A Beginner’s Guide to Cornering on Your Motorcycle

Whether you are just starting out or you are an expert at riding a motorcycle, cornering on a bike is a useful maneuver that you must know how to perform correctly. While you might be tempted to go fast while cornering, this isn’t exactly the right way to go about it. In fact, you must slow down a bit and maintain focus to have good control over your motorcycle as you turn into a corner.

We have gathered up our top tips to help you master the important skill of cornering on your motorcycle. If you want more information or you want to explore our wide selection of motorcycles for sale, visit Wisconsin Harley-Davidson. You will find us in Oconomowoc, WI, where we proudly serve all those in Milwaukee.

Be Aware of Your Surroundings

To enjoy a safe and comfortable motorcycle riding experience, you should always remain careful about other motorists around you and the road conditions. Keep scanning the road ahead for bumps and other obstacles as you will want to avoid them or be extra cautious when going over them.

While you might tend to focus a few meters ahead of your bike’s front wheel, we’d recommend you to look far ahead in the direction you want to go. This process of looking and scanning far ahead has to be continuous and in accordance with the speed of your bike. As a result of this, your body and your motorcycle will naturally follow in the direction of your focus.

Counter Steering

If you are an experienced rider, you must have noticed that while going around corners at medium to fast speeds, the wheel on your motorcycle slightly turns in a direction opposite to the turn. You probably do counter steer subconsciously before diving into a corner. By pushing the inner handlebar, you make the bike take a corner while traversing a tighter arc.

That’s why you’ll be able to go around a bend faster even if it’s tighter. Without proper counter steering, it’s quite difficult to do a perfect corner. If you’ve not been using this technique, you need to start practicing it right away, and you’d instantly realize how helpful it is.

Position Yourself Correctly

When you are about to turn, you will need to pick your entry line into the corner. You may want to go wide if there are obstacles on the main path, such as brake bumps. As you come close to the corner, apply the brakes to slow down a bit. Usually, you will be in a standing position. When you begin going through the corner, transfer your body weight to the front of your motorcycle. Keep your elbows high and squeeze your legs. As you lean into the corner, raise your inside leg up and forward with your toes pointed.

You should practice foot positioning on the bike so that it’s easy for you to lift yourself up and move from one side to another without disturbing the balance. Remember that you should avoid using the handlebars for weight transfer. It’s better to use the foot-pegs and leverage your legs to shift your weight.

Once you have mastered the art of seated cornering, you should try turning around a bend while you’re in the central standing position. Learning this technique will be quite helpful, especially on trails where you'll be standing often. Additionally, turning while in the standing position is great for saving energy and pushing through corners even faster. Cornering does take practice, but once you feel the power and control of navigating a properly carved turn, there’s nothing better.

Shifting Gears

Remember to choose a gear that gets you smooth power as you go through the corner. When you accelerate out of the turn, you will want to employ steady throttle control and work the clutch. Get the power to the ground but without the rear wheel losing grip.

We hope you enjoyed this guide to motorcycle cornering. If you are looking to shop motorcycles for sale, check out the selection here at Wisconsin Harley-Davidson. Feel free to give us a call or head over to our dealership in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. We welcome all our patrons visiting us from Madison, WI, so stop by today!