Squid helpline

**Jinx3d** · 12th December 2006, 20:28

G'day,

My life long ambition is to get my knee down.

Further to this dubious goal in life, I was on the kopu-hikuai rd last sunday "practicing" and on a med left hand downhill corner, my front tyre started sliding.

I rather thought that I would have had the knee down well before this happened.

So, tell me what I'm doing. Perhaps I need to hang off more, or maybe it cant be done on my tyres?

Bike TL1000s
Tyre Metzeler Z6 sport/tour

CHeers ears.

**MattRSK** · 12th December 2006, 20:31

Try practising on a track. Thats what I did.

**Big Chim** · 12th December 2006, 20:32

Originally Posted by Jinx3d

G'day,

My life long ambition is to get my knee down.

Further to this dubious goal in life, I was on the kopu-hikuai rd last sunday "practicing" and on a med left hand downhill corner, my front tyre started sliding.

I rather thought that I would have had the knee down well before this happened.

So, tell me what I'm doing. Perhaps I need to hang off more, or maybe it cant be done on my tyres?

Bike TL1000s
Tyre Metzeler Z6 sport/tour

CHeers ears.

Perhaps get on the track, its the only place I've had knees and pegs down.

and if you do lose the front you dont have fences and power poles to contend with

**boomer** · 12th December 2006, 20:34

The roads not the best place to practise mate, get on a track.

get off the bike more, one of the reasons for gettin the knee down is so you don't have to lean the bike so much. (My ears prik up when i'm out riding with the fast boys and hear there stories of how they pick the bike up off the ground with the knee... IF ONLY huh!!! )

if like me you try and try and try, then the reason is because your knees not stikin out as you think but actually huggin teh fairing/tank..ahhaha.

ps. got my left knee down at Puke and both down at Taupo... Never on the road

**kiwifruit** · 12th December 2006, 20:59

yep, take it to the track

**Jinx3d** · 12th December 2006, 21:17

Sure, been before and going again in Feb.

Consider my naughty hand spanked.

No leaning the bike over on the streets, never would sir!, course not - upright all the way.

Now back to the problem.

Its gotta be the tyres yeah? Touring rubber? Getting too hot?

Maybe it was the downhill bend, loading up the front?

Front suspension, poor damping?

Neutral throttle the whole way round, corner was a decreasing radius, so I was tightening the line as I went round.

**boomer** · 12th December 2006, 21:21

get..your ... ass.. of.. the .. bike... and SHOVE .. ya knee.. out!!!! ( try and look around the side of the bike, as if theres something blocking the blade )

Done

**Jinx3d** · 12th December 2006, 21:23

Originally Posted by boomer

if like me you try and try and try, then the reason is because your knees not stikin out as you think but actually huggin teh fairing/tank..ahhaha.

Hmm, yeah, I wasnt really hangin off or anything, just sliding my r-se off the seat a bit and rotating round the tank. No swinging gibbon antics or anything.

Kinda disturbing when you see shots of racing guys with the elbow down uh?

:-)

Might have a go in a deserted car park somewhere at low speed before I continue in my pursuit of a knee slider sacrifice.

**Big Chim** · 12th December 2006, 21:23

the down hill corner could be putting alot of weight through the front tire causing it to brake traction, try a corner on the flat.

Also what boomer said

**boomer** · 12th December 2006, 21:27

There's a post of a 'you tube' vid with the guys from sbk mag in the uk showing some squid how to do it..i cant find it and it may even be on here more squid action

**cowpoos** · 12th December 2006, 22:04

look simple as shitting in a dunny......ignore these dumb arses.... find a roundabout thats flatish...and vacant of traffic [new suburbs are good for this] and just go around and around...one bum cheek on the seat...knee out and lean...you'ld be a idiot if it didn't touch down before you got bored or dizzy....

and BTW....getting your knee down don't make you fast....if thats what your trying to achieve....if you want to get fast.....go play on the track with fast riders....and forget about your knees

**R6_kid:Me** · 12th December 2006, 22:14

Originally Posted by cowpoos

look simple as shitting in a dunny.....forget about your knees

thats about all you need to know, stop thinking about it, hang off, stick it out and let it happen. Safest place is the track, but roundabouts work too, or empty car parks.

**slopster** · 12th December 2006, 22:21

If you can't get out on a track find a deserted roundabout. Good ones can often be found in industrial areas with real smooth chip and often deserted in the weekends. Make sure your tyres are warm Then just go round and round practicing. No good for getting your left knee down.

**bugjuice** · 12th December 2006, 22:27

as a recent knee-down-cherry-popper (see profile pic), the best advice is; stop trying. I've been trying since last summer, really concentrating hard on making an effort. I gave up. Wasn't happening, bollox to it. I was as quick, if not quicker than some, and they were getting their knees down big time.

So I just put more effort into learning more on the corner and bike. Then, without warning, my knee hit the deck big time. Awesome, was a really cool moment. Now it's sorted. And yeah, it's a buzz (for now, I know it'll wear thin as do the sliders!). Just relax, and don't over-think it.

Also, the TL.. dunno if that's the easiest bike to learn on. I know it can be done, seen it myself in the flesh, but it doesn't look the most easiest to start with.

And as for the front wheel sliding out, how are you taking the corner? Don't just chuck it in, be graaaaaaceful.. smooooth... clean. be fluid-like, and it'll come (along with some more grip!)