This was my first year attempting to race. My times have dropped considerably, but I know there is more to work on. I want to start by my riding/body positioning. What are you guys comments and suggestions. Don't worry, I am not a lil whiny bitch that don't take constructive criticism, I asked for it, so I know that it will be honest........

http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/larry70.jpg
http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/Larry50.jpg
http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/larry20.jpg
http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/larry120.jpg
http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/larry130.jpg
http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/larry11.jpg

you asked for it bro...
it looks like you are gripping the bars extremely tight, second you are too upright, your body is totally twisted.... what you should try is to relax... be a gummy bear on the bike, be totally relaxed, see how rigid your shoulders are?? square your hips with your shouldders

assume that you want to keep your spine parallel with your bike....

and finally hold on to the bike with your legs/never with your arms and that is what you are doing.....

Gotcha........I did tend to relax more, loosening the DEATH GRIP on the grips after my nervousness went away, and started using my legs more.........gixxerfever I have seen you ripp into people harder than that......YOU GETTIN SOFT ON ME BRUH????? HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH..........j/k...............

hhhahah not al all bro.... i tend to rip on the more seasoned guys.... you just started and you are asking fr critism so i'm trying to help a brother out... but keep it up and we'll oush you into the world of bench racing and that my friend is every man for his own hahahahha you are doing good bro

The arse hanging off the seat is okay, the shoulders nearly back on top of the tank isn't so good. Next time out try to make a concious effort to drop your turnin shoulder and elbow more towards the ground. An easy way to do this is to shove your head out near the side of the windscreen. At first, if you hang your butt off like you are in those pictures and try to put your head out there, you will probably feel like you are gonna fall off.

Just take it easy, and just experiment with putting your head out there. When you do that, your upper body will follow, proceeded by your lower body. Also, from the way you are pivoted around the tank, it doesn't look like you are able to lock off your opposite knee. If you can lock it off, it will help a ton in loosening the rest of your body. Hope this helps a little.

fever covered it pretty good.

make an imaginary line from your head to your ass. now make another imaginary line down the center of your bike. now if your body centerline is 12 inches off the center line at the bike at your ass then your head should be at least 12 inches off the center line of the bike as well. basically, lead with your head when going into a turn and your upper body will follow. you will find it is easier to manage a corner like this.

I hate to do this to ya bro but, THE PINK HAS GOT TO GO...!!! http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/nono.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/nono.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/nono.gif For a first year you look better than more than a few I have seen...Next year will be my 1st year and I'll bet you the lunatics will not be so kind when delivering such blows... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/cry.gif Good friends aren't usually nice like that...

Andy

Blue, you are doing the exact same thing I am lol!
It is hard crossing that line when you drop your body off the side of the bike when at max lean rather than just hangin your ass and knee off the side. It is something I really need to work on too! http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

I love this forum so much!!!

Hehehe, you look funny.

They've got it pretty much covered. Key is to feel relaxed. A guy on my endurance team rides erection-upright. If you watched him ride, you'd just laugh, until you saw his laptimes. he picked it up riding his 250 (which gives you like 0 ground clearance). So, at the last race at TWS, he was running into the 55s (and is the fastest guy on our team)...now, he could probably do well if he hung off more, but he's most comfortable like that.

Here's him at the last race:
http://www.rxdesign.com/pix/tws090603/tws963-4188.jpg


I knew another guy on a ZX7R that wouldn't ever hang off, either. it turned out that his rearsets wouldn't let him get knee down (I didn't believe him until I tried sitting on his bike). So, he just used his toes as a feeler...He wasn't as fast, but he was still quick.


Key is to feel loose and be able to slide around to deal with the bike's movement. Stay loose and comfortable. If you grip too hard or try too hard to keep your body in place, you're going to be feeding too much input into the bike (and the bike will feel nasty).

Fever and bmf hit the nail square on the head.... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Oh, and keep the pink.... I think Wizard will back me up on this.... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/banana.gif

If you want some on track help, find me at the LSTD dates. I will be on this Kawi.
-Gabe
http://www.rxdesign.com/pix/tws090603/TN_tws963-5705.JPG

i like to think of it as putting your armpit over the gas cap.......

http://www.gixxer.com/uploads/P7060051_640x4802.jpg


it feels funny at first ., but once you get it down it makes a world of difference.....

slow down some in practice some and work on it first., do not try to do it at full race pace at first., you always go back to your old ways when you are iffy...

but Fever and BMF hit it....

Thanx for all the pointers guys, I am taking notes and will be going through them in my mind before I get on the track next time. Gabe, I think I have seen you at a few of the past LSTD.....

Oh and for the PINK.........hell nawwwwwwww I am not getting rid of it for a while.....that is how people recognize me...........

nudiepix said:
A guy on my endurance team rides erection-upright. If you watched him ride, you'd just laugh, until you saw his laptimes. he picked it up riding his 250 (which gives you like 0 ground clearance). So, at the last race at TWS, he was running into the 55s (and is the fastest guy on our team)...now, he could probably do well if he hung off more, but he's most comfortable like that.

Here's him at the last race:
http://www.rxdesign.com/pix/tws090603/tws963-4188.jpg

I knew another guy on a ZX7R that wouldn't ever hang off, either. it turned out that his rearsets wouldn't let him get knee down (I didn't believe him until I tried sitting on his bike). So, he just used his toes as a feeler...He wasn't as fast, but he was still quick.




But I'm sure Nudie would agree these two are exceptions, 'specially the first guy. And the laws of physics pretty much guarantee that if either of these two worked hard on improving their style to include hanging off more, while maintaining the skills that are already allowing them to go fast, they'd be even faster.

I'm only saying this because if you're like I was - you'll hear of the one or two stories about guys who buck the system and have alternative styles - and think you can make your bad style work for you. I wasted alot of time going against other people's advice. In the end, I came around.

Some people can go fast not hanging off. Some can go really fast. But if these same people mastered hanging off properly, they'd unquestionably go even faster.

LeanAngle said:



Some people can go fast not hanging off. Some can go really fast. But if these same people mastered hanging off properly, they'd unquestionably go even faster.



absolutely.

PDB said:

An easy way to do this is to shove your head out near the side of the windscreen.



Fever and BMF told me to do this last year as well. Now every now and then the ears on my upper fairing hit me square in the middle of my shield. thats when I realize that I need to work on my stomach and legs a little more... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/bash.gif

Keep it up though and relax.. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Hammer 4 said:

Fever and bmf hit the nail square on the head.... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Oh, and keep the pink.... I think Wizard will back me up on this.... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/banana.gif



bro no mater if you were backwards you would look good to me with that pink. http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

finaly another real man in group http://www.gixxer.com/forums/images/graemlins/banana.gif



dont you worry about all that line making and armpit crap.

put your head outside the windscreen to the inside of the turn. if you are in a left turn your right eye should be to the left of left side of the wind screen.

look at bubble head daves head in the photo, hate to say but it looks good for a jackass!

lead with the head the body will follow, sit your bike on the stand and practice, btw notice how it draws your upper body over the tank in position.


you reading FEVER !!!!!! lesson 10 grasshopper

one of the easiest ways to improve your body position, is to drop your elbow. On a right handed bend, as you approach the corner and slide your ass off the bike, drop your right elbow, point it out towards the apex. This will cause your shoulder to drop as well, thereby also moving your upper body in the process. It works everytime. Try it now at your desk. Imagine you are riding along a straight, then push you right elbow out. it will not only help countersteer the bike into the turn, but will put your upper body into the correct position. then turn your head to look around the corner to your exit point, its now easier to turn your head, as you have dropped your shoulder.....

Best of luck

Eric

a good bit of advise a friend told me, say if i am taking a right hander, and when i hang of the bike, to stick my helmet just in front of where the right mirror would be on the bike, sometime i remember to try it, but i still tend to hang off and have my helmet positioned over the tank, so my body is still lil crossed up.. think i get this from riding too many twisties on public roads..