riding right

[iceman1911]

i see all the way cool pics of everyone at palomar and i wish i could ride as good as any of the peeps i see in the pics i have only been riding for like 8 months or so (less i guess since my bike has been out since mid jan.) and i dont know where i should be on the learning curve but i know i am way behind everyone here

so what do i need to do to be able to get the lean angles i see in all the pics? is it a confidence thing? i kind of lost all that when i went down and have been almost scared to really get into a turn since - will it come back with more riding? how long did it take everyone b4 they first dragged a knee?

in most of the pics i see peeps with the balls of thier feet on the pegs so im guessing thats a key to getting really low - anyone ever teaching the types of things needed to ride aggressively? i would be a more than willing student

[speedster1219]

PATIENCE! just take your time..get comfortable and it wil come to you....and like GPTECH ---practice practice practice..( I swore him and Rotha lived at the bottom of the tight side.):-p

[deathblow]

Originally posted by speedster1219
PATIENCE! just take your time..get comfortable and it wil come to you....and like GPTECH ---practice practice practice..( I swore him and Rotha lived at the bottom of the tight side.):-p

What he said! Take your time and get comfortable with the road you are riding.

[Ikazuchi]

psshhaaw....I've been riding 7 years and I still don't drag a knee...maybe it's my stubby-ass legs...or maybe...well I don't know where I was going with this....oh yeah...you don't have to touch your knee down to be fast

[speedster1219]

Originally posted by Ikazuchi
maybe it's my stubby-ass legs.

:roflmao:

[iceman1911]

do you have to lean off the bike like everyone does to be fast? do you do that because your trying to exert more pressure on the bar to get it to turn - i mean isnt that the only thing that will make the bike lean?

i understand the whole patience thing and the getting used to the road i was really comfortable on my 750 and i went down on a road i have never been on trying to follow my brother who lives in the area (went down in AZ)

[kc1717]

hey, it took me over a year to after my crash up at palomar to be able to say that im faster (and in more control) then i was before i crashed. it takes time, and the more practice the faster it comes. its more about hours at palomar than years riding that effect how well you can ride up there.

if you dont have the turns memorized, or a least a 90 percent knowledge of where the tricky turns are, then you shouldnt be going that fast up there in the first place.

ive gone up lots of weekends to work on my entry speed because i felt confident really getting on it and how the rear end felt comming out of turns, but to get my knee down i needed the extra lean angle that you only get by having a faster entry speed.

im sure people always say it, but its more about being smooth, and when you arnt smooth, you know thats what you need to work on.

try even doing the bottom half, or third of palomar up and down and up and down till you cant walk, then im sure youll at least raised a few corners a few mph and a bit more lean angle.

it ultimatly is about trust and knowledge, rossi could smoke anyone because he know what he and the bike are capable of, all of us are still finding out more about our bikes and ourselves, and youll learn what can be pushed and what shouldnt be.

instead of going and trying to drag knee, try to work on something more productive(which will get you closer to your goal anyway) ;like entry speed, smoother transistion between brake release and turn in point, steady line, just a good line to begin with(i still have problems with this one on a few and my next goal is to esablish some good lines), good drive on the exit(watch for highsides), body posistion, counter stearing: meaning how much force is needed and where through out the turn, lots of things.

the point being is all the above will result in you being faster smoother and pushing a greater lean angle, and to get there you will have to gain the experience and knowledge that is a prerequisite to the above.

and then the knee goes down,....scary at first,....then again and its cool, than again and you think, damn now i have another thing im going to have to be replacing.

good luck, and we are all there to help, so if you want someone to follow you just ask, and also give them a heads up on your goal for the day, you can use one of mine above, or something that you feel you are lacking in

[Bryant]

Do you have a copy of "A Twist of the Wrist II" handy by any chance? Many of your questions can basically be answered by that book. It will give you a good foundation on which to build upon.

[iceman1911]

thanx KC and Bod i know im not going to be dragging any time soon and it isnt a short term goal i think i need to have a few things explained to me and demonstrated perhaps - i think i can be a pretty good rider i just need to learn what is normal feedback from my bike in turns with more lean because sometimes something will happen when im leaning and it almost scares me and i immediately want to stop leaning so much and slow down which are probably the exact opposite of what i am supposed to do lol

[redhead4u]

anyone have a copy that we could borrow, before Nick goes out and buys it? =)

[Gixxer_6]

Hey Iceman I have been riding for 9 years but I didnt really start riding until my last bike that I bought in 02. Then I started riding palomar alot and getting better everytime I went up. Everyone that has replied has really good ideas so I don't have much else to say. Anyways, I just started to drag my knees in the last 2 rides up to palomar. It is freaky at first but oh so fun. Ans now I am noticing my speed coming into and out of turns is getting much better. Thats all I had to say about that.

[dre_2k2_f4i]

I thought this was a good read: http://www.flying-sparks.com/kneedowntips.htm

Anyways, I echo what everyone else on this board says, and add my 2 cents. I have been riding for 1.5 years and have almost 35,000 miles under my belt. But I learn something new about once a month. And the other times, I am working on techniques. There is no one magic pill that is going to make you ride faster. It is a lot of practice, experimenting, and self-discovery. Side note: The streets are nowhere to push your limits or experiment, though -- I save that for the track.

But I think the most important thing is at the end of the day to roll home and think, "damn, that was an awesome ride!"

[dre_2k2_f4i]

Originally posted by redhead4u
anyone have a copy that we could borrow, before Nick goes out and buys it? =)
My brother has both of the books. If someone can pick it up from him in Temecula and circulate it amongst the group, that would be keen!

[GPTECHMAN]

Honestly, I would read Code's book, and just practice your lines and being smooth. It'll all come to you once you go to the track.....thats where its at

[cbrsmurf]

Yea, it's all about practice... go to trackdays so you can push your limits safely.

And it's true what marc says, you don't have to drag knees in order to be fast. In fact, most of the racers you see will try to barely drag knee. It's meant to be used as a guage of how far you are leaned over, not as support or anything else.

[Gixxer_6]

Can you guys recommend those books again and let me know where I could find em'. Maybe @BArnes and Noble or something? I would be very interested to read those.

[GPTECHMAN]

Originally posted by Bodmaster
Do you have a copy of "A Twist of the Wrist II" handy by any chance? Many of your questions can basically be answered by that book. It will give you a good foundation on which to build upon.

by Keith Code

there is also one by Nick Ienatch

[dre_2k2_f4i]

Originally posted by Gixxer_6
Can you guys recommend those books again and let me know where I could find em'. Maybe @BArnes and Noble or something? I would be very interested to read those.
Twist of the Wrist books one and two -- you can pick them up for free in Temecula. PM my bro: pasta_fredo (http://www.hypercycles.org/forums/private.php?s=&action=newmessage&userid=29).

[CjrJAM]

Originally posted by dre_2k2_f4i
Twist of the Wrist books one and two -- you can pick them up for free in Temecula. PM my bro: pasta_fredo (http://www.hypercycles.org/forums/private.php?s=&action=newmessage&userid=29).
You mean the guy that "used to" post on here? :-p

[DBame]

what worked for me was finding a road (or even just one perfect turn) and just hitting it over and over. start off slow and get extremely comfortable with it. then practice shifting your wieght/ ass off the seat. i remember a couple times where i sat on my bike with the kick stand down and just got used to making the transition of shifting my wieght (a little tricky casue you dont want to tip the bike over. but you can lean off the seat without leaning the bike.
this is the same as what others were saying (you have to practice) but by finding a perfect curve you add comfort / confidence and eliminate most of the suprises that come with street riding (oil, cars, bumps, pot holes, etc)

[DubeSV650S]

Be very careful!!! If you are runnning stock tires you may wanna reconsider especially if you are on a street. I have bottomed out twice going low on my stock Metzlers.. I got the 280s and i havenot felt the same since.. it makes a kick ass difference. Take a same curb over and over again until you feel good

[iceman1911]

i actually just put new bt012's on my girlfriends gix6 and rode it this weekend and the difference is amazing as well as confidence inspiring i cant wait for buymoto to get a tire machine (hint hint =))so i can put new tires on my 750 and start getting nasty with it =)

can anyone reccomend a good tire pressure to run? i had them put 32 in each

[dre_2k2_f4i]

Originally posted by CjrJAM
You mean the guy that "used to" post on here? :-p
Yeah... dunno what happened to him. Drop me a PM and I'll be sure to forward to his e-mail.

[iceman1911]

Originally posted by DubeSV650S
Be very careful!!! If you are runnning stock tires you may wanna reconsider especially if you are on a street. I have bottomed out twice going low on my stock Metzlers.. I got the 280s and i havenot felt the same since.. it makes a kick ass difference. Take a same curb over and over again until you feel good

the 280's? is that a metzler tire or do u mean the 208 dunlops? Mike was telling me good things about the 208 race tires but im sure they dont last for squat not to mention i think they might be a bit pricey

[DBame]

i used to have dunlop 208's and i wasnt impressed with their life span

[Philo]

Originally posted by DBame
i used to have dunlop 208's and i wasnt impressed with their life span

I'm more concerned with MY life span if I'm railing the canyons.

:-p

[GPTECHMAN]

One overlooked point I think is that a rider who is in tune and comfortable with his bike, can ride on any tires. I know a lot of proficient riders that can rail on sport touring tires such as the BT020s. I think that it boils down to being smooth. A rider with bad lines, poor braking, and throttle control are gonna have to put their tires in situations that test the limit of their tire moreso than someone who knows the best line, when to brake, and when to roll on the throttle. Any of the tires today should be fine to rail, it jsut takes a smooth rider.

[iceman1911]

which i am not so i need really good tires!

[Phamous]

Practice and Track Day ( I feel like a Fastrack Spokesman). As far as form goes, I always hear people say to read the book - which i need to pick up too. Don't be afraid to ask any of the guys when you guys are out riding or hanging out. They may not be perfect with the technique, but it will give you insight on how you should be positioned. When I was still learning I would ask the person I was riding with how my form was or what I was doing wrong, I learned a lot from that, and picked up a few bad habits along the way. But it just takes practice and a good environment to learn in. As much time as I spent in the mountains when I was learning, I could never go as fast as i could at the track (and drag knee). As a beginner there are so many basic skills to learn and focus on rather than elements outside your control like they can be in the mountains. Believe me, i'm still learning a lot myself.

My advice on cornering practice....keep your arms relaxed and dont kung fu grip the bars!! thats a bad habit I am learning to shake!:D

Good Luck!

[Philo]

Originally posted by GPTECHMAN
One overlooked point I think is that a rider who is in tune and comfortable with his bike, can ride on any tires. I know a lot of proficient riders that can rail on sport touring tires such as the BT020s. I think that it boils down to being smooth. A rider with bad lines, poor braking, and throttle control are gonna have to put their tires in situations that test the limit of their tire moreso than someone who knows the best line, when to brake, and when to roll on the throttle. Any of the tires today should be fine to rail, it jsut takes a smooth rider.

I'm with Iceman on that one. I think my tires saved my ass so many times from throttle chopping, poor lines, bad braking that I took them for granted. I finally got myself into a situation where they couldn't save me from my own poor technique and it was my ass sliding on the pavement.

Lesson learned.

[DBame]

i dont know if this is attributed to a bad habit or just my weak scrony legs. but after riding twisties like palomar where im constinally hangin off the bike my legs are always sore the next day. and i mean sore like i was just squatting 380.
i think i might uncontiously use my legs to much (be tence / putting presure on the pegs when i dont need to)... anyone else have /had this problem

[TreAdidas]

Originally posted by DBame
i dont know if this is attributed to a bad habit or just my weak scrony legs. but after riding twisties like palomar where im constinally hangin off the bike my legs are always sore the next day. and i mean sore like i was just squatting 380.
i think i might uncontiously use my legs to much (be tence / putting presure on the pegs when i dont need to)... anyone else have /had this problem

had this problem? OH HELL YES....

For me it was a hella nasty case of tendonitius .... like so bad I had trouble standing up out of my office chair. I think what causes it is the fact that you are essentially frog hopping while you are on your bike, for HOURS.... I don't recall a need to ever do that for ANY other reason and consequently the muscles that help facilitate this movement aren't used to dealing with this stress.... It really is not the amount of force that caused it for me but rather the frequency of my hopping from side to side... THank you Palomar Mountain! What I do to combat this is MAKE SURE YOU STRETCH... I had a 15 minute stretch routine that I engaged in every morning before rolling to the canyons. Furthermore... a little Ibuprofin (no not exceede 800mg) never hurt anyone. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. When it got real bad, I drove my car during the week for a couple of days to give my knees a rest.

[TreAdidas]

Originally posted by Philo
I'm with Iceman on that one. I think my tires saved my ass so many times from throttle chopping, poor lines, bad braking that I took them for granted. I finally got myself into a situation where they couldn't save me from my own poor technique and it was my ass sliding on the pavement.

Lesson learned.

Hrm can't say I am 100% innocent on this either... but hey that's learning I suppose.

[DBame]

so treadidas, this was your leg muscles right? its not really in my knees but rather my thy's.

[Bryant]

If your legs are getting tired but your arms/upper body is relatively ok... you are probably not doing anything wrong. Ideally your legs should be more fatigued than your arms. However, they shouldn't be to the point where you can't even get up off your office chair, etc.

[CjrJAM]

Originally posted by Bodmaster
However, they shouldn't be to the point where you can't even get up off your office chair, etc.
Bk you have to remember that it is Chucky we are talking about here :p

[redhead4u]

Remember you can get those $25 student massages over here in Mira Mesa.

Elizabeth

[DBame]

where in mira mesa can you get 25 buck massages??? i figure my girly legs will get more used to the work out and it wont be a problem in the future.

[iceman1911]

body&mind college - u can look 'em up on the net the place is on mira mesa right off the 805