A major cause of serious motorcycle collisions is running off the road in a turn or a curve. One of two things seems to happen:
- The rider badly misjudges a safe speed and goes into the turn much too fast, slides off the road and crashes into something.
- Inexperienced riders think they can’t turn sharply enough to make a turn, then brake too hard, lock the wheel, slide off the road and crash.
Inexperienced riders sometimes crash at speeds at which a more experienced rider could handle and make the turn.
Until you learn the cornering limits of your motorcycle, be especially careful to slow down enough for turns. If possible, do all your braking before you get into your turn.
When making a turn, you might find that you can’t make it at the speed and lean angle you started with. Don’t panic. You can probably lean the bike over more and turn tighter. The key to tightening up a turn safely is to do it smoothly and gently.