Yesterday I had a shop put a set of Avon Azaros on the ST1100, and to scrub them in I took the 40-mile way home, via Las Pilitas Road. That's a nice rural road, running some seven miles through wooded hills, the occasional open field, only a few families living along there. The authorities have recently been kind enough to resurface the whole stretch, and the asphalt is narrow enough not to warrant a center line.
I turned off the straightish Pozo Road onto Las Pilitas, and that very feeling of the bike angling over caused a warm feeling in my body. We, the bike and I, headed up a little ridge, left, right, left, right, left, never staying perpendicular for more than a second. Crest the ridge, and we did the same going down to the Salinas River. I have taken all manner of machines over the road, from Harley Softails to dual-purpose singles and seriously sporty twins, triples, and fours. The style of the ride, as well as the rider, determines the angle of the lean. The rotational nature of a motorcycle makes the lean such a pleasure, always using power to the rear wheel; it is more banking than steering. Maybe I maintain a steady throttle in a bend, more often I'm accelerating, as I like to slow before the curve, then power through. Not too much gas, just enough to make the bike want to finish the curve by standing up straight.
101 Road Tales Clement Salvadori p335