Be a better rider in five days: Day 3

Corners. Corners and more corners. The lesson today is all about going around a corner. It's what bikes are all about. Get the fundamentals right here and you can apply them anywhere!

Corner Approach

It's easy in theory. Look where you want to go. Where the corner disappears and you can see no further, is the Vanishing Point. That's where you want to look.

For a right-hander, you should be as far over to the left side of the road as possible. For a left-hander you should be as far over to the right. This gives you maximum forward vision to look around the corner as you approach the turn. In real life, left-handers put you towards the far right of the road or gravel gutter where it's bumpy and full of sand and rocks. And right-handers, usually restrict you to your side of the white line, but on a race track, when you have the full road, you can approach theoretical perfection. (Switch it for riding in the UK and Japan!)

Flick 'er!

You'd be surprised how tight you can turn a bike in a corner with little effort. Just look where you want to go and push your bar in the way you want to go. Here's how it works.

Ride in a straight line at 40mph and gently nudge or push the left bar away from you. Feel how the bike turns left. Now nudge or push the right bar slightly to go right. Now slalom (or ride side to side in a zigzag formation with control).

Once you've got the hang, build on it by trying the next stage: put your weight on the left footrest for left turns and the right, for right. Hello! You've just discovered counter-steering (also called push-steering). It's how to lean the bike over when and where you want.

Entry, Apex, Exit

Alright, the corner is in your sights. It's a right-hander, where do you want to start to turn? Tricky - almost certainly you'll want to start turning later than you think. Most riders turn too early which means they run wide on the way out of the turn. 

First be aware of the three distinct parts that make up every single corner. Entry, Apex and Exit. 

The Entry is the point at which you start your turn. The Apex is the sharpest point of the turn or the corner. The Exit is where you want to finish your turn.

Let's start with a right hand corner. You want to start turning on the far left of the road or OUTSIDE. Head for the Apex of the road which is the INSIDE of the bend in the road, that's the Apex and Exit where you want to end up on the OUTSIDE of the road.

Outside, Inside, Outside

Putting it into practice is easier than it sounds if you've done your homework from Day 2, Remember Look Where You Want to Go, here's where that lesson really pays off.

The best way to maximize the view is to enter corners from the OUTSIDE of the turn. That is, when approaching a right-hander, start turning from the left side of the road or the outside.  Position yourself at the OUTSIDE of the road, then look at the INSIDE of the road or the Apex and find your Exit by looking at the Vanishing Point and place yourself at the OUTSIDE of the road. Practice again and again.

You'll hear people referring to the Apex or Apexing; helpful instructors will talk to you about "finding your lines in the road", that's because what they are trying to do is to help you draw imaginary lines between your Entry and your Apex and your Exit, think about it like connect the dots.

Try different lines on your approach to interpret what you are looking at. If it doesn't gel right away, park up and do it on foot, the principle is the same.

Once you've really got the hand of this you've got the basic knowledge to tackle any corner, anywhere in the world. Refinement comes tomorrow, but today keep practicing until you get it. Entry, Apex, Exit or if it helps think about OUTSIDE, INSIDE, OUTSIDE.

Try these skills & drills

① Approach your right-hander at a steady speed. LOOK as far through the right hand corner as you can for the first moment you can see the Exit. Keep your eyes on that Exit. Now take the shortest or most direct route from where you are on the road to where you are looking. You'll cut the corner. Build up your understanding of the Apex first, speed will come later.

② Practice counter-steering. Next time you encounter a cross-wind, counter-steer to track straight.