Most of the accidents occur on curves. So it is important for us to practice handling and braking the bike in curves. Usually when you are approaching a curve, the safest tactic is to start turning late and take a sharp turn rather than having a long gradual turn. When you turn late, you will have better visibility of the vehicles coming from the opposite direction, or any other possible distractions and would buy you some time if it was going to be a risky show up.
The usual human nature is to take a ‘C’ turn. I prefer you to take the ‘L’ turn. Alright, nothing technical… ‘C’ is the gradual curve and ‘L’ is the near right angled turn. Although it is impossible to have a perfect right angled turn, try to work your way up from ‘C’ to ‘L’. If you are riding a new bike for the first time be extra careful. Curving nature oof the bike differs from model to model. I had a shock when my friend’s Yamaha R15 refused to turn as I wanted it to.
It is very difficult to practice this in a curve but you can practise turning in a round about. Choose the one which has little traffic. Also choose the time of the day when there are not too many vehicles and especially when there are no guardian of road laws! First practice in a big one and work you way down to small round abouts. As you get used to turning and leaning, start braking. Imagine an emergency situation and brake suddenly. Be careful.
Wish you safe biking,
Deepak
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{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
very good article..
but C turn sometimes is useful..
and many times like you said when there are incoming vehicles..L turn is useful..
C turn is helpful when you have left or right turn and its one way route and every vehicle is taking a L turn and you want to stay ahead of all of them then C turn works ..but speed needs to be regulated…
good work man! keep it up!
Sanket, Thanks for your input!
hi, nice article…
but i dunno which category does this kind of a turn belong to.. “C” or “L”… maybe both?? 
il try differentiating between the two types of turnings next time i ride my “nova”
i usually drive in the centre of the road when there arnt 4-wheelers around… in the curves.. this helps me to apply minimum brakes or no brakes at all even if im at 50 kmph & above.. and the view is also pretty good.. soo its all good
Hey i have an RTR and it really feels confident while taking sharp turns to move your foot/knee out towards the side which you are turning just as racers do. Any bike for that matter. I also do this on my dads old scooter
It feels really safe while taking a right angle turn. What do u say Deepak….
Yeah, I agree that Apache has a very good handling!
I ride a Hyosung 650cc V Twin naked actually uses suzuki v-twin engines, weighs in at 185 kilos. Currently the twin carbs have restrictors as it is sold for learners in Australia. I have chosen not to remove it as the 33HP @10+RPM it provides is good. Removing them will cause fuel efficiency to drop to say 15kmpl from current 20+. Also power will jump to 81HP at 12+RPM.
Am getting used to curves etc and handling is now wasier after 6 months as am used to the 185 kilos and it handles pretty easy and the wight is so well distributed it feels like 150 kilos. do not feel the 185 kgs.
Please lemme know about the handling…what preciuations shd I take while handling curves….
thx
sriguru
australia
I thought the idea of taking C turn and L turn is not good
Because the turns not always the same , roads are different views are different and visibilities are different,
the best way to choose the turn, which gives you better visibility and your visibiliy to the opposite end,
similarly always consider people who are coming from behind sometime L turn put them in trouble,
make your turn at lowest possible speed , before turning decrease speed and apply breaks , not while making turns, and most important always consider that road allow you to make good angle and speed while turn otherwise cause big problems
hey guys,
this is really a wonderful , i am just hav’ng a scooty pep plus but when i take a ‘l’ turn it looks stylish and comfortable too . thanks to deepak
-SRK
i have a great problem with the headlight of pulsar150 dtsi digital meter on highway, i fill the light is very low, when the opposite direction the cars are comming they do not put there dipper on they go with full light i goes blind, is there any posibility to increase the intensity of headlight from 35watts to higher.
cornering depends on the speed
when there is visibility you can make a ‘C’ turn, and retain some speed. when there is no visibility behind the curve you have to use the ‘L’ turn.
It depends on morons who take a free-right turn also. Horn first, to make the buffalo milk drinking morons to move, and then turn safely. Like those morons have a right to stand in the corner, and to park in the corner, you also have a right to horn.
I didn’t understand the meaning of ‘turning late’. Can you please give some more details.
i only do full body turns…
yaa….every thing deepak said was nice…but do you don’t think but taking a sharp turn all of a sudden can sometimes may lead to disbalance or slipping of the bike or any 2 wheeler off the road??
So we should undertake the turn depending on the situation on the road and also the condition of the road (especially Indian roads).!!
Wishing u all a happy and safe biking
Aditya
wht is ment by ‘turning late’ ???
yes I accept an ‘L’ turn will be a safety one.
Thank You For your Information
Turning late means turning just before the curve has started, and like many others I do feel moving out from your seat with your knee bent towards the road gives an overall balance. I have turned with as close as 30 degrees of an angle of my body to the road on my R15 and it has been done very well.
Most importantly dont risk another rider’s life who might be behind you, keep a large distance between yourself and other bikes before starting the turn.
Secondly learn to maneuver your bike according to your style… Most average bikers dont understand the fact that rear tyre size also plays an important role in good cornering. A thin tyre with a good and round wheel base like in the R15s give great cornering as opposed to the FZ series which has a larger wheelbase but not enough curvature on the edges…..
So all in all drive safely and great article Deepak!
hi deepak today i met with an accident my pulsar 150 was overtaken by an speedy dio. And that fellow just skidded from backside and i lost control.
Actually to say the bike was still in my control but my friend who was sittin behind me jumped off.
What u think what should i had to done at that situation?
And plz also send me some tips for safe ridin
Thanks
Anand
In most cases, there isn’t much you can do since the reaction time left between your thought process (Applying both breaks slightly so that you slow down completely but leaving as soon as you feel even a slight skid) and the other party (skidding of the dio) is minimal. Only way to avoid this is to not try overtaking another person (if the distance between you guys is small) especially on a curve or a slope.
I had a similar problem where I was climbing down a slight slope and was cornered by a female driver in a santro, I got pushed towards the right and towards a divider (had a friend at the back), I was already at the speed of around 110 (I own a R15), I braked real hard and was quite successful till I got the speed down to like 50, unfortunately the section near the divider contained pebbles (small stones) and my bike skid furiously and I lost my balance, fell to my left, chipped my mirror and my leg. Mistake I did here was to try and overtake this vehicle, which if I had avoided would have saved me and my bike (which by the way is looking as beautiful today as she was two years back when I got her). My friend on the other hand jumped off successfully.
So save yourself the trouble, never overtake another vehicle in close quarters. Hope this helps!!
Elvis Furtado
Yes, wat you have said is true “never overtake another vehicle in close quarters” the problem is actually becoz of poor driving skills or should I say pathetic drivers be it 2 or 4 wheelers.
Faced a similar accident.. was going at a normal speed with a pillion on a bike, at an intersection, some stupid old bike broke the signal and without any warning did U-turn, came to my lane right in front of me, when i tried to avoid him by strafing to the right, that moron(with no sense and no rear view mirrors) also came to the right right in front of me,, almost like he was trying to block my way(wat we see in films or even video games), and then without any reason stopped, I applied brakes but distance was too less..hit him from the back, but since he had just stopped, he didn’t fall, we fell to the right, and he ran away..hit and run..
Sorry to hear that Prasanjeet,
Well most riders here want speed and don’t realize the risk that comes with it. I too have gone through the long period of self training. Coz that’s all one can do when it comes to pro-biking here in Mumbai…
Sigh, we don’t have any race tracks to let loose and learn the art of pro-biking….
Just the other day I saw a RX-100 almost ram a CBG stunner holding a man, his wife and kid… Scary but luckily a close miss….. What a relief!! Imagine the sight had it been otherwise….
Elvis Furtado
Thank you for reminding us of safe driving…
I felt ease when i was taking turns in a hair pin bend curves in a Unicorn but GS150R , it was very difficult for me. Dont know the reason , but i was scared especially while coming down the ghat and taking a turn in a right hair pin bend. Pretty scary especially.
Sometimes L turns are risky, specially when you are a beginner!
Hi friends… I use the technique of counter steering while cornering. I mean if i want to turn left I slightly push the left handle bar to the right. If I wanna turn right I push the right handle towards left. This is the best way to corner along with leaning with the bike. And my stunner is very responsive in handling.
i ride fz from 3years now and i want to fit fazer doom to it. is it possible or not deepak. please help.
as far as riding is concerned, i think on Indian roads its better to ride as safe as possible because you never know what will happen in Indian conditions. sand, sudden turns by others etc.