How to hang off the bike

[DLIT]

Originally Posted by ceo012384

Basically for a given lean angle, the bike will turn tighter with no bar pressure than if you are pressuring the handlebar... this is counterintuitive to the common notion that lean angle and speed determine the cornering radius.

On top of that, the obvious problem is that handlebar pressure allows the front to wash easily if there are bumps/cracks.

Right! And this thread is the reason why we all do track days. Because it's hard as fuck to master all of this. This is probably one of the best threads in this forum.

[ceo012384]

Originally Posted by DLIT

Right! And this thread is the reason why we all do track days. Because it's hard as fuck to master all of this. This is probably one of the best threads in this forum.

For sure. I'm going to rate it 5 stars right now. And it should be stickied.

Talking about this shit is what gets me pumped to get back on the track.

Then I realize my bike is wrecked

Don't you worry.... shit is going to be so sick when I'm done fixing it, it will boggle your mind

[Dave]

ive been trying to apply some of the things ive read in here and i think ive found a much more effective position than what i had been using. too bad today's weather was extra sketchy so i only got to try it in one well known corner. keep it comin!

[dReWpY]

trip:

can you critque my form or lack there of? not that i have been in front of you for longer then one or two turns

[No Worries]

Originally Posted by ceo012384

There's plenty of time (to weigh pegs, etc.)... ever ride NHMS?

I haven't been on a racetrack since 1984. And the only time I was in New Hampshire was in 1975 or so for a Geology field camp.

But let me describe a turn, or actually multiple curves on my favorite road. It's a steep, two-lane road with no shoulders. The first curve is blind. It goes around a nose of the mountain. Surprise, it's also a decreasing radius. So you have to lean even more. The road is immediately in a small valley and turns in the opposite direction. Depending on your speed, you have between 1/2 and 1 second to lean the bike fully from one direction to the other.

Picture doing a tight figure-eight at maximum speed and lean. The transition from leaning fully from left to right, and vice-versa has to be done very quickly. Actually, the bike is still leaned over in the direction of the first curve, while the rider has to begin leaning in the opposite direction.

The Total Control class made us practice figure-eights, in both directions, while looking at each instructor in each center of the figure-eight. Only about 25mph, but it was tight. Once you master the figure-eight, mountain and canyon riding are much easier.

[Trip]

Originally Posted by drewpy

trip:

can you critque my form or lack there of? not that i have been in front of you for longer then one or two turns

I dont know, I don't remember riding behind you.

[Cutty72]

I know that's a couple things I wasn't doing completly correct. I was putting too much weight on the bars, and I know my feet weren't quite right either, but I got better through the day. and DAMN these bikes will lean a LONG way!!!

[ceo012384]

Originally Posted by No Worries

I haven't been on a racetrack since 1984. And the only time I was in New Hampshire was in 1975 or so for a Geology field camp.

But let me describe a turn, or actually multiple curves on my favorite road. It's a steep, two-lane road with no shoulders. The first curve is blind. It goes around a nose of the mountain. Surprise, it's also a decreasing radius. So you have to lean even more. The road is immediately in a small valley and turns in the opposite direction. Depending on your speed, you have between 1/2 and 1 second to lean the bike fully from one direction to the other.

Picture doing a tight figure-eight at maximum speed and lean. The transition from leaning fully from left to right, and vice-versa has to be done very quickly. Actually, the bike is still leaned over in the direction of the first curve, while the rider has to begin leaning in the opposite direction.

The Total Control class made us practice figure-eights, in both directions, while looking at each instructor in each center of the figure-eight. Only about 25mph, but it was tight. Once you master the figure-eight, mountain and canyon riding are much easier.

After riding on a tight track like loudon, your body positioning becomes second nature and you can switch back and forth VERY quickly.

Also, I find that you can do things with the bike/controls to help to flip the bike and yourself over faster... for example start to decrease lean angle and use that to toss yourself over while you give the bike a little bit of gas, allowing your other side's countersteer to really snap the bike around. You can see me doing (not a great job at) that in the vid I posted in my last TD thread in the chicane of turn 12 which is right before the main straight.

[zortness]

Here's an image for some visual references relating to my earlier post. This is me coming up behind Danny in turn 7 at LVMS. Danny's not slow, he's running 1:28's at LVMS, which is pretty quick for a non-racer.

Here's what's going on in the picture: I'm coming up behind Danny. I actually passed him coming out of this corner. It's a double-apex corner decreasing radius corner, I'm just past the point where I use the most lean, so this is the exit half of the corner (I'm already off the brakes and on the gas). Danny's on a good line, but I'm carrying about 5mph more than him.

Here's what I see: Danny's hunting for the track with his knee, so instead of rotating around the tank, he's moving directly off to the left. This is forcing his upper body to stay more over the tank. It's also pushing his toes out further on his inside foot, which takes away some of his usable lean angle. His arms also look tense in this picture, to me anyway. Also, Danny's looking at the curbing, I'm looking at the next corner (a right hander that's not more than 200ft past this curb). My form is not perfect either, my head should be lower as I exit the corner.

[DLIT]

Weird, Danny usually doesn't have form like that. I think he musta been trying something new.