Do you know the limits of your bike - especially cornering?

[OneMoreFarang]

I had several bikes over the years but I seldom use them to the limit.

Sometimes I accelerate hard and I have an idea about the limits of the breaks. I ride corners in a way that I feel comfortable. Not slow but also not as fast as somehow possible.

Recently I read in another forum that some tires have numbers which show how much they are used in the corners. Here is a picture.

 

 

Do you know the limits of your bike? I.e. do you know if you could ride a corner maybe 10 or 20km/h faster?

And if you know it why do you know? Racing? Training? What is your experience?

 

[Vacuum]

5 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you know the limits of your bike?

I would not want to know.

[Badrabbit]

Dont drive fast enough to care about it

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[david555]

when you fall & slide the corner you know must reduce a little ….so watch your speed meter every corner when testing …?

[Vacuum]

20 minutes ago, david555 said:

when you fall & slide the corner you know must reduce a little ….so watch your speed meter every corner when testing …

Lucky if you only slide. A highsider could be devastating.

[VocalNeal]

My bikes limits or cornering are much higher than mine. That's mostly all I need to know. If ever in doubt just push a bit more on the bars she'll probably go around.

 

This whole numbers on tires sound like more my dick is bigger than your bar type talk and best to be avoided. Mettzler tires and Yep American and encourages potentially dangerous riding. I'm sure is says on the wrapper fort rack use only but..... 

Just more proof of how juvenile the US is becoming.

[canthai55]

[Damrongsak]

If you don't crash once in awhile, you're not trying hard enough.

 

 

[Nickymaster]

First step..Sand chicken strips off!

 

Second step..Heat your tires so they appear to have been heat cycled..A faint blue strip will appear. DO NOT IGNITE THE TIRE!! this adds a touch of authenticity!

 

http://buckysride.blogspot.com/2014/06/unused-tread-width-aka-chicken-strips.html

 

[Bung]

Mt sport bikes can go a lot further than me but oddly my touring bikes tyres are worn to the edges and I take it easier on that. 

 

Either way, I always ride with a mind to keep 10 - 20% in reserve of what I think are my capabilities. 

[kannot]

The  biggest limiting factor are the THAI roads, you never  know what state  the next 50 metres is  in, you can go down a good  surface  road and then suddenly  find, for some reason known only to them, they have not surfaced 10 meters and its  just dust and  stone. Then theres the potholes, many more than a  metre square and a 30cm deep, really quite disgusting.

Ground clearance  of the bike is also another limiting factor probably more so than the tyres.

I have some Pirelli Rosso 2's I think on my cbr 650f but in Thailand theres  no way I  would EVER get a knee down due to the above.

[Bung]

I know tons of fantastic, well made roads here. I would go as far to say race track quality. They are resurfacing with "hotmix" many roads (where they combine tar and aggregate and lay it down like a blanket) provides excellent grip wet or dry. 

 

As always, be aware the road could suddenly get rough too and ride accordingly. 

[Kwasaki]

17 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Do you know the limits of your bike? I.e. do you know if you could ride a corner maybe 10 or 20km/h faster?

And if you know it why do you know? Racing? Training? What is your experience?

The limit of my bike would be where the tyres let go of road grip, it's expensive way to find out unless you have sponsors.

Experienced racers get to know the feel on track for a road rider your dicing with serious injury or death.

Knee down and scrapping sliders is enough limit for many sportsbikes, as said road surface,  road spills, dry then sudden wet road patches and tyre condition can have you off. 

If you want to know if you can corner faster go to a race school.

 

Did track days moons ago to corner faster and trained by professional riders on track which gave me more skill knowledge and confidence.

On public roads the riding experience skill is required in the observation of traffic also different road surfaces and knowing your limitations.

 

[korkenzieher]

If I exceed them, I fall off. Self evidently then, I know them well enough to stay inside the performance envelope, regardless of the numbers.

[dotpoom]

Why would anybody want to test a motorbike to it's limit...in any circumstances? (apart from the manafacturer).

[Badrabbit]

Why would anybody want to test a motorbike to it's limit...in any circumstances?

On a racetrack yes it's a good idea to test a bike, but to drive a bike fast on Thai roads is insane and irresponsible, many lunatics on there powerful bikes wearing full leathers think it's a great thing to be doing!

Don't get me started on loud exhausts and barking dogs!!

 

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[JAG]

I suppose it is down to how hard you can pedal!

 

Oh dear, silly old me...

[NCC1701A]

I was riding a rental Honda click on Samui on a dry paved road going maybe 15 kilometers a hour when the rear end just came out from underneath me and I slid into the margin.

 

I was wearing a Alpinestar backpack with spine protection and a big beach towel in it so no damage done to me.

A Thai girl on a scooter came along about 30 seconds later and she went down too.

 

I stood there looking at the pavement thinking there must oil on the ground but it was not really obvious.

 

I think about that simple crash that came out nowhere when I ride my Kawasaki 650 VERSYS and I am tempted to "push the limits"

[HHTel]

Of course it depends on the road surface which is variable to the extreme.  Now the rains have started, all the rubber on the roads make them very slippery.

Stopping a bike is relative to the amount of rubber in contact with the road.  These small bikes have a very small contact and if going at any speed, it doesn't matter how good your brakes are, you aint goin to stop!

[rosst]

22 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

My bikes limits or cornering are much higher than mine. That's mostly all I need to know. If ever in doubt just push a bit more on the bars she'll probably go around.

 

This whole numbers on tires sound like more my dick is bigger than your bar type talk and best to be avoided. Mettzler tires and Yep American and encourages potentially dangerous riding. I'm sure is says on the wrapper fort rack use only but..... 

Just more proof of how juvenile the US is becoming.

I was very fortunate when I was young, I raced a lot and I came off a lot, you need to find the limit to be competitive.  That said I am now 72 and remember what an Isle of man veteran told me one day when I beat him at last, he said "there are old riders and there are bold riders but there are no old bold riders." 

Having said that, my cornering limit is dictated by the traction of the road surface. 

[kannot]

9 hours ago, Bung said:

I know tons of fantastic, well made roads here. I would go as far to say race track quality. They are resurfacing with "hotmix" many roads (where they combine tar and aggregate and lay it down like a blanket) provides excellent grip wet or dry. 

 

As always, be aware the road could suddenly get rough too and ride accordingly. 

and  round  that  next  bend  could be somchai  parked or a  herd  of  cows/goats etc

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, dotpoom said:

Why would anybody want to test a motorbike to it's limit...in any circumstances? (apart from the manafacturer).

I wouldn't want to test it to its limit. But in a way it would be interesting how far away I am from that limit.

 

Some time ago when I was driving car I tested from time to time how much it takes to drift. So after I while I had a good idea how far away I was from drifting. It is obviously not necessary to know how close one is to the limit as long as its not over the limit. But like with the car it feels good to know.

[anon4637435435]

the fun of riding is not knowing the limits.

however dont pay attention to tires. just because your not scraping the edges doesnt mean your not pushing. other things come in to it. one of my toys is a zx14r. its long and  low and knee scraping doesnt shave the edges of my rear wheel ever and infact shaves the front more. every other bike ive owned is different and  sometines im stredding right to the edge and you feel it when you go to far. i have been riding professionally since a kid and can tell you its all about feel and sadly you only learn limits by breaking them. there is a lot of science behind angles, weight, temperature, etc but who can figure all this out coming in to a corner hot. i ride like i might not get around the bend. always prepare body weight to cou teract if need be. lazy leans can be deadly especially with diesel, water, sand and painted lines on roads but always play it safe. learn your limits if you dare only.

[lvr181]

3 hours ago, dotpoom said:

Why would anybody want to test a motorbike to it's limit...in any circumstances? (apart from the manafacturer).

Really?

 

Why would anybody want to climb Mt Everest?

Why would anybody want to go to the moon?

Ad infinitum ad nauseam.

 

You will never know your limits until you test them! 

 

[Kwasaki]

15 minutes ago, lvr181 said:

Really?

 

Why would anybody want to climb Mt Everest?

Why would anybody want to go to the moon?

Ad infinitum ad nauseam.

 

You will never know your limits until you test them! 

 

So when did you go down and escape. 

[PJPom]

I know my cornering limits, that’s all that matters.

[lvr181]

10 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

So when did you go down and escape. 

Three times, if my memory serves me correctly. Two times when racing.

[siamcrut]

I know my cornering limits, that’s all that matters.

Agree, especially on unpredictable thai road.

[siamcrut]

[DJ54]

The cc are relatively small here unless you want to throw money into a bike. Had a R15 you could go through the corners fast and smooth. Sold it now have a Legend I’ve not even tried to take it hard in the corners because it gets sloppy at normal speed in corners