Knee down?

**colsan1** · 15th April 2009, 16:11

I've only ever done it once, just so i could say i'd done it.
Didnt like it at all, it was nothing like my usual riding style and felt very awkward
i'll stick to my old school mike hailwood bolt upright stance from now on.

**YellowDog** · 15th April 2009, 16:29

Have been working on taking faster corners. Haven't felt the knee touch the ground. Not something I have thought as being important. I was concentrating more to getting my balance right and use the 'look around the door technique' which seems to be quite good. A more upright cornering bike has better grip.

It is possible to get your knee down and not take the corner well, as you may be sacrificing your balance for the sake of scuffing your leathers.

Good luck and be safe.

**Anarkist** · 15th April 2009, 16:42

Originally Posted by YellowDog

Have been working on taking faster corners. Haven't felt the knee touch the ground. Not something I have thought as being important. I was concentrating more to getting my balance right and use the 'look around the door technique' which seems to be quite good. A more upright cornering bike has better grip.

It is possible to get your knee down and not take the corner well, as you may be sacrificing your balance for the sake of scuffing your leathers.

Good luck and be safe.

Yeah, word. I scraped a peg for the first time on the way to work this morning. Was a bit surprised to do it, but I felt like I would have been going around the corner faster should I have been more upright.

**carver** · 15th April 2009, 17:17

Originally Posted by pritch

Carver is absolutely correct. (Don't actually believe I wrote that...)

If you are actually trying to get your knee down you will do it wrong. You tend then to just swivel your arse and push the bike down.

Most people would get around the track faster if they forgot about the knee down bollocks and focussed on riding.

my thoughts exactly...
its the aim...to get your knee down.
in my mind if thats your aim, the results dont mean shit

**SARGE** · 15th April 2009, 17:48

i have been on 2 wheels since 1970.. sports bikes .. cruisers .. drag bikes .. mini bikes .. farm bikes .. MX'rs

not ONCE have i ever tried to get my knee down for any reason ..

same reason i dont go out of my way to wheelie .. stoppie or stunt ..its mostly wank factor IMHO

( and yes i am capable of all the above .. just choose NOT to .. )

**slofox** · 15th April 2009, 19:23

Mate, when your knees are as fucked as mine are, there ain't no way I'm gonna stick 'em out so that when I arse off I'm gonna land on 'em...I keep 'em tucked in tight as to the tank...that way, something else will break first...

**speights_bud** · 15th April 2009, 19:42

although there is plenty of opportunity to get my knee down while racing i find that it is not always the fastest way around the corner

found a hole in the finger of my LH glove yesterday, dragged fingers and knee while doing the warmdown lap at the last round of pacific series

**Sidewinder** · 15th April 2009, 19:52

to look cool but to go even faster!

oh and its even better to pose!

**Ooky** · 15th April 2009, 21:50

if it happens it happens imo wouldn't try to do it just doesnt feel right pushing a bike into a corner rather then riding it in just to scratch a puck

**svr** · 16th April 2009, 12:07

Originally Posted by Sidewinder

to look cool but to go even faster!

Now you just need to look around the corner instead of straight ahead and lean it over another 30 odd degrees.

**Sidewinder** · 16th April 2009, 20:58

Originally Posted by svr

Now you just need to look around the corner instead of straight ahead and lean it over another 30 odd degrees.

well thats the warm up lap just need tyre warmer and got the new 195 64 17 rear and the 125 65 17 front so its all on like donly kong!
yeah! mother fooker!

**Chrislost** · 19th April 2009, 19:31

Originally Posted by Sonicjoe

Hi all, was just wondering the main reason why you try to get your knee down at the track. Do you actually use it like the MotoGP riders to judge your angle before your tires lose traction, or just to look cool? Get a buzz from doing it? Now I'm far from an expert on this without even having a bike or license, which is why I'm asking this question.

Joseph

personally i use my elbows and throttle to decide if traction is lost. Knees are just for those days when you feel like a road ride, or if it happens to be a thursday evening.

**McWild** · 19th April 2009, 20:36

There was a guy in front of me at the training day at Ruapuna yesterday (which pretty much turned into a race) in a hoody and jeans who stuck his knee out as far as he could on every corner. It was really rigid, like he thought he was going to be able to cut through the tarmac.

I wonder why HE was doing it?

**munterk6** · 19th April 2009, 23:20

I was following a riding buddy on a GSXR600k7 around the Hundalees and he put his knee down on every single corner with sparks coming off the titanium wank factor knee slider add-ons. When we got back to ChCh he looked pretty shagged. I asked him if it was tiring climbing all over the bike for 2 hours...he said FUCK YES lol!!
funny thing was, he wasn't actually going any quicker in the twistys than I was.....hmmmmm, whats the point? Just a poser I guess