Advice and suggestions for curves and Twisties?

[Easy Rider]

In the twisties, in particular, trying to ride as a cohesive group is just begging for trouble.

A properly spaced group can still be "cohesive" because the spacing varies depending on conditions.
But that has to be explained and everybody in the group needs to understand.

Riding side by side is NOT good group riding technique......on ANY road.

Oh....and when your riding group is composed of 70 year olds and up......the spacing spreads out on almost ANY kind of curve in the road.

[Easy Rider]

The riders in a group need to stay close enough together to restrict cars from passing and inserting themselves between bikes.

I think the word "restrict" should be "discourage".

When on a bike/trike one should ALWAYS yield to a bigger vehicle that want your lane. ALWAYS.
Most of the time when that happens they need to turn right at the next intersection.......and they are gone; no problem.

And a really courteous and safe driver does that when in a car too.

[Easy Rider]

We digress. On our group rides we never put beginners AT the front.

Absolutely right......for a "formal" group ride.

A few friends getting together to go a few miles for lunch often is quite a different matter though.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I think the word "restrict" should be "discourage".

When on a bike/trike one should ALWAYS yield to a bigger vehicle that want your lane. ALWAYS.
Most of the time when that happens they need to turn right at the next intersection.......and they are gone; no problem.

And a really courteous and safe driver does that when in a car too.

Good point.

[CSI]

Speaking of riding the twisties....

Can the level of "nanny" be adjusted on a 2016 RT?

I was coming into the corners posted 30 at about 50.....about the time I would hit the apex and start rolling back into the throttle, the nanny would kick in.

Yes, I know how fast these particular corners can be taken at......the RT is the wife's ride.....I have an FJR, and normally enter those same turns at 55, exiting at 60 or better

[Peter Aawen]

Ppl

......Can the level of "nanny" be adjusted on a 2016 RT? ....

Simple answer - NO! Not on any of the Spyders.

Well, not unless you get an ECU re-flash done by someone who knows what they are doing!!

But you CAN practice & learn to improve the smoothness of your corner entry; get your weight across & inside sooner; pull on the inside hand & press on the outside foot more; judge the steering angle better; maybe even adjust your tire pressure up or down a tad to better suit your ryding style (have you checked tread temps or used the 4psi rule to optimise your tire pressures for YOUR ryding yet?); and basically learn to ryde just below the Nanny's intervention thresholds instead....

Clarification edit: the press on the outside foot does NOT involve moving any weight that way, it is purely a means by which you add to the pull on the inside handlebar in order to push your weight across to the inside of the corner. Your weight must move across the centreline of the bike into the inside of the corner, that requires something to push against & you need to keep that spot as low & as close to the centreline of the bike as you can to minimise the leverage it places onto the bike & the outside of the turn; so try to use your outside foot instead of your outside hand, cos using your hand to push against applies massive leverage up high & on the outside of the turn which thereby counteracts/negates the majority of any other weight transfer you may make.... The harder/faster/smoother you want to turn, the more weight you need to move across to the inside & if you can, get it down low too, so it doesn't act like the pendulum on a metronome swinging outwards up high as the turn progresses.

[Peteoz]

But you CAN practice & learn to improve the smoothness of your corner entry; get your weight across & inside sooner; pull on the inside hand & press on the outside foot more;

Peter, just by way of clarification, when you say “press on the outside foot more”, is that simply to help push your body weight to the inside better and sooner?

Pete

[Peter Aawen]

Spot On!!

[CSI]

Simple answer - NO! Not on any of the Spyders.

Well, not unless you get an ECU re-flash done by someone who knows what they are doing!!

But you CAN practice & learn to improve the smoothness of your corner entry; get your weight across & inside sooner; pull on the inside hand & press on the outside foot more; judge the steering angle better; maybe even adjust your tire pressure up or down a tad to better suit your ryding style (have you checked tread temps or used the 4psi rule to optimise your tire pressures for YOUR ryding yet?); and basically learn to ryde just below the Nanny's intervention thresholds instead....

I was asking out of curiosity, more than anything. My wife has had the nanny activate on her a couple of times, but I can get it to raise its ugly head pretty much at will. I don't ride it often, as I am still on two wheels.....but I was rather surprised how easy it will activate...of course, I was also running it into turns at the same speed as I do on my FJR.....I know, I know...I am comparing apples to oranges.

Regarding tire pressures, we have it set at 18 front, and 22 rear. Front still has the stock Kendas mounted, and a CT on the rear, and it has a BajaRon Sway bar. The sway bar helped immensely with body roll, btw.

[Easy Rider]

the nanny would kick in.

And do what exactly ?

AND......how dare you drag a thread back on topic !!!

[Easy Rider]

Peter, just by way of clarification, when you say “press on the outside foot more”, is that simply to help push your body weight to the inside better and sooner?

I think yes.

And the more I exercise my new ride, the more I think that a lot of problems with curves/turns are caused by trying to use your arms for BOTH turning the bars AND getting your upper body into position (or keeping it from going out of position). That sometimes causes me to make unintended small turns to the bars.

Something else new to learn.

[Samson]

Go look for the twisty roads in your area and practice at a time when traffic will be minimal. I am fortunate to have two great areas within about 12 miles of my house, Mingus Mountain to Jerome and Yarnell Hill. I did Mingus yesterday and I am doing Yarnell this morning. Practice at the lower speeds and practice form, repeating at every corner, maybe even make 2 or 3 passes. You will find that you are starting to increase speeds and will very quickly feel very comfy. The F3 feels like it's on rails and acceleration out of the corners is very good.

Have fun and be safe!

[greybeard]

I think what you guys are missing is the length of the curves (45 deg. vs 120 deg). Here in Indiana most curves are short maybe 45 deg. so 15 mph over is easy. go out to Maggie Valley where curves are much longer 90-120 deg and much harder to hold your speed. Pick a line going in to the curve and stick to it. I think the biggest mistake is turning too hard at the beginning and then having to back off
Paul

[Easy Rider]

......go out to Maggie Valley where curves are much longer 90-120 deg and much harder to hold your speed.

Say what ? I don't follow that at all.

Are you really saying that a wider sweeping curve is harder to negotiate than a short tight one ??

OK.....after thinking about that for a few seconds.......I think that might be true for a "new" Spyder rider because it is too easy to "over correct".

You need to look "through" the curve and not right in front and trust your body to make it go where it needs to go.
That will work better the more you practice it.

[WilderThomas]

Hi folks!
I've been enjoying the hell out of my F3-T. However, I am still pretty apprehensive to see what it can do on the curves and Twisties and take them rather slowly. I realize the "Nanny" mode would kick in to prevent a disaster and every circumstance is different but was hoping you could share your advice, suggestions, and experiences with the curves and Twisties.
Thanks!
SS

You're living so close, I have to wonder if you've heard of a road known as The Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina? 300 curves and twists in 11 or 12 miles I believe.

[greybeard]

Say what ? I don't follow that at all.

Are you really saying that a wider sweeping curve is harder to negotiate than a short tight one ??

OK.....after thinking about that for a few seconds.......I think that might be true for a "new" Spyder rider because it is too easy to "over correct".

You need to look "through" the curve and not right in front and trust your body to make it go where it needs to go.
That will work better the more you practice it.

I can see that you don't follow it . But after reading some of your other posts I see you don't follow much at all.

[SpyderSkeets]

You're living so close, I have to wonder if you've heard of a road known as The Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina? 300 curves and twists in 11 or 12 miles I believe.

Yes. I've heard of it. It's actually not that close for me. (About 9 hours away).
I did take a trip to Skyline Drive this weekend (about 1.5 hours away) and rode about a quarter of the way through before turning around. Very enjoyable ride and intend on doing the entire road probably this weekend when I plan better.

[ARNIE R]

Yes. I've heard of it. It's actually not that close for me. (About 9 hours away).
I did take a trip to Skyline Drive this weekend (about 1.5 hours away) and rode about a quarter of the way through before turning around. Very enjoyable ride and intend on doing the entire road probably this weekend when I plan better.

I like to go very early and attempt to go down to the Southern Waynesboro entrance once or so every year or two. Then Drive NB up to Front Royal to the end. Yes, you will need a full day set aside for this. But, it is worth it.

[CSI]

And do what exactly ?

AND......how dare you drag a thread back on topic !!!

What does the nanny do?

It depends on how much intervention it "thinks" it needs. It has done everything from cut spark to apply brakes as necessary.

[SpyderSkeets]

I like to go very early and attempt to go down to the Southern Waynesboro entrance once or so every year or two. Then Drive NB up to Front Royal to the end. Yes, you will need a full day set aside for this. But, it is worth it.

Arnie, your Spyder looks familiar. Were you by chance following a black Spyder on Rte 15 S heading towards Purcelville on Sunday?

[cruisinTX]

OK, I recently acquired a '14 RT Limited for my wife. I read a lot here and on various Facebook pages about handling and cornering and am continuing to read and learn. I also test drove a 998 in Altus, OK a few weeks ago for my first ride other than a parking lot. That ride revealed a true need to lean one's body out during corning. I'm good with that as I have over 430K miles on motorcycles where the lean out and/or butt off the seat helps keep good tread on the pavement when you properly use counter-steering to make the bike lean, (but that's a whole 'nuther topic).

I rode our RT home from Denton Saturday (420 miles) and experimented a lot using techniques I've been reading about. Here is something I have to ask, why would you put weight on the outside foot peg or floorboard when it's the inside you are wanting to keep down? This seems counter productive to me. I went out yesterday and the day before to test something I thought might work better. From the beginning, I have used upper body leaning to help stabilize the Spyder while going around a corner. I do this by using both forward and side pressure on the outside handlebar to turn the wheels AND help me lean out to the inside. It works great, but the last two days I threw in the foot pressure. I first tried it like everyone says they are doing it; pressure on the outside. I found it did not do much to help my lean effort and at the same time seemed to work against what I was trying to accomplish with the upper body lean. Then with the thought that keeping the inside down is the goal, I started putting pressure on the inside floorboard. OH WOW! That is way more effective in keeping the inside down than pushing down on the outside floorboard. Just sayin' that's what I learned by doing it for several miles of 35 to 45mph curves. Has anyone else tried this and how did it work for you?

[SpyderSkeets]

I think that putting pressure on the outside peg forces you to shift your body weight to the inside, no? By putting weight on the inside, while leaning to the inside seems counter productive.

[Easy Rider]

That ride revealed a true need to lean one's body out during corning.

when you properly use counter-steering to make the bike lean, (but that's a whole 'nuther topic).

You actually should lean your body to the INSIDE in a turn......as you said later in the post.

And there is no "counter-steering" with three wheels.

[cruisinTX]

You actually should lean your body to the INSIDE in a turn......as you said later in the post.

And there is no "counter-steering" with three wheels.

Yes, but you took that out of context; my reference to counter-steering was about bikes (two wheels) not Spyders. Here is the whole sentence where I clearly was referring to motorcycles, "I'm good with that as I have over 430K miles on motorcycles where the lean out and/or butt off the seat helps keep good tread on the pavement when you properly use counter-steering to make the bike lean, (but that's a whole 'nuther topic)."

[cruisinTX]

I think that putting pressure on the outside peg forces you to shift your body weight to the inside, no? By putting weight on the inside, while leaning to the inside seems counter productive.

I see what you're saying but ask yourself the same question I did. "why would you put downward pressure on the outside floorboard when the inside one is the one that needs to stay down?" For me, using my arms to move my body to the inside is very easy and it enhances the movement of the handles bars to steer the wheels in the proper direction. It also seemed perfectly natural for that body lean to allow me to put additional pressure on my inside foot. With the goal of the weight shift being to keep the inside down, that makes pressure on the outside counter-productive.