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.

[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!

[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!

[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

[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.

[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

[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!

[Bob Denman]

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.

Pushing straight down on the pegs or 'Boards would seem to be just as easy...

[thunor]

I'm also new to the RT corners and find myself trying to figure out the right way to do it.

I have been putting myself forward as much as I can as well as leaning on the inside of a
curve(i.e. right side on right turn, etc). I thought that was right when I saw the DVD with
2 up and both leaning inside. I have had more moments of "instability" when 2 up and not
sure if that is because I have even less control with the added weight up high or if it is
more mental with fear for my cargo....

Question on the nanny...if the action that nanny will take in a corner that slides or lifts a
tire is to brake/slowdown then will that throw/push the driver in an unexpected direction
when it happens?

Piecing this together slowly...commuting about 3 hours a day for work so I am sure it will
come to me one of these days like a dang light switch but just trying to fill in the holes now
to get there.

The idea of taking it to someplace safe sounds nice but anyplace with curves here has the
running risk of someone around the corner that I didn't know was there...so not sure what
a safe place is....

[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.

[trikermutha]

What I did was pushed myself to over come that feeling of rolling. Then once you get use to cornering it makes it that much easier.

Start slow then start to add more speed to your turns it does take a bit of time to get that feeling to go away.

Tri Axis bars helped a lot so I don't lean so much in my seat..

[Oldmanzues]

If you can find a big parking, use cones to make curves, gets to much , just straighten the Spyder out
Oldmanzues

[cuznjohn]

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.

well i do have the hand brake, sorry i didn't mention it

[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.

[Pirate looks at --]

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.

I am sure that if you could just figure out how to shut down the nanny, you wouldn't have any trouble at all!

[loisk]

Everyone talks about the nanny, and I just accepted that it would keep me safe - well, it does. And I now know what it feels like when it kicks in - taking a left hand corner (your right hand corner I guess) and wanting to pass a slower vehicle at the base of a big hill where I know it's 2 lanes for a short while, off I went --- next thing it was like a big invisible hand was slowing me down and I thought the engine had cut out for a moment, then off I went. Well you don't know me but people who do won't be surprised that the next time I was at that corner I just had to test it out to replicate what had happened and wouldn't you know there was that invisible hand again -- so I'm very happy with my nanny! Now, at that corner, I just wait one extra milli-second before flattening it and the nanny is happy with that.

[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!!!!

[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.