Difficulty turning right...

I find it difficult to turn right above the speed of 20 (baring in mind the highest i usually go on my commute is 35-40?

Now this could be due to 'falling' off my bike twice on the right side (both in the wet) and my confidence being shot, or its my bike. Ive spent time with friends sorting it out, nothing seems odd with the steering when its still. I end up slowing right down to 10-15 when turning, which i can image others behind me getting annoyed. Funny enough i find it even harder and drive slower when someones right on my tail sorry if i sound like a wet blanket.

Normally on my daily commute i come across one biggish round about with pot holes and 2 sharp right hand turns. All the others i come across im fine with, as they are more gradual. on the way back theres a sharp right hand bend but i turn left into car park, turn around and come back out straight XD (you must think im mad, but i rather pull over than get impatiently over taken). and then the big round about again.

what i experience: I feel as if im trying to turn right but don't want to lean into it, as i think/feel my bikes not going to grip the road. I swear it feels like its slipping... i end up not really turning as sharp as i'd like to, and end up hugging the pavement... but on the plus side the moment the road starts to straighten out i speed right back up to 30.

Also down hill turning right freaks me out a little, and i slow right down...

all the while this is happening i cant help but feel sorry, and feel the other drivers are annoyed with me

any advice? is it me? Do i just need to grow some balls. Bare in mind i didnt have these problems before my falls X(

Bike: Yamaha 125 YBR

Experience: 1.5 years CBT

Have near really changed my route to and from work :s I don't 'challenge' myself...

I personally wouldn't get hung up on this....most people prefer to turn one way than the other...take you time through right handers making sure you have some power on all the way through and I'm sure your confidence will grow...

Make sure that your positioning is right before you enter the corner, don't try to cut it or take a racing line, trust me that isn't the fastest way through any corner unless you are racing...try here for some good advice...http://www.visordown.com/advanced-riding/1.html

It's never easy after an off so don't expect to be the same as you were before for a while..

make sure your tyres are pumped up to the specified pressure

Also, lean yuor uper body into the corners as much as you can, dont just turn the bike in

Sounds perfectly normal and fully understandable to me

I had an off on the right hand side on a roundabout when I was on CBT and I noticed for a while after I was more hesitant leaning it right than left. If you've come off twice when leaning right then I'm not surprised if the hesitation is twice as much.

Just don't let it wind you up to the point you let it get worse rather than better.

Might be worth getting the bike checked out or at least ridden by someone else to see if it is a problem with the bike. Was it this bike you came off on? Maybe the frame, forks or subframe got tweaked, or maybe the wheels got knocked out of line or the weights got knocked off or the tyre damaged?

If you let go of the bars does it pull to one side?

Or it could just be a confidence thing. Go to an empty car park or somewhere similar and just practice figure of 8's and right turns. do big right hand circles and just keep getting tighter and tighter as your confidence gets better.

Hehe! This immediately made me think of Zoolander and "I cant turn left"! I had a big off on a corner and have been really strugglig with corners and confidence as a whole ever since. The best advice I can give or have been given and may really help you is...

> don't over-think it all/let it become a major issue for you

> dont over anticipate the corner/ feel unhappy about it in advance or you may have a self-fulfilling prophecy of failing (not sure how to word that sentence better past midnight! Brain gone to sleep)

> the bike handles like sh*t under 15mph

> go into the corner in higher revs, you'll have better control

> look into the corner

Good luck, and keep up the good work. Practice makes perfect - you'll get there. Don't let the drivers behind you worry you too much (easier said than done - I've had the same problem as you, feeling more nervous and slowing even more the more they tailgate). Tho remember if you're going 60mph and drop to 15 mph on a corner cars will be up your arse - slow more in advance (with brakes as a warning to them). My corners are progressively improving, yours will too. Go out with friends if you can. You can do it!

Hello mate, as others said don't let it get to you practice makes perfect.

As for the bike, i have a YBR125, the tyres may be narrow but it leans over quite away considering! So don't worry about that. Just take some of the advice given by others, make sure pressures are up, nice throttle control through the corner and lean as much as you feel comfortable.

Oh yeah, and don't hold your clutch the whole way in and follow YouTube video advice like I did *I'm a bit special*!!

Turning right can sometimes be a little bit more tricky due to the camber of the road. Most roads have a slight slope from right to left, this is to enable the roads to drain of water, some roads have a lot more camber than others. So be aware on turning right or on right hand bends you will have less tyre contact area on the road due to the camber. On the other hand this can play right into making left handers a joy to ride through. Learn to read the road, work out your angle of lean against the camber of the road not the angle of the bike.

Turning right can sometimes be a little bit more tricky due to the camber of the road. Most roads have a slight slope from right to left, this is to enable the roads to drain of water, some roads have a lot more camber than others. So be aware on turning right or on right hand bends you will have less tyre contact area on the road due to the camber. On the other hand this can play right into making left handers a joy to ride through. Learn to read the road, work out your angle of lean against the camber of the road not the angle of the bike.

Between this and I used to gave a scooter with bent steering rights do seem more of a fight for me but as Chris says lefts are utter joy, it took a while but I'm almost down to the same level of lean on the right as on the left but its more of a fight.

Wow, thanks for all the help. It's really comforting to know im not being scolded for this, but encouraged to recover.

This mornings drive was a lot better. I tried to ignored the crazy parents, dropping kids off at local schools. Even flashed my breaks to get them off my tail, it worked! They stayed a good distance back.

I took all the turns better, including the one that goes down hill right, i positioned myself near the middle of both one-way lanes (no one was around hehe). But the round-about was still an issue, ended up hugging the left side as i was coming up to my exit, a little faster than i normally would but still to close too the curb. But sped right off when it started to straightened out.

Ive also started to head sway (if you know what i mean) with my body and bike following, away from the corner and then back into it. It makes turning a little easier, im more confident. I feel im doing dance moves on my bike!

Ive worked out where im most freaked out, it's when the road is rounded to help with drainage, and my tires being rather thin in appearance, makes me nervous. But ive been advised my bike can lean on those tires no problem

So that just leaves me to be more confident and to practice in local car parks. Will venture out to Homebase this evening and give some 8's a go

Wow, thanks for all the help. It's really comforting to know im not being scolded for this, but encouraged to recover.

This mornings drive was a lot better. I tried to ignored the crazy parents, dropping kids off at local schools. Even flashed my breaks to get them off my tail, it worked! They stayed a good distance back.

I took all the turns better, including the one that goes down hill right, i positioned myself near the middle of both one-way lanes (no one was around hehe). But the round-about was still an issue, ended up hugging the left side as i was coming up to my exit, a little faster than i normally would but still to close too the curb. But sped right off when it started to straightened out.

Ive also started to head sway (if you know what i mean) with my body and bike following, away from the corner and then back into it. It makes turning a little easier, im more confident. I feel im doing dance moves on my bike!

Ive worked out where im most freaked out, it's when the road is rounded to help with drainage, and my tires being rather thin in appearance, makes me nervous. But ive been advised my bike can lean on those tires no problem

So that just leaves me to be more confident and to practice in local car parks. Will venture out to Homebase this evening and give some 8's a go

Look where you want to go and the bike will follow....thats the danger of becoming target fixated...you will stare at the side of the road etc and the bike will go there...

Looking where you want the bike to go is basic bike stuff and should have been explained on your CBT....its just the same rules as when you are doing a U-turn or figure of eight....you turn your head and look...the bike follows

Look where you want to go and the bike will follow....thats the danger of becoming target fixated...you will stare at the side of the road etc and the bike will go there...

Looking where you want the bike to go is basic bike stuff and should have been explained on your CBT....its just the same rules as when you are doing a U-turn or figure of eight....you turn your head and look...the bike follows

Im not sure if you understand or if im not explaining correctly. I am indeed looking in the direction i want to go. Even use 'points' like lamp posts and such to guide me. I am just have difficulty making my body respond to my heads decision in turning right on certain turns. I get very frustrated and slow right down.

I can confidently do left turns and even lean into them I guess ive just been expecting myself to recover a lot faster from a fall i had a month / 2 ago. And it doesn't help that i use the road during rush hour. I understand now i need to practice out of hours and be confident to commit. I realize this may take some time, and that i shouldn't worry as much as i do about the cars behind me. I won't give up on this, i love my bike and won't even consider swapping it for a car.

-forgot to add earlier, i took the top-box off the back and wore a rucksack instead. My weight felt more steady and in control. I don't think it helped having a heavy chain moving around in the back of the top-box. I should of realized earlier. Doh.

is now a good time to mention Countersteering????

is now a good time to mention Countersteering????

Lol

I do wonder where the whole bike will go where you look came from and how helpful it is as you tend to look where your going, but I can look into fields and stuff but if I don't turn/steer I go straight on. Is it basically allied to leaning off and head position?

is now a good time to mention Countersteering????

Lol

I do wonder where the whole bike will go where you look came from and how helpful it is as you tend to look where your going, but I can look into fields and stuff but if I don't turn/steer I go straight on. Is it basically allied to leaning off and head position?

I like to look up at the sky when riding along...

Have you tried shutting your eyes?

Disclaimer new riders please keep your eyes open.

is now a good time to mention Countersteering????

Lol

I do wonder where the whole bike will go where you look came from and how helpful it is as you tend to look where your going, but I can look into fields and stuff but if I don't turn/steer I go straight on. Is it basically allied to leaning off and head position?

If you continuously look into a field whilst going into a corner you will go into the field its called target fixation....you do sometimes demonstrate how little you understand about riding..we all look around whilst riding but its a simple fact that the bike will go where you look when you enter a bend or roundabout...try doing a bike gymkana without looking hard over your shoulder and you will soon learn something about cornering..

More evidence...

Riding Tips - Understanding Target Fixation

Ever had that sensation when you’re on the road at night and find yourself distracted by oncoming headlights, drifting towards the other lane? Or found yourself drifting wide on a corner because you’re concentrating on a parked car/small child/fit bird? This, my friends, is target fixation, and it’s the cause of many an accident among inexperienced riders.

The term originates from World War II fighter pilots who found their concentration was so focused on a target there was a tendency for near misses with the very object they were aiming to destroy. It can be just as fatal for motorcyclists.

I’ve learned that with bikes wherever you’re looking is where the bike will go. It’s a damn sight easier to negotiate that sharp bend if you’re looking round it and where you want to go. Any sort of tight manoeuvre is almost impossible for a newbie unless you’re looking EXACTLY where you want to end up.

In fact, it’s vital when performing slow speed manoeuvres on a bike and also on the open road if things go a bit Pete Tong.

Simply put, when you’re trying to avoid a hazard, don’t look at it. Many new motorcyclists fail the u-turn section of the bike tests because they look at the ground, the bars, lamp posts on the opposite kerb.....anywhere but where they are turning.

Similarly, if you’re going too fast into a bend, the body tenses up and the brain panics you into looking at what you’re going to crashing into. It’s not the easiest thing to override, but if you learn to relax when this happens and look for a way out, your body - and the bike - will react. It’s also an excellent technique to control skids if you lock the rear brake up - fixate on a point in the horizon where you want to be, and you’ll find you’re already well on the way towards automatically correcting most skids.

- See more at: http://www.solent-advanced-motorcyclist ... BiTBa.dpuf

is now a good time to mention Countersteering????

Lol

I do wonder where the whole bike will go where you look came from and how helpful it is as you tend to look where your going, but I can look into fields and stuff but if I don't turn/steer I go straight on. Is it basically allied to leaning off and head position?

 

If you continuously look into a field whilst going into a corner you will go into the field its called target fixation....you do sometimes demonstrate how little you understand about riding..we all look around whilst riding but its a simple fact that the bike will go where you look when you enter a bend or roundabout...try doing a bike gymkana without looking hard over your shoulder and you will soon learn something about cornering..

The bit about the field was a joke seems joe got that point

As for what I understand about riding whatever it is seems to stand me in good stead these days thanks muchly.

Of course the bike will go where you look when entering roundabouts and bends I actually sort of said that in my previous post, in fact I simplified it by deleting the bit about bends.

Last time I target fixated was towards a field, didn't end so well!

At least the bike ended up on the nice, soft grass though.

Have you tried shutting your eyes?

Disclaimer new riders please keep your eyes open.

YES! Wide open throttle, eyes closed, see how many gears your dare go through... Most awesome feeling ever!!

WOOOP! I owned that round about this morning, in the wet too!

I put it down to the roads being empty, so no nerves, so i just went for it (going around it at 20-25?). Im so happy stayed in the middle of the left lane too, no hugging took place.

So now i just have to defeat a right bend and the round-about again this evening on the way home XD

Thanks for all the help and support! You have really helped clear my head.

Well done you ...It's all in the mind

Its also worth remembering two wrongs don't make a right, but three lefts do.