I'm shit at them, those corners where you can walk faster round, been trying to work out where I'm going wrong...think I've not been looking at the exit, but just at the road directly in front, checking for diesel etc. It's 1st gear, dead low revs, sometimes with clutch in...smoothly trying to get on the gas but I can't do it in a nice smooth sweep... Anyone else the same or is it just me?
Got to admit it's a lot easier on my blade than on my SP2, poor clutch took a hell of a doing, I've found that 1st gear corners on my SP2 are now 2nd or 3rd on the blade
As above road positioning and also you really don't want to be going into the corner with the clutch in as you won't get as much balance as when feathering the clutch. If you find your going too quick for the corner use the clutch to feather in the power and also the back brake to keep it at a steady pace. You'll find it helps steady the bike.
It's very rare I ever take a corner in first. Only really junctions. Rear brake helps with stability on slow manoeuvres
Personally it depends what is round the corner. If it is - slow corner - clear road out , you can sometimes short shift it into second on the way out (being careful not to put it in neutral !) You can also keep it in a higher gear and hold it back on the brakes - stop it from running away - and it won't necessarily stall - then release the brakes and you are away. I try and keep the clutch out all the time and do it on the throttle and brakes - but if the bike won't do it then you got to pull the clutch in. It is tricky, especially if the bike has poor fuelling at low revs - in which case it will always be more hassle, and not really your fault !! Not sure what model Fireblade you have, but my 2015 model had improved slow speed fuelling and is excellent at all this kind of stuff.
Got the line into the corners sorted but you may have hit the nail on the head about fuelling, its an RR6 with Akra slip-on but no Power Commander, its on/off at low revs. Taking a new blade out for a spin from the dealer on saturday so will compare the 2
Just cut the corner, driving in straight lines is much safer and faster, if there are pedestrians in the way just rev the engine real loud, always works especially for the old....
To be honest I've always found the Honda fuel injection to be a bit on/off going from a closed to open throttle in low gears. I never really use 1st unless it's to pull away from a junction/lights, I'm always usually in 2nd/3rd. You do carry a bit more speed but it can be controlled with a bit of back brake and clutch. I'm looking into and through the corner/junction as early as possible so I can sweep through it and I borrow from the other side of the road if it's clear.
Half the problem is that most use first purely for pulling away before slipping into second and upwards. Find yourself a big car park and do some slow speed manoeuvring, move your body weight slightly to the inside on turns and look across the corner to the exit. You'll be surprised at how good you can get. A lot of it is knowing what YOUR bike feels like at these speeds.
How's your throttle free play? If you've got too much it'll be very difficult to find the bite point and the bike will lurch.
There is a roundabout near me that is horrible and if you get stuck behind traffic 1st gear is the only option at time. Personally I keep the revs up around the 2,000 mark, slip the clutch and use some rear brake.
This is a good point. When I picked my bike up there was nearly no free play, so in lower gears it was really off and on. I'd roll off on 1st or 2nd and the thing would just snap forward when I rolled it back on. It really didn't make for great low speed cornering.
