance and response so you're more comfortable turning at low speed. Drag the rear brake a bit so that you're not entirely relying on your throttle input.

Then when it comes time to turn, don't try to turn as sharply as with the 250 to avoid bumping into the steering stop. If you're running into the steering stop, even just a light touch of it, can throw you off your intended path and cause you to panic. Also, drag the rear brake through the turn. Apart from helping to control your speed, it should help the bike turn. Avoid the front brake unless you need to come to a sudden stop.

If you're going slow enough, just duck walk the bike through the turn. If you're going a bit faster, then you have to get comfortable leaning the bike, even at low speed. I think that's just a comfort level that we all gain over time. So take it easy until your comfort level catches up to the riding ability you have in your mind.
 
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fastar1 said:
If you're going slow enough, just duck walk the bike through the turn. If you're going a bit faster, then you have to get comfortable leaning the bike, even at low speed. I think that's just a comfort level that we all gain over time. So take it easy until your comfort level catches up to the riding ability you have in your mind.
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Exactly... Take it slow and get comfortable. The change from a lighter bike to a 750 is a much bigger difference and in time you'll be confident.. take it slow, enjoy and be safe.
 
fastar1 said:
. Drag the rear brake a bit so that you're not entirely relying on your throttle input.

Also, drag the rear brake through the turn. Apart from helping to control your speed, it should help the bike turn. Avoid the front brake unless you need to come to a sudden stop.

If you're going slow enough, just duck walk the bike through the turn.
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+ 1 - Drag the rear brake,,,
watch how the police do pylon training, lots of vid on you tube,, and keep an eye on the brake light..

as for duck walking,, I told both my daughters, and my wife,, if they play like a duck.. or Fred Flintstone and put their feet down.. I'll sell their bike.
No 'Dabs" for them !
They can turn the FLHRi easier than the VT750DC .... seems the FLH has less rake steering angle and that maybe why to police can turn a bike in a hurry..

good luck practicing .. it is a good maneuver to be proficient at
 
How much riding do you have under your belt total?

Go out there and practice. Other than feathering the clutch and dragging rear brake to make tighter turns, you're not gonna learn anything at the computer.
 
Find someone who knows what they're doing to actually show you on a similar bike maybe? It's intimidating until you get is all I can say. Don't be afraid of it and just do it. Someone taught me that eons ago
 
The turning radius on a sportbike is very wide, much wider than your 250.

In addition to feathering the clutch and using the rear brake, to tighten up a slow speed turn, try counterbalancing the bike by leaning away from the inside of the turn. It should feel like you're pushing the bike down as your body remains vertical to the ground. That way, the bike is leaned over more and has a tighter turning radius.
 
Try turning on a 600 lb cruiser like I have!

Seriously though, what others have said re: dragging the rear brake helps ... oh, and look up into the distance where you wanna go ... helps with balance.
 
Oh yeah, and look far into the curve, not right in front of the bike. Actually turn your whole head to look where you will be when you exit the turn.
 
LBV said:
Try turning on a 600 lb cruiser like I have!

Seriously though, what others have said re: dragging the rear brake helps ... oh, and look up into the distance where you wanna go ... helps with balance.
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Look where you want to go! not down where your going to fall... Like everyone else said, drag that rear brake and try to start the u-turn on the outside edge of your lane so you have more room

OR

put your inside foot(the side you want to turn) on the ground, lean the bike slightly in, pull the clutch, rev and dump the clutch! the bike will spin around on a dime!
 
My thought is that ss bikes are set up to turn by leaning. (Push steering).
Other bikes you can just crank the handlebars to full lock.
In either case you need to do it with some confidence, and that's not saying that you won't ever dump the bike.

The 250 probably had a much more upright seating position, and a greater turn before lock
It's also smaller and lower to the ground, so would be less intimidating.

Try turning around in a large circle, say five or six spaces wide in a parking lot.

Once you get good at that, gradually try and shorten the distance.
 
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meester_jamie said:
+ 1 - Drag the rear brake,,,
watch how the police do pylon training, lots of vid on you tube,, and keep an eye on the brake light..

as for duck walking,, I told both my daughters, and my wife,, if they play like a duck.. or Fred Flintstone and put their feet down.. I'll sell their bike.
No 'Dabs" for them !
They can turn the FLHRi easier than the VT750DC .... seems the FLH has less rake steering angle and that maybe why to police can turn a bike in a hurry..

good luck practicing .. it is a good maneuver to be proficient at
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Isn't dragging the rear brake achieve the same result as keeping the clutch in the friction point?


"If i was educated, I'd be a damn fool"
 
hitting the steering lock at walking pace and 'sliding out' are two very different things. I'm confused here...
 
My guess is that you are not looking at the right spot as you go thru the turn.

My advice is to start in a empty lot and pick three different items to look at as you progress thru the turn.
Eventually you will just want to look out of the turn in the opposite direction but for now I would try three spots.

Also as others have said, you are going to have to lean off the opposite side of the bike a little. Resist all urges to look at the ground, my bet is the second you look at the ground you are done, also I am surprised you are in a position to catch the bike with your knee, if you are moving slow enough.

Glad you are practicing, keep at it!
 
You gotta get used to those clips on and the extra weight. Like others have said, clutch feathering and rear brakes will help a lot. Go practice in a parking lot for a bit to get the hang of it.
 
Go read Total Control.
 
Skip the chapter on strafing apexes.
 
Op take an advanced riding course, I done the one RTI offers and was impressed. Haven't tried anyone else's course yet.

cbcanada said:
Isn't dragging the rear brake achieve the same result as keeping the clutch in the friction point?


"If i was educated, I'd be a damn fool"
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No, it has a different affect on the bike
 
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I have no issue whatsoever making a tight 90 deg. turn on my cruiser (942 cc aircooled beast with a windshield and saddlebags). Regularly scrape my floorboards at low speeds and highway speeds for that matter. I should get em in magnesium!
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