Hanging off riding downhill curves

[Ho Lee Kau]

I ride currently only streets, mainly hills close to my house (we have some very nice hairpins, luckily, and 400 vertical meters of elevation change from bottom to top) or the Alps.

I do practice hanging off a bit, but only uphill. Hanging off in a relatively steep downhill turn feels uncomfortable, I am not sure if this is good thing to do as the weight distribution is even more front-biased and I am afraid that if I start leaning and go at higher speed I will lose traction on the front wheel. I know that the purpose of hanging off is to decrease the lean angle but still it feels a bit scary.

Do you guys hang off in downhill curves?

[Jazoli]

You can't get much steeper than the corkscrew

Plenty of hanging off here





Just do whatever is comfortable for you, a bit of hanging off will help but there's no need to go mad on the road.

[s3fella]

When "hanging off" going uphill, you are also pulling yourself forward so feel "lower" as you want to keep the weight on the front a bit.
When going downhill, you can still hang off, (moreso the better to keep bike stood up more), but you also need to not push too hard on the front unless you have a very special tyre on. So you will have arms more locked out to keep your bum back on seat, and hence you wont feel as "hung off".

It's just weight distribution, and if you are making the turns and not falling off, you're doing it pretty much right.

[graeme4130]

Jazoli said:

You can't get much steeper than the corkscrew

Plenty of hanging off here





Just do whatever is comfortable for you, a bit of hanging off will help but there's no need to go mad on the road.

Not that it makes a massive difference, but the right hander out of the corkscrew is quite tight, to the riders in the pic will either be using loads of engine braking, or trailing the brakes into there, so putting more weight on the front.
Without thinking of the science behind it, I think i'd be more comfortable powering through a corner leaning over going down than up as I'd always feel like the bike was trying to wheelie going up hill and reducing front end grip ?

[dibblecorse]

graeme4130 said:

Not that it makes a massive difference, but the right hander out of the corkscrew is quite tight, to the riders in the pic will either be using loads of engine braking, or trailing the brakes into there, so putting more weight on the front.
Without thinking of the science behind it, I think i'd be more comfortable powering through a corner leaning over going down than up as I'd always feel like the bike was trying to wheelie going up hill and reducing front end grip ?

Not at all, the right hander out of the corkscrew is driven through on the throttle once you have flick flacked, you wouldn't do that on a closed throttle it would just run wide requiring even more input through the bars and stress on the fron, also trailing the brake is a no no through there as the front will wash, at certain attack angles you can use a dab of the rear but never a closed throttle or trailing the front ....

[graeme4130]

dibblecorse said:

graeme4130 said:

Not that it makes a massive difference, but the right hander out of the corkscrew is quite tight, to the riders in the pic will either be using loads of engine braking, or trailing the brakes into there, so putting more weight on the front.
Without thinking of the science behind it, I think i'd be more comfortable powering through a corner leaning over going down than up as I'd always feel like the bike was trying to wheelie going up hill and reducing front end grip ?

Not at all, the right hander out of the corkscrew is driven through on the throttle once you have flick flacked, you wouldn't do that on a closed throttle it would just run wide requiring even more input through the bars and stress on the fron, also trailing the brake is a no no through there as the front will wash, at certain attack angles you can use a dab of the rear but never a closed throttle or trailing the front ....

Ah, I see
My experience of Laguna Seca is limited entirely to Grand tourism
I'd love to ride a bike around it one day though

[Ho Lee Kau]

s3fella said:

When "hanging off" going uphill, you are also pulling yourself forward so feel "lower" as you want to keep the weight on the front a bit.
When going downhill, you can still hang off, (moreso the better to keep bike stood up more), but you also need to not push too hard on the front unless you have a very special tyre on. So you will have arms more locked out to keep your bum back on seat, and hence you wont feel as "hung off".

It's just weight distribution, and if you are making the turns and not falling off, you're doing it pretty much right.

Good advice! Thanks!

[Desiato]

Find a set of bends that you like and are comfortable with and then just practice a bit. Don't go mad or too fast but try sitting tight to the tank, with your bum against the rear of the seat, arms locked, more bent etc. You will be surprised how different the bike will feel.
Then you can modify you riding position to suit each type of corner as you get used to them. Infinitely easier on a track as you constantly repeat the same ones lap after lap.

[Ho Lee Kau]

Desiato said:

Find a set of bends that you like and are comfortable with and then just practice a bit. Don't go mad or too fast but try sitting tight to the tank, with your bum against the rear of the seat, arms locked, more bent etc. You will be surprised how different the bike will feel.
Then you can modify you riding position to suit each type of corner as you get used to them. Infinitely easier on a track as you constantly repeat the same ones lap after lap.

I already do that. Besides riding to work everyday all I do is riding my local hills, and I must say, there are a couple of dozen really good turns of all types! I almost stopped going to the Alps last year, they are an hour away, but the local hairpins are 5 minutes away, so I rather go 1 hour on local curves than 1 hour in the Alps and 2 hours on the road there and back. I practice everything but cannot force myself to try to hang off going downhill in, say, tight 120 degree turn.