Knee down.....

[abbeytec]

Anyone able to help me out??? I've (finally) got the bike of my dreams, (about a month ago), and I've got a problem...

Me last bike was a CBR1000F with what seemed to be plastic tyres and before that was an old and heavy FJ1200, so i've never tried to get me knee down....

Got some leathers at the weekend, an some cheapy knee sliders, but they look shite without scratches on em, so I need help FAST!!!:neenaw:


I went round and round a local roundabout earlier till I was dizzy..... I was hanging right off the bike, cranked over further than seemed possible, and my knee was still a good 4 inches off the deck !!!!!

WOT'S GOIN ON ??????:dunno:

Am I just bein Chicken S**t, and not getting her over enough? (I've read forums where people are scraping their Birds FAIRING, for flips sake!!), Is it possibly a suspension set up problem (Seems OK though), or do I need to fit the much talked about rear shock spacer???

Any help is greatly appreciated...:beer:



BTW, how easy and how big a job is it to fit the shock spacer ???:dunno:

 

[Cruser]

Ok Abbey, here goes;

First of all, it's not a suspension thing, it's a body-positioning thing. Having a shock spacer wouldn't make any difference, if anything, as it raises the rear of the bike it would theoretically make it harder - but in reality it doesn't.

You said you were hanging off the bike, but obviously not having seen you I couldn't say if you were off enough or not. What you need to do is get your right hand cheek completely off the seat, using your left inner thigh to grip the tank to keep you stable.

Do not try to hard to stick your knee out, as what most people end up doing is rotating their hip forward, thus making their knee further from the floor because it's pushed forward. Rather, try and imagine yourself forcing your knee backwards, towards the rear footpeg. Doing this will keep your knee sticking out straight, closer to the ground.

Find your fave roundabout and away you go, maintaining the position described above. Build up speed gradually as you go round, pushing the right handlebar forwards to help force the bike into countersteering itself into more lean angle.

It is very easy to ground the hero-blob doing this, be aware that it probably will happen; so don't panic when it or your knee touches down and try to pick the bike up and go straight on just 'coz you hearing it scraping!!

Good luck, it's fun even if it is unneccessary :neenaw: :beer:

PS, If it doesn't happen, chuck the sliders my way and you can have my used ones :f

PPS, Check out the picture to see how much of arse is off the seat with knee down and the bike not leant over very far

 

[abbeytec]

Praying for good weekend Weather...

Thanks for that. - I'll be praying for sunny weekend weather to try it out. Reading your tips, I was hanging off fine (I think), but almost certainly rotating my hips forwards, as you say.

I guess my question now is really one regarding lean angle....

On warm, decent tyres, (020's), how far can you lean a Bird, before she loses grip and the whole damn thing slides out from under you???? :dunno:

If I KNOW for sure that bits of bike and / or me will definitely touch down BEFORE this happens, then I have nowt to fear, and know that I am simply not pushing her hard enough.

Cheers in advance.

P.S.

PS, If it doesn't happen, chuck the sliders my way and you can have my used ones :f

If it all goes Pear-Shaped, I might just take you up on that offer !!!

 

[Cruser]

On nice warm tyres, you will have no problems whatsoever regarding grip versus lean angles. Unless of course you ride over a diesel patch or summat 8l1nd . The 'Bird will easily grind her pegs first, then her fairing lowers and then if you're really keen she'll get her can to scrape too k1ap

This doesn't need to happen tho, because as in the pic above the knee is squarely down with ample ground clearance to spare. So, unless YOU do something to upset her - such as panicking if you hear her scrape something - she'll sit there leant over for as long as you want :k

One other little warning though, if it is a hot day when you do practice and your roundabout is really quiet and you go round-and-round-and-round etc, the rear may start to over heat and get squirmy.

 

[Cruser]

If I KNOW for sure that bits of bike and / or me will definitely touch down BEFORE this happens, then I have nowt to fear, and know that I am simply not pushing her hard enough.

You have nothing to fear :bow:

 

[abbeytec]

Cheers

Thanks again, Cruser.

I'll let you know whether its...:yo:


Or if its...%$fan

 

[gus]

I've the same "problem" in my track days in Grobnik-Rijeka...pegs and fairings scratch every turn, (it means the bike is down enough) but the knees... :t

I know(better I suppose) why: my feet is 47 (14??) and the heels stop before i can rotate my feet into the right position to force the knees backward

Solutions? Next time, september 5, i think i'll put a second pair of sliders over the first one :-:

 

[D.S.]

Agree with Russ's advice but would add that in addition, some folks find it eaier to place the ball of their feet on the end of the footpeg which kinda help if you get the body position right.
Alternatively, buy a pair of my worn sliders on e-bay :}

 

[Cruser]

some folks find it eaier to place the ball of their feet on the end of the footpeg which kinda help if you get the body position right.

Doesn't everyone do that anyway Joe :dunno: Nah, on second thoughts you're right, they don't do they c7u8 I've actually had to stop myself doing that now as the toe sliders disappear far too quickly, the Oxtar ones seem very soft.

Abbey, you could always get both cheeks off like our very own Loris Capirossi lookalike :}

 

[gus]

oh, it's like i thought: it's me not the bike that have problems :xm

New rear mono WP full adjustable is coming with front springs round sept 15, so i've a looong time to learn about my knees position

 

[gus]

I've actually had to stop myself doing that now as the toe sliders disappear far too quickly, the Oxtar ones seem very soft.

steel or titanium toes...they work!

 

[BrisbaneBlackbird]

Knee sliding - hip damage

Great advice guys - but possibly someone should have highlighted that you need to beware of deformations in the road surface! - if you catch a bump or divet you'll be using a walking frame quick as wink.

anyone got idea how fast those blokes in the pics are going?

Ken

 

[D.S.]

Great advice guys - but possibly someone should have highlighted that you need to beware of deformations in the road surface! - if you catch a bump or divet you'll be using a walking frame quick as wink.

anyone got idea how fast those blokes in the pics are going?

Ken

Well I don't worry about road deformations as I rarely knee down on the road as it's too risky given the shitty road surfaces here in the UK and be there's little point TBH. If I do, I do it 'cos I'm bored or just for the hell of it, but it really just a party trick.
On track I think it's important and as far as speed is concerned well, that simply depends on the corner but anything from 30 - 130 mph in my case, however it's important to appreciate that knee down doesn't = fast. I know someone who is a track day novice and has only just got his knee down, but appreciates that it hasn't made him any quicker, in fact it's slowed him down. Once he gets over the novelty of it all, he'll use it where relevant and this should make him quicker.

 

[Cruser]

Well I don't worry about road deformations as I rarely knee down on the road as it's too risky given the shitty road surfaces here in the UK and be there's little point TBH. If I do, I do it 'cos I'm bored or just for the hell of it, but it really just a party trick.
On track I think it's important and as far as speed is concerned well, that simply depends on the corner but anything from 30 - 130 mph in my case, however it's important to appreciate that knee down doesn't = fast. I know someone who is a track day novice and has only just got his knee down, but appreciates that it hasn't made him any quicker, in fact it's slowed him down. Once he gets over the novelty of it all, he'll use it where relevant and this should make him quicker.

Totally agree with the above, it isn't needed on the road and it won't make you any quicker. I do do it on the road purely coz I find it fun, but that's just me. I have no qualms about helping others do it, afterall it's just another skill that can be filed away for future use and it is handy sometimes.

As for road deformations, again I agree. I have caught my knee on a catseye before and it chuffin hurt. You learn not to get caught again pretty quick

 

[Allan]

I agree with DS, knee down dosent = speed.

Knee down comes from hanging off, the idea of which is to keep the bike as upright as possible to keep it on the fatter part of the tyre so you can get more power down.

Knee touching tarmac is a by product of hanging off.

If you try this remember to point your shoulder and elbow at the floor and your chin in the direction of where you want to go. This will help getting your body in the correct postion and ensure you are not 'rotating' forward. Your body line should run in line with the side of the bike your hanging off with the crack of your arse just off the seat.

Thats my addition to this bit - any more suggestions and help from other?.

Buzz

 

[gypsy]

all this getting your knee down malarky is stupid and pointles and is only practised by show offs and wannabee track day gods
and before you ask no i cant get my feckin knee down :f

 

[Allan]

all this getting your knee down malarky is stupid and pointles and is only practised by show offs and wannabee track day gods
and before you ask no i cant get my feckin knee down :f

The other side to this is, why pay good money for expensive sliders only to scrape them on the road and have to buy new ones?

Buzz

 

[gypsy]

i have heard of people buying expensive knee sliders and getting someone else to scrape them ?
g0551p

 

[D.S.]

i have heard of people buying expensive knee sliders and getting someone else to scrape them ?
g0551p

I sell my worn ones on e-bay. ?30 was the max someone paid

 

[gypsy]

And Bert paid you?