How Low Can You Go?
An easy way to spot the difference between an inexperienced motorcycle rider and someone with a much higher skill level is to study how they take their corners. You can usually notice right off the bat when someone has more faith in their rubber, and as a result, has far superior control of the bike through twists and corners.
My motorcycle has little markers that stick out from under my pegs that scrape the ground to notify me when I’m leaning the bike over a little too far. If you’re anything like me, you’d know these little markers have been ground down to literally nothing and no longer exist, because every time I take a corner they shoot sparks and grind down over time. What am I left with for notifying me I’m leaning too hard? (or in this case, just enough, champion.)
KurvX is a neat little gadget – from German electronics grand X-Log – for your motorcycle to help identify your lean angles and where you’re safest when cranking through corners.
It’s a small device that you equip to your handlebars and it uses internal accelerometers to display your exact lean angle when riding, so you can better understand/fine-tune your riding style for a safer approach.
The device flashes an LED when warning that you approaching maximum lean angle, and studies/logs all your cornering data every time you tip the bike over.
When paired to your smartphone (only android is available for now. iPhone and iOS support will come shortly), your device will display the lean angle from the previous turn and will report full data to your hand for future use or study.
This product may not be for all riders though, when I bought my motorcycle second-hand, the first thing I noticed was the outer 30% tread on the tires has never even been scrubbed, meaning that the previous owner rode the thing for 3000 miles and not once did he lean it in any way, shape, or form. The rear tire’s tread was flat in the middle from riding on the same point of contact for so long. Let’s all hope this isn’t you, as the less control you have over your bike the less safe you will be in the long run.
For around $300 USD you can avoid the shame of knowing the next owner of your motorcycle didn’t laugh when inspecting your unsafe tire wear patterns.