Meester Frog wrote:
I haven't been on a road bike for 20 years...
That's ok. It'll all come back.
You're
always going to get folk coming out with different opinions on how to ride into corners/hairpins etc. Line up 20 modern day riders, and show then ONE corner, and they'll ALL have a different view on it. Even 3 different motorcycle riding instructors will contradict each other. The same as if taking yer dog to a Vet. One will say one thing, another veterinarian will suggest something else.
If you take it easy, break yourself in SLOWLY, and NOT try to get yer knee down or anything daft, then all should be good.
Remember, your
not riding to break any records. Nor are you riding to impress anyone. Just because this guy on a top whack Ducati can go round a corner as if on rails at 70mph, doesn't mean you'll be able to do the same - even if he explains what to do. We all have our limits of how far we're prepared to go. From:
"this is easy"...to,
WHOAH Nelly! that was close!...not doing THAT again!"
His bike will be set up differently, will have different handling characteristics, and, he's got no fear (after using a track) in throwing the bike to its limits on a corner. Track riding and road riding are waaay different. If you ferk up on a road corner, there's all-sorts to smash into. On a track, there's a smooth run off, grass to slide on, kitty litter to dump the bike into and bales/tyres to bounce off.
So again, just cos the mate says
"do it like this", may not work for you, and it'll end up costly it all goes tits up. (or should that be "tits sideways!?")
Heck!, there are
some corners that even I
still take like a thruppenny bit, and I'm better at taking left hand corners harder than I am right (s'all to do with camber) But, even when I used to ride out with 5 or more "mates", they all used to blatt ahead like their butt was on fire, and I just arrived, well, whenever I arrived.
As for speed limits, well, they're just that: limits. They are not targets to be met, and just because the sign says "60", doesn't mean you
have to ride at that speed. You've still got all those years of past experience to release again, and get it all falling back into place. Riding within your OWN capabilities (on a more modern, faster bike), and not trying to match someone elses capabilities is a MUST. Try not to absorb all the technical info these younger riders throw at you, as it'll just swamp the old grey matter with too much information.
Personally, the only way to get back into riding (and catching up with modern handling and technology), is to book a rider-refresher course with a qualified instructor. That way, yer getting good, reliable, and proven riding skills. It's something I was thinking about doing soon - taking an Advanced refresher (before the health determined handing the licence back to the DVLA until I get medically approved to ride again).
Take 'er easy. Break back into it slowly. Find out how the bike handles in certain situations (without pushing it), and ride within your own comfort zone. Keep 'er upright and remember: "There are too many dead heroes in the Cemetery!"
My discs also didn't have that much "free play" (like the guys bike in the video), but after a few flushings and turnings, I could pinch the bobbins with my thumb and finger, and turn them freely. 
