Help with riding habit

[2Gunns]

I absolutely love the RT and have gotten over all huddles of crossing over except one. My curves feel jerky, kinda like I'm chopping the curve into several little turns. Every now & then I'll do something right and my wife will say "that was smooth" but I have no idea what I did differant.

I have no doubt this is a ingrained habit of 30 years on 2 wheels, but if anyone has some tips I would welcome your input.

Ideas?:chat:

 

[musicarcade]

Instead of looking at the turn, are you looking through the turn? Keeping your eyes looking ahead of the curve helps a lot.

 

[Lamonster]

I think a lot of it is trusting the Spyder to run through the turns at speed. Like anything the more you ride it the more you begin to trust it and what it can do.

 

[Dwight]

I have some other problems going on with mine but so far the only way I can get around a corner smoothly is slowing down a bit before the corner and then adding throttle all the way around it. If you let off of the throttle the bike will stand up and want to turn in. This makes the single turn into several turns, a bit un-nerving. As always, your mileage may vary.

Dwight

 

[LittleJohn]

Instead of looking at the turn, are you looking through the turn? Keeping your eyes looking ahead of the curve helps a lot.

:agree:
This is the one habit I still am working on.
Also, as you go into the curve, let the outside tire "load up" a bit with slight pressure before you make the full turn pressure on the bars.

 

[wolfshead1]

Maybe this will help some new folks.As someone earlier stated look thru the turn maybe couple hundred feet.That should make your turn more graceful.When turning left bend your left arm at the elbow and keep right arm basically straight.Steer with the right arm and do not grip too tightly.The left arm will keep you in the curve and your right arm will give you the nuance steering for potholes etc.Reverse on right turn.

hope this helps,

TK

 

[YPILOT]

:agree: It takes a little time to get used to the way it feels.
Eventually you will be able to glide through the corners.

I think a lot of it is trusting the Spyder to run through the turns at speed. Like anything the more you ride it the more you begin to trust it and what it can do.

 

[rineer4635]

Familiar Feeling

I absolutely love the RT and have gotten over all huddles of crossing over except one. My curves feel jerky, kinda like I'm chopping the curve into several little turns. Every now & then I'll do something right and my wife will say "that was smooth" but I have no idea what I did differant.

I have no doubt this is a ingrained habit of 30 years on 2 wheels, but if anyone has some tips I would welcome your input.

Ideas?:chat:

I have test rode the RT two times and have ordered one. To me it corners just like my snowmobiles. IMO, You have to "power through" the corners in order to keep down pressure on the front end.

 

[irish2themax]

Always brake or slow INTO a turn and accelerate THROUGH the turn. Keep your focus at the farthest point in the turn

 

[MarkLawson]

Stick your inside knee out until it drags. That's how the pro's do it! :2thumbs:

 

[Barbwire]

Riding habit - turns

I found with the RT the shock adjustment made a huge difference and don't overthink it. Two days ago I was creeping around the curves hurky jerky because my shocks were to soft and yesterday, I was leaning into the curve keeping my eye on the horizon (furthest point on the road) and sailing around the curves where it feels like the rear end is floating or sliding.

 

[ThreeWheels]

How does the bike feel on straight sections, say about 60 miles an hour ?

Does it feel sure footed and plant itself where you want it to go, or do you feel like it wanders around a little bit on its own and you've gotten used to it ?

 

[2Gunns]

How does the bike feel on straight sections, say about 60 miles an hour ?

Does it feel sure footed and plant itself where you want it to go, or do you feel like it wanders around a little bit on its own and you've gotten used to it ?

Feels like I could set the cruise control and enjoy a picnic lunch with the wife at 60-70 mph. Only on long sweeping curves do I seem to get all "herky jerky"

 

[syclemom]

habits

Have had the same thing happen to me in the beginning. It takes a little practice to really get the feel for it. Helps to lean abit and speed up into the curve. and instead of turning the stearing its more of a push and pull like a four wheeler. I had to take my time in the beginning until I got the exact feel for it. And gradually got faster at it. Now i'm sitting up more. Slowing down before I get to the curve and then speeding up when I get to the curve. But most of the jerk is from turning the handle bars.

 

[ThreeWheels]

Feels like I could set the cruise control and enjoy a picnic lunch with the wife at 60-70 mph. Only on long sweeping curves do I seem to get all "herky jerky"

In this case, I'd have to agree with everyone else and say that you just need the practice.

You (and I) were probably doing exactly the same thing on a two wheeler, except you changed the amount of curve by adjusting your body weight. It became such habit that you (I) don't think about it.

On the Spyder to do the same thing, you (I) adjust the handlebars, so it's noticable.

Take the same curves in your car. I bet you'll find that you make minute adjustments to the steering wheel as well, but don't pay any attention to them because it's second nature.

 

[BajaRon]

All good advise above. You have to practice good turns until it gets so automatic that you don't even notice what you're doing.

The Spyder is so responsive (like a sports car) that smoothness (or lack thereof) makes all the difference.

It could be your suspension is too soft. Too soft suspension will lean (or dive) too much as you enter the turn. This changes your steering geometry, increases the steering angle (which loads the outside wheel even more) and you get oversteer. If you correct for this quickly it unloads the outside wheel which multiplies the correction and you get understeer, which you then correct for giving you a zig-zag pattern through the turn.

Looking Through the turn instead of At the turn helps avoid the oversteer/understeer cycle. If you look at the helmets of racers you'll see their head is up and turned quite a bit in turns. This is because they are NOT looking at the turn, they are looking ahead where they intend to go.

On high speed sweepers you should stay centered in your lane because they are engineered for that. But on tight twisties (like the Dragon) you should enter the turn near the outer edge, then smoothly angle towards the ceneter line as you move through the turn and end up near the outer edge as you exit the turn.

One more tip. When you know you have trouble with execution of a certain aspect of riding (in this case turns) you tend to tense up, micro-manage the event and over-correct, which just makes it worse. Each 'failure' re-enforces the negative feeling and it perpetuates itself.

Go a little slower so you can work on the mechanics. Relax and let your eyes flow through the turn as you look ahead. Relax your arms, wrists and hands. Let your Spyder flow through the turn and out the other side. None of these changes are huge, just small adjustments to what you are currenlty doing.

This may not work right away but you should see improvement and eventually you'll master it. Each success will allow you to relax and flow even more in the next turn.

You'll get it right and then you'll enjoy your Spyder even more!

 

[SpyderGirl]

It'll get better once you get used to it. Try adjusting the suspension on the RT, I noticed it was quite soft and I didn't feel I could take turns quite as aggressively as I could on my GS.

Happy Spydering!!!!! :2thumbs:

 

[musicarcade]

....Go a little slower so you can work on the mechanics. Relax and let your eyes flow through the turn as you look ahead. Relax your arms, wrists and hands. Let your Spyder flow through the turn and out the other side. None of these changes are huge, just small adjustments to what you are currenlty doing.

:2thumbs:
Be at one with your :spyder2:, grasshopper!

 

[BajaRon]

:2thumbs:
Be at one with your :spyder2:, grasshopper!

Oooo! Was it that bad? pps: