Question re riding control

OK, I tried a forum search, got nothing, so I'll ask this n00b (to scooters) question
I know the trick for low speed cornering, loading the brake against the engine
Is there any way to even partially compensate for not having a tank to grip with your knees?
I seem to have an irrational fear of sliding off the inside (I know that won't happen, the neanderthal inside me doesn't) and it seriously limits my already unimpressive cornering ability
Is there a way to 'lock yourself in place' the way you do by gripping the tank on a moto?
It's not fun to have cars esting your rear end through tight turns

Ride feet forward with you boots up high on the footboards.

And pressure on them when cornering should give the locked in feeling, makes sense
I have been riding feet forward, but hadn't thought to add some pressure
Silly me
Thanks Meldrew, I'll get the hang of this eventually

Also consider that the G forces on the seat are ALWAYS straight down into the seat because the bike banks. Same as an aircraft, if you have your eyes closed in an airplane or on a motorbike you couldn't tell the machine is turning by the feeling. To prove it, tape a bottle of water to your handlebar and then do some turns, you'll see that the angle of the water in the bottle doesn't change at all.
At very slow speed where a bike doesn't require counter steering, such as slow maneuvering in a parking lot the situation is different since the bike remains nearly upright, but at anything over a walking speed you don't have to worry about falling off. You are just as solid on the seat as you were going straignt.

I also wedge my backside against the butt stop on the seat by pressing my feet forward on rough ground. Going straight ahead over bumps sometimes I do miss the riding position on a typical motorcycle. You really can't get your feet under you as well as one can riding on pegs. On a motorcycle your legs can act as a spring to ease the big bumps. On a scooter you can get bumped up off the seat, going straight on a bump. Wedging yourself into the seat will help. The good news is that while you can get bumped up off the seat a bit you'll come down right. Kinda like 'posting' on a horse.

Yes all of the above plus practice practice practice. You will also find out on the open road that you can put pressure on the foot in the direction you want to turn to help turn. Howard

Since I've always rode scooters I've never really had a problem with not having a tank to lean against. Just takes some practice. I can turn a u-ie in a single lane without problems. For me the trick is to NOT let off the throttle once you pull your feet up and power through the turn. If on the open road when not from a stop I slow down enough so I can accelerate through the turn while not going too fast. If you let off the throttle at any point it just wants to let you fall over to the inside of the turn. Use the centrifugal force to keep you upright.

One other thing, when you feel uneasy in the corners you may tend to look down at where you're tracking. Doing this can set you up for loss of control, so always look at the exit of the corner, not where you are but where you are going. As said above, keep your feet planted forward, stay off the brakes as you start the turn and add throttle through the apex...Just like on a standard.

It's always worth watching some of the "Ride like a Pro" videos. While a scooter doesn't have a manual clutch to work with the methods in the video can be modified a bit. Keeping the scooter's clutch slightly engaged but slipping and controlling speed with the rear brake you can do a pretty good adaptation of Jerry Paladino's method. I can ride my scooter in a tight turn with the handlebar against the stop in either direction and do figure eights the same way.

It's easy to ride a scooter or motorcycle at speed; where skill and finesse are needed is in low speed handling, practice, practice and more practice. Practice slow riding besides turns. If I can do it with a 900lb Goldwing anyone ought to be able to do it with a bit of practice. One other thing I practice is at stop signs. I like to come to a full stop and then go without putting my feet on the ground. It's fun really. A friend of mine has been able to balance on his scooter for up to five minutes. So far I still can't do more than 10-15 seconds. But I'm still trying.

Thanks for the replies
Paul, I did say it was an irrational fear, I know centrifugal force works there, I'm just used to having that tank
I was watching Keith Code's 'cornering bible' video (California superbike school) and when he discussed how being locked in and stable by gripping the tank with your knees, makes you less likely to be ham fisted with the bars, a light went on
due to not feeling locked in place, I may be tightening too much on the bars and messing up my Swing's natural stability in turns, which may be part of why I tend to run wide (and slow) so i was curious how you really lock yourself in on a step through

The best advice I got at my motorcycle class is to look at where you want be while in a turn and the bike will do the maneuver for you. I have entered curves too fast and started to panic, but remembered the procedure and was able to negotiate the curve. In slow riding it helps to engage the left brake handle lightly while keeping your RPM up slightly. Best to find an empty parking lot and practice, practice, and more practice. Good luck. Ride safely.

In most any maneuver on a bike it's critical to be looking where you want to go and not at the ground close to you. Also just as important is if one want's to avoid something ahead of them not to look at the obstacle but look where you want to go to clear it. "Target fixation" will get you every time. You can prove it to yourself on a road with no traffic. Try slaloming around the dashed line in the center of the road (preferably not on a two lane road). It's easy if you look between the dashes rather than at them to miss them.

Your spot on there Exavid.
I've lost count of the number of times I've seen a pothole coming up and gone straight through it simply because I was looking at it rather than at the bit of tarmac next to it.