A Beginner's Guide To Motorcycle Cornering

It's important to know the essentials of motorcycle cornering. After all, you won't be forever riding in a straight line! Every route will involve turns. Using the right techniques, you can ensure a safe and successful attempt every time. 

Keep reading for tips on safe motorcycle cornering. If you want more advice or want to shop motorcycles for sale, visit the experts at Big St. Charles Motorsports. Our dealership is located in St. Charles, Missouri, and we also serve those in St. Louis and St. Peters.

Utilize Counter Steering

When you drive a car, you simply turn the wheel in the direction that you want to go. This approach is known as direct steering. If you want to go left, you rotate the steering wheel to the left.

With a motorcycle, the approach is different. It may sound a little counterintuitive, but the counter steering strategy is safer and helps maintain your speed better. You start steering in the opposite direction of the turn before you start the turn. For example, if you are turning right, you would steer a bit to the left first.

With the counter steering forces at play, your motorcycle reaches the ideal lean and angle faster (compared to a direct steering approach). This allows riders to get into the turn more precisely while also getting into it faster.

Reduce Your Motorcycle Speed

This may sound obvious, but it is still worth mentioning. Even the highest performing motorcycles can struggle to safely tackle a turn at top speed. Be sure you head into the corner at a reduced speed. If you notice a posted speed limit for a given turn, follow it. That recommended speed is there for a reason - to keep yourself and other motorists safe.

Position Your Body Correctly

Motorcycle cornering requires slightly altering your riding position.

Once you start going through the corner, lean forward a little bit. This gets your body weight to the front of the motorcycle.

At the same time, bring your inside leg up and forward. Try to point your toes down at the same time. This moves the center of gravity inwards. This body positioning accomplishes two goals. First, keeping your upper body in line with the motorcycle helps control the torque. Second, this approach helps reduce the amount that you will need to lean, which is especially helpful on longer routes where endurance matters more.

After you get used to motorcycle cornering while seated, you can begin to learn motorcycle cornering while standing. Dedicate plenty of time to practicing before trying this on a busy road. Standing motorcycle cornering helps save energy and gets you through turns faster, so it's a worthwhile skill to learn.

Changing Gears

Remember to use the right gears when motorcycle cornering. The goal is to tackle the turn with smooth power.

As you cruise out of the turn, use steady throttle control and work the clutch. When you do this correctly, you will get power to the ground without losing rear wheel grip.

Practice, Practice, Practice

New riders will need plenty of time to practice, of course. But so will experienced riders with a new motorcycle. It takes a bit to figure out turning radius, stopping power, and other factors that are unique to each motorcycle. Build your motorcycle cornering skill sets in lower speed residential neighborhoods before trying to turn on highways and freeways.

We hope you enjoyed this guide on motorcycle cornering. If you are looking to shop motorcycles for sale, check out the selection at Big St. Charles Motorsports. Explore our inventory online or head over to our dealership in St. Charles, Missouri. We also proudly serve those in St. Louis and St. Peters, Missouri.