Knee down question

jonnay · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Karma :

OK, I learnt to get my knee down late last year, and over the last week I got my leathers back out the closet and went out to do it again. I got back into the swing of it, happily trundling round roundabouts with my sliders grating away, and if I felt like it, applying a bit more power and touching the pegs down (I didn't like this though, because it kept making the bike feel like it was going straight Confused

Tried to avoid it really).

So that's all good, got the surface off my sliders so I don't look like a complete n00b when I turn up at a bike run or whatever with brand new sliders on my leathers Laughing

Only problem is, I really don't see the need to actually do it?

I did it just to see what all the fuss is about on a roundabout, and it feels pretty cool, but to be honest, I don't really think that there's any need to do it on "proper" roads. I managed it on one hairpin bend (the one in my avatar, but travelling in the opposite direction), but it didn't mean I got round it any quicker than I would do if I wasn't getting my knee down.

Basically, I can get my knee down, but I don't think I need to Laughing

Am I right in thinking this, or does knee down actually give any speed advantages round corners?

Oh, btw, anyone thinking of trying it in this weather, make sure you let your tyres warm up first... I had a very scary moment when the entire bike just went sideways, earlier on. Slid so far that the pegs hit the deck, before it very luckily caught grip again and stood up. I'm not doing any more until summer's "really" here, and even then I doubt if I'll be spending hours looping roundabouts just so I can spend more money on buying new sliders Razz

Thanks,
Jon
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EuropeanNC30R... · Gay Hairdresser Joined: 20 Jun 2002 Karma :

Hanging off improves your bikes cornering ability, knee-down is just a by-product. How many times does it have to be said Rolling Eyes

Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

..... · Quote Me Happy Joined: 15 Jan 2005 Karma :

To all those people who say that about the police riders can I ask this -

"If hanging off doesn't improve your cornering then why does every racer do it?"

jonnay · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Karma :

Cheers maurice. I know hanging off makes the bike corner better, just I don't think I'd really corner hard enough on an average road to knee-down.

My seat is quite a bit higher than the other bikes I ride with (it's higher than a VFR400 for example), so I guess maybe I was overdoing the turning a little. I wasn't hanging off too much either, because my leathers are pretty tight and I can't really stretch that much. Basically my pegs were touching down just a tiny, tiny bit after my knee touched down, and I think I remember reading peg-down was about the limit of lean, so I didn't fancy trying any more than that.

Anyway, cheers for the advice, much appreciated Thumbs Up

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Whosthedaddy · Super Spammer Joined: 11 Dec 2005 Karma :

Most coppers dont go those speeds on narrow little roads with dirty great pot holes and oncoming traffic?

Can a big Beemer or Pan European actually get down that far?
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Itchy · Super Spammer Joined: 07 Apr 2005 Karma :

jonnay · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Karma :

On one of my "fast bikes" videos (FB show 2 - I think), they take a load of sports tourers out and did some K.D. on them. They also tried cornering on them super-moto style, which worked just as well Laughing

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Silver · World Chat Champion Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Karma :

Whoa!

palmer · Fiddled Kiddy Joined: 21 Jul 2004 Karma :

You an KD anything.

Move off enough and you hardly have to lean anyway. Check Gaz's MZ kneedowns Laughing

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jonnay · World Chat Champion Joined: 16 Mar 2005 Karma :

That pic is really impressive Laughing

Another thing I had a problem with, was what to do with my toes. If I left them on the gear lever they just caught the ground. I've got toe sliders so it wasn't a problem, just awkward. I ended up putting my toes on the peg, and tucking my heel right in so it was pressed against the heel plates. It made knee down a LOT easier because it changes the whole feel of your leg, but if anyone knows the "proper" foot position and wants to briefly explain it, I'd be very grateful.

I know it's probably been covered before, but I keep getting a "site too busy to allow searching" error all the time now, even at like 1am Confused

No idea why.
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Groove · World Chat Champion Joined: 10 Feb 2005 Karma :

Has anyone got that website addres with all the pictures of "proper" body posistioning?
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DucatiEVO · Could Be A Chat Bot Joined: 02 Sep 2005 Karma :

<--- My blade is pretty cranked over in my avatar, and I'm hardly hanging off. If I changed my position to hang off low like in 'G's' picture, elbow down is prolly not impossible (looks like a foot gap to make up?).

A softer/smaller sprung bike would make it even easier because you'd be that much closer to the ground..... Thumbs Up

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Luke_Retrofly · Silly Lesbian Joined: 05 Jul 2003 Karma :

Hi
Whats that a knee down thread?

Insert the gratuatous *luke getting his knee down on NSR pic*

Its a legend you know Wink

Im not hanging off that much, not as much as i have done (bike seems like its on the other side of the road kind of hang off)

Luke
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extreme3d · World Chat Champion Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Karma :

I and Tom (Dodsi) lean our bikes right over - i.e. little to no chicken strips on BOTH sides (not just round-a-bout side) without getting our knee down. You don't need to on the roads. Most racers may stick their knee out but they are not actually trying to make it contact with the surface. Their knee is just out because it's the only place to move your leg to bring the relevant muscles into play to support your weight on the peg whilst leaning off the seat to aid the bike at VERY high cornering speeds.