knee down
#13
08-18-2010, 01:00 PM
Either one can have damages if not done properly. You can practice both in an empty parking lot. As other have said dragging a knee is for the track. It is more of a result than an intent. The more you shift your body and lean the knee will follow but on the street you don't wear pucks so it'll hurt. You can practice getting lower and body position at a slower speed in an empty parking lot. This can help pass that comfort zone and realize that you can get low. Clutching it up is the same, practice in an empty lot. Keep the rear brake covered and take it slow.
I do agree that you should practice either wheelie or leaning in a parking lot going slowly before trying it anywhere else.
For leaning, you should lean forward and to the side, and keep your elbo down! Be gentle, smooth and consistent with the throttle.
For wheelies start off my just hitting the gas hard to get the wheel off of the ground a little. and then go higher and higher as you feel comfortable. Then start to pop/slide the clutch method. Start off small and work you way up or you will flip!
Last edited by mad dog tannen; 08-18-2010 at 01:08 PM.
#14
08-18-2010, 03:13 PM
I guess I should have said that it is a result from proper body shift and positioning.
#15
08-18-2010, 08:25 PM
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If you want to increase your speed through a turn, you need to lean and change your body position correctly. The whole point of hanging off is to get the center of gravity moved off the centerline of the bike by shifting the torso and head to the inside of the turn. You cannot do that by hugging the tank, and when you are properly positioned for high-speed turning, your lean angle is optimal with your speed, the knee will probably touch down, as a result. Granted, I can make it touch down much earlier with incorrect position and/or forcing my knee outwards (which is most low speed parking lot knee dragging).
And learning knees down should only be on a track IMHO with appropriate instruction and supervision. Incorrect body position easily leads to a lowside.
EDIT: Went to edit one word and two paragraphs got zapped. Oh well, the wonders of computers...
And learning knees down should only be on a track IMHO with appropriate instruction and supervision. Incorrect body position easily leads to a lowside.
EDIT: Went to edit one word and two paragraphs got zapped. Oh well, the wonders of computers...
Last edited by randyjoy; 08-18-2010 at 08:33 PM.
#16
08-18-2010, 08:54 PM
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#17
08-19-2010, 10:57 AM
As said before, knee down is for a rider to judge the lean angle. The reason to hang off is to REDUCE the lean angle. You lean the bike over to compensate the centrifugal force during the turn, there is a limit to your lean angle, the faster you go, the more you lean due to the greater centrifugal force.
In order to to faster around a corner at maximum lean angle, you need to shift your weight to the inside of the turn, this helps compensate the centrifugal force, allowing you to stand the bike up a bit more, and reduce the lean angle, thus increasing tyre contact patch in fast turns.
However, that is all race and track stuff! Getting a knee down on a road, means you're totally committed to that corner, you're on the limit and have no safety margin, if there was a parked car around the corner, or somebody walks out to cross, or even some grit has blown on the road or a pot hole happened, oil spill etc, means you have nowhere to go at those lean angles, and at those speeds also no time to react.
In order to to faster around a corner at maximum lean angle, you need to shift your weight to the inside of the turn, this helps compensate the centrifugal force, allowing you to stand the bike up a bit more, and reduce the lean angle, thus increasing tyre contact patch in fast turns.
However, that is all race and track stuff! Getting a knee down on a road, means you're totally committed to that corner, you're on the limit and have no safety margin, if there was a parked car around the corner, or somebody walks out to cross, or even some grit has blown on the road or a pot hole happened, oil spill etc, means you have nowhere to go at those lean angles, and at those speeds also no time to react.
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