Right Bends

Most riders’ first mistake with righthand bends is failing to make the most of the available visibility. On the approach to corners many will stay in a neutral road position in the middle of their lane, hampering their view through the corner. Even worse, many riders approach righthanders as if there were hungry lions lurking on the verge, hugging the centre white line, then inevitably leaning their head and torso over the line once they start the turn. This inevitably leads to heightened risk and makes righthand bends a stressful affair. Approaching with a lack of vision also leads riders to turn in too early because they’re nervous and unsighted – compounding the problem.

When riders are so concerned about running out of road that they’re in the opposite position to where they should be on corner entry, they put themself at serious risk of a collision with oncoming traffic. But get your corner entry position right, and the corner opens out like a welcoming arc of stress-free enjoyment.

Positioning the bike to the left of the lane on the approach to a right-hander will help you see more of the oncoming bend. It’ll also encourage you to delay your turn and stop you running wide on the exit. Consciously open out your vision and pretend your eyes are floodlights rather than spotlights to take in as much info about the upcoming corner as possible – and keep your vision up and your eyes looking through the bend towards the exit. You will instantly feel the benefit of the change. Holding the position through the corner means you are less exposed, and if the corner tightens you will see it earlier and have room to turn in more sharply without crossing the white lines. Once you can see clear road opening out ahead, you can get back on the gas and drive for the exit. A bike corners better when on the gas so keep a neutral throttle; neither closed nor accelerating, once you’ve initiated your turn.