Motorcycle Cornering Tips & Tricks

One of the most important skills you can learn as a motorcycle rider is mastering the technique of cornering. How you manage the controls and move your body impacts your ability to successfully navigate a corner. Knowing and practicing the right approach is essential to learning this essential riding skill.

At St. Charles Harley-Davidson, we want our customers to have all the information they need to safely ride their motorcycles. That’s why we’ve put together this short guide with some tips and tricks about cornering on your motorcycle. Read on to learn more, and visit our dealership in St. Charles, MO, to check out our wide selection of motorcycles for sale.

Overcome Challenges

When you’re riding a bulkier bike (for example, a cruiser), taking corners and sharp curves can present some challenges. Because of their size, cruisers don’t exactly maneuver as easily as a smaller bike would do. First, the foot-pegs make it tough to avoid scraping against the pavement. Second, the exhaust pipe and side stand can even make contact with the road.

What’s more, aftermarket accessories, bigger suspension systems, heavy saddlebags, riding with a passenger, and even the road conditions can make it difficult for you to corner on your motorcycle. However, there are some adjustments you can make as a rider to reduce the risks and make cornering a breeze.

Cornering Techniques

By ensuring that your bike’s suspension is as high as possible, you can make your motorcycle easy to handle while cornering. This is because when you try to slow down your bike, it tends to press down on the suspension system, which puts it lower to the ground. When you’re about to take the corner, make sure you’re not still holding down the brake.

Accelerating a little bit while taking a corner will help you to move through it more easily, even though going faster might sound less safe. The bike will lift up on its suspension system at the front, making the corner easier. Just make sure that you’re in the right gear before you begin taking that corner.

When you hear your foot-pegs scrape the road, then you know that you’ve nearly reached the maximum lean angle of your motorcycle. If you’re trying to take a tighter corner, then you may need to be in a lower gear to tighten the arc.

Steering Through the Turn

Try to keep your cornering arc as big as you can without veering into oncoming traffic, because a larger arc will require a less severe lean angle. Wider cornering helps you to see the road ahead as well so you know what you’ll need to do to safely complete the turn, whether it’s tightening your arc or opening it back up. Maintain a smooth and even speed as much as you can. Also, shift your body weight to the inside of the bike by sitting up straight and leaning your torso towards the inner mirror. This gives you more clearance so you can more easily take a corner.

Practice Makes Perfect

Bikes are designed to conquer sharp turns at fast speeds. However, new riders need to build their skillset up to the level of their model's performance potential before they try out any crazy turning. By mastering the basics, you can build up muscle memory and get to your bike's full capacity much faster. Plus, it will save you energy since you'll be working with your motorcycle rather than fighting against it.

Cornering does take practice, but once you feel the power and control of navigating a properly carved turn, there’s nothing better.

The Ideal Riding Position for Cornering

When riding at high speeds, you want to be as aerodynamic as possible, which means getting low and leaning forward on your bike. Lean forward with your knees at a 90-degree angle and hips at a 75-degree angle. Tuck your feet as far back as they can go and hug the motorcycle frame snuggly. This position is ideal for shorter riders as it can strain your muscles. You’ll find this position commonly used by professional racers to gain more control when they’re traveling at top speeds.

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.

We hope that these tips will help you enjoy better and safer rides while cornering on your motorcycle. For all your bike needs, come to St. Charles Harley-Davidson. We have a wide collection of motorcycles for sale in St. Charles, Missouri, and we are proud to serve the good people of St. Louis and St. Peters, so get in touch with us today!