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Your speed in the twisties

As far as I'm concerned the critical factor is sight distance and braking distance. There is a huge difference in my speeds in the woods in Arkansas compared to my speeds here in the Texas Big Bend. In the woods, sight distance around/through the corner is often limited while here it is often the case that sight distance is a long way through the corner even when the geometry of the curves are the same.

The other factor is that different states, and in some states different counties apparently use more conservative or less conservative criteria is posting those advisory signs. I normally judge corners without really looking at my speedometer, but the ones that say 10 or 15 or even 20 usually cause me to check my entry speed with the speedo.
 
PGlaves said:
The other factor is that different states, and in some states different counties apparently use more conservative or less conservative criteria is posting those advisory signs. I normally judge corners without really looking at my speedometer, but the ones that say 10 or 15 or even 20 usually cause me to check my entry speed with the speedo.
Click to expand...

ditto

the 40-45 corner advisory in a 55 zone does not result in me lowering my speed at all and more than likely results in an increased speed as i know i am getting a good sweeper. it's the slow WAY down to less than 50 percent of the avg posted speed tight turns that require more attention.
 
Greenwald said:
Here's what I would suggest: First, forget about any 'ideal or target speed.'

Speed will be determined by your technique and level of experience.

But I understand your curiousity: You are approaching a new curve for the first time, and want to enjoy the experience of negotiating it on a motorcycle, safely but with a little 'thrill factor' tossed in. Very understandable.

As you approach a new curve that looks like fun, dump much of your 'approach speed' (assuming you have distanced yourself from tailgators), and (this part is crucial) make sure you position your front tire on the 'outside' of the curve as you enter it.

That way, you can drift inward thru the curve (which might be towards a shoulder or a centerline, depending on the type of curve), and gently roll on the throttle to achieve the max velocity that conditions will tolerate.

Then let centrifugal force cause you to exit the curve again on its outside edge. "Always be looking where you want to go; don't be lookin' around at where you are - you're already there." Remember: The bike obeys the body; the body obeys the brain; the brain obeys the eyes.

Outside - Inside - Outside: the perfect path of travel for any curve. Smooth is fast.

Slowing down may not feel like what you want to do to achieve that 'thrill factor,' but as you learn to roll on the throttle more confidently with each opportunity to practice negotiating curves, you will be amazed at your speed.

If speed gets away from you in a curve, do not brake (braking when a bike is not perpendicular to the ground has its own vicious penalty!), but simply roll off the throttle and lean a bit more away from the direction you do not wish to go - it works.

Give these methods a consistent workout next time you have twisties to play with, and amaze yourself!
Click to expand...

:thumb
 
Been riding the twisties just north of Memphis, Tn., close to the Mississippi River on the Chickasaw Bluffs. Lots of short tight turns. Road surrounded by many small farms with livestock, interspersed with stands of trees and intercrossed with many small streams and creeks. Lots of debris in the roads which seems to accumulate in the turns. That combined with the short sight distance keeps my speed at a manageable pace. Really been digging it.
 
Living in the far west corner of NC,I have no choice,but to ride the twisties! I've always looked at posted speed signs on curves to be for cars and trucks. That said I usually run at about 10-20 miles over the sign. Every turn is different and unless it is one I regularly travel I am very cautious about how I approach each new curve. I've found out that the further back I'm on my seat,the better I can do the serious twisties around here! My favorite roads near my home are Rt 68 in TN,Rt 60 in Ga. and Rt 28 in Nc.:thumb
 
murphychuck said:
Living in the far west corner of NC,I have no choice,but to ride the twisties! I've always looked at posted speed signs on curves to be for cars and trucks. That said I usually run at about 10-20 miles over the sign. Every turn is different and unless it is one I regularly travel I am very cautious about how I approach each new curve. I've found out that the further back I'm on my seat,the better I can do the serious twisties around here! My favorite roads near my home are Rt 68 in TN,Rt 60 in Ga. and Rt 28 in Nc.:thumb
Click to expand...

Real twisties being hard to find in MI, I take it easy when I'm in your part of the country. But don't worry, I'll move over and let you by.
 
Missouri and Arkansas seem pretty consistent in their signs. If I have familiar clear road and good sight lines I can take a 25 MPH corner at 60 to 65 indicated, and have good reserve, as indicated by chicken strips on the tires. That said, "pretty consistent signs" does NOT mean 100 % consistent. So I always size up a corner visually, and compare to the sign. If I think a corner is a 40 MPH corner, and the sign says 30 MPH I go with it. If I think a corner is a 50 MPH corner and the sign says 25 MPH, I will slow down to around 35 to 40 all indicated again, my mental corner computer is not 100%. There is no crime in that either, as long as you remember that! There is no crime in taking a corner too slow, there will be another day. As opposed to too fast, it is the best option.

There is one nice wide open 15 MPH marked corner in Kansas that I play on, so far I have it at 60 indicated, but I think due to wrecks the county put an over conservative speed on it. It is WIDE open, 1/4 mile visibility minimum, so I can use all the road, which does make a big difference. I think 70 would be about the limit, 60 is a big thrill though. I always pre-ride it to check for dirt, sand etc. Then I go back a few times.

Much of the time, I do not get the delicious horizontal acceleration pushing you into the seat on a corner, there are very few roads with good enough sight lines for that around here. But when it happens, :wow

Rod
 
Sue said:
Seriously though - every day is different, every road is different. Sometimes I am in the groove and just feel relaxed and dialed-in. On those days, I ride a little hotter. On the other hand, some days I am more tense, not as comfortable on the bike, and might not know the roads - - on those days, I am more conservative.
Click to expand...

:thumb
 
BeemoKat said:
I don't have a real set formula, the previous posts have put it very nicely. I'll just add an anecdote or two.
Here in Michigan, the "suggested" speed postings are very conservative; I generally add 50%, some other riders I know, more skilled than I, actually double the suggested speeds. But a lot depends on if the corner is blind, how recently I've been there, am I loaded down in touring mode...all factors mentioned by previous posts.

The first time I encountered "real twisties", as opposed to the sweepers we find on the river and lake roads here in MI, was in West Virginia. I entered the first marked corner at about 10mph over the posted speed, and that was the LAST corner I entered over the posted speed the rest of the day! I got through fine, but the thought in my head was that I hadn't seen another vehicle on that road in the last 45 minutes, it was long way down off of one shoulder, a very short distance into rocks and other hard stuff off the other shoulder, and that there was probably no cell phone coverage. All in all, a very bad place to make a mistake.

I tend to ride conservatively when I'm touring. It paid off, also in West Virginia a couple of years ago. I'd just come down from a very steep and twisty section of US 50, and was tempted to turn up up the wick in a set of sweepers, when I heard the sound of a high revving motor coming the other way. I had just decided to resist the urge when I caught sight of the source of that sound: A Mustang convertible with his entire left quarter-panel in my lane. I was mighty glad that I didn't need my whole lane to hold a line. Sometimes just staying to the right of the double-yellow is NOT enough!
Click to expand...

ditto.

In Michigan, 2X the posted speed, but never cross the yellow.
 
When I make my annual trek up to places like the Tail of the Dragon and the Cherohala Skyway, the road conditions determine my speed. If they are dry and clear of debris, a personal rule of thumb is usually no more than 20mph over the posted speed limit, especially when it comes to the curves. I adjust accordingly dependent on traffic and road conditions.
 
I have a rule of thumb I use for calculating safe speed for curves on unfamiliar Canadian roads. It assumes there is no concern about traffic, traction or the like, in which case more caution would be exercised.

Having been a rider when metric road signs went into use here in 1977, and from riding in the US, I'm quick at converting my metric speedometer reading to mph and vice versa.

When approaching a curve that has the yellow cautionary reduced speed limit sign in kilometers an hour (for example 30 km/h for a curve in an 80 zone) I will carry the cautionary speed, but in mph instead of km/h.

In this case 30 mph would translate to 50 km/h for this curve. 50 km/h would be 50 mph which translates to 80km/h, and so on. The conversion is roughly 1.6 times the cautionary reduced speed posted. Sound complex, but is very simple if you're "bilingual".

Since the cautionary speed signs are calibrated for a bad driver in a minivan with bald tires and worn out shocks, these speeds are easy to carry with little drama, provided road conditions are clear.
 
32232 said:
I
Since the cautionary speed signs are calibrated for a bad driver in a minivan with bald tires and worn out shocks, these speeds are easy to carry with little drama, provided road conditions are clear.
Click to expand...

I need to be on the lookout for that calibration vehicle then:jester
 
I always like to think "I could have ridden that faster" when I exit the corner, not the other way round! ;)
 
If I was going to point to one article that has had the greatest impact on my riding it would be The Pace by Nick Ienatsch.

Read it, ride it, love it.

The Pace.
 
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