Twisty roads are something that motorcycle enthusiasts live for. Whenever bikers talk about their favorite rides, they don’t talk about some road that went straight from point A to point B. Instead, you’ll hear them referring to roads like the Pacific Coast Highway, the Devil’s Highway or even the road leading to the top of Pike’s Peak. No doubt, leaning into a good winding road is exciting, but there is an elevated risk when cornering. Danger can arise from road debris, weather or other drivers, but usually if there is a problem it can be traced back to rider error. This is why riders need to pay attention to the basics of cornering on motorcycles.

It is very important that the rider leans with the bike when cornering. It sounds pretty obvious, but it is very common that riders with less experience will tend to sit up on the motorcycle and only lean the bike into the corner instead of leaning with the bike. Another extreme is often seen with inexperience sport bike riders who will sometimes lean further than the bike, or even hang off the bike in corners. While that is a valid technique for aggressive cornering, it should be reserved for highly advanced riders in a closed course environment. It can be helpful to think of ones self as becoming one with the bike. This not only goes for the rider, but the passenger too if there is one.

Speed can cause problems in corners. If a rider enters a corner too fast, he or she may try to slow down creating a situation called panic braking. Unfortunately centrifugal force enters the equation if the brakes are applied, and the bike will tend to stand up. Of course if the bike is not leaning, then it is going to go straight which has sent many riders off of the road, or worse, into oncoming traffic. The proper way to negotiate a corner is to slow the motorcycle down before entering the corner. Once the corner has been entered then the rider should begin to lightly accelerate. Accelerating through the corner will cause the bike to lean even more while putting additional down force on the tires.

Counter steering is somewhat counter intuitive for beginning riders. Explaining the physics behind it doesn’t seem to help either. However, it works, and is one of the most vital skills for rookie riders to master. It is as simple as pushing on the inside handlebar when cornering. So if a rider is negotiating a right turn, the rider should be pushing on the right handlebar.

Trail braking is a technique which is only taught in advanced riding courses. While basic training courses will insist that riders never use their brakes in corners, trail braking encourages it. The premise behind trail braking is that the rider enters the corner while applying brakes, and then gently tapers off of the brakes creating down force on the motorcycle’s tires. Generally before the mid point of the corner the rider would be accelerating again. This technique is useful for racers because it can decrease lap times.

All of the technical riding skills in the world are no substitute for being completely focused when riding a motorcycle. Road debris or poor road conditions are bad anytime for bikers, but can be compounded in corners. For example, in blind corners road debris might be impossible to see until the last possible second. So it is important that riders give their undivided attention to the task at hand when cornering.

Cornering on motorcycles does add a distinct element of danger particularly for inexperienced riders. By practicing some basic techniques, riders can drastically reduce the level of danger that is associated with what makes riding so much fun though. So practice the techniques and then find yourself a nice twisty road. After all, life is a journey, not a destination.