knee drag
 

what is the optimal speed for knee draging?

dragging knee is a byproduct of proper cornering
it can be done at any speed
don't focus on looking like Rossi
practice proper cornering first and the rest will follow

:icon_attention:

If you try to force a knee down, you're increasing you chances of making a mistake. Gotama is right: getting a knee down isn't a goal, it's a reward for doing things right. I won't say it can be done at any speed. But it can most certainly happen in a parking lot.

You question is very dangerous. If someone had responded "87 mph", it could have led to ppl trying to take corners st 87 mph. With proper body position and throttle / brake management (not to set speed but to manage torque), your knee may touch... if the turn calls for it ;)

you're right I should retract that statement about doing it at any speed
best place to learn proper cornering is on/in a track setting
doing this on the street can lead to bad things happening

This is someone on day 2 of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic.

Attachment 34479

The course is held in parking lots. The theory behind the course is
They even cover trail braking. Skills like knee dragging and trail braking aren't appropriate nor necessary for street riding. But a track environment isn't necessary to learn them. In fact some track organization are probably as dangerous to riders trying to learn as the rider trying to teach themselves on I-95. Poor organization, poor instruction and little to no feedback.

To the OP:
You're trying to learn. Learn from the right people. Research track organizations, making sure they're offering real instruction. Or look into the various schools like TC ARC, California Superbike School and Yamaha Champions Riding School. We aren't going to be much real assistance because

1. we can't provide feedback on what you're doing right / wrong since we can't see how you ride
2. most of us aren't instructors (there are a few here) and can only really say what works for us, which may not necessarily work for you

I think a better question would be, what is the REASON why knee dragging is used? Hint: it's not so you look cool ;)

Agreed.

To delve in further though, why is knee dragging a byproduct of good cornering? Why is it useful?

Misti

Knee dragging helps to gauge your lean angle and if you're really pro it can help you to keep your tires on the tarmac if your front wheel ever washes out. That second reason sounds unrealistic, but Colin Edwards stated it in an interview a couple years back.

Knee dragging is a byproduct of good body positioning + lean angle. If your ass is off the bike but you leave the knee up against the tank, all you're doing is rotating your body around the bike, not actually changing the center of gravity by hanging off. If you get your ass off the side of the bike and stick your knee out, it helps to center your spine parallel to the bike (the standard way you should be doing it) i.e. keeps you square on the bike.

I know body positioning is different for everyone and there have been some very fast guys like Barry Sheene who didn't really hang off and "technically" did it wrong by rotating his body on the bike, but for arguments sake these are the most conventional reasons.

P.S. My friend dragged knee in a parking lot on his F4i going like 10-15 mph.

P.P.S. for Misti, the only reason I drag knee is to look cool. You should see me changing lanes on the highway. ;D

I also heard it helps in cornering by creating a pivot point. And by creating drag when you stick your knee out into the airflow, helping pull you into the turn.

Not entirely sure of that since I'd imagine the effect is very subtle. But then again a slight wiggle in the saddle can affect the entire bike's stability so I'm open to it :)

Agreed on the points above, including that knee dragging does make you look cool :)

Sometimes riders have great body position, they are going reasonably fast, they are sticking their knee out but they STILL can't get it to touch down. What are some reasons why some riders can't get a knee down even though it seems like they should?

Misti

At that point I'd look at the hardware. The bike might be tall, suspension/rearset adjustments could also have something to do with it. There's also the possibility that the corner isn't sharp enough or the line being taken doesn't warrant using that much lean angle.

99% of the time, I've found riders THINK they're leaning their bike when they actually aren't and they THINK they have good body position when they actually look like stumps sitting square on their bikes.