Moving weight around bike to suit cornering?

[007XX]

Very interesting read...This whole weight transfer/shift thing...surely its an instinctual thing that should come naturally to anyone who has been riding enuf years? I'm not talking about trying to get yr knee down but just normal cornering...

I don't hang off the side of my bike but I do shift my weight to suit what I want the bike to do. I don't consciously think about it, its just something that my body does naturally.

I don't think it is just the shifting of weight though...it's also where & when to move your upper body, where and when to apply pressure to the handlebars or the footpegs, where to look...

When you're starting, there is quite a bit to think of and assimilate. And personally, I learn better if I am shown when I'm actually doing it (as on the track days), then telling my experience to someone more knowledgeable and they can feed me tidbits of advice back which I'll put into practice on the next set of laps...

Then again, I was told that a lucky few are instinctual about these things, and I am just green with envy...

[Nagash]

What's with this 'getting the knee down' bull. I'm tall enough (and my cruiser's low enough) to just drag my knees down the road..

But I find the body shifting (especially weighting the pegs) to be a real effective means of stopping the pegs from scraping which may well help them last a wee bit longer..

Try riding on the passenger seat and doing some of that stuff :P now there's a fun experiance.

[FROSTY:Me]

Many many years ago I asked a race riding instructor about my body position on the bike.
He told me to go watch the f2 (550/600) guys.
there were that year about 7 guys in hot contention for the national title.
There were as many different riding styles as there were bikes.
Point being--dude do what feels comfortable to YOU.
Our mate Motoracer made that mistake first season out racing.-at a race school again
He LOOKED like he was going fucking fast hanging his ass off the bike -knee planted -right untill (i think ) Freddy Merkle went flying past him sitting basicly upright and waving him on.
Freddie asked him if he wanted to go fast --or look like he was going fast. By hanging off less and being smoother with his body transition MR carved about 1.5 seconds off his lap times.
Application to road riders??
Hanging off at road speeds is usually a matter of form over function-except for a wee bit of weight changing.
The only time I disagree with that is in the wet where I use more body english to keep the bike upright

[NZsarge]

Decreasing-radius corners. Because you Just Never Know (tm). I've had plenty of 'eek, tip it in, arrgh, hope I don't fall off' moments on various motorcycles that would never have happened if I'd been hanging off the bike a bit.

A huh, had one of those moments just recently when I took a M109R for a blast....I mean pootle.

Kinda awkward trying to hang off a cruiser though, plus it looks kinda daft!

[James Deuce]

He sounds like a typical American blowhard. Fat and loud and not nearly as fast and/or intelligent as he thinks he is.

...

I wrote that, and then thought, don't pre-judge, go check his credentials. So I googled him, and learned that he won a few no-name club races 17 years ago and has been a bike journo ever since.

Colour me unsurprised.

Not quite. I think you should look a bit harder.

[James Deuce]

A huh, had one of those moments just recently when I took a M109R for a blast....I mean pootle.

Kinda awkward trying to hang off a cruiser though, plus it looks kinda daft!

No need to hang off. Throttle on hard on an M109 and the rear jacks up about 6 inches. Feels wrong in a decreasing radius corner but it gives you heaps more ground clearance.

[jrandom]

No need to hang off. Throttle on hard on an M109 and the rear jacks up about 6 inches.

I so want to ride one-a them things.

[NZsarge]

I so want to ride one-a them things.

Let me tip ya this......Go through corners much much slower than you think you should

[jrandom]

Not quite. I think you should look a bit harder.

Looked harder. Didn't find anything to contradict that impression.

Some dude who's been spouting off in bike rags for 20 years is not necessarily going to be right about shit, but he's sure as hell going to think he's right, and generate pomposity accordingly.

If journalistic exposure was the primary qualification for offering rider training advice, I'd be going to Dave Cohen for a training trackday next month, not Aaron Slight.

(No offense, Dave.)

[pritch]

This guy can ride rings around anyone on KB.

My money's on Shaun

[McDuck]

My money's on Shaun

mine aint.

[discotex]

What's with this 'getting the knee down' bull. I'm tall enough (and my cruiser's low enough) to just drag my knees down the road..

I think you meant to say "knuckles" there

[90s]

The only time I disagree with that is in the wet where I use more body english to keep the bike upright

How did you know I'm English, Kiwi?

That aside, its a good point. There is definite benefit in keeping the bike more upright by moving your body off the bike in the wet. I do it a little on the road, and although I'm not a track racer I guess it is vital.

Ironically, many people want to get off the bike on the track to lean over as far as possible to look super-cool, where the point is to keep the bike as upright as you can. Form and function again huh?

[mitchilin]

http://www.1000rr.us/multimedia/Keit...e.II-fixed.zip

Not sure if this will work but I found a real useful shortcut on Kiwibiker the other day.This should clarify any concerns and be of value to most.

[ital916]

I tried weighting the pegs today, hmmm it feels odd lol think i'll take baby steps and learn to get line and weight shift down first.