Cornering101 - July 4th, 2025
Welcome to the Guild!
This is the starting point for all new guild members regardless of previous experience. You will be joining us at the beautiful Vancouver Island Motorsports Circuit in Duncan, B.C. at 7:00 A.M. You'll spend the whole day working with your coaches in the classroom and on a closed-circuit building a strong foundation of cornering skills.
It doesn't matter if you've only been riding for a short while on a decked-out cruiser, you're an experienced rider on a big adventure bike, or you and your sportbike are somewhere in between. The coaches at TractionWerks will help you get the most out of the exercises and improve your cornering skill and confidence.
As mentioned on our philosophy page, we start with a great technique to help you stabilize your bike in the corner. This is a game changer and a key component in building a strong foundation for the rest of your cornering skills.
Next, we work with you on your visual skills. One of the most underdefined aspects of riding is our visual skills.
Vision is the most important sense we have as riders. There are deaf riders, riders with reduced sensation in their hands and feet, some who have no sense of smell, and there are certainly a good number of riders with no taste whatsoever.
When you first learned to ride you were likely told to look where you want to go and to look far ahead. Those are both great pieces of advice, but they are also quite general. We want to maximize the potential of our vision while cornering.
We have two drills related to vision in Cornering 101. The first is intended to help you get into the corner and fight off that rapidly hunting vision brought on by panic when you are not sure where to look. The second is later in the day, and it helps you slow things down visually and get a better sense of your actual speed.
You'll also learn how to relax on the bike. One of the hardest things to do on the bike, yet one of the most beneficial, is to relax. We have certainly all had the experience of death-gripping the handlebars as we are riding. As you may know, that is not particularly helpful. We have a way to help minimize that, and the hand signal for it is a favourite amongst students and teachers.
We have saved the best drill for last. This is the skill that our students just love to practice. They say it has transformed their riding and their control over their bikes.
Why don't we start there? We need the foundation of the other four drills before we can introduce it. The skills and confidence you gain over the first four sessions allow you to get the most from this drill. While the technique is simple, it must be supported by a strong foundation. That same foundation is essential for the more advanced skills taught in Cornering201.
We want to thank you for joining the Guild, and we look forward to helping you become the confident corner carving rider you want to be.
Taken this course before? You are welcome to do it again and get the benefit of expert coaching and familiar drills. We're certain you'll improve your cornering even more, and we do love to help you improve.