looks like fun, deff. something i want to do in the future

 

As someone who just did their first track day not quite two weeks ago, I don't think that's very good advice for someone about to do their first day.

I'm a hot shot on the street, and my pegs, feet and knees didn't come anywhere near scraping the ground on my day. My tire did the fun shredding thing and I didn't have any chicken strips left, so it's not like I couldn't lean and hold some speed. But there should be no expectation that you're going to scrape pegs all day long, because you shouldn't be. Occasionally, sure.

Your body positioning is not optimal for corner speed and lean. While your butt may be hanging off, everything else is straight and high. Your head is centered with the bike, your chest is far away from the tank, your arms are tucked in. I had a lot of the same problems on my day, and need to work on them myself, so don't feel I'm picking on your or something.

I spent most of my day concentrating on various things I wanted to improve. I don't care about hitting the highest speed on the straights or throttling out of corners as fast as possible, because until I can improve other things, those are pointless to me. I focused more on loosening my hands, as you should be able to move them freely even in full lean, along with the best lines and keeping my attention and vision focused (once you look away in a turn, it screws you up).

I also took video on four of my sessions, each at various camera angles. I've got excellent shots of both my body angle, and those around me. I'd like to point out that you ran off track a couple of times because you didn't hold your line and/or lean angle. Both me a friend that was with me noted that many times we'd see the people who had passed us run off the track. At one point a hot shot in my group came too hot on the inside of a corner, started to lock up his brakes, let go and ran straight off. He did this as I was on the outside about to make my entrance. A second later and I would've dove right into the side of his bike. Phew!

So I'd definitely suggest talking to your control riders and such at the next track day, have them give you some more tips, and focus more on your technique than on going as fast as you think you can. Because you can go SO much faster doing it the right way. And again, I'm a track noob too, so 99% of this applies to me also.

So yeah, ride easier than you feel the need to and ride SMART. I had no issues throughout the day and it was a blast.

 

Aken, you're helping make my point. Body position is everything.

I also don't see peg feelers on your bike, so I'm not sure you understood that I was talking about the 2" peg feelers that extend down and out from the stock pegs - and not the pegs themselves. Nobody should be grinding down PEGS, let alone on their first day.

Here's the scratched midpipe and the peg feeler if you look at the top right.

 

Yeah my feelers were off before I bought the bike. I'm glad to help make your point, though to me feelers are part of the peg also and still won't likely be near the ground to most new track riders.

 

I think most ppl drag their feelers even on the street once in a while if they get after it at all.

 

I totally agree with some of your points but having chicken strips doesn't really show that you are "hanging" off or necessarily have good form. I did my first track day earlier in the summer and my knee was down almost every turn.

You can see by my tires that I even had some "chicken strips" left on the edge. A little more on the front. You could be sitting over the top of the bike (like in your pics) and then having to lean the bike over to the edge of the tires, which is a little scary IMO.

I've raised the rear of the bike up, and my exhaust and kick stand scrape all over the place.







Everyone on this forum should do a track day!

 

I see no chicken strips in the above pic

 

man that looks like a blast!

 

It IS a blast! For most of us, you start the day like this:

Then with confidence comes speed, so you're like this:

But by the end of the day, you realize that all the speed in the world wont get you around that corner without proper body position, so you start working mainly on this:

But before you're really nailed it, you're either exhausted or it's time to pack up...so you'll be back for another track day!

 

+1 on Aken's advise above.

I've been tracking my '01 F4i for the past 3+ years.
Scraping pegs only happens at the most extreme lean angles, and a bike with properly set up suspension (not too soft and can handle the forces the bike is putting on it) should also help keep from dragging exhaust mid-pipe, kickstand, or pegs.

Dragging a peg is NOT a good thing and if you end up putting too much weight on that peg, it's going to unload the weight on one of the tires and your going down. Been there.

Proper body position helps eliminate the extreme lean angle, and a tire thats shredded is just an indication of improper suspension, and tire pressure.