go to a riding school and do some trackdays. Safest and easiest way to learn is from the professionals!

 

^^ this


I also recommend reading "Twist of the Wrist" I & II .


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Where I live, we have quite a few roundabouts to practice on. Twice now though, my front tire has slipped a little forcing me to put my inside foot down.

:wtf

 

Thanks for the helpful advice....chubby chaser....:biggrin

 

:blink

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1. The stock tires suck ass
2. forget about dragging knee, it's a result not a goal and honestly over rated. Dragging knee doesn't make you fast or skilled.
3. You keep this up your headed or a crash, a round about is a stupid place to learn to turn a bike.
4. find a local non-squid riding group where you can meet other experienced riders, they can help get you introduced to the track.

 

Finally someone who can give constructive advice. There seems to be a lot of riders on here that thinks their poo smells like non-ethanol fuel. Items 1,2 and 3 are great advice and I will follow right along with what you have to say. 4 is a little harder to stick with, but I will see what I can find here. Us squids aren't always the most welcomed invertebrates to the "cool" group.

 

Usually it's the rider. Not the bike. Are you keeping weight on or off the clip ons when you're riding/turning?

 

I guess I would be pushing into the clip-ons....habit I guess from dirt.

 

The tires are likely not slipping

Take it to the track and get some coaching.

 

I was wondering that. It could just be a feeling that I need to overcome. I swear it feels like the front starts to slide though. I'm planning on making a trip to the track in Oregon, but it's not happening tomorrow. Track day is by far what everyone is suggesting. It's just funny because I didn't need class to teach me how to ride in the dirt. I also wasn't afraid to crash either. A few scratches on my CR was no big deal, broken back fender...just a trip to the bike shop. This is the first time I have ever tried something where practice had to be perfect, not practice makes perfect. I like the guys on here that are willing to help out.

 

Make sure you're running the correct tire pressure. Not doing that can cause your tires to feel like they are "slipping."

 

You can't just go out and see how fast you go before you crash.... there is only one way to find out.

The pin it till ya bin it attitude doesn't work here. So you have to use your brain. Not instincts. Instincts are almost always wrong when it comes to sport bikes.

Oh, btw, if you are in such a position that IF the tire did slip, you could put your for out to save you... you are doing it wrong. Never mind lean angle but look at the image in my signature,
do you think I could stick my foot out mid turn?

 

Not even close, but you're a lot further over than I ever was. I'll watch the video and get the book as well as schedule some time to travel to the track. Maybe that will help me understand what I am doing wrong.

 

the stock gsxr tires are NOT triple compound, they are single compound. the actual aftermarket bt16's are 3-compound tires, superseded by the S20's which are 2-compound yet better in all ways, basically. roommate and GF both have S20s on their bikes and the s20's are pretty awesome, thats been established just as how the Q2s were universally praised.

 

How about something simple like checking tire pressure. Double check the gauge with a second gauge from a friend. Do a bike inspection and make sure suspension is working freely. Of course riding schools and trackdays help too but check the bike too!!!! A couple of lbs makes a big difference on tire pressure!!!!

 

This thread rocks

 

i will second this. 20 years on two wheels and i said it in another thread. The oem bt16 was the worst stock tire i ever rode on. wooden feeling, no feedback ,vague front end feeling and the rear did step out on me more than once on a "spirited ride". after the last tail wag and 600 miles on them i swapped them out for mishy pilot pure 3's. rode another bike with 3compund 16's on it and they are wooooooooorlds apart. not even close

 

Again, opinion. I dont care if you have 20 years on a sport bike or not. 5 years ago I had about 12 or 13 years experience and I thought I knew a little bit about riding, now after riding street for so long and now having been on the track I know how much I didn't know after all those years on the street.

i think suzuki might of asked for a high mileage compound for their bikes. They must need a good amount of heat before they work well.

for what its worth too the 750 comes from the factory with the compression dialed in too stiff in the front forks for road use. can give you a vague/non feedback/harsh front end. whats your weight? im 6'1 180. i dialed a half turn out of the front forks for the road. still stiff but a huge difference in feedback.

Again, opinion. your suspensions settings will not work for someone else. He would need it set up for him, not you.

And, you are giving extremely vague adjustments. Half turn out?? From what?? Where the factory had it set? from bottom? Half turn from where? Is that where you had it set with the factory tires that you said gave no feedback? Or the other tires you are running? Did you adjust the suspension on the stock tires? Or did you just say they suck and replace them?

Let's not turn this into a suspension thread, we already have a bunch of those, just as we have a bunch of these threads about the same exact subject, which apparently a LOT of members need to find and read before they go out on their bikes again.

 

i think suzuki might of asked for a high mileage compound for their bikes. They must need a good amount of heat before they work well.

 

for what its worth too the 750 comes from the factory with the compression dialed in too stiff in the front forks for road use. can give you a vague/non feedback/harsh front end. whats your weight? im 6'1 180. i dialed a half turn out of the front forks for the road. still stiff but a huge difference in feedback.

 

I managed to run close to expert top five race pace on then OEM bt16 tires.... they are more than capable
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I'll point out body position (BP) too - pretty much every ex-MX rider gets it wrong when they switch to streetbikes, out of habit - which is one of the main reasons extensive MX experience doesn't necessarily make you a great sportbike rider, that and braking.

I'd wager you are either bolt upright on the bike or counter leaning like this:

Especially counter leaning is dangerous - the bike needs to lean WAY more for a given corner at a given speed, decreasing your grip dramatically.

Proper BP moves the combined center of gravity (CoG) of you and the bike in and down so you DON'T have to lean the bike as much.

For comparison (yes, this is a pro rider on a closed track - don't try this on the road), this rider hangs off the inside with his body low, effectively lowering the CoG meaning he can lean the bike less for a given speed, giving him more grip:

No, you shouldn't try to drag knee through roundabouts - but you should educate yourself on sportbike technique, among those BP.

Oh, the other main difference from MX? Forget the rear brake on sportbikes!

 

Where I live, we have quite a few roundabouts to practice on. Twice now though, my front tire has slipped a little forcing me to put my inside foot down. I have my stock Bridgestone Battlax tires. Is it because I'm not going fast enough for the angle of my lean or is it the tires? I really want to learn to drag my knee, but I also don't want to risk laying my bike over. I've considered keeping my eye out for a well used junker that I can practice on. Is this what I should do or is there a way I can learn to corner better without purchasing a learner bike?


Thanks,
Rick

There is so much wrong in your post. Please do some reading searching around the forum on the various riding threads (you can start in the "Ridiing Tech" section).

Go to www.sportbiketracktime.com and find a track in your area. The Novice program is second to none, with classroom instruction between sessions.

1. The stock tires suck ass

Wrong.

Finally someone who can give constructive advice. There seems to be a lot of riders on here that thinks their poo smells like non-ethanol fuel. Items 1,2 and 3 are great advice and I will follow right along with what you have to say.

No. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the OEM tires. Nothing. Not a damn thing.

 

On stock tires, even with factory settings or worse, you can still go pretty darn fast. Contrary to what some may fear, your bike does not need a perfect setup to go fast. To win an expert race, maybe, but to kill the intermediate group on a track day, no. If you think any OEM tires on any modern sport bike are less than adequate, you should try riding stock tires on a 1980 bike.

 

On stock tires, even with factory settings or worse, you can still go pretty darn fast. Contrary to what some may fear, your bike does not need a perfect setup to go fast. To win an expert race, maybe, but to kill the intermediate group on a track day, no.

Agreed. Have ran at the front of the Advanced group on a bone stock Gixxer.

And FWIW, I also recently podiumed an Expert race on my 675 with .85 springs in it. It was sprung for my fiance (she had been riding it on the track) and I left it as is for the hell of it. Too many people get all caught up in making a click here, a turn there, so on and so forth. If i can land on an Expert podium on a bike that was undersprung for me by 100lbs, you don't need an extra click or turn here or there to be able to ride your bike through the mountains or to Starbucks.

I am not trying to brag, I am simply trying to make a point. The bike is fine. Really. Don't sweat the small shit. Just ride it.

 

ummmm...tire pressure?

 

Hey Rick!

Welcome to the site man!

Good looking bike dude.

Congrats on making the jump to street.

Your original post says quite a bit about your experience, so let me just start with.....even though you are clearly a noob, keep working on it....you'll get there!

First, stop practicing on a roundabout. That's not the smartest place to learn to lean. Second, you should try and make some trips to the Grass Valley track in your state and learn from some experts in a safe environment. They'll be able to give you first hand advice on your bike setup including tires and suspension. Also, watch the Twist of the Wrist video and read the book as well. It's got a lot of information that will help you out. Finally, don't pay any attention to 75% of the people here. A lot of these guys can be opinionated, self-righteous divas that need to eat a snickers to bring them back down to earth. They'll make you wish you would have stuck to dirt where guys are laid back and easy going, but hang in there things will get better. Just remember we were all just starting out at one point ourselves. Also, there are some pretty cool guys here, even though it doesn't always seem like it, so don't bale.

Rick's alter-ego.

 

Uh oh,shit gonna get fun in here real soon

 

WHAT. THE. FUCK. Did I just read??



Man TOTY 2013 is going to be a hell of a vote.

 

Things went really well with this one.

 

I overheard another Instructor (STT) say he uses OEM tires on the track all the time...and he was instructing in the Intermediate group. He says he buys them for almost nothing, from people who buy new tires because "the stock tires suck" :lol

 

Haha, I bought my latest set of PR3's second hand. Just had to ask the company what they had available. Still had pimples on them, almost looked like they had just gone round the block. Under half price, real good steal.

Not sure if they would have been taken off by someone who thought sport touring tyres aren't good enough. Either that, or someone totalled their bike on them...damn that bloody mould release compound