Knee Downs

[McGee]

Serious question:


long story short i run outta gas and got speaking to the people that picked me up when one said can you get your knee down, then the other guy said that it doesnt help at all?

I guess theres loads of sides to the story. i.e the age of the bike, the style of the bike etc

But do they actually aid in cornering or are they just for show?


Discuss
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[G]

They tell you how far you are leant over.

Hanging off the bike is a seperate matter which can allow you to lean the bike more.

[Jack_Cheese]

Mainly for show, though when you get your body weight leant off the bike just right, and the lean angle of the bike just right, you're knee is probably going to touch down. Getting your knee down isn't really a sign of a capable rider, just a showoff

Jack
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[Wave2k]

getting your kneedown gives you one hell of a confidence boost which helps alot.
overall i would say knowing how to jump around the bike and getting your knee down helps ALOT. IMO
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[mrchips]

Main reason to knee down on the road?

Cause it looks cool.
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[0ddball]

Very over rated and looks silly when people do it at 30mph with the bike almost upright.

Looks cool when done properly with the bike cranked over 45 degrees though.
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ZXR750L

[McGee]

So it can help in aiding you to feel that you cant go no further
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[Teaman]

not got my knee down , not seen the point, chicken strips are tiny so thats a mark of how much i can lean the bike, also with me being a heavy bloke i can use my weight as an advantage in corners.
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Someone stupid does not realise they r stupid.stupidity is indistinguishable from malice U just have to accept that some people are thick as p1gsh1t and work around them.

[pjones_po]

As previously said it gives you an idea of how far you have the bike leant over and how much further you can go.

But as also stated depends how your hanging off the bike. Racers use their knee as a guide as they know that they are gonna be hanging off the bike at a certain amount and if they get there knee down it tells them they are at a certain point.

I only bother with kneedown cause its fun, taking photos or vid clips of it is a hoot but it certainly doesnt make you any faster.

At Mallory on the Gerrards corner I was behind a guy on a 600 Gixxer like mine who was purely out for kneedown, he was dragging his knee, twitching all over the place trying to go as fast as he can but I just sailed round the outside of him with my knee a good foot from the deck.

Not that that makes me a riding god but it proves you dont have to be scraping the floor to be quick.

I know a guy who is always in the fast group at trackdays and has never once in 27 years of riding had his knee down, yet he still keeps with the other guys.

Me personally it has helped my confidence as I know now that the bike can lean a hell of alot more than I think it can!

Paul.

[Teaman]

[Wave2k]

the more weight you have off the bike the more cornering ability you have without getting the bike as low.
people who dont lean off get there peg down which is quite bad.
when you get the confidence to hang off you will see the difference, also getting your kneedown looks really cool and ull be suprised how much confidence it gives you, which will help you all round.
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[mrchips]

[quote="Teaman"]

[McGee]

Did i write that
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[G]

[quote="Teaman"]

[kb-zxr]

On Moto GP it looks like they lean over to the point there sliders touch, then slightly lift the knee up to stop it dragging. Used as a gauge for lean angle.

On the road probably more a fun thing, alongside wheelies, stoppies and burnouts

[BenBray]

I think most people would agree that:

hanging off == essential for increasing grip and cornering capability
knee down == bi-product of serious hanging off and lean angle + information on how far you're cranked over.

What does interest me, however, is that when I watch some of the older racing, the bikes are almost parralel to the floor almost everywhere with very little hanging off especially Niall. He leans the bike like nobodies business

Is this because the older machines have less power, and newer ones really really fly, therefore modern racing technique is to square the corner off more and get on the power earlier - or am I talking and thinking with my rear end?
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[Jack_Cheese]

There was a picture posted recently in another thread of a supermoto racer pulling off a most awesome lean angle - the rider was sat bolt upright(in relation to bike) with his left foot out. The bike was no more then 20 degrees from the tarmac. I have never ever seen a moto gp bike go over that far.

Jack
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[G]

Supermoto bikes can lean a lot more, and the riders usually encourage losing grip, so aren't worried by the rear end letting go.
They also go a lot slower .

Wider tyres have made hanging off work, as it changes the position of the centre of gravity. The contact patch changes a lot more in relation to the centre gravity with wider tyres.

Riders get their knee down more because techniques have advanced - as they do in most sports.

In motogp, getting the power on is a lot more important now, see 125gp bikes if you want to see people making most use of corner speed.

[Bendy]

I never (okay, hardly ever) *try* and get my knee down, but it tends to happen a fair amount on track.

Whilst most people use it to judge how much the bike's leant over, I actually use it more to judge if I'm hanging off enough, cos it's something I've been working on for a long time, getting the body position right and getting into moving around on the bike properly. Found it completely un-natural at first but now it's almost become habit. But I know if my knee doesn't scuff the floor that I need to get off the bike a bit more and to make sure I shift my arse a bit more the next time I come to that corner. Once I've got it right, I'll stop dragging my knee to save my sliders.

Will confess to doing it a bit gratuitously when there's a camera in sight though. Sue me.

[strag]

Counterbalance.
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[Wave2k]

a bit gratious, if not going a bit wide.
i seem to remember the session getting red flagged after that lap cos some fool on a yellow cbr crashed on the straight.
https://www.evilbendy.co.uk/gallery/albums/brandzzz/normal_PICT0015.jpg
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[Bendy]

I was lining myself up to overtake God.

[G]

[McGee]

I really cant wait for my first track day
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Its pronounced Jixxer!

[the grim reaper]

I can do it when I want to and it is fun but it's a rare occurence because I don't trust our roads or the Plod not to nick me for it. It will never make me ride any faster though and I don't believe that it is a great guide for the lean angle, pegs are better for that.

https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b176/paul3011/P7100007.jpg

Shame about the focus but the sparky sliders work OK

Cheers

Grim
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