Bringing on the power smoothly?

[kbahus]

I think I have pinpointed my first quirk I have to get through while riding. I seem to have a problem with applying power in a corner smoothly. It seems that as soon as I crack the throttle the bike jerks forward and I don't particularly like the feeling while in the corner. It's unsettling to me. I try to be smooth but it seems like the throttle is on/off. Bike is a carb'd 599 if it matters. Does anyone have any pointers?

[rybo]

There are a couple of things to look at right away.

1) Slack in the throttle cable

This is a big cause of the problem you're having. Take as much slack as you can out of the throttle cable, but not to the point where it changes your idle speed. It makes a HUGE difference.

2) Make sure your chain is properly adjusted.

There needs to be some slack in the chain, but too much will cause the condition you're describing.

If none of that works it's probably a jetting issue. Bikes come from the factory jetted pretty lean for emissions reasons. Getting the bike properly jetted will make a big difference in how well it runs. This will especially be an issue if you've put an aftermarket exhaust on the bike because this will lean out the jetting even more.

In northern Colorado I can recommend MotoAdventure for jetting. They have a sweet eddy current dyno and a good tech for doing the work.

Let me know how it turns out!

[kbahus]

I just went out and adjusted the throttle cable, I think this is going to make a big difference. Thanks for the tip, I will report back tomorrow after my ride. The chain slack seems to be ok. I have been considering doing a jet kit for the altitude regardless and will check out MotoAdventure.

[OUTLAWD]

riding anywhere fun? weather looks good for tomorrow.

[kbahus]

No, just to work down in Loveland. At least I get a solid hour ride in every day. I was pretty bummed about the weather today.

[brennahm]

Try being on the throttle entering the corner.

[ian22]

I have the same problem but I've managed to keep it in check just concentrating on being smooth when opening the throttle. I have older bikes and they seem to have a bit of a jerky on/off throttle situation.

[MetaLord 9]

Try being on the throttle entering the corner.

This. If you set your entry speed prior to the corner, you should be able to get on the throttle and smoothly power through the entire corner.

Where is your weight on the bike?

Another time that throttle control is more difficult is when you're putting a lot of weight on your hands & wrists instead of using your core to keep yourself upright and your knees to hug the tank. If you feel your arms & wrists getting sore at the end of the ride then you're putting too much weight on 'em. You should have a light touch on the bars with just enough pressure to properly operate the controls and that's about it.

A third option is to enter the corner in a lower gear so that you're in the power band of the bike. A lot of bikes get hurky jerky at the bottom of their rev range, but smooth out as you get towards the middle of the power band. So if your bike redlines at 12,500 rpms, try entering the corner with the revs around 9 grand. I know that my bike is MUCH smoother the higher I go in the rev range and it's real jerky below about 7 grand.

[dragos13]

You need to make sure to set what they call maintenance throttle. This is just slight throttle pressure to maintain the current speed. Then, opening the throttle is easier to apply smoothly. If you try to go from engine braking to acceleration, its difficult to keep smooth.

This is something I still work on every time I ride. Being smooth with opening the throttle allows you to roll on the gas sooner and get out of the corner quicker. Now, this is for racing on the track, street riding doesn't require getting out sooner but being smooth is still important

[kbahus]

Tightening up the throttle cable made a big difference. I have a lot to learn about cornering and proper technique. I feel I am just not doing it properly as far as body position goes. I just learned from a friend that I am supposed to have to balls of my feet on the pegs but this seems very uncomfortable on the 599. I think the position of the pegs is designed for a less aggressive riding position. I also find it hard to find the shifter/brake that far back. I need to take a track day lesson and starting learning the finer details now that I am comfortable riding around.

[pannetron]

I've owned a couple of (carb-ed) bikes that were just abrupt from off->on throttle. To tame that lurch I applied a little rear brake as I cracked open the throttle and used the rear brake to modulate the power until I started rolling on serious throttle. YMMV...

[OUTLAWD]

Tightening up the throttle cable made a big difference. I have a lot to learn about cornering and proper technique. I feel I am just not doing it properly as far as body position goes. I just learned from a friend that I am supposed to have to balls of my feet on the pegs but this seems very uncomfortable on the 599. I think the position of the pegs is designed for a less aggressive riding position. I also find it hard to find the shifter/brake that far back. I need to take a track day lesson and starting learning the finer details now that I am comfortable riding around.

I'm far from being an expert, but in my experience I find alot of newer riders tend to move around too much on the street, before really becoming comfortable with leaning the bike.

The purpose of hanging off the bike is to re-position the center of mass lower and to the inside of the bike, this will allow for greater speeds compared to the same lean angle with an upright riding position. When getting on the gas hard out of corners, hanging off also allows you to get the bike more upright, providing better traction than would be available on the side of the tire. There is a finite amount of traction available at the limit, and you have to balance that between braking, turning and accelerating. Hanging off might become necessary on bikes with ground clearance issues when lean angles increase, to prevent from dragging hard parts.

My triumph probably has similar ergos to your 599, albeit a little more stretched out. I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs at all times pretty much. At first it was to keep my toes from dragging the ground, but then as my riding progressed, it allowed me to firmly plant my wieght on the pegs, instead of "sitting" on the bike. I support most of my weight with my feet, my knees on the tank, and my core, keeping my hands very light on the controls. With your feet and body in a different position, you may have to adjust the shifter/brake levers to accomodate this new riding style.

The most important things I can stress are to practice good visual techniques, i.e. reference points, and stay loose on the bike. Look up Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" and The Pace for some good reading.

and if you ever want to ride, hit me up

[Davy4575]

I race a carbed bike, thats jetted and piped with little regard to what the engine does below 6 to 7k rpm. Making sure your jetting is on and there is no slop in the cable is vital, particularly the pilot circuit for street riding (idle to 1/4 open or so). As Casey said, keeping the throttle a little open so that you can smoothly get back on to the power works wonders on the track, and gives you some added cusion on the street to deal with emergancy avoidance.

[kbahus]

I'm far from being an expert, but in my experience I find alot of newer riders tend to move around too much on the street, before really becoming comfortable with leaning the bike.

The purpose of hanging off the bike is to re-position the center of mass lower and to the inside of the bike, this will allow for greater speeds compared to the same lean angle with an upright riding position. When getting on the gas hard out of corners, hanging off also allows you to get the bike more upright, providing better traction than would be available on the side of the tire. There is a finite amount of traction available at the limit, and you have to balance that between braking, turning and accelerating. Hanging off might become necessary on bikes with ground clearance issues when lean angles increase, to prevent from dragging hard parts.

My triumph probably has similar ergos to your 599, albeit a little more stretched out. I ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs at all times pretty much. At first it was to keep my toes from dragging the ground, but then as my riding progressed, it allowed me to firmly plant my wieght on the pegs, instead of "sitting" on the bike. I support most of my weight with my feet, my knees on the tank, and my core, keeping my hands very light on the controls. With your feet and body in a different position, you may have to adjust the shifter/brake levers to accomodate this new riding style.

The most important things I can stress are to practice good visual techniques, i.e. reference points, and stay loose on the bike. Look up Keith Code's "Twist of the Wrist" and The Pace for some good reading.

and if you ever want to ride, hit me up

I feel very much like I just sit on the bike like a big lump. The position of the pegs seems like that what it was designed for but what do I know. I always try to remember to grip the tank as I do feel the difference it makes. Perhaps if I just work on my footwork and some form things will start falling into line. I have put 1000 miles on the bike in the last two months since I got it but it is almost all commuting with zero "fun" time in the mountains. It's hard to find time to get up there with such a busy schedule, but I will definitely hit you up when I know I am free. I feel I have learned to ride in a straight line pretty well