ok well i had some questions about lean, well first off i had my 'race sag' and my suspension all set up correctly for my weight and i keep my tires at 32.5 and 36 rear(cold) and they have plenty of tread left etc....i used to practice a lot more on my lean and turn in and exit points and i read a bunch of books and i've got some pretty good saddle time down. but i weight 250 lbs with gear and it feels like im either leaning not nearly enough(even though i dont think i can carry any more speed) and when i do lean harder it feels like the bike wants to literally fall over(like im too top heavy)....are their any other guys out there who have pretty hard times leaning because of weight....im 6'3" also and i have a hard time getting my knee down that low, i mean in position to get my knee down....

 

Well I am 6 ft 250 lbs and I can tell you that us people that are weight challenged (like us) need to get off the bike more than the lighter people. My instructor at Cornerspeed riding school is nicknamed XXX bec he is a large guy also and one dayhe was working with me and he kept saying "Get your *** off the bike....Get your *** off the bike" I felt like I was about to fall off the bike at first and it also felt like the bike just fell over but after I got use to it I have seen pics of myself on the track and my form is very similar to the lighter guys. Now I have no problem with getting my knee on the ground anytime I want.What tires are you running cause the pressure that you stated earlier seems way too high. I use to run Pilot powers and at the track I ran them at 30 in the front and 32 in the rear. This will get you a little more traction and will also help with the feeling that the bike is falling over since it will make it steet a little slower. Now I run full blown race tires at the track bec I learned that again being a little heavy I need more traction since I am putting more strain on my tires. What really helped me with hanging off the bike was trying to make sure that the opposite leg was resting on the gas tank and up nest to the seat and to try and put my head where the mirrors are and to keep my shoulders in line with my head. Do this in small incriments and be patient. Before you know it your knee will be on the ground bec you will feel more comfortable hangging off the bike and your speed will increase.

 

sounds like you still have too much weight over the center of the bike.
like sinjin said...get out of the bike...hang off like a monkey.

in a hard lean, the suspension works with the tire to provide optimal traction through the turn. once the suspension bottoms out, it's just the rubber on the tire working...give it a little more and then you go sliding.

so the point is to get out of the bike, which will decrease center of gravity and also take the amount of load coming directly down the center of the bike.

it will feel VERY funny at first, but seriously, once you do it enough you'll get the 'hang' of it...mauahahah...and if you try to ride without getting out, it'll feel awkward. you'll also be able to feel the load on the suspension and tire...and it'll feel scary/unstable to you.

 

ok cool c i knew it had to do with my extra weight because ill put half my *** off....turn 45 degrees and put my head next to the bars and i just try to go that much faster to stabilize....ill try a little less on the rear(i warm to 34-35 on my front CORSA...i have mix matched tires).....its the front i always feels give a tad....but i know im almost fully there cuz you look at my tires and see 1/2 of an inch thats never been ridden on...i think another thing that mentally scares me is the fact that i have preload maxed and still got like 35mils of sag....the front springs just aren't stiff enough....ill try gettin farther off...thanx man

 

yeah the last two days i shot pretty fast into some condensing turns and forced myself to have to lean pretty hard and i tried to hang pretty far off and noticed that literally i was pulling on the other side of the bars too to hold on lol...i gotta work on footpeg leverage and my shoulders and head alignment. thanx for tips....i dropped the rear a bit too and the front 2. the only thing that sucks is the fact that I have to ride by myself because everyone i know are suzuki squids and dont even know what preload means lol

 

I had my suspension dialed in and your right front isnt stiff enough..the back on the hand is TOO stiff.....running now feels better than before but really need stiffer in the front and little weaker in the rear....you dont want to have NO adjustments in your suspension...Iam full stiff and barley get req mm of sag.....so next mod will be suspension....also I noticed that when practicing in empty parking lot....easier to make a little gp track than do cicrcle and get dizzy.....body wont lock up and its easier to concentrate....

 

go check out the post by BMG VELOCITY...woodyracing gives really good pointers on it at the bottom of the page.

 

cool....yeah what i did to compensate for weak front was i put more compression damping in to slow travel and then quickened the extention to try to keep tire planted more....man the diff it made. i'm down to 234 now(army PT test coming up for reenlistment)....so im sure sag has lessened a bit but imma try to have GP suspension revalve everything in the winter maybe. only thing that sucks on some of the turns is the fact that your going about 75 to sustain the suspension and on the other side is a guardrail with your name written all over it lol.