4 LIFE & DEATH Cornering Mistakes on Your Motorcycle

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Today, we're breaking down four of the most common mistakes riders make when cornering—mistakes that can easily turn a fun ride into a trip to the emergency room if you're not careful.

Let’s get into it.

1. Poor Lane Position in Corners

A lot of riders limit their visibility through a corner before they even enter it. Choosing the wrong lane position not only limits what you can see—it also limits what others can see of you.

For a right-hand curve: Position to the left of your lane.
For a left-hand curve: Position to the right of your lane.

This positioning improves your line of sight and increases your visibility to oncoming traffic. Hugging the inside of a curve, especially on a left-hand turn, can sharpen the corner unnecessarily and hide potential hazards.

Pro tip: Use a delayed apex. Start wide, look through the curve, and follow a smooth outside-inside-outside path. It gives you more time, more visibility, and more space to correct if needed.

2. Entering a Corner Too Fast

This one gets a lot of riders. Entering a corner too fast is a leading cause of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes—especially on curves.

Too much speed:

Reduces your options mid-corner
Increases your lean angle
Leaves you vulnerable to surprises like gravel or oncoming traffic

The key here is simple: Slow in, smooth out.

Set your speed before the corner, not during it. Whether you’re using the SLPR technique or trail braking, the goal is the same—control.

Trail braking can offer more flexibility since your front tire is already loaded, but mid-corner panic braking is not a smart move.

3. Target Fixation

Target fixation is real—and it’s dangerous.

When riders get startled by something—like a pothole or the edge of the pavement—they often stare right at it. And the motorcycle? It goes exactly where you’re looking.

Instead:

Look where you want to go
Train yourself to look through the turn, not at the hazard
Point your nose in the direction you want the bike to go

It’s a mental game as much as a physical one. Say it out loud: “I want to go there,” then look there. Your motorcycle will follow.

4. Riding Beyond Sight Distance

This mistake is especially common on unfamiliar or twisty roads.

Riding beyond your sight distance means you’re going too fast to stop for hazards you can’t yet see. If there’s gravel or a tree branch hidden around the bend, you need to be able to stop before hitting it.

A simple rule:

If you can see 50 feet, you need to be able to stop in 50 feet
If you can only see 15 feet, ride at a speed that lets you stop in 15 feet

It’s simple, but this one principle could prevent a lot of crashes.

The Bottom Line: Plan the Corner

Your best friend in a corner is a good plan:

Get your speed set early
Pick the proper lane position
Look through the turn
Ride at a speed that lets you stop within your sight distance

If any of these mistakes sound familiar, don’t worry. We all start somewhere. The important thing is recognizing the issue and practicing it in a safe environment.

Practice Makes Permanent

A quiet road or parking lot is a great place to work on your cornering technique. Track days are even better—they offer a safe environment to improve your skills under controlled conditions.

I don’t ride track days to go faster. I ride them to ride safer.

And if you want some structured help, the MCrider Field Guide has on-bike drills designed to fix these exact issues. You can order the Field Guide and the new Road Strategy book at:

👉 MCrider.com/Books

Or become an Annual Pro Member, and I’ll send you a free copy of the Field Guide straight to your home.

Ride smart, ride safe—and until next week…

—Kevin