Dealing With Mid Corner Line Corrections, and How to Stop Them

A look at different scenarios when they’re expected, when they’re not, and what you can do to fix it

When it comes to the ‘ideal’ scenario for our steering efforts for each turn, what we are looking to achieve is to make just one single steering input per turn. There are some exceptions in certain types of corner, but in a perfect world we’re looking to get to our desired lean angle with one steering action, at which point we can get back to the gas and start our throttle responsibilities.

This essentially means that once our lean angle and line for the turn is set, it shouldn’t change until we come to pick the bike back up and exit the turn.

However, while this is what we’re trying to achieve, you should not be too hard on yourself if you do end up making mid-turn line corrections.

Even the most experienced riders will find themselves in situations where they have to make course corrections. Some will be intentional, others not so.

In this article I’m going to talk about situations and reason for mid-corner line adjustments, which I hope will help you cut yourself a little slack in some areas, but perhaps tighten up in others too.

With that, let’s start with one situation that isn’t actually a mid-corner correction, but one that is well worth talking about.

Forced Turn Point Changes

While not technically mid-corner, or anything to do with turning twice for a corner for that matter, it is a line correction.

There will occasionally be times when you are not able to turn for a corner when you would like to.

This can come when the rider is left with the feeling that they’re going in too hot and still has the brakes firmly applied, or another more typical scenario is when a faster rider goes for the overtake and places themselves in a position where the rider being overtaken can no longer turn into a corner when they normally would.

Less experienced riders will have a tendency to experience some degree of panic when they aren’t able to turn at the point where they would like to. This leaves them with the less favourable sensation that they are then going to run wide for the turn.

What’s important to remember though is that there is more than one line around a corner.

Whether it be from braking a little bit later than is comfortable, or a rider placing themselves on your line, all it takes is for you to continue to brake a little bit deeper than you normally would and turn into the corner later.

This may not even lose you any time if you get it right, and in some instances it may even gain you time, because you can simply turn later and take a later apex, allowing yourself to be more aggressive with the throttle as you exit the corner.

If you’re feeling a little daring, with your better exit line your later entry has afforded you, you could even consider re-passing the rider that just passed you.

I appreciate that for less experienced riders, sudden and unexpected changes in course will be somewhat difficult to deal with (I know. I remember) but in most cases there really isn’t much to worry about.

Unless you’ve WAY overshot your turn mark, just turn that bit later and you’ll make it round just fine.

Coming to the Inside Kerb

A consequence of not really knowing where and/or how quickly you should be turning into a corner, and then coming to meet the inside of the kerb before the apex is quite common.

In this instance, if you follow the one steering input per turn rule to a tee, you’re going to find yourself taking a little detour across the dirt.

However, I would like to think that no rider would follow the steering rule that rigidly, in which case further inputs will have to be made.

The option to take is to simply pull on the inside bar to stand the bike up so you don’t run off the track.

This action provides little danger, even if you continue to roll on the throttle (if you’ve started your roll on, that is) because you are picking the bike up. No danger there.

The question marks appear though on what comes next and what the rider does to rectify it….

Running Wide

If you are picking the bike up in the middle of the turn, you are going to be sent wide from that point on, and being that you’ve decreased your lean angle and widened your arc, there’s a good chance you’ll need to reapply lean to make it around the turn.

How you proceed will depend on what you’re doing with the throttle at that point.

If you are still rolling on the throttle, you’re going to have to stop that roll on before lean angle can be added.

In which case, back off the throttle a touch so the bike stops accelerating and make the steering input you need to make in order to get around the turn.

Once you’re happy your line is going to keep you on the track, you can begin applying power once again.

In the instance where you haven’t started rolling on before you need to lean the bike over again, you should be able to happily add the necessary lean to get around the turn before starting your mid-corner throttle application.

Genuinly in too Fast

There are also going to be instances where riders run wide for other reasons. Perhaps they just took too much speed into the turn for the amount they’re comfortable leaning and the rate at which they can steer.

If you’ve entered a corner, reached your desired lean angle and you can see you’re running wide, you’re also going to need to take action in this instance and make a second steering input.

Chiefly, you’re going to need to lean more to stay on the track, all the while being mindful of the throttle rule of not adding lean and more throttle at the same time.

It’s a scary situation to be in, but you really need to just trust your bike and lean more to make it around the turn.

If you’re already at maximum lean i.e. something is actually touching down, the other tool you can apply is to hang your body off even more down and to the inside of the bike.

This changes the geometry of bike and rider combined and will actually tighten the turn. It’s a way of freeing up ground clearance to allow you to lean more so you can tighten the turn.

This is something that the California Superbike School teach, known as the Hook Turn.

You Don’t Want to Chop the Throttle

In any mid-corner line correction situation, it’s always important to remember that we don’t want to chop the throttle.

This will harshly send weight to the front and could end up overwhelming the front tyre.

The more lean angle you’re carrying, the greater the risk.

If the Apex is Gone, Let it Go

If you know you’re going to comfortably miss the apex, just ride it out and let it go.

Assuming of course that you aren’t heading straight off the track, just holding course and running a little wide is arguably your best course of action.

If you’re already in a turn, trying to cut it back for a late apex is going to cost you time because you have to roll off and you’ll lose momentum, but also all the messing about with lean and throttle changes may reduce your safety margins too by unsettling the bike.

Just staying on line and continuing to roll on the throttle may give you a slightly worse exit line, but the time you save in the middle of the corner by continuing on line could easily nullify the loss at the exit.

It’s safer, and minimal (if any) time will be lost.

Not only that, but you may even learn something by taking (albeit unintentionally) a different approach to the corner.

Small Changes

Even the very best out there will be making small line changes mid-corner from time to time.

If you can set your bike on a line and it ends up being perfect, well done! But if you have to make tiny course corrections from time to time, that’s fine.

As I said, the very best will still be doing it, though I have to say they’d probably be so small you wouldn’t even notice them if you were following.

One steering input is the ideal, but small steering changes are almost inevitable.

The Reasons For Them

If you do make a sizeable correction, it’s important to look at why you did.

If it was because you we’re running wide or coming to meet the inside of the turn, then obviously you had no choice.

If, however, it was a moment of panic that caused it, ask yourself what would have happened if you had just stayed the course.

Was the correction even necessary? Or was it your own senses that hoodwinked you into making a comforting change.

This is where the below point helps out in all of the above…

Vision Helps in Every Scenario

There’s a reason why I go on about vision being so important, and in the case of line changes and corrections, it is no different.

Being aware of where you are on the track, where you’re headed and the space you have is so important in these situations as it gets you out of panic scenarios, or keeps you out of them altogether.

All of the above can be made so much worse if you become lost in the turn. The usual default is to target fixate on where you don’t want to go.

Instead, lock your eyes on the EXACT place you want to go, and if you have enough in reserve and you’re following the rules, the bike will take you there just fine.

Again, keep honing your visual skills, because it could be the one thing that gets (and keeps) you out of trouble.