10.3 Curves, Hills, Crosswinds, Turbulence, and Cargo

Road Design and the Rider

Roads are shaped, not flat. They have crowns (a high centre to shed water), banks (tilt through corners to help cars turn), hills (crests and dips that hide traffic), and curves (constant changes in direction). A rider who reads the road's shape can set up for each feature; a rider who doesn't gets pushed around by it.

Crowns and Banks

• A crowned road slopes down from the centre to both edges so water runs off. The rider-specific danger is lean angle: turning across a crown reduces the angle between the motorcycle and the road, so you have less margin for error. Your footpeg or side stand can drag, or you can simply run out of traction and fall. ICBC's answer is the same as for every road-shape problem — slow down before the curve.
• A banked curve tilts so the inside edge is lower than the outside, which helps you turn more precisely. But not all curves are banked, and similar-looking curves may be banked to different degrees, so read the bank rather than assuming it.

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Hills

Hills hide traffic and change braking demands.

Cresting a Hill

• Slow down before the crest — oncoming traffic, a stalled car, or an animal could be just over the top, and you can't see them until you're there
• Shift toward the right side of your lane to give yourself a buffer against oncoming vehicles that may be over the centre line
• Don't accelerate over the crest — wait until you can see the road ahead and know it's clear
• Turning across a slope reduces your lean margin, exactly as a crowned curve does. When you turn from a slope, slow down so you can use less lean angle and still hold your intended path.

Riding Downhill

• Use engine braking — downshift and let the engine hold your speed rather than riding the brakes
• Riding the brakes causes brake fade (overheated brakes that lose stopping power) on long descents
• Keep your following distance — downhill, it takes longer to stop, so you need more space
• Look 12 seconds ahead and brake early, while you still have grip in reserve

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Curves

Cornering is the skill that defines motorcycling, and it is where ICBC's advice is most emphatic: slow down to a safe speed before you enter the curve. The reason is traction budget. The faster you go, the harder you must push the bar to turn in; the harder you push, the more the motorcycle leans; and the more it leans, the more of your available traction is already spent. Once you have used up nearly all of it, three things can go wrong at once — you may need a little more lean to stay in the curve and have none left, an abrupt brake application can break traction, and a wet or rough patch can drop you. A safe entry speed leaves you leaning at a moderate angle with reserve traction for whatever the curve turns out to hold.

Pay attention to speed advisory signs on the approach: the lower the number, the sharper the arc is likely to be.

The Four Steps of a Curve

1. Slow before the curve — do all your braking while the bike is still upright and moving in a straight line; entering a corner too fast is the single most common motorcycle crash
2. Look through the curve — turn your head and aim your eyes at the exit, not at the edge of the road; the bike goes where you look
3. Maintain a steady throttle — once you're in the curve, hold a constant speed; accelerating or decelerating mid-corner shifts weight and reduces grip
4. Exit smoothly — as you see the curve open up, roll on the throttle gently and let the bike stand up

Lane Position: Outside-Inside-Out

A widely taught line through a curve is outside-inside-out: start near the outside edge of your lane, move toward the inside at the middle of the curve, and drift back to the outside as you exit. Used at a sensible speed it gives the straightest path, the best view of the road ahead, and the most traction reserve because the motorcycle turns less. It is a technique, not an ICBC rule — Learn to Ride Smart frames curve safety in terms of entry speed, lean angle, and reserve traction rather than a named line — so treat it as a way of applying ICBC's visibility, space, and traction goals, never as licence to carry more speed.

Curves that change shape

• Decreasing-radius curves get tighter as they progress. Slow down before the turn, avoid braking once you are in it, and countersteer or lean a little more to tighten your line.
• Multiple curves — a series that reverses direction — need extra caution. Slow down and countersteer through them one at a time, settling the motorcycle between each.
• If you misjudge the arc of any curve, the recovery is the same: look where you want to go and steer at a steady speed in that direction. Do not grab the brakes mid-corner.

Exam point: ICBC's curve answer is almost always about entry speed and reserve traction — slow before the curve, keep a steady throttle in it, and look through to the exit.

Curve Position Diagram

The diagram below shows the outside-inside-out path through a right-hand curve.

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Crosswinds and Turbulence

Wind is the one hazard you can't see until it hits you. A steady crosswind pushes the bike sideways; a gust from a passing truck can shove you half a lane in a second.

How to Ride in a Crosswind

• Grip the bars firmly but keep your arms relaxed — a death grip transmits every gust straight to the steering; relaxed arms let the bike correct itself under you
• Lean the bike into the wind — if the wind is from the left, lean slightly left so the bike holds its line; don't fight the bars, let the lean do the work
• Anticipate gusts — ICBC names the places to expect them: the entrances and exits of tunnels and bridges, gaps between tall buildings, and exposed roadways after a sheltered stretch
• Ride the side of your lane the wind is coming from — if the wind is from the left, hold the left part of your lane so a gust pushes you toward the centre rather than onto the shoulder
• Crosswinds hit you twice — once when they arrive and once when they stop. A line of trees or a truck that blocks the wind sets you up for a shove when the shelter ends
• Watch for turbulence from large vehicles, oncoming as well as passing. The faster they are moving, the more turbulence they make and the further off your path they can push you — and watch for other vehicles that turbulence may push into your path: small cars, bicycles, tall vehicles, campers, and cars towing trailers
• If crosswinds are severe, stop riding. ICBC says so directly

Turbulence from Trucks and Buses

Large vehicles create two turbulence zones: a push as the air in front of them hits you, and a pull as the low-pressure wake behind them sucks you sideways. Expect both when you pass or are passed by a truck, and hold a firm, relaxed line through each.

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Carrying Cargo

A motorcycle is sensitive to weight. Adding a load changes the centre of gravity, the steering feel, the braking distance, and the suspension travel. Carry cargo wrong and the bike can wobble, steer heavy, or — in the worst case — become unstable at speed.

How to Carry Cargo Safely

• Secure the load — anything that can shift will shift; use tie-downs, a tank bag, or panniers designed for your bike, and check them after a few kilometres
• Keep the load low and forward — weight low and toward the front of the bike keeps the centre of gravity down and the steering stable; weight high and to the rear makes the bike want to weave
• Distribute the weight evenly — left-right balance matters; a heavy load on one side pulls the bike that direction in every corner
• Adjust your riding for the weight — a loaded bike takes longer to stop, needs more throttle to accelerate, and is slower to steer; allow for it
• Don't exceed the load capacity — every motorcycle has a manufacturer's maximum load (rider, passenger, and cargo combined); overloading affects handling and can blow a tyre
• Re-check tie-downs — vibration loosens straps; stop after 15–20 minutes and re-check

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Putting It Together

Curves, hills, wind, and cargo all ask the same thing of the rider: set up before the change, keep the bike stable through it, and don't surprise the tyres. Slow before a curve, shift before a crest, lean into a gust, and secure a load before you ride. The rider who reads the road and adjusts ahead of time never has to make a panic input — and panic inputs are what lose traction, lose lines, and lose control.