MSF Coach here as well. As stated above, in a single turn "Outside Inside Outside" that we teach in class works well. Staying to the outside allows the rider to see through the turn before entry. Drifting to the outside on exit minimizes the lean required, "straightening" the curve. Seeing through the turn is especially important here in California canyons, where being able to see the whole turn is the exception, rather than the rule.
On multiple back to back turns it's more like "Outside, inside, inside" for two reasons:
[Draw out a sincle "C" curve and a "S" curve on paper to to get the most out of what is comming next]
First, and perhaps most important, staying to the inside of the first turn leaves you on the outside for the second turn. This is much perfered to using OIO, which would leave you on the inside of the next curve pointing about as straight as could be. Talk about a pucker-factor moment!
Second, adjusting your speed to allow for staying on the inside of a turn gives a little more wiggle room for the unexpected. It's a hell of a lot easier to ease up on a lean angle to avoid an obstacle than to have to lean even further.
On that note, many riders of all experience levels get "lock arm" when confronted with the unexpected, causing the bike to run wide. I think everyone has been through it. The difference is the experienced riders have learned to supress this instinct enough to make it through the situation.
A note on entry speed: It is much more pleasant to enter into a turn at a speed "too slow" and realize you need to add more throttle mid-turn than to come in hot and fight the above instinctual reaction.
I have saved the most important point for last. You need to look where you want the bike to go. I'm not going to get into the why and how of it, but when you put a human in motion, especially on two wheels, more often than not they will go where they look.
It in engrained in the Human psyche to look at the threat. Think of a dog chasing you, a gun aimed at you, or the blue lights of a cop car. All of the above will produce a "fight or flight" response, but the initial reaction (at least for the first bit of time) is to look at the threat. If the threat is getting closer, the instinct is even stronger. That dog is getting CLOSER!!!
One comon threat in motorcycling is to run wide in a turn. The human instinct is to look at the outside of the turn, whether it is a guard rail or a gravel shoulder. As a motorcycle rider feels themselves running wide, the perceived threat (the side of the road) is getting closer. Every cell of their being wants to look there, but one has to look to where they want to go to give the bike the best chance of making it.
Another way to eliminate the Fight or Flight response is to reduce the surprise factor. This can be done by identfying threats as soon as possible, extending the amount of time the brain has to process the information.
When my wife and I were dating she wanted to learn to ride. Like most drivers, she tended to limit her vision to the car in front of her. I started asking her if she saw a rock, a bump in the road, the truck two cars ahead of her with a loose tarp and whatever else I could to get her to plan ahead. In the mountains I made her look for the center double yellow lines, as far as she could see (combining the look where you want to go with planning ahead). We would call out little things to trump one another. We made it into a game. Her car driving improved quite a bit, and it prepared her for motorcycle riding later.
THE ABOVE WAS FOR STREET RIDING. At the track, it's much easier. The same principle applies, but going around in circles with corner workers to warn you of danger allows many lines to be tried, over and over. I tend to start with "street lines" and then work to adapt to track conditions (bumps, wind, etc.). I like to follow faster riders and see what they're doing different. Speed comes from being smooth and planning ahead.
Another difference between the street and track is braking. When I'm on the street I tend to use the MSF condoned method of Slow Look Lean Roll. I try to stay at a speed that eliminates the need for braking in turns.
[A side note here, the Roll can/should be simultanious with Lean, but the bike resists turning in under throttle and the SLLR method was adopted to help begining riders, the target MSF audience. Also, we wanted to get the brake lever out of begining rider's hands (the Fight or Flight tensing may include hand clenching)]
On the track you have many of the possible dangers eliminated. This allows braking into the corner up to the apex if needed, but it's beyond the scope of of the BRC and I don't advise that for street riding.
So for the "S" curves, Outside Inside, Inside.Look where you want to goPlan ahead as much as possibleTrack riding is a completely different animal than street.Anyway, my 2 cents... Sorry for the long rant but I love riding!
Sean
