Motorcycle cornering, positioning and road surfaces

A car driver who takes a bend too fast usually gets away with a squeal of tyres. A rider has two small contact patches and no spare grip once leaned over. Motorcycle theory questions on bends and surfaces therefore ask what you should do before the bend and how to recognise a bad surface early.

Reading bends and choosing your road position

The limit point

Look to where the left and right edges of the road appear to meet. That is the limit point: the furthest point of road you can see. Watch how it moves as you approach.

• If it comes towards you, the bend tightens or you are going too fast. Slow down.
• If it stays at the same distance, hold your speed.
• If it moves away, the bend is opening and you can gently accelerate.

Slow in, steady through

Set speed and gear while the bike is still upright and in a straight line. Then use a light, constant throttle through the bend to keep the machine stable and settled on its suspension. Closing the throttle sharply mid-bend shifts weight forward and can make the bike run wide; braking hard while leaned over can make it slide.

Where to sit in the lane

Your normal position is roughly the centre of your lane. On bends, riders adjust it for view:

A position is only worth taking if it is safe first, then gives you a better view. Do not move so far out that your head crosses the centre line as you lean.

Elsewhere, position yourself so drivers ahead can see you in their mirrors, and so you have room to react to doors opening and vehicles emerging. The lifesaver, a last look over the shoulder before you change direction, belongs in every turn and lane change.

A typical wrong answer is “position close to the kerb on a left bend so drivers can pass”. That hides you, shortens your view and puts you on the debris at the edge.

Weather, road surfaces and loss of grip

Rain doubles stopping distances on any vehicle, but on a motorcycle the first rain after a dry spell is worse still: water lifts oil and rubber dust into a greasy film. Grip improves once heavy rain has washed it away.

Know the surfaces that are slippery even in sunshine and treacherous when wet:

• Painted lines, arrows and words on the road
• Manhole and drain covers, metal plates over roadworks
• Tar banding and shiny repairs
• Diesel spills, most often near fuel stations, roundabouts and bus stops, recognisable by a rainbow sheen or smell
• Wet leaves, mud from farm entrances and loose gravel on rural bends
• Tram rails, which should be crossed as near a right angle as you can

Change position early to avoid them. If you cannot, ride over them upright, without braking, accelerating or steering hard.

Ice forms first on bridges, in shaded dips and under trees. Stopping distances can be ten times greater than on a dry road, so many riders simply do not ride in those conditions.

Wind pushes a motorcycle sideways on open roads, across bridges, at gaps in hedges and when you pass or are passed by a high-sided vehicle. Leave more room to the side and expect the gust when you clear the lorry.

Fog and spray reduce your vision as well as how visible you are. Use dipped headlights, keep the visor clean and do not use a tinted visor in poor light. A misted visor is a hazard in itself.

Cold also matters: numb hands react slowly on the brake lever, and a tiring rider loses concentration well before they feel it.

Once these surfaces stick, practise judging speed into bends in the motorcycle hazard scenarios, especially the slippery bend example. The braking technique that keeps you upright on these surfaces is in motorcycle controls, braking and swerving.