KD on a GPZ500

[Simple]

I've been trying for a while now, I'm about an inch off, I can't lean any further and my peg is on the floor.. I've concluded I can't do it on the bike.

Just wondered if anyone else has managed to Knee down on a gpz500s

**please note I dont want any ''you should be able to do it, anyone can do it on any bike, I can do it on a DR400 etc...**

Pure fact only please

Thanks
Simple
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Insta - FemFeral

[0ddball]

Nope. When i tried hanging off that far it put my body into a bad position and felt unnatural, like hanging off an offroader or something. I guess it takes a certain size and shape person to be able to do it comfortably.

I've seen it done in pics but it looked totally wrong. Sort of like they were hanging off excessively just for the sake of it, not to actually corner faster.

Are you trying in leathers with sliders?

[Simple]

[G]

As you're fairly short, it may be possibly that you can't on this bike with this setup.

How flexible are you?
Is your knee pointing as straight out as possible (for some people this means hanging off less, in some cases.)

[Simple]

I'm 5ft 4/5". I'm hanging off to the point that my left foot is just reaching the foot peg.
My leg is striaght out as I'm fairly flexible

I'll just stick to peg down as a gauge of lean *shrugs*
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[DaveH]

Sounds like if its peg is touching down, then unless you get shorter pegs to lean the bike further, you need to change your body position, yesno?.

[extreme3d]

I remember the pegs on my geeperz used to touch down just at the point when the chicken strips were just about to go. As such they offer a good idea that you haven't got much rubber left, so I would just stick with the pegs.

The snag with using knees to guage lean angle is it's not constant. The pegs are always at such and such and angle to the tyres and always will be. Your knee angle though is dependant on where your bum is on the seat, how far forward or back your knee is stuck out, your mood, even so far as the time of day as you are shorter in the evenings

Anyway, you I'm sure you get my drift. Still don't give up on getting it down though, just view it as a bit of fun not with the aim of it being an aid in your riding.

[G]

The angle the peg goes down can also change due to a few variables as well:
How far or not your body weight is off the bike, the speed of the corner, road surface undulations, etc.

Which brings me to another point - personally I'd much prefer to have my knee down than peg if possible - my knee is much less likely to get caught in bumps or undulations and if I need to, I can try and push that bit more. Peg down and it means you are pretty much riding right on the limit as far as that bike setup goes.

[Itchy]

if your short its hard as you have to either hang off more or go faster to lean farther ,

I of course can KD on anybike , shortly followed by BD SD and HD , ie bike down shoulder down helmet down....
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[extreme3d]

[G]

They don't use 'em in minitwins and if they did I expect them to have some pretty serious rearsets.

Your peg will go down at the same time on the same bend at the same speed if your body is in the same position - same as knee down then .
For instance to get a half decent speed around corners on my BMW I have to hang off - otherwise the engine goes down very quickly if I'm sitting in line with the bike.

It's very rarely I try and get my knee down on the road.
However I often stick it out. If it does goes down then I know I'm going pretty fast and don't want to up the pace anymore.

On the road you usually can still lean a bike after you have your knee down (short arses excluded ). Can't do that at all with peg down really.

[Dark]

Simple, my other half has the exact same problem on her FZR

Although she thinks shes hanging off a long way, in reality she could hang off further. Have you got any pics of you hanging off so we can check out your body positioning?
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[Annabella]

[Keen]

I never rode a GPZ but I used to have a GS500 and they're quite similar bikes... the pegs would go down on that easily and I never had my knee anywhere near the floor. I don't think the ground clearance is especially good on a 500.

Another possibility is (not being funny, dont take it the wrong way) are you sure that the pegs are going down and not your feet? do you ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs?
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[Gazdaman]

I suspect the same thing, I think you could probably hang off further. When I was on my XJ600 I was touching pegs down whilst hanging off as far as I thought I could.

https://www.gaz-racing.co.uk/images/XJ/Full/Toe-down.jpg

To me, that felt like I was hanging off crazily, and I couldn't understand why I couldn't get my knee down. If you notice my entire arse is off the seat, but the body position is still all wrong as far as KD goes.

When in fact, if you really want to get your knee down and hang off like a nutter then it's something along the lines of this:

https://www.gaz-racing.co.uk/images/Lydden/Full/NOV_0120.JPG

It's not the perfect body position, but you may have to adopt something similar if you really want to scrape your knee on tarmac on a certain bike with a certain body build.

Gaz

[Simple]

trust me I cant hang off any further, I'm hanging off like a monkey with no arse cheek on seat.. really feels like I'm going to fall off.

A friend has offered me her 400 to try on.. but I'm not keen on the idea incase I stack it.

I'll endevour to get some pictures.

yes it's my peg.. half the hero blob is ground down, even managed to touch my centre stand down last week

The pegs seem to touch down far too easily, hence my keenness to go for the knee down as a better gauge.

I also realize I'm risking being levered off the bike.


Thanks for the help boys and girls


G - btw they race/'d GPZ's in their own little series in america
before the days of SV's though
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[Slickfish]

It can be done!!!
But you do have to hang of alot!!

[Dark]

Whats your foot position like on the inside peg?

For instance rolling your foot sideways so that the ball of your foot is on the end of the peg allows a bigger reach for your knee and may help
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[0ddball]

https://www.gaz-racing.co.uk/images/XJ/Full/Toe-down.jpg

Yep, thats exactly what i used to do, body too upright, arms in an awkward position and outside leg sticking out. Having short legs and a long upper body i just couldn't get my body in the right position. It makes a big difference on the zxr as the riding position means you're almost in the right position anyway.

[colin1]

im no expert but maybe you are leaning it hard enough, hanging off enough, but not sticking that knee out enough

i think they say get it to point as far out as you can

other more informed opinions on doing this might help

you were so disapproving of coghead doing kneedowns on public roads but i realise now that you were just jealous
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[stinkwheel]

I don't reckon it can be done on a GPZ500.

I got a couple of mates to hold onto mine and lean it over 'till the belly pan touched down while I sat on it. No way I could get my knee anywhere near the road so point proven, I don't try. Still hang my arse off it though. If you aren't resting your forearm on the tank, you can hang off more.

Incidentally, my belly pan kisses the road long before my hero-blobs. Maybe just because I'm a lardy bastard.
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[colin1]

stink, have u got your knee down on other bikes ? cos if not it just might be your technique

wd be easier for you than for her as she has little legs
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[G]

[stinkwheel]

If it can't be done when I am static, hanging so far off the right side of the bike that my left arm is straight, it can't be done when I'm moving.

I have very long shins which doesn't help matters, my knees are above the 'cutout' in the tank when I sit on my GPZ

Never ridden a 'full on' sports bike though. Probably could have done it on my powervalve in standard trim but it had stupidly high rearsets on it, my shins were almost paralell with the ground.

Plus, I'm not really all that bothered if I can get my knee down or not these days. I've ridden my MZ round the outside of someone on a CBR6 while he had had knee down which has kind of made me think "meh". The two fastest road riders I know don't have knee sliders on their leathers.

[G]

May be more a case of flexibility, anyway I said /I/ could do it .