when riding a motorcycle is it safe to shift when your at the apex of a turn?

Question

apex shift up good or bad

Answer 1

bad

while cornering your braking to the apex and then picking up the throttle at the apex

if anything you want to be at a neutral throttle position or acelerating at the apex

watch some wsbk they will show you how it's done

Answer 2

it depends on a few factors 1 if you are cutting the apex and the bike is straight then it is ok 2 an upshift is less dangerous than a down shift and you should never downshift in a corner it causes the bike to move around due to the change in torque both at the wheel and the motor you could wash-out the rear and then high side the bike or just drop it. the tire could slide changing the load on the front end-veerrryy BBBBAADD- the upshift can also change the load on the front and your back to being in trouble try to stay in the same gear thru the apex if it was safe the pros would do it and you will never see someone like migual duhamel shift thru the apex hope this helps

Answer 3

You shouldn't want to change UP there - the apex is generally the slowest point in the corner - where you're about to get on the gas - so if you were going to change at that point it would be DOWN - and that's not a good idea- you should do your down shifts before the turn-in (while still upright)

Answer 4

You should have slowed down before getting to the apex and should be accelerating through the apex shifting when the bike becomes upright. Acelerating though the turn transfers load to the rear wheel and compresses the rear suspension thereby giving you maximum traction and control of the bike, the time to shift is when the bike becomes more upright and the extra traction in no longer an issue and you have fewer control issues.

Answer 5

Think of it in terms of percentage.

If 100% traction is perfect solid connection to the road, and 0% is sliding off the road headed for the guardrail, then there are points in between.

Everything you do when you're riding takes a little percentage away from that 100%.

Speed, Accelleration, Braking, lean angle (too much or too little), bike weight, rider weight, bike suspension, curve radius, road surface, road anomolies.

So, if you're starting with that 100% going into the corner, and you go in a little too hot, you're down to 60%. Then the curve radius decreases (gets tighter), now you're down to 30%. Then you downshift and goose the throttle - where do you think you'll be? Probably at or near that ugly zero.

But if you go in lazy (100%), and the curve opens up (still 100%), and you have perfect lean (still close to 100%), the road surface is perfect (100%), and you see the exit of the corner - so you downshift and smoothly twist the throttle on , you're still going to be less than 100%, but nowhere near that zero!

Pro racers know exactly where that point is when the tire's gonna break free - they play with that ragged edge all the time. Us regular folks on the road have more variables, from the gravel on the road to some doofus in a motorhome in the oncoming lane - we need an extra bit of traction available in case we need to take defensive action.

Short answer, yea, I do it, but only on a smooth powered bike and only when I can see the exit of the corner and have great traction. Even then, I've had the back end get squirrelly on me a few times.

Answer 6

In a nutshell: No.

You don't want to do anything to upset the careful balance you've reached, and shifting will do just that. You also run the risk of having the back tire come loose from acceleration.

You need to be slow in, fast out, and be in the gear you'll almost redline in by the time you straighten up.

BUT... if you're talking about a big, fat, slow cruiser, then just shift to your heart's content. You won't be leaning farther than 10 degrees or be going faster than 20mph anyway, so you're perfectly safe to shift, pick your nose, or take a nap while faster riders go around you.

Answer 7

I often shift up or down in a curve or turn if I need too. Sometimes I hit a curve and accelorate only to find I'm in too high of a gear to hold the curve, so I down shift for more torque. The rear tire may kick a litte, but it recovers quickly (hopfully my lean isn't to mean). Road conditions and tracktion are major factors when doing stuff like shifting in a turn. Keep it simple, down shift to the gear that will take you safely through the speed your turning if you need to accelorate. Keep a steady speed too, so you don't fall over (slight acceloration through the turn).
However, I don't suggest shifting either up or down while in a turn, it's not safe (at least that's what the experts say) and your skin will thank you..

Answer 8

It is not a good idea, especially if you are just starting out. Once you have some experience with bikes and can do it very smooth, then it is not such a big deal.

If you give it too much gas when you shift, the rear wheel can spin out and slam you into the pavement and send you on a asphalt roll. Trust me, you don't want this. I know.

Answer 9

Rule of thumb is you never shift in a turn up or down.
Shift before the turn or shift after your out of the turn.

Answer 10

It all depends upon the road, I would say.

If the road is good and you are quite good at tilting n balancing ur bike, then u can certainly shift up or down on turns.

But, it needs a little practice to handle ur bike on variable speeds n angles, and most importantly it requires an understanding n comfortability with ur bike.

A little fault at that stage can whack you off the road very easily.

Ride Safe.

Cheers,
Gary