Odd Request.

[Smittie61984]

Well I'm getting faster and faster and getting my knee closer to the ground. Which soon I hope to get some Parking Lot practice and maybe a few trackdays if I could ever get my bike to the point it might pass track inspection.

Anyways I've seen pictures of people knee dragging and racing through corners. But was wondering if anyone had some pictures of proper knee dragging technique. I'm not specifically looking for knee dragging but stuff to help me handle better and give me better reference.

For example I under stand hanging off the bike along with stay on your feet and not your butt. I understand counter steering also. But have no clue how far forward I should be on the bike or far back.

If I got maybe an above view picture of someone going through a corner that would probably help. But would enjoy multiple pictures from various angles to paint a better picture for me.

Because my problem is I don't know any faster riders than me(Which is sad) and basically started last July(With 3 months of it rebuilding a bike) and until the last couple of months where I got some friends into bikes for the first time. Well I had to learn on my own.

And another question I never see addressed much is feet/toe position. Where on the pegs are your feet? And do you point in the direction you turn. That seems to bug me more than anything.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Mr Lefty]

I'm sure you'll get a few photos from Trip and the others... but why not look at MotoGP.com... you'll find millions of photos... and you know they know their shit

[Mrs. Colleen]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

Well I'm getting faster and faster and getting my knee closer to the ground. Which soon I hope to get some Parking Lot practice and maybe a few trackdays if I could ever get my bike to the point it might pass track inspection.

Anyways I've seen pictures of people knee dragging and racing through corners. But was wondering if anyone had some pictures of proper knee dragging technique. I'm not specifically looking for knee dragging but stuff to help me handle better and give me better reference.

For example I under stand hanging off the bike along with stay on your feet and not your butt. I understand counter steering also. But have no clue how far forward I should be on the bike or far back.

If I got maybe an above view picture of someone going through a corner that would probably help. But would enjoy multiple pictures from various angles to paint a better picture for me.

Because my problem is I don't know any faster riders than me(Which is sad) and basically started last July(With 3 months of it rebuilding a bike) and until the last couple of months where I got some friends into bikes for the first time. Well I had to learn on my own.

And another question I never see addressed much is feet/toe position. Where on the pegs are your feet? And do you point in the direction you turn. That seems to bug me more than anything.

Any help would be appreciated.

I can help with part...I keep the front part of my foot (balls) on the pegs. After shifting I slide my foot back. As far as pointing your toes, no.

And for photos...check out the pros.

[Trip]

[OneSickPsycho]

From the head down...

Look through the turn and kiss the mirror (get your head off the bike like you're trying to kiss the mirror)... Position your armpit on top of your gas cap... move your ass off onto the inside of the bike and clamp your leg on the outside. Turn your toes out and put the balls of your feet on the pegs... Load the outside peg...

As far as overall position goes, it depends for me... If I am in full tuck, I have my ass more towards the back... under normal circumstances, my ass only moves slightly towards the back from standard seating position... if at all.

[DLIT]

Yeah, check out the proffesionals and how they do it. Take note of their footing and how their arms are bent and all that. I'd explain more, but i gotta catch a flight and don't have tme to post pics.

Do you have a faster buddy? Maybe he could follow you and show you the ropes.

[Smittie61984]

Thanks guys. Those helped a ton. And the Armpit over the gas cap made all the difference. Which I tried it with my kickstand down and it felt right. Hopefully tommorow if I get off early enough I can hit some parking lots and maybe get some friends to take video and pictures of me so others can critique my riding technique.

Which is it necesarry to try and put your knee down? Because I've messed with the grabbing the gas tank with my right(If going left) and I always felt like my knee should be closer to the bike. Again I'm not too concerned with dragging. If I drag a knee I rather it be because I had no choice not becuase I stuck it out so I could get my knee on the ground.

Originally Posted by DLIT

Yeah, check out the proffesionals and how they do it. Take note of their footing and how their arms are bent and all that. I'd explain more, but i gotta catch a flight and don't have tme to post pics.

Do you have a faster buddy? Maybe he could follow you and show you the ropes.

I checked some of the photos. Most are from the opposite side they are leaning(If going left you see right side of the bike) but I got some in.

Sadly I don't have really any faster friends being I'm the one who got most of them into motorcycles. One guy in our group use to race motorcycles but I'm really only off on Sunday and he is usually working then with him being a Paramedic. I'm hoping to get some time with him and eventually get to a racing school (Ed Bargy) if I could ever get my bike track ready.

Also I'm not a fan of riding in groups though I do sometimes. I got use to riding alone and really do just about everything alone in my life(Motorcycles has actually forced me to interact which is kind of interesting). So when I was the only one with a bike I never met any other riders and were weary of other riders becuase I didn't want to pick up their bad habits and assume they are right.

[DLIT]

Your footing is very important. What I do, and most do, is place the ring-finger toe right above the very outside edge of the peg. Then rotae your heel against your heel guard. This will make it feel better when extending your knee out. Another thing is to place at least half your ass off whatever side of the bike it's leaning. I think you'll realize you were nowhere near dragging when you actually try it. That's what happened to me. i had to hang off like a fucking monkey to get it down.

Now, I bring my knee to the ground by leaning the bike. I know where the max lean for my bike is near and I no longer extend my knee way out. did at first to get the feel for it, but I'm still working on perfecting everything. I still weight my arms too much at times. Gotta work on that shit.

[No Worries]

The Total Control book and class are very good for learning the correct way to turn. Most of my mass is in my upper body, so I hang that off and keep my skinny knees hugging the tank. That, plus I'm one of those idiots that uses the rear brake to set up for turns. Also, my old bike redlines at 8.5K so I have to be ready to shift often. So I keep my legs pretty much in the same place for left or right turns and just shift my upper body by rocking left or right.

[OTB]

Ya gotta remember: the purpose of kneedraggin' is not to drag the knee; it's to move your weight into the center of the turn to allow you to hold the bike up straighter. This does two things; it keeps hard parts from dragging, and it allows you to get on the gas earlier. Too many riders plop their butts on the seat and then try to drag the knee.

Weight on the ball of the feet, butt just brushing the seat, nuetral weight on the arms, elbows slightly bent (yes most of your weight is supported by the knees, just like motocrossers) allows you to pivot the bike underneath you from right to left and left to right quickly, instantly, and works the suspension less. Experiment with your seating position when upright, you will understand how quickly it works.

The purpose of moving your armpit over the tank (or rotating over the tank) is to put some weight forward and keep the front tire loaded under acceleration.

Do these things and don't worry about draggin' it... as you become smoother, that will take care of itself.

JMHO