imported post
b.pete wrote:
Well the tipping I'm talking about is at speeds where the bike is not self centering. You know like creeping at a couple MPH in a parking lot or coming to a stop. Catching the bike at speeds any faster would not happen.
The foot peg thing is only happening around turns not really in curves. Turning corners on a side street is the only time it has happened. I'm not nearly comfortable enough to lean it that far at speeds over 10 MPH.
B.Pete, that bike is capable of turning multiple circles with the handlebars turned tight (I meantightly clamped to the locks) to the steering locks.. My Wing will do U-turns on any 2 lane secondary road with room to spare.. The secret is related to the riders head & where the rider is looking & concentrating..
To turn a heavy Wing at slow speeds the rider MUST look completely over his inside shoulder (I mean ALL the way back around).. That bike will basically go where you are looking so don't look at anything but where you want the bike to
end up, keep your head & eyes up (don't just look at the ground in front of the bike) & look at (above) the point that you want the bike to end up at (not just where it is traveling)..
To control the bike in a s-l-o-w tight turn use the throttle as a balance control & ride the rear brake (drag it a little).. You will be very surprised at just how tight that bike can turn with proper head control, proper throttle control & practice.. Evey day that I park in a parking lot I do a couple of tight-to-the-lock turns in both directions between the yellow parking lines just to improve my low speed control. Proper body control can also be used to help balance the bike & moving your butt over on the seat can also decreasethe turning radius.. I personally use a lot of upper body movement but do to my age have a hard time sliding my buttover very far..
Another thing to practice is to stop in traffic (I mean actually come to a complete stop) without putting your feet down.. I practice that daily & can usually stop for the count of 5-10 before either moving again or putting a foot down.. The secret here is looking straight ahead & up (don't look down).. With proper head controlyou will be amazed at how balanced that bike feels..
Twisty