i want to do some trackdays this summer, so i've been working on my form and stuff, not trying to get a knee down, but just get good form. thought id post this pic and try to get some positive/negative feedback and stuff to work on. it was pretty cold, so i didnt try to push it to much and my mom was taking the pictures and she didnt have a clue what she was doing, so sorry for the bad pic.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/twiztedcav09/000_0140.jpg


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/twiztedcav09/000_0141.jpg

thanks in advance for any feedback , merry christmas :cheers

Well, don't even bother to stick out your knee if you are wearing jeans. Makes you look pretty stupid, the point of sticking out the knee is to use it as a feeler against the ground to gauge your lean angle. otherwise I'd say the form looks OK for what it's worth. Don't feel like you HAVE to get your knee out there and reach for the ground. I think too many throttlejockies are so preoccupied with trying to reach the ground they don't realize what the point of it actually is. You'll find pros going in much deeper and still not have their knee on the tarmac sometimes.


http://www.superbikeplanet.com/image/2006/mgp/valencia/hailwood/18st.jpg





Now go buys some leathers, they won't let you on track wearing what you're wearing.

spl- yeah i know sticking the knee is pointless with jeans, and that its used as a indicator of lean angle, i just did it more for the picture. and yeah i know i need leathers, im getting them in the spring with set up boots. thanks for the info!

spl- yeah i know sticking the knee is pointless with jeans, and that its used as a indicator of lean angle, i just did it more for the picture. and yeah i know i need leathers, im getting them in the spring with set up boots. thanks for the info!

It's not pointless. The more you get out to the side (including your knee), the lower you get your centre of gravity = the bike can stay more upright = more traction. And you might as well practice good form now than trying it for the first time when you get on a track, even if the lean angles you have don't really warrant it. I always hang off on the street too, just natural reflex.

But get the damn leathers and boots already - and WEAR them, ok :D

It's not pointless. The more you get out to the side (including your knee), the lower you get your centre of gravity = the bike can stay more upright = more traction. And you might as well practice good form now than trying it for the first time when you get on a track, even if the lean angles you have don't really warrant it. I always hang off on the street too, just natural reflex.

But get the damn leathers and boots already - and WEAR them, ok :D

Hang off yes, but I don't start dropping my knee until I'm pretty low, like that picture of Stoner up there, he pretty low, but doesn't have his knee wedged out at an extreme angle. I see pictures of some guys that dig their knees way out like a tripod and it seem to me unnecessary.

I agree with SPL..... your lean angle isn't far enough for you to be sticking out your knee.

At that angle from the picture your body should be inline with the bike.

If your bike feels wobbly through the turn and you feel the urge to hang off and stick out your knee you're probably not carrying enough speed. In that case use more throttle and lean more.

i want to do some trackdays this summer, so i've been working on my form and stuff, not trying to get a knee down, but just get good form. thought id post this pic and try to get some positive/negative feedback and stuff to work on. it was pretty cold, so i didnt try to push it to much and my mom was taking the pictures and she didnt have a clue what she was doing, so sorry for the bad pic.

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/twiztedcav09/000_0140.jpg


http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b160/twiztedcav09/000_0141.jpg

thanks in advance for any feedback , merry christmas :cheers
Looks excellent for the most part. That is a great place to start for sure. You want to use your lower body and your chest to take the weight off of the clip ons. When you are holding on wiht your hands almost pretend you have a bird in your hands and you want it to live another day. The lighter you are on the bars the better you will be able to control the motorcycle.

Stompgrip is the best $40 you will ever spend, it helps you use your body more effectively to keep the weight off the bars.

When you are ready for leathers give us a look. We have about 500 suits on the racks and are very familiar with them. I personally spend about 30 weekends on the track so there is some experience behind the things I have typed.

Props to you for not trying to do something stupid just for the pic, shows you have your head on straight. Have a great Christmas.

STG- thanks for the advice, and ill definitly look you up when i get a suit! thanks!

One other thing to remember, something that MPD said, when you are in the corner like that, at the point were your knee is actually necessitated, what you want to do is just bascially dangle your knee, let it fall out to the side under it's own weight, don't press it out there and over extend it like an outrigger. If you watch SBK or MotoGP races when they have the bike camera mounted all over the bike, sometimes they'll use one pointed right at their knee and you can see how they are just skimming it very lightly off the ground.

Granted when you become more advanced, a skilled riding can actually use their knee somewhat to provide some leverage against the track surface to same themselves from a potential lowside if things get a little hairy.......but that is a more advanced technique to learn down the road.

I spent a lot of time learning how to hang off and drag my knees and shit like that and after it all, it seemed that once I learned how to do it, I didnt need to do it anymore... I reallized that 90% of the time I had to make the effort to let my knee hang/stick out for it to drag. Many riders can go just as fast or faster w/o their knee down and thats where the real skill is I think. Anywayz here my opinion to add to your excitement.

If I was out helping you to learn to drag your knee I would say....

- It looks like your sticking out your body to the side so you can feel the wind versus just hanging off. Hanging means you should be relaxed. That wind is just gonna slow you down.
- Also if you ecounter any bumps in the road they will be unpleasent because your body will absorb them and not your suspension. This also causes the bike to not handle properly.
- Keep you body closer to the bike and try to get more of your rear off the seat , I sort of pretend and point my knee at the front wheel like it wants to be friends, but my knee stays stuck to my tank and just moves forward as I hang off, then when Im ready and I drop it, the ground is already there waiting for my knee.
- The closer my torso is to my gastank, the sooner my knee can touch the ground or not. Sort of like if Im melting off the side of my bike. Yea! Melt off the side of your bike and just stick your head in the direction you want to go.

I know you said you didnt want to drag, but you are hanging off w/ your knee out like you want to drag. Besides, draggin your knee is fun.

- There is really no need to stick out that knee if you dont want to drag.
-The most important thing I can tell though is that I really know nothing at all and you should really listen to everyones opinions and go out and see what works best for you best for you because every rider is unique and has their own style.

+1 Get some gear already! when you lose the skin on your legs, they take skin from your ass and try to grow it on your legs. Does that sound like fun? The most expensive leathers are by far cheaper than any skin graph.

+1 When you are holding on wiht your hands almost pretend you have a bird in your hands and you want it to live another day. The lighter you are on the bars the better you will be able to control the motorcycle.

+1 Stompgrip is the best $40 you will ever spend, it helps you use your body more effectively to keep the weight off the bars.

Also if your serious buy yourself a Keith Code book. It will help you understand the whats going on a lot better than I could ever explain.

Im nobody really

Ok my 2 cents as the FNG to gixxer but not to gixxers. Get the gear yes but you didn't ask that. GET YOUR ASS OFF THE SEAT this will give you the weight to hold the corner. The weight closer to the center of the corner the better.Like they said hang off not hang out as I call it. When you slide your butt off the seat to the inside that knee will get closer faster than you think! As for the pic of Stoner as you can see he is in deep and in no case will he want to get on the paint at a lean!