Knee downs? (Poll)

[WheelieKing66...]

What's everyone's views on knee downs? Track only/road/both/left/right/both/pointless/Islands only lol? Just wondering was looking around at sliders Sunday saw a bunch of lads 4-5 all there right side sliders where proper low and a brand new untouched left lol! Gonna add a poll nut please comments I wanna get your views?
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Current bikes: zx10r(05) zx9r c2 and a Cbr1000RR track bike

[esullivan]

I've never come anywhere near getting my knee down, and I've never done a track day. I don't feel a gnawing hole in my soul because of this.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[WheelieKing66...]

[bazza]

You wrote "lol". Twice.
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"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[WheelieKing66...]

[dydey90]

I don't dare steam into corners with a handful of throttle, there's always a pothole, a wet patch, a bit of mud or the legendary splash of diesel to worry about. I'm sure that manhole covers are purposefully put on corners too.
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This post is probably not serious and shouldn't be taken literally.
Past: CBR125,ER6f NINJA 650, ZZR600 Current: VFR750

[Teflon-Mike]

If you lay a bike over far enough, and clamber far enough out the saddle, you can get just about any bit of your anatomy touching tarmac if you want; what's so special about your knee?

80's racers did it.

That's what.

They did it, because the bikes of the era had narrow tyres; a 140 section was 'fat'. Air-cooled, overhead cam, 'accross the frame-four' cylinder engines, with the generator hanging off one end, primary drive on the other and cam-drive down the middle were wide. Meant that to get ground clerance they had to be mounted high in the frame. High center of gravity, poor cornering clerance, and questionable rubber; further you leaned them, more chance something would deck, more chance you'd come off.

So you keep the bike more vertical, and shift weight over to get the same CofG shift to balence centrifugal forces; you have 'Hanging Off'.

About 25% of your body weight is in your leg, though, and that's the bit you can move furthest, most easily from bikes center line; so arse over, knee out, shift as much weight as far in to the corner and as low to the ground as you can, and long before the generator cover starts grinding on the road, you have 'Knee-down'.

Its an emulation on the road, and an effectuation, and it don't much skill to deck stuff, laying a bike hard over, and clambering off the low side. Its certainly no indication of how skilled a rider you might be or how fast or hard you can ride. So pretty meaningless and pointless, thing to aspire to, really.

I scared the shit out of Smiler, dragging 125 Super-Dream footrests doing figures of eight round a car-park at less than 20mph with him on the back! All it takes is a tight turn, a bit of gentle acceleration through it to generate some latteral G-force, to let you lay the bike down further, and you can have chicken strips and slider skuffs to be proud of... if its really that important to you.

On track? As a by-product of using skill and going quick, and incidentally decking out? There's a reason for it... but still doesn't tell you much.... that's what lap-times are for.

Actual Knee-Down then isn't utterly pointless; there are reasons for it; but as something you THINK you need to 'master', something worth boasting about? Utterly pointless.

Its like the Saxo lads doing hand-brake turns in Aldi car-park on a Thursday night.... yeah, OK, so you can fuck your mummies car up, kid... do that in a MK2 escort down a gravel track in the heat of a Stage Rally to actually make care go round corner at speed, rather than just spin to a stop... MIGHT be a bit impressed... BUT, real 'tell' of how good you are would be your stage-time and over-all placing, not how much gravel you have chucked about in the doing of.
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[WheelieKing66...]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[WheelieKing66...]

[Musketeer]

Both road and track. Not really needed on the road, just for grin on my face Track pretty much all the time, mainly hairpins and fast sweeping corners. Again, not that it's needed, just make me feel like Rossi haha

Some people can do double knee down while going straight no matter how big the bike is - J D
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Current Bike: Yamaha XSR900 Previous bikes: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Kawasaki ZX-6R Ninja, Aprilia RS125 2-stroke

[grant965]

Never had knee down, purely down to my own distrust in the tyres. Came close a few times though but only on my left side, I still struggle turning right after 3 and half years of biking, probably something to do with me being right handed.
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Ex bikes: 05 Suzuki En 125, '98 Yamaha Thundercat, '08 Honda cbr125, '05 Kawasaki z750, '03 Triumph Daytona 600, '91 Kawasaki ex250, '03 Hyosung Comet 125
Current Bike: '02 Suzuki TL1000R

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Can kneedown wherever pretty much. Not big, or clever, but is jolly good fun. Want elbow down next, but that's more of a track only thing.
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[garth]

Rarely wear full leathers on the road so don't bother. Too many variables and you really don't need to do it.

Do on the track though. Seem to wear sliders out a bit quick on the pit bike though

[Clanger]

You missed out 'knee down as pillion', as that's the only time mine have been so close to the ground.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Copycat73]

last time I touched the road wit me knee it cost me 21 stiches..
I would rather avoid contact now...
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Whatever I post I have no citation and no intention of providing one..
caveat emptor

[stinkwheel]

You are Ace Biker and I claim my £5.

In case serious. A good mate of mine is a racer (both track and road-racing). He has pristine sliders on his everyday road leathers and worn-out ones on his race leathers.

I asked him why he bothers fitting them, he said they added to the strength of the leathers, they're designed to be there so he fits them. If he was tarting, I'm entirely confident he could scratch both to within an inch of their life more easily on his road bike (an SRX660) than on his current race bikes (an ER5 and an oil-boiler GSXR1100).

He is obviously happy with the size of his willy.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[iooi]

[Copycat73]

[Teflon-Mike]

[WheelieKing66...]

[bazza]

[WheelieKing66...]

[map]

[Jayy]

I only recently started doing it last year and became addicted to it on certain roundabouts that I know well. I wouldn't be going for knee downs on corners / roundabouts that I didn't know as pot holes and bumps in the road are not what I want to be hitting.