How much lean

[SMOKEU]

On a well set up sports bike, what is the limiting factor that determines how much lean you can get? When your knee starts scraping the ground, when the foot pegs scrape the ground, or something else?

I have found that on my CBR the pegs scrape the ground at even reasonably hard lean angles, does that mean the rear suspension is too soft, or is it just poor riding technique?

[yod]

skiddy?? is that u?

[SMOKEU]

Sometimes.

[CHOPPA]

Standard pegs will rub, also soft suspension limits ground clearance. Diff tyres have diff lean angles too

[CHOPPA]

My engine was touching the ground today....

[AllanB]

Lay-off the takeaways man.

[puddytat]

My engine was touching the ground today....

Hmmmm,as long as your arse wasnt following it....:shit:

[CHOPPA]

Hmmmm,as long as your arse wasnt following it....:shit:

haha no... But I was cheating! My engine was sticking out the side....

[EJK]

This guy says it's all good~

<img src="http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/2573/rsvm.jpg" />

[ducatilover]

Elbow down? I taught him that.

[HenryDorsetCase]

haha no... But I was cheating! My engine was sticking out the side....

superb photo!

I have actually dragged an engine cover on the ground, until it wore through and I got engine oil all over my boot. Bloody lucky I didnt fall off (two up, on the Rimutakas, on my old CB750F1...)

[SMOKEU]

superb photo!

I have actually dragged an engine cover on the ground, until it wore through and I got engine oil all over my boot. Bloody lucky I didnt fall off (two up, on the Rimutakas, on my old CB750F1...)

Pics or it didn't happen.

[quickbuck]

On a well set up sports bike, what is the limiting factor that determines how much lean you can get? When your knee starts scraping the ground, when the foot pegs scrape the ground, or something else?

I have found that on my CBR the pegs scrape the ground at even reasonably hard lean angles, does that mean the rear suspension is too soft, or is it just poor riding technique?

Something Else (assuming your rear ride height/ Spring weight is correct):

Firstly you are probably not getting the weight off the side correctly.
Secondly you are not turning the bike quick enough, and thirdly, you are not rolling on the power in one smooth action.

[Urano]

remember that knee is YOUR lean indicator, not bike's one...
you put your knee down to understand how leaned you are, but usually the bike can go reasonably further.

i've seen bikes with scratches on pegs, exhaust, lower fairing, engine...

it depends on a lot of factors: type of tarmac, tyres, suspensions, rider weight, riding abilities, and so on.

remember anyway that leaning more doesn't always mean going faster.

[SMOKEU]

remember that knee is YOUR lean indicator, not bike's one...
you put your knee down to understand how leaned you are, but usually the bike can go reasonably further.



I've never managed to get my knee down. I'll put it on my 'to do list' next time I'm out and about.

[quickbuck]

I've never managed to get my knee down. I'll put it on my 'to do list' next time I'm out and about.

Ummm,
Make that out and about Ruapuna, rather than Sockburn..... ;)

[ducatilover]

I just rolled a smoke and put my knee on the floor, I'm Rossis wet dream. :yes:

[Gremlin]

I've never managed to get my knee down. I'll put it on my 'to do list' next time I'm out and about.
It really isn't much to talk about. That said, it's one of those things that if you haven't done, you treat it like the holy Grail, and if you have, it's not that great.

Go to a track day, it should be quite easy if conditions, your bike and tyres etc are all good. My first track day, I went from no knee down to knee down on almost every corner, it got that easy.

[Goblin]

I've never managed to get my knee down. I'll put it on my 'to do list' next time I'm out and about.Just make sure you do it on a track and that you're wearing knee sliders. :yes:

[EJK]

Knee down in jeans is the shizzz

<img src="http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=41553&d=1158041629" />

[Number One]

I've never managed to get my knee down. I'll put it on my 'to do list' next time I'm out and about.

Perhaps put it on your 'to do list' when next you head to the track.

I have gotten my knee down a sum total of twice. Once in the wet riding hubbies RG50 round at the slipway wearing race leathers and get up...other time on the road....I can recommend the first but not the second.

BTW even *mere mortals* can get their elbows down while cornering. I have pics but can't access them from this pc. Oh how I do love that man :love:

[ducatilover]

It really isn't much to talk about. That said, it's one of those things that if you haven't done, you treat it like the holy Grail, and if you have, it's not that great.



Basically this is it, I made it my holy grail, once achieved I wondered what all the fuss was about. Does look uber cool though.

[Juzz976]

I find if I lean enough (on da 2fidy) I gotta lift foot off peg and keep knee on tank, the rear end skips and slides a bit which slows me down. pretty much just run outta rubber.

Haven't gone too crazy on the thou yet, but chicken strips are alot smaller due to yesterdays weather.

[Robtharalson]

Physics, skill, plain 'ol luck, and in this case divine intervention. <a href="http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/?action=view&current=leanangleat6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/leanangleat6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Amazing! That's about as far as the Russian ice racers lean, and they have 8 CM steel spikes sticking out of their tires.

Rob

[psycho22]

Physics, skill, plain 'ol luck, and in this case divine intervention. <a href="http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/?action=view&current=leanangleat6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/leanangleat6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Amazing! That's about as far as the Russian ice racers lean, and they have 8 CM steel spikes sticking out of their tires.

Rob

:gob::gob::gob::gob::gob::gob::gob:

Thats some insane lean angle!

[doc]

BTW even *mere mortals* can get their elbows down while cornering. I have pics but can't access them from this pc. Oh how I do love that man :love:

You mean like this ?

[Number One]

You mean like this ?

Similar but bike was lower and body wasn't hitched off side so much...just a wee fiddy bucket you see

[ckai]

Physics, skill, plain 'ol luck, and in this case divine intervention. <a href="http://s125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/?action=view&current=leanangleat6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p50/robtharalson/leanangleat6.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


hahah there's even fork scraping!!! That's some hard core shit right there :scooter:

The more you lean the less contact patch you have on the road. When you start rolling off the edge of your tyre, you need to start looking at body position.

I know someone that was rolling off the edge of his rear and was slipping around corners (on the track). He was still sitting dead on the bike. Changed so he was slightly off the seat and the bike could sit up more through the corners. Started going faster, with the same amount of throttle ;)

But tyres play a part in lean angle. On some websites they have the degrees a tyre can do/made to do.

[lukemillar]

This much:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqKShV-iN5M&

Front wheel off the ground and he still didn't bin it :gob: (well, sort of!)

[HenryDorsetCase]

Pics or it didn't happen.

:) it was 1982, I didnt own a camera. I dont even have a pic of the bike :(

[Robtharalson]

This much:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqKShV-iN5M&

Front wheel off the ground and he still didn't bin it :gob: (well, sort of!)
You do realize the only reason he didn't highside was he ran over his foot with the rear wheel which gave him the time to get things gathered up and pointed down the track.

Despite the lean angles evident in the video, their actual cornering speeds are lower than a properly set up sport bike is capable of. How do I know this? Radar clocking of motards and conventional road racers on the Streets of Willow course show a difference of 10 to 15% at the apexes. Exit speeds were considerably lower as well. They are, however, a real ball to ride!

I have encountered many Motards on the roads in the Malibu Hills, and while they are pretty capable in the corners, their corner entrances ("Backing it in".) slows them down a whole bunch, and as soon as I get behind them all I need is a good corner exit and about 50 feet of straight to get my 900 Hornet's 105 HP to the ground and blow by them like they were painted on the fence. That really pisses them off! Also, in high speed sweepers they can't maintain their pace much less accelerate nearly as well as a properly fettled large displacement inline four.

There is one road, however, that is a Motard riders dream: Tuna Canyon road in Malibu. Copy and paste this: tuna canyon rd @34.060550, -118.610570 into the search box in Google maps. There is a 3D photo tour available too. The entire length of it is one way downhill, there are steep dropoffs and vertical cliff faces right on the edge of the road, lots of exfoliated sandstone littering the road along with the obligatory leaves, branches, road kill, deer, and just about anything else you can imagine, and an absolute blast to ride! Throwing 300 kilos of bike and rider around for the length of it really takes it out of you, but with about 100 kilos gone and all the flickability one could possibly ask for it becomes a real hoot! One caution -- MX width bars catch things on the side of the road. Experienced Tuna'ers fit very narrow bars. It really is that tight. BTW, the fastest Ive gone on Tuna is 94 MPH (151 K) -- see if you can guess where! A hint: it's not on the bottom section.

Rob

[kave]

It really doesn't take much to get your knee down.

[scracha]

Knee down on the road just looks stupid

[kiwifruit]

It really doesn't take much to get your knee down.

easy as pies

<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/357hc46.jpg">