Uncomfortable cornering

[SailnDive]

I'm still not completely at ease in the corners. The Baharon sway bar helped but I know that I'm still cornering at way below the potential of the bike. Most of the fear comes from not knowing what to expect when the speed is greater that what the tires to road friction can sustain. Will the rear tire slide or will the bike try to flip?

I drove a Mini Cooper S rally car for years so sideways motoring is not new or scary for me, and if I knew that the bike would slid then I could handle that with confidence. We had combined bike/car race events sometimes in Australia and we would watch the sidecar races in-between our car races...and it was common (likely) for those machines to flip. Not something that I want to experience!

[MisterP]

The nanny will kick in if you corner too aggressively. Go out and enjoy yourself.

[JayBros]

The nanny will kick in if you corner too aggressively. Go out and enjoy yourself.

+1. I'm a bit uncomfortable saying this but if Nanny hasn't kicked in yet you've still a good way to go. Find some place safe and push it until she does and then you'll get an idea of your and the Spyder's limits. My biggest fear when I am trying to ride quickly through the twisties is taking a tight turn at a good clip and finding an oncoming car in MY lane. It has happened twice.

[Pirate looks at --]

There is almost nothing to be concerned about. The rear will slide a bit, but I don't think there is any way,short of driving off a cliff, that you can flip the bike over. Now I have had the front wheels off the ground, but but not for long yo will feel the nanny grab the baike and slow it down, and down comes that wheel. Pretty cool!

[Trevor G]

There is almost nothing to be concerned about. The rear will slide a bit, but I don't think there is any way,short of driving off a cliff, that you can flip the bike over. Now I have had the front wheels off the ground, but but not for long yo will feel the nanny grab the baike and slow it down, and down comes that wheel. Pretty cool!

My wife was driving and took an off-camber corner a little too hard at about 20mph. I was on the pillion.

We tipped over so far that when I put my foot out to bring us back I could easily touch the ground from the pillion seat. Had I not done so we would have been over.

It seems that two-up, and in a higher gear than normal, over-rides the stability control input, or at least confuses it. It is very easy to lift the inside front wheel under these circumstances when driving a little hard - even my wife has done it under my guidance.

We tend to push our RS and "normal" owners are unlikely to find these limits very quickly.

For the original poster the easy way to see what will happen is around sharp, right angle corners at 15 to 20mph. Make sure you are in second gear and apply power no later than half way around. The wheel comes up, you will get a fright and shut off, and the wheel comes down again.

The first time I did it there was a backfire as the stability control cut the engine briefly. Sometimes I can keep the wheel up for 5 or 6 feet or maybe more, at a height of 6" to 12" off the deck.

It's also harder to do it for very long now since the steering position sensor was reset when we had the electronic wheel alignment done. I now tend to get a lot of ignition cutout unless I am in second gear.

[Bob Denman]

It takes Saddle Time, to find some comfort about the limits of the bike...
And if you're uncomfortable with your cornering; why would you want to ask about killing off Nanny in another thread?

[cuznjohn]

i was always careful on cornering till i got the highway pegs, i find it much easier to put my weight on the pegs and lean a lil more

[SpyderAnn01]

i was always careful on cornering till i got the highway pegs, i find it much easier to put my weight on the pegs and lean a lil more

That puts your foot a little far from the brake at a time when you might likely need it. Can't you put weight on your floorboards? I have an SM so no floorboards and I put my weight on my pegs.

[Indyron]

Lateral support in my Ultimate seat solved my fear, stock seat has very little side support and "feels" like you're falling off! Can't believe how comfortable the twisters became!

[SailnDive]

It takes Saddle Time, to find some comfort about the limits of the bike...
And if you're uncomfortable with your cornering; why would you want to ask about killing off Nanny in another thread?

I'm just trying to find out what happens when the "limits" are exceeded and the Nanny may be a good learning tool for that. But I want control when I know what the limits are. When I went from driving a Mini on street tires to a light formula car on sticky racing tires, I was uncomfortable for a long time and I crashed some cars. But if I had tried to race with a Nanny in control, I would have been at the back of the pack rather than in the top five (or better) where I usually was. I don't want to drive the Spyder at that level. I just want to know the handling characteristics.

[cyclekid58]

I'm just trying to find out what happens when the "limits" are exceeded and the Nanny may be a good learning tool for that. But I want control when I know what the limits are. When I went from driving a Mini on street tires to a light formula car on sticky racing tires, I was uncomfortable for a long time and I crashed some cars. But if I had tried to race with a Nanny in control, I would have been at the back of the pack rather than in the top five (or better) where I usually was. I don't want to drive the Spyder at that level. I just want to know the handling characteristics.

One suggestion is to take a 3 wheel course, ours was geared to the spyder and the instructor rode one and pushed us through the course hard enough for nanny to kick in, and the anti-lock brakes just to begin to activate. After riding 2 wheels for many years, I too was nervous in the beginning on 3 wheels, that course helped me immensly to feel just what the bike would do and it's capabilities. In many areas it's mandatory, in Idaho it's only suggested but everyone that took it has learned a lot.

[Roadster Renovations]

I'm just trying to find out what happens when the "limits" are exceeded and the Nanny may be a good learning tool for that. But I want control when I know what the limits are. When I went from driving a Mini on street tires to a light formula car on sticky racing tires, I was uncomfortable for a long time and I crashed some cars. But if I had tried to race with a Nanny in control, I would have been at the back of the pack rather than in the top five (or better) where I usually was. I don't want to drive the Spyder at that level. I just want to know the handling characteristics.

When I first got my Spyder one of the first things I did was to take it over to a BIG parking lot with no cars. I then proceeded to accelerate hard and make a hard right or left turn. It took a little while, but eventually I was getting 12-18" of wheel lift off the ground and then the nanny would kick in. This allowed me to learn the parameters of what it would control. I tried hard braking and also hard braking in turns. I think the nanny is outstanding watching over us, but in braking turns she does the best. Combining the yaw sensor (stability control) and the ABS (anti-lock) brakes she monitors and lets you ride up right to the point of loosing control, then takes over.

Learn her ways and you will see she is a guardian angel for us.

[Big F]

+1. I'm a bit uncomfortable saying this but if Nanny hasn't kicked in yet you've still a good way to go. Find some place safe and push it until she does and then you'll get an idea of your and the Spyder's limits. My biggest fear when I am trying to ride quickly through the twisties is taking a tight turn at a good clip and finding an oncoming car in MY lane. It has happened twice.

interesting you would mention about an oncoming car in your lane??? we just got back from riding in the Black Hills and that situation happened more than once while riding on Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road... It's scary as hell when rounding a tight curve and there is a vehicle partially in your lane!!!!!!! The highways are full of idiots. Ride safe and keep smiling.
BIG F

[Chupaca]

I see your join date and wonder how much time you have logged. Hopefully you are not one of those "don't tell me how to...I've been riding/driving and know it all" types. I have seen way too many end it all thinking like this. Takes time a lot for some not so much for other, mods can be done as you see fit and you have to consider this is not a race bike/car and your not on a race track..relax and enjoy the ryde and you will get better learn to outsmart the nanny And you can. With all the mods and a couple of years under my belt I can keep up with all but the "I got nothing to live for" crotch rockets...

[SailnDive]

I've only got 800 miles on the bike and it is getting easier all the time. But the old grey mare (and reflexes ) ain't what they used to be. Lots of good folks giving good advice here. This bike does take some time to get it right.

[SAMBILLIE]

As a nubi i find it easier to accelerate into a curve with either pushing the opposite hand or pulluing on the side of the curve while leaning in and having knees push in against tank. I only run into trouble if i dont move my haead around the curve

[Bob Denman]

Yup! I do just about the same thing...
Weight the outside floorboard, and bring my knees in against the tank.

[PaladinLV]

My biggest fear when I am trying to ride quickly through the twisties is taking a tight turn at a good clip and finding an oncoming car in MY lane.

Sounds like you'd feel right at home out here in NV

AJ

[Mr. White]

Air pressure is important. Put 25 in front tires (30 in rear) and see how it goes....too firm, let 2# out and try again...you will find your sweet spot. Mine is 25 on Mr. Cognac....it was 22 on Big Red 1, my 2011 RT-S. Try it, you will like it.

[Thebrainn]

I often ride my RT like a rally car. You may slide, but not much before nanny cuts it. You can also spin the rear for a few seconds in the rain. Never worried about flipping.

I'm still not completely at ease in the corners. The Baharon sway bar helped but I know that I'm still cornering at way below the potential of the bike. Most of the fear comes from not knowing what to expect when the speed is greater that what the tires to road friction can sustain. Will the rear tire slide or will the bike try to flip?

I drove a Mini Cooper S rally car for years so sideways motoring is not new or scary for me, and if I knew that the bike would slid then I could handle that with confidence. We had combined bike/car race events sometimes in Australia and we would watch the sidecar races in-between our car races...and it was common (likely) for those machines to flip. Not something that I want to experience!

[den2614]

The one thing that helped me to overcome my propensity to lean, not shift my weight when cornering is to focus on pushing down on my opposite foot that forces me to correctly shift my weight in the direction of the curve or turn. Once I got in the habit of pushing down on my left foot during right turns and my right foot during left turns helped me tremendously. Try it, you may like it. D

[109spyder]

I'm also knew to the spyder and corner thing, sure is a workout
I took my wife for an hour ride and she woke up with sore back muscles just from leaning into the corners lol

[cmungen]

You are overthinking this cornering / handling thing so much; you're making my head hurt!
just drive the thing!!!!

[CSI]

I'm also knew to the spyder and corner thing, sure is a workout
I took my wife for an hour ride and she woke up with sore back muscles just from leaning into the corners lol

That has been my observation as well. For some reason, I thought these things had power assisted steering???

The Can Am is my wife's, but I have ridden it a few times.....I was genuinely surprised by how much effort it takes to hustle one of these things thru a corner. Crank like hell on the bars, only to have it heel over to the side, feeling like it is about to tip over.....not very confidence inspiring, to say the least.

Speaking of snow machines.....my first "big" one was a 72 Scorpion 440 Stinger.......

[Brettssunshine]

That has been my observation as well. For some reason, I thought these things had power assisted steering???

The Can Am is my wife's, but I have ridden it a few times.....I was genuinely surprised by how much effort it takes to hustle one of these things thru a corner. Crank like hell on the bars, only to have it heel over to the side, feeling like it is about to tip over.....not very confidence inspiring, to say the least.

Speaking of snow machines.....my first "big" one was a 72 Scorpion 440 Stinger.......

I don't have these problems when cornering. Even when I first got my Spyder and started riding (no other experience prior), I have never had to man handle it to turn or corner. I don't pull my bars, instead I use the outside arm to push the bars and do the steering and lean my body to the inside and put pressure on the outside peg with my foot and sometimes press my inside leg to my tank, depending on speed. My arms, shoulders, or back have never been sore from riding.