Cornering Smoothly - Ready - Aim - Fire!

Another blog I visit reprinted an article that reiterates the importance of smooth cornering technique. Cornering smoothly will not only save your life but make the ride more satisfying. I've spent the last few rides being mindful of the fundamentals as I continue to strive to be a better rider (and have more fun). A "ready, aim, fire" mnemonic works well for me.



Ready

• Look as far ahead as possible
• Slow down/speed up as necessary
• Stabilize the throttle

Aim

• Look as far ahead as possible
• Determine your line and apex
• Lean and steer

Fire

• Look as far ahead as possible
• Execute your plan
• Reset to "Ready" after the apex

You will, you will, you will - you will go where you look. If I look as far ahead as possible, I gather the maximum amount of visual information available. In a corner, I find that if my eyes follow the white or yellow lane striping, my tires will track to that line. If I look as far ahead as possible, I don't need to know exactly where the line is, because I'm not following it - I'm following the road. The lines become the parameters of your path and not obstacles in your path.

Stabilizing the throttle makes a huge improvement to my cornering confidence because it stabilizes the suspension. Rolling on the gas shifts weight to the rear. Decelerating shifts weight to the front. I want my only contact with the ground to be consistent and reliable, but that consistency changes depending on how much work either tire is doing. Having them do about the same amount of work each - and not suddenly more or less - allows me to predict very accurately how they will perform and how much more work I can add to them during the turn.


When I began riding the twisties, I used to dive and stab at the lane's edge. I was constantly adjusting my trajectory during the turn so as not to go off the road or cross into oncoming traffic. I did that less when I picked up the habit of looking as far ahead as possible. Still, I tended to creep too close to the edge in the middle of the turn and had to let off the gas, hit the brakes or steer away. My apexes were too soon. Recently, I have to consciously aim for a spot after the middle of the corner. When I do this, I reach the inside edge of the lane right as the corner is opening up. I can take corners noticeably faster and find myself less concerned about straying out of bounds