Congrats.

I wanted to shed some light, and get the gears going in this post for everyone.

Its as cliche as it comes, but everyone in the street world is concerned with "chicken strips" and "getting a knee down." These terms should really never be used with a correlation to riding skill. Infact the goal is not to get a knee down. Yes Motogp riders get their knee down every corner, that is because they have the maximum speed allowed for the corner so leaning it over is not optional. Everyone else should focus on getting the bike upright. (here is where you should reread ha). The goal is to keep the bike as upright as possible to allow more tire surface on the ground (contact patch). Most riders really fight to get the bike as low as they can in a corner but the reality is they could have been moving substantially faster without that lean angle. Early in my riding, on an old F2 I got my knee down on the first session of my first trackday, I thought I was king. For a year or so I never got faster because as I tipped the bike to maximum lean angle, I reduced the contact patch, thus my exit speed out of that corner. I limited myself by getting low every corner. I was approached by someone who said "your bike is far too leaned over for the little corner speed you carry"
I am not suggesting you should fight the bike to keep it upright, but the motogp guys hang off so much to lower their center of gravity, and for lack of a better term "push" the bike away from them, getting it more upright, and allowing more tire to contact. Without this, a sure lowside would happen, as they rolled on the gas they way they do, and it it bit, they would be in highsides-ville.

So to the OP, congrats on getting your knee down, the feeling is amazing. I would challenge you to go to a safe environment and see how fast you can enter and exit that turn, despite getting it down.

Hope this gets you motivated

 

Hi, Yeah since this post I have written almost what you have on some other posts. I havnt low sided yet but I have now realised my speed stays a lot faster when I keep the bike more upright and leaning the body more to keep the centre of gravity of the bike as planted as possible!

Unfortunately Im still no closer to getting on a track, however I am heading to some nice european roads for a few months this summer.

All pics I see of people that are really leaning the bike now and people that are commenting on it to say bike isnt low enough etc just make me wonder if they have also realised this lol.

Cheers anyway and ride safe!

 

I think getting the right knee down issue could be from having to throttle with the right hand while trying to counter steer by pushing with the same palm. Some of my friends do all or most of their counter steering with their right hand (push/pull) and i can see how it could possibly affect the right turns. Just my thoughts.

 

awesome stuff. as karl posted knee down doesnt always mean thats the fastest times that lap and neither does chicken strips. if i may suggest some great reading material to help you.

1st is the keith code twist of the wrist 1 and 2.
next would be a book by nick ienatsch. sport riding techniques. especially the chapter on the 100 points of traction. these books give great insight on the handling caracteristics of a bike and tire contact patches.

 

Yes some good reading material there for sure.

What about how quickly you steer the bike? How does the rate at which you countersteer effect how much lean angle you use in a turn?

Misti