How to Increase Corner Ground Clearance?

[TBR125]

I ride most curves in this area with a late apex for maximum visibility. A problem I have run into (figuratively speaking) is that when I dive into a turn I scrape hard parts when my suspension compresses. I removed the center stand but am still catching the muffler and the CVT case.

Question: What braking/throttle technique could I use to make the bike stand on the suspension? Would throttling on while trailing the front brake help?

Thanks in advance for any feedback beneficial or not.

[CROSSBOLT]

Get Klaviator talking about that! He is the resident corner man. His pictures show him heeled over like sloop on a broad reach or whatever! He personnally k ows every sharp corner in the three states of Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Virginia, North and South Carolina and probably Mississippi!

[TBR125]

Thanks for the info. I am not a corner speed daredevil but am chasing perfection for the purpose of an increased safety margin.

[Neil955i]

Get the braking out the way before the curve, braking in a bend upsets the steering geometry!  Go in on a neutral throttle getting ready to gas it on the way out i.e. after you've seen the vanishing point.  To quote the TT Legend Mike "the Bike" Hailwood, "slow in, fast out" is the secret!

[TBR125]

I understand that concept but for 125 Mopediah there is no fast out:) 54 second 0-60. Thanks though.

[Iahawk]

the goal when cornering on a bike is to ideally keep it as vertical as possible.  Motojitsu talks a lot about this on his youtube channel. Best cornering is done with bike more vertical and the rider shifting body weight to the inside. You maintain the best traction and suspension movement this way.

With the hard parts fixed in position on the scoots I think your options are to corner slower, with less lean, or to practice body positioning to help the scoot stay more upright through the corners.

Must be a little disconcerting to scrape things while cornering on the scoot! Be safe out there.

[TBR125]

My limit to body positioning for weighting the inside is the length of my outside arm reaching the grip and also how securely I can hook the seat box with my outer foot. Unless I am riding on gravel my center of mass when cornering is 22 inches to the inside of the bike. Because I weight the same as the bike the combined mass is 11 inches to the inside of the turn keeping the bike approximately 15-20 degrees more vertical than if I rode inline(joys of a light bike).

I either need to add grip tape to the plastic foot plates or bolt on toothed steel foot pegs before I can get more weight to the inside.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Me, it's check the mirror, touch of brakes.....slow in - look for rocks, gravel, tree debris, deer - then slow roll on throttle ~ to my cruising of @33MPH.
During the ride out, which is always in the dark - it is not this fast.

Which might explain how I can still have tread on a rear City Grip at 14,000 miles.

Stig

[TBR125]

That is my comfortable afternoon ride technique as well. The ditches on these roads over flow with every rain storm and there is a 1-3 inch deep gravel bar in every curve and dip. I've gotten used to the rear floating through it and I usually weight the front to keep it tracking if there is much debris.

[john grinsel]

First rule  #1 let the tires do as little work as possible   #2 bike vertical as possible  #3 look where you are going  #4 get bike that doesn't drag stuff, scooter not ideal for road racing

[Neil955i]

Good point John. The scooter concerned will greatly influence the likelihood of dragging undercarriage parts when cornering. I carry similar speed, lean angle on regularly ridden roads and where my old PCX125 would be carving an arc with the centre stand, the X-Town 300 goes round serenely with nothing touching down.

As an afterthought, I did improve matters markedly by slapping on a pair of aftermarket YSS shockers!  Not necessary on the XT 


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[Viper254]

I've never really thought about this - just looking at all your comments - I've just always kind of gone around corners with not a huge amount of thought.

I have had a couple of scooters that would ground out on corners - thinking back to my Baotian BT49, the first delivery donkey... the left centre stand lug would sometimes spark as it was basically used as a third rail :S

Can't remember how I got around that now.

[TBR125]

Thanks for all the comments. For any concerned, I'm not an aspiring road racer, just trying to ride my scoot as well as possible.

[Neil955i]

Thanks for all the comments. For any concerned, I'm not an aspiring road racer, just trying to ride my scoot as well as possible.

Aren’t we all! [emoji23]


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[TBR125]

Correct! Which is why this teenager has a 125 scoot not a crotch rocket.