Body Position - Scotty et al?

[Jon_W]

I'm no instructor and this is MY opinion and by no means gospel.

I'll repeat, get your arms bent as you need the leverage, get you knee tucked in as it'll get ripped off by somthing and let the bike lean.

I'd read "A Twist of the Wrist" Vol 2 by Keith Code. He offers some very good tips on riding position.

[Bornagain]

10 out of 10 for effort and enthusiasm. I've found that speed necessitates the correct body position, in other words it's actually easier and more natural to lean the bike right over carrying more speed into corners. So far the only places where i've been able to do that comfortably have been the track, and with the added bonus of repetition you get to practice practice practice.
Hangin off round a roundabout at 35mph seems like bloody hard work and unnecessary, yeah, it'll scrape your slider but i dont think you'll get much benefit from it riding wise, it just seems like a forced and uncomfortably way to negotiate a low speed bend........with lots of exit and entry points thrown in!!

I'm learning shed loads and share your enthusiasm. I pick Snotty Cowell's brain and follow him, watching his body position and road position, it's like having your own race instructor and it's FREE! If you're serious about making some serious improvements to your riding then PM him, once you get past the horror of abuse and sarcasm there's a soft and gentle nurturing soul underneath ;D ;D ;D though you've got to dig deep!!!

One month til Combe

[Squashed_Fly]

Totally agree, all credit to Aiden for asking for advice in our 'Riding Tips & Training' section..so lets keep replies constructive?

My 2 cents comes from something Ghost told me - the first guy to do a 100mph+ lap of the TT (or was is 130mph, BB/Ghost!?) did so tucked under the fairing, bum stuck to the seat and no moving about, certainly no knee-down hanging off.

If that's the case, and I'm not agreeing or disagreeing as I'm always learning, then why do people hang off? If you watch fast riders, on track, or in the TT, most seem to hang off the bike. I did a session with the California Superbike school on their hydraulic bike, and they also said you should have a bum cheek off the seat, and hook the tank with your knee. They said ideally your non 'stuck out' knee should be in the crease of the tank, with the foot on ball of feet pushing upwards into the tank. Other knee out so you can guage the lean angle, shoulder down and head somewhere near the mirror.

As my confidence with the bike leaning improves, I'll be able to come onto the seat and lean the bike further. There's still that bit in my head that says "the back wheel is about to slide out from under you", despite knowing before and after that it will lean far more than I'll probably ever be able to go!

I'd love to be able to spend all weekend, every weekend on the track, learning and going faster. But sadly, the funds do prohibit that, despite my personal finance manager Scotty thinking he has the slightest clue about my money situation. So the next best thing is a roundabout that I know well and have checked for oil/diesel & loose debris first before doing anything, and a twisty road I know well while it's warm & quiet (like yesterday - warm & sunny sunday evening)

[Dabz]

I'm not actually sure, I'll do some research :P it could be old school riding technique vs new school I guess!

[Squashed_Fly]

So far the only places where i've been able to do that comfortably have been the track, and with the added bonus of repetition you get to practice practice practice.

I'm not doing Combe. I'm not sure if I'll get to many track days now this year since we've booked the wedding date. Ron Haslam cost in more ways than one after Jen found out how much I'd spent on it!

I'm still hopeful of doing Cadwell as it's right on my dads doorstep, but that won't be until Aug/September.

Was gutted to not be able to make Llandow. I was really looking forward to it. But we needed the money really for the wedding and Jens treatment.

[BB]

Technology for bikes & tyres have changed as have riding styles to take advantage of those changes. What works nowadays would not have worked on the old tech stuff. Even classic bikes racing today are racing on modern 'rubber' with all it's advantages.

If you can't afford track days & training, go for the books & dvd's etc. Talk to people on here who's riding style you admire/envy and learn with them.

However - and this is not aimed at you personally but at all wannabees of any level & persuasion - just remember you will be riding on the public roads not on a track with first aid & marshalls. Stay safe and try not to alienate too many 'normal' people and set them against bikers! 8-)

BB

[Jon_W]

However - and this is not aimed at you personally but at all wannabees of any level & persuasion - just remember you will be riding on the public roads not on a track with first aid & marshalls. Stay safe and try not to alienate too many 'normal' people and set them against bikers! 8-)

BB

+1.

[Scotty]

.
I pick Snotty Cowell's brain and ...... once you get past the horror of abuse and sarcasm there's a soft and gentle nurturing soul underneath ;D ;D ;D though you've got to dig deep!!!

Aaaargh! Busted! :-[ :-[ :-[ :'(

Basil's right, the track is by far the best place to practice riding technique due to the safety and repeatability aspects of it, but unfortunately there isn't a cheap way to do it, just some ways are less expensive than others. If all you have access to is the roads, then practice road riding and roadcraft, it'll do a better job of keeping you alive than pretending to be a racer round the local roundabout : You're better off keeping track-type antics to the track, where you can learn them in safety. I have got my knee down on the road before, but not for the last fifteen years - I just keep it to the track now, it doesn't matter now, and in all honesty it never did on the road, and in the eyes of certain officers of the law it merits a ticket as well >

[jaagsxr]

hear hear i got my knee down the other day at fish hill and nearly got it ripped off cos the tarmac was so much more "knobbly" than on track ....oh i am sure you did get your knee down snotty ...where was it ...oh in the pub car park ;D ;D

[Mark_Able]

Cornering techniques differ tremendously from road to track. When racing, I would get my knee down on the warm up lap to gauge lean angle, but rarely in the race. If it went down in the race, it was a consequence of lean angle, not a conscious effort. As mentioned by Jon, arm position (bent at the elbow), body position (in relation to the tank), foot position (ball of the foot on inside peg, arch of the foot on outside peg (loading weight)) are the important factors to work on. It was Mike Hailwood who never hung off the bike at the TT. The hanging off style has it's place. I do move in my seat when I'm going for it, but not as much as you'd imagine. On the track, I would be hanging off mostly when exiting corners, in an attempt to stand the bike up, so as I could get on the power earlier. But by far the most important part of the corner is corner entry. The whole preparation for corner entry starts happening from the exit of the previous corner. The whole task of shifting your ass, postioning your arms and feet, braking, selecting the gear, and ultimately counter-steering into the corner, has to start early to be smooth, and to be done in plenty of time. Trying to rearrange yourself once you're in the corner will de-stabilise the bike.

Save the knee down antics for track days mate. I can ride faster and smoother on the road than someone trying to get their knee down. And in fact, take great pleasure in riding around someone mid corner, who is doing exactly that...