Am I the only one this happens to?

[Lawman]

I'm right where I want to be in a moderate to tight curve about mid way through when I meet a car or truck. What was a confidence inspiring event turns into a - maybe I ought to think about giving this up before I kill myself - event.

[scottd]

Blind left curves seem to always have a car appear suddenly. If I happen to be crowding the center line at all that guarantees a car will be coming. I try to approach these slower to reduce that "pucker factor."

[NEOHMark]

It's coincidental (to me anyway) that you bring this up at this time. I'm in the middle of a refresher 're-reading' of Dave Hough's 'Proficient Motorcycling' and I just finished the first few chapters where he addresses things like cornering and sight distances. It's amazing how much I'd gotten lazy with over the past year or so since I last read through it. I practice the general rule of not over-riding your sight distance (especially in a blind corner), but I'd completely forgotten the sight distance times. Without that info, it's tough to gauge any reasonable speed for any given sight distance time I have while traveling.

 

I was happy to rediscover the relationship is pretty easy to remember - as he recommends it. About a second for every ten mph. So if I'm heading into an unfamiliar or blind curve - I adjust my speed to approximately match my sight distance ahead. If I can only see roughly 3 seconds through the turn, I back off to 30 mph. 4 seconds = 40 mph. Etc. Etc.

 

It's a good technique to heed to avoid those little 'surprises' that might be waiting ahead through the curve - especially when combined with a delayed apex approach (increasing sight distance that much further ahead).

[2slo]

You're definitely not the only one. I have taken to using the right hand track all the way through the turn. This gives me a good sight line and keeps me away from the casual wanderings of SUVs - which contributes greatly to my sense of well being. 'Course this pushes my speed down a bit because of 'edge-fear.'

[FlyingFinn]

What has helped me eliminate or greatly reduce that feeling is very deliberate control of what I do with my eyes.

ALWAYS keep the eyes pointing where you want to go to.

 

Even when a big a$$ SUV "jumps" from behind the corner, I force my eyes to stay at the exit or where ever they need to be looking at that time. If you let that car/truck/etc. to capture your attention, it's going to spook you for a moment for sure.

 

--

Mikko

[philbytx]

Well, the good news is that I am my own best critic....

 

I actually know when I am at the right speed. Which is when I instinctively know I can move the bike to change my line without going "off road"

 

Now, I get REALLY pissed off at myself when I KNOW I am NOT .... Which, fortunately, hasn't happened for quite a while <phew!!>

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I think they call that "margin" or marjarom or somethin' like that. It is called riding within yourself at other times and by other people. A great plan to follow. On the street, it makes very little sense to be at a speed where commitment to a line or running off the road are the only options you have.

 

Doesn't hurt to practice changing lines mid corner either. As has been oft stated here, "in an emergency situation, you will do what you practice."

[Tool Man]

This could go into the scariest experience thread but it applies here as well.

 

I tend to ride at my "pace" and approaching vehicles mid apex on left handers does tend to pucker the seat moment. As already stated, practicing mid corner line changes and leaving yourself that margin will save your butt. However, one fine morning carving our many miles of local mountains, a group of import car drifters were having their fun coming in the opposite direction. Three of them side by side front wheels in their lane and rear wheels well into my lane, smoke pouring off of their rubber through the turn. IT was startling for sure, but I left that extra 20% of riding ability at the track, which enabled me to react instinctively and ride through unscathed. I'll never forget the look in the lead driver car's eyes when he spotted me approaching. My first thoughts after passing them was to turn around and chase them down and give'em a good verbal lashing. But that wouldn't solve anything, so I continued about my day.

 

Give yourself room for the other guy's error, and ride a pace that leave's you room to react within your ability.

[bross]

What has helped me eliminate or greatly reduce that feeling is very deliberate control of what I do with my eyes.

ALWAYS keep the eyes pointing where you want to go to.

 

Even when a big a$$ SUV "jumps" from behind the corner, I force my eyes to stay at the exit or where ever they need to be looking at that time. If you let that car/truck/etc. to capture your attention, it's going to spook you for a moment for sure.

 

--

Mikko

That's definitely the key, but d@mn it's hard when they're hugging or moving over into your lane. You want to check to see if they're going to hit you, but you also need to focus on where YOU want to go. It's a tough nut to crack for sure. Practice, practice, practice people.

 

I struggle more with this riding my dirt bike, I always want to look at that bloody rock or root I'm trying to avoid, instead of looking up. I'm a living example of target fixation in action, cause every time I quit looking up and start looking at the ground, that's exactly where I end up. :-(

[rrrich]

I'm with Ed on this idea...practice changing your line in the turn! No matter how careful you are most of the time, events WILL occur that will require a change...and that's when you have to rely on "instincts". My best instincts are practiced...emergency stops from speed, swerves at speed, changing lines in curves at speed. They make the difference between an experienced, rubber-side-up rider and another unfortunate statistic.

 

What I've found in curves is I can control the bike better by TIGHTENING the line that pushing it out. Some of our racing bretheren can probably tell us why, but I've found that the bikes mass is harder to rein in accurately after pushing the line out. In a left with a car/truck/bike crowding your head space swinging wide is your only option but containing the post swing surge is where practice pays off.

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Rich, yep, it is harder cause now, to complete the turn, you have to call upon even more lean and have little time in which to get it done. This is where both the margin thing and the practice really bear fruit. It also helps to make sure you don't target fixate on that outer edge of the road. Gotta keep lookin' and leanin'. The ability to bring the bike down to the desired/required lean angle "right now" is what is going to keep you out of the weeds or worse. All the stuff about late entry and the like for better sight lines is good advise but sometimes, you are just gonna have to get out of the way. Better to know what to expect of the bike and yourself than to discover you don't have the skills when you need them most.