Riding around bends smoothly and safely is a part of riding that many new riders are apprehensive about. Having been riding for some 30 years I have learnt to enjoy bends more than any other place on the road leaning in with the bike in the correct gear then gradually accelerating through the bend has the same sensation as that of an aircraft pilot gets banking a plane through a tight turn. The problem on a bike is that our wheels need to stay on the ground for that we need grip. As we sweep through a bend we are affected by centrifugal force that tries to through us out of the corner. This is why we lean into a bend to counter this force. There are a few important things to remember about maintaining grip on the road. The temptation when you feel apprehensive is to close the throttle, in a bend this is a bad idea. Close the throttle and you loose momentum, This will invariably mean you are lent over with out enough centrifugal force to hold you up. At best you’ll wobble out of control and most likely you’ll fall off. So resist this temptation. It helps to know that grip increases with acceleration. As you turn your bike will loose speed so you need to counter this by opening the throttle. Don’t accelerate hard, just enough to maintain your entry speed will do. The slight acceleration will increase grip and the bike will flow through the bend much more smoothly.
To gauge your speed for a bend we use what we call the vanishing point. This is the point where you see the sides of the road meet each other. Watch the vanishing point. It will move as you approach the bend. If it is coming towards you, you are approaching the bend to fast. If it is moving away from you, then you can afford to use a bit more speed. You are at the correct speed when the vanishing point stays the same distance from you. The vanishing point will seem to move away faster as you go through the bend, as this happens you can accelerate after it but don’t go so fast as to catch it up. Most importantly always look were you want to go. If you look at the curb the chances are you'll hit it. Look through the bend and picture your bike going around it. Remember always be sure you can stop your bike in the distance you can see.
