Topic: Steering posture

[tsp37]

When you ride into a curve, do you maintain your body in an unchanging position relative to the motorcycle, or do you let the bike lean while keeping your torso upright?  Is one way better than the other or even dangerous?  What is taught in the safety classes?

I've done both, but I feel more in control if I let the bike lean while I stay upright.  I enjoy racing through curves and I focus on a short distance of road ahead of me; when something like a car comes into my field of vision,  I react by tensing involuntarily and the bike gives me some bad jittery feed back.  If I don't lean with the bike and stay upright, I don't have this reaction (maybe 'cause I see better?)

[oldfordguy]

tsp:
You should definitely lean with the motorcycle!  Sometimes I've even been known to hang off the inside of the bike during spirited cornering, but never the other way around.  Please think hard about attending a MSF course, you will learn a lot of valuable (probably life-saving) things about riding.
OFG

[scondon]

 Reminds me of when I used to ride a BMX bicycle, and yes my memory goes back that far    If I stood up on the pedals I could lean the bike way over and still maintain a straight line. Something about my weight still being over the wheels I guess, I'm sure an engineer could explain far better than I.

    Sitting straight up through turns is kind of similar but instead of the weight being over the pegs it is now over the seat which is a little off center of the wheels once the bike starts to lean. It can feel more comfortable sitting straight and remaining "on top of things" but the bike has to lean over further in order to turn.

    It can be difficult for some, myself included, to trust the "controlled falling" feeling that leaning into turns can bring up. Body is closer to the road, thoughts of bike slipping out and crushing a leg underneath, no thank you I want to be sitting upright and ready to bail at any moment, but this is just your brain doing it's best to keep you out of harms way but actually throwing you under the truck instead.

  Try hanging off the inside of the bike as oldfordguy suggests, your bike will remain more upright through the turns. Quite the opposite effect than sitting upright yes? Your tires gripping the road, your suspension pushing up and down, they don't care how your sitting in the seat.

  If your sitting up then you're further up the sidewalls than if you lean into the turn. It's alright if your just flicking through some backwood road but if you're really pushing it through some turns then you should really try to retrain your brain. Yes the ground is a bit closer but your bike can handle it and has a lot, LOT more lean left in it than ya think.

   Trust the bike to keep ya safe. It is a machine and engineered for the job

[DarkRider]

Depends on the turns i encounter...if they are a nice set of twisties...of course im gonna lean in with the machine trusting it to make its way through as im leaned in and looking off at a far point in front of the machine so i know what im coming up upon as i straighten up and head down the straight...but if its a simple turn inside the city..i usually sit more up right..A lot of it is what feels natural when you are positioning yourself for the turn..but yes..trust your machine...once its in motion its always going to want to stay upright..

[Rocking-M]

If you want to get rid of chicken strips you can remain upright and lean the bike in further, but,
the fastest way round a corner is to get down on the inside and keep your bike more upright.

[tramp]

that is a great question
normal standard winding road i'd say lean with the bike
for highspeed turns i'd would look at the racer's and the way they turn
thier bodies are way out there and down low while keeping thier bike as vertical as they can for more tire on the road
but that manuver takea a lot of training

[Raul CB750K1]

Staying upright while you lean the bike "under you" is a typical motocross technique, that is used to improve grip in loose terrain by putting more weight on the contact patch.

It gives a more "safe" feeling as you seem to get away from the road, instead of coming to terms with it, but as you have been told, the best way is to lean the body instead of the bike. It is easier to say than to do, and I have to improve the technique too.

[tsp37]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I have historically leaned with the bike, and it has only been in the last few weeks that I have been playing with the other technique.  I like it, but I am apprehensive.  That's why I posted the question.  Maybe I will learn to mix - at low speeds I will let the bike lean without me, but at higher speeds I will lean too.

It gives a more "safe" feeling as you seem to get away from the road

Feeling safe because I am not near the road may be the key; when I scrape a foot peg I jump like I've been snake bit,  and when the road gets near I anticipate the scrape too much.  When I stay upright I am happily ignorant of how far the bike is actually leaning and I stay more relaxed.