knee down on a tourer?
Discussion
Having watched these two vids for some tips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjXZC2B4y8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8itnyhwUBI
I decided to give it a go on my Yamaha 900 Diversion!, so off to the roundabout I went.
I must have gone round the roundabout 30 or so times, and although I think my body positioning was ok, and I definently scraped off the chicken strips - the ground was just too far away to get my knee down. So is this activity reserved for sports bikes only?
...You're all laughing at me aren't you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjXZC2B4y8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8itnyhwUBI
I decided to give it a go on my Yamaha 900 Diversion!, so off to the roundabout I went.
I must have gone round the roundabout 30 or so times, and although I think my body positioning was ok, and I definently scraped off the chicken strips - the ground was just too far away to get my knee down. So is this activity reserved for sports bikes only?
...You're all laughing at me aren't you
Hyperion said:
Having watched these two vids for some tips...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjXZC2B4y8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8itnyhwUBI
I decided to give it a go on my Yamaha 900 Diversion!, so off to the roundabout I went.
I must have gone round the roundabout 30 or so times, and although I think my body positioning was ok, and I definently scraped off the chicken strips - the ground was just too far away to get my knee down. So is this activity reserved for sports bikes only?
...You're all laughing at me aren't you
Are you getting the 'hero blobs' on the ground at any point? If this has not yet happened then, even on a sports tourer, you'll have to hang a long way off the bike to get your knee down.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjXZC2B4y8g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8itnyhwUBI
I decided to give it a go on my Yamaha 900 Diversion!, so off to the roundabout I went.
I must have gone round the roundabout 30 or so times, and although I think my body positioning was ok, and I definently scraped off the chicken strips - the ground was just too far away to get my knee down. So is this activity reserved for sports bikes only?
...You're all laughing at me aren't you
Make sure you hang off an aweful lot. I've got pegs down before knee on a number of occassions and sometimes the peg tries to pivot you off.
So, get your ar$e right off the seat, get your knee down... Then gradually bring your ar$e back to the seat until you work out when your machine is at the end of its ground clearance.
Then enjoy!
So, get your ar$e right off the seat, get your knee down... Then gradually bring your ar$e back to the seat until you work out when your machine is at the end of its ground clearance.
Then enjoy!
I haven't actually got my knee down yet...but hanging off the bike is turning into a bit of a revelation for me!
I usually sit bolt upright and counter steer round corners...but moving your body, especially looking round the screen and 'through' the corner makes a hell of a difference to your speed through the bends.
As the bloke on Bikesafe said, riding is one big learning curve.
I usually sit bolt upright and counter steer round corners...but moving your body, especially looking round the screen and 'through' the corner makes a hell of a difference to your speed through the bends.
As the bloke on Bikesafe said, riding is one big learning curve.
jon- said:
fergus said:
it's possible to get your knee down when going in a straight line if you hang off enough!
That's called crashing.i dont honestly see the point of getting my knee down. im 3mm off getting rid of the chicken strips & once they are gone its far enough over for me. plus that'll be pegs down too from what i hear.
infact the first thing i did when i got my leathers was pick the stitches till the slider velcro came off.
infact the first thing i did when i got my leathers was pick the stitches till the slider velcro came off.
Hyperion said:
Am I right in thinking knee down is all about getting the bike round the corner faster, but with less lean angle?
Can someone explain the science behind it
I thought it was a tool that the racers used to judge their lean angles by and just a bit of fun for road riders. Is there more to it than that?Can someone explain the science behind it
Hyperion said:
Am I right in thinking knee down is all about getting the bike round the corner faster, but with less lean angle?
Can someone explain the science behind it
1) get more of the mass towards the centre of the corner, hence less centrifugal forces acting on the tyresCan someone explain the science behind it
2) keep the bike more upright, hence on a larger contact patch of the tyre
3) yes, it does allow you to judge how far over you are
4) in extremis, if the bike slips, and you are well positioned, you can hold it up on your knee (although this only really applies on the track in the wet)....
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