Hint 1:

It's absolutely critical that you don't turn into a corner too early (even more so than with car racing sims). If you do, the bike will understeer heavily to the outside, and you will be completely offline for the straightaway that follows. By being patient and waiting for the
proper turn-in point, you will be able to rocket
out of the turn with considerably more speed.

Hint 2:

If you have the traction-control aid turned off, your bike will slide out from under you every time you so much as touch a blade of grass on the outside of a corner. Oddly enough, you can put your wheels on the grass or dirt located on the inside of the turn without suffering any such dire consequences. Use this to your advantage as
much as possible, but don't cut the corner too much, or you will bring on a stop-and-go penalty for shortcutting.

Hint 3:

If you use a multiple-axis joystick with a twist grip and a separate throttle control, you can map your rider's lean-and-pitch movements to these axes for more hands-on control and a somewhat greater challenge.