busa riding how-tos?

[BUSAFETT]

I've had my Busa for over a year now, and am still a little hesitant in trusting her when leaning alot into turns, b/c she feels top heavy to me. I let another rider take a spin on her this week, and they seemed to think the suspension was set up fine, so I'm guessing it's just me and my hesitation on how I ride the bike.

I'm having the most issues when leaning left into turns, but am wondering how anyone works to get past this.. When I got my license (10+ years ago), they had us ride around in circles for hours to get used to the leaning. Since the Busa's a little diff than the Magna I did my license test on, should I try finding a parking lot and recreate the scenario? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

BUSAFETT

 

[DaCol.]

Go to a big OPEN EMPTY parking lot (high schools on weekends work great) and try all you turns and stop and go's (with a right or left turn) at SLOOOOOOOOW speeds until your comfortable. Then, GRADUALLY add speed until your at normal traffic speeds. Experience and time is the best trainer !! Always practice your weak spots at SLOW speeds where your confident of not loosing bike control  

 

[VaBusa]

You could have a pack of Harleys lead to the Dragon and not warn you that you're going!

Hey, it worked and I can finally say I can ride the twisties some...I'm no pro, but I felt great riding 'em after all the years of being scared to death LOL

Honestly, I'd say a track day is in order...I've heard so many say they go there with the same issues and leave knowing what the bike can do and gain confidence in cornering...otherwise, it's just going to have to come with practice and experience...

 

[VaBusa]

Do you counter-steer a lot? I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world

 

[BUSAFETT]

(VaBusa @ Jun. 06 2007,10:18) Do you counter-steer a lot?  I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world  

Someone else recommended this, but I've never done it- something about turning the handlebars in a diff direction than the way you're going seems to freak me out

 

[VaBusa]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 06 2007,10:26)

(VaBusa @ Jun. 06 2007,10:18) Do you counter-steer a lot?  I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world  

Someone else recommended this, but I've never done it- something about turning the handlebars in a diff direction than the way you're going seems to freak me out  

It comes with seat time...the more you think about the process, the harder it is to actually do...when I got my Harley and everyone was touting countersteering, I nearly went down trying to actually do it LOL

You do it some now, just don't realize it...but yeah, countersteering in the turns, even big sweepers, helps get the bike over more and makes runs like that more fun...best advice I can give is to watch what the handlebars are doing when you take a turn. Manuevering in a right hand corner, you already automatically PUSH your right hand away from you to make the turn, but it's subtle...once you see what you're bike is really doing, you can try PUSHING it more in a right hand turn to get the bike to corner better...

I'll look around to see if I can find any better info on countersteering...

 

[DaCol.]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 06 2007,07:26)

(VaBusa @ Jun. 06 2007,10:18) Do you counter-steer a lot?  I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world  

Someone else recommended this, but I've never done it- something about turning the handlebars in a diff direction than the way you're going seems to freak me out  

You don't turn, you pull the right bar to turn left gently  (or push the left bar forward - remember you ADDING PRESSURE not really pushing or pulling) ! Or as I learned when racing, you PULL the bike through the turn (helped me keep my balance also in high speed turns). As in your turning left, you pull the right bar toward you - VERY SOLFLY . AND Look  

where you want to go. Looking is the most important part, because you will naturally do what is needed and DON'T fix your eyes on ANYTHING or you'll run into it. LOOK where you want to go, and the bike will follow. I would suggest you go to an MSF school, they will instruct you (ON YOUR BIKE) how to do all this stuff. Practice and THEN go to the track  

 

[Professor]

Have you thought about enrolling in a MSF rider course? The Experienced Rider Course might help you quite a bit. I teach it and have had great feedback from riders with experience levels from 1-40 years. It is a one day class and the cost usually runs around $100 depending on the area (the going rate is $75 in the Oklahoma City area).

There are several exercises that focus on turns that should help you. A good instructor should be able to identify areas for you to focus on. The class will involve 4-5 hours on the riding range and 2-3 hours of classroom. In most states it will qualify you for an insurance discount. It is a bit late for you…. but for others reading this. If you bought new Suzuki you are eligible for a $50 rebate from Suzuki after completing the course (six months before or after the bike purchase).

That didn’t actually answer your question. There are a few specific threads here. Look in the Riding Skills forum. Make sure you are displaying all of the threads. Some of the rest are scattered. Check out the MSF website front page, and in the library /safety tips. MSF-USA Link The BRC and ERC class manual is available online and there are some tips in there.

There are several books available

I highly recommend Reg Pridmore’s book, Smooth Riding

Others include (by my preference in your case)
Sport Riding Techniques - Nick Lenatsch
Motorcycling Excellence – MSF
Twist of the Wrist 1 and 2 by Keith Code (I favor 2 over 1)

 

[VaBusa]

Yep, +1 on the MSF course...you'll at least get some of the basics of the technique, though nothing replaces when you finally realize how to do it...that just takes seat time...

 

[Professor]

(BUSAFETT @ Jun. 06 2007,09:26)

(VaBusa @ Jun. 06 2007,10:18) Do you counter-steer a lot?  I've found that I do that more than I ever did on the Harley, and it makes all of the difference in the world  

Someone else recommended this, but I've never done it- something about turning the handlebars in a diff direction than the way you're going seems to freak me out  

You have enough time on the bike so I’ll throw this out there. Let’s change it the term to “push steeringâ€. While riding down an isolated stretch or road/highway at 30 to 60. make a gradual lane change by only pushing forward on the grip in the direction you want to go. Nothing sudden just push the right grip forward easily to change to the right. Get used to it.

I composed my last post after your first one, before I saw this. I now strongly recommend the ERC. I’ll even do this. You take the course. If you don’t think it was worth the time and money, I’ll personally send you the $75 out of my pocket. That is how strong I feel about it.

 

[Professor]

(DaCol. @ Jun. 06 2007,09:40) You don't turn, you pull the right bar to turn left gently  (or push the left bar forward - remember you ADDING PRESSURE not really pushing or pulling) ! Or as I learned when racing, you PULL the bike through the turn (helped me keep my balance also in high speed turns). As in your turning left, you pull the right bar toward you - VERY SOLFLY . AND Look  

where you want to go. Looking is the most important part, because you will naturally do what is needed and DON'T fix your eyes on ANYTHING or you'll run into it. LOOK where you want to go, and the bike will follow. I would suggest you go to an MSF school, they will instruct you (ON YOUR BIKE) how to do all this stuff. Practice and THEN go to the track  

I’ll expand on this just a bit. As DaCol mentioned there are two basic ways pulling and pushing and the combination. There are different reasons and arguments for teaching each method. At this point I suggest the push on the grip in the direction you want to go method and leave the rest for later more advanced training. Look through the turn in the direction you want to go and press on the grip in the direction you want to go. You want smooth inputs. As he mentioned, eye control is very important. Eyes should be level with the horizon, in the direction of your intended patch, using your peripheral vision to pick up other information. Your eyes should never lock onto one object, you should be scanning the environment. This is particularly true in a stress/hazard situation. If you eyes lock onto a car coming into your path, object in the roadway, curb, or pothole, you are almost guaranteed to make contact with it. You need to look toward the clear path of travel.


ON EDIT

Expanding a bit more, we have more strength pushing instead of pulling. Is it easier for you to press your body weight or do a pull up? The fine motor control skills (the ability to make smooth small gradual inputs instead of a jerk) in a push are better for a couple of reasons. They are usually more developed, but you are also in a lower range compared to the max of your muscles ability. To put in perspective lift 40lbs exactly 12 inches off a desk in one smooth clean pull. Now do the same with 10lbs.

For riders that want to compare it, set up a cone weave with the cones in a straight line 30’ apart, say 7 cones. Now ride the cones at 18-22 mph and concentrate on pushing only. Make a few runs and try it pulling only. See which is smoother and gives you the most control.

 

[BUSAFETT]

I am OK with the eye coordination piece, but lately we've been riding alot on back roads where the turn is tight and you can't see thru it, and I feel like when I lean the Busa isn't responding very quick- On my Katana I would lean and I was thru the turn... but the Busa seems like the Titanic compared to that. I feel like if I lean like I did on the Kat I will be lying in the road wearing the Busa as a hat.

 

[quipuah]

Do the suspension mod by Jinkster, and you will notice the difference when going into the curves. Practice early in the morning when there is no traffic, and gradually increase your speed as you get comfortable. Go on that same road over and over again until you get comfortable with the curves, eventually with time you will be comfortable to go quicker, but remember the suspension mod.

Take the advanced MSF course as mentioned by the Professor, it really helps. Good Luck.

 

[BUSAFETT]

I wanted to do what he suggested for the rear,
but he also recommended changing the fork springs, and my bike only has 3500 miles on it so I'm hesitant to do that piece now. Is it OK to just do the adjustment to the rear suspension?

 

[jessup]

let me know when you are going to do jinksters suspension tutorial I want to do it also... One of the things I did when I first started riding was find a turn that had a decent curve to it and just keep going through it faster and faster as I got more comfortable... Countersteering is an invaluable skill and will dramatically improve your funtime... I will lend you my copy of "Twist of the Wrist II" It is a must read. Then practice on curves of varying degrees until you trust the bike and yourself. A class of some sort or riding with someone who has some skillz is also a good idea.
E.

 

[blitzburgh]

great info guys....

 

[Revvv]

Lesson 1 for leaning the Busa:

Get out and ride the thing more so you can get used to it.

 

[BUSAFETT]

(Professor @ Jun. 06 2007,10:50) You have enough time on the bike so I’ll throw this out there. Let’s change it the term to “push steeringâ€￾. While riding down an isolated stretch or road/highway at 30 to 60. make a gradual lane change by only pushing forward on the grip in the direction you want to go. Nothing sudden just push the right grip forward easily to change to the right. Get used to it.

I tried this at lunch and............

I think I found my "fix" to my problem

Thanks to all who contributed to this!!!

 

[CCbusa05]

After years in the saddle, I can say without a doubt the most valuable piece of advice from a very seasoned pilot to me was to RELAX YOUR ARMS AND GRIP on the clipons while in a turn. I constantly remind myself of this one very helpful factor while I'm in the spirited twisty mode. If you're all tensed up and tight, it's almost as if the beast between your legs is alive and that nervousness will transmit all through your busa right down through the suspension to the road. Turn left, RELAX, push gently on the left clipon and likewise with your left foot on the footpeg. Guaranteed, you'll be grinning in no time and to those chicken stripes..........bye-bye. The experts here might disagree, but for the casual canyon carver like ME, it works!  

 

[Professor]

Good addition to the thread, being too tense can give feed back to the bike you do not want.

No doubt that pressing on the footpeg helps, but this is a more advanced skill, he may not be quite ready for yet. Kind of a walking before running issue, but that is a very good point. Another is pressing the right knee into the tank in the left turn you described.