How To Corner On Your Motorcycle

Motorcycles are fun, powerful, and more than a little bit dangerous. One of the highest-risk maneuvers is also one you need to perform on just about every ride: cornering. We here at Santa Maria Harley-Davidson want to make sure you and your bike get from A to B safely, so we’ve put together a brief guide on cornering properly. To learn more, or to see the motorcycles we have for sale, contact our store in Santa Maria, California, today!

Counter-Steer

One of the most efficient and safe cornering techniques is also one of the most counterintuitive. Counter-steering essentially means that you start the turn by pushing your handlebars in the opposite direction to what feels natural. So where you might normally turn left by rotating the handlebars to turn your front wheel left, you instead, turn it just a bit to the right before then turning left. 

The physics behind this odd maneuver are solid, however wrong it might feel. Turning on your motorcycle requires that you lean and hit a specific angle on your bike, and counter-steering helps you hit that angle sooner, which means tighter and more efficient turns. Just make sure to test this out a bit before you try it on a busy road.

Handling The Corner

Your bike isn’t the only factor in this, of course. You’ll need to pick your entry line early, meaning where exactly you enter the curve. Try to pick one that has few obstacles like brake bumps or debris, and remember that a wider angle is easier than a narrower one. 

After that, you need to position your body correctly. Seated cornering is simpler, safer, and more comfortable, certainly, but a standing turn can be faster and more efficient. First, as you approach the corner, slow down a bit and enter a low standing position. At the start of the turn, lean forward slightly to shift your body weight to the front wheel, which will improve its traction and your turn’s precision. 

As you lean into the turn, raise your inside leg up and forward slightly, with your toes pointing down. This helps shift the combined center of gravity of you and your motorcycle inwards, which will decrease the amount you need to lean to get maximum torque.

Vigilance

Finally, a piece of general advice that gets more important as your movements get more dangerous: stay sharp. Remain aware of the road far ahead of you and of any fellow motorists nearby. Scanning ahead helps you prepare for any unexpected road conditions, and none of these tips mean anything if you collide with another vehicle.

We hope this helps you corner safely and effectively! For more information, or to see the motorcycles we have in stock, contact us at Santa Maria Harley-Davidson. We proudly serve the people of Santa Maria, Ventura, and Bakersfield, California—let us serve you today!