what should i buy?

[jmillheiser]

I typically enter the turn at the posted speed and am usually doing 10 or so over the posted speed on exiting the turn, usually just accelerating slowly through the turn and it comes out nice and smooth, only time I usually have to make any mid-corner adjustments is either due to a crosswind or road debris.

The crosswind usually just requires adjusting lean angle slightly to compensate for the wind either trying to push me farther over or back straight again. If I see gravel or some other debris I straighten up and slow down.

I've had my bike to near peg scraping angles before but only briefly (taking a street corner in second). that tends to involve starting the turn late and giving it a lot of gas coming out of the turn.

[VermilionX]

only thing i can do is practice that road.

i mapquest'd the rock store and it's actually not that hard to get there if i follow the simple but boring way to get there.

mark takes me to other roads to get there but it's more fun since he takes some other canyon roads to get there.

anyway... forecast says wednesday will be mostly sunny on the rock store.

and since im coming from school, it'll shorten my travel distance by half.

[kabob983]

It seem to me that you're a bit too excited about getting this road down, I'd almost suggest you take a step backwards and hit the parking lot. If you've not gotten cornering down and you've already racked up 1000 miles...I'd spend some time doing drills or something. Get your buddy Mike to help you.

Personally I find those kind of things to be alot of fun. Get some cheap cones and make cornering tests, then work on improving your speed through them.

[scan]

This dude need to leave a big chunk of money in the bank. There is going to be a big bill for something in the future. Maybe it will be new tires, maybe broken bodywork, hopefully not broken bones or major components. AND with such a sweet bike as is, why not just enjoy it for a while.

[VermilionX]

It seem to me that you're a bit too excited about getting this road down, I'd almost suggest you take a step backwards and hit the parking lot. If you've not gotten cornering down and you've already racked up 1000 miles...I'd spend some time doing drills or something. Get your buddy Mike to help you.

Personally I find those kind of things to be alot of fun. Get some cheap cones and make cornering tests, then work on improving your speed through them.

not gotten cornering down? i've gotten cornering down but i have not gotten high speed cornering down.

i can take corners fine w/in the posted speed limit or a little above it.

but if i wanna learn and experience leaning low... i've got to learn and experience taking corners considerably above the speed limit.

mark just told me to just practice and keep on practicing corners and twisties and that i'll get better at it.

he did say i improved this last weekend since he said he waited for me in a lesser amount of time compared to last time. so i guess, i should just keep on taking that twisty, learn the patterns, etc.

this is the kind of parking lot practice i need...

[Kal]

Verm... whats with the knee down thing obsession?

Actually, I suspect I know, it's about the look of the thing, right?


Over here we have guys who do practise the ancient art of "getting-your-knee-down-do" - they spend endless hours in the summer going around and around the same roundabouts because they want to ride like Rossi.

Right, even at most speeds it makes sod all difference - and thats from Blade riding friends who do get their knee down. Of course when they do it they are also doing speeds which would lose them their licence if they get caught.

I mentioned Rossi, right? Before he got into big bikes Rossi rode in the extremely competitive 125 and 150cc classes. The skills you see him using to murder his big bike rivals he developed at lower speeds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentino_Rossi

Same principle applies to you, me and pretty much everyone on this board. The skill set at lower speeds directly translates into higher speed performance.

I am running out of ways to say this to you Verm. I am begining to feel like I am nagging you all the time and I am not old enough by far to be a nag. You're a good kid, I want you to have the safest best ride there is.

On to getting the knee down. Do you watch World Superbikes or the MotoGP?

I want you to watch the riders, when they are doing corners they arent sitting on the bikes. Their entire body mass is shifted so that if they are doing a lefthander only their right buttcheek is on the bike, and vice versa.

In fact the rider in the foreground of your picture is demonstrating the technique.

Trying to get your knee down without needing to shift your weight on the bike is, well, pointless.

[Ninja Geoff]

not gotten cornering down? i've gotten cornering down but i have not gotten high speed cornering down.

i can take corners fine w/in the posted speed limit or a little above it.

That's like saying "I've got swimming down, just not the whole holding my breath when my head's under water.

I can swim fine as long as it's the doggy paddle."

If you really want to learn to touch the bottom of the deep end, you gotta spend some time in the shallow water, practicing basics. Now, your first mistake was jumping into the Olympic sized pool. But keep your floaties on and take it easy and you'll be doing fine in no time.

[Sev]

some of my problems...

when im in the turn, i find myself quite often not using the throttle so im scared to lean lower. since i know w/o engine pushing the rear wheel, i'll drop, right?

i think my mistake is going in too fast. either that or i didn't take a good line so i have a bad position and can't use more throttle.

i think im looking through the turn, but maybe not good enough.

GAH! i have so many problems regarding cornering! Mad

Now I know that I'm harping on you, because I went back and looked up an old thread as proof. You've admitted it yourself mate, you're having trouble with this. And the only way you're going to solve it is to practise. You should be the parking lot right now just trying to run the DMV tests. No one is going to be able to teach you to hang off your bike like that until you at least have confidence in your bike. And the only way you're going to get confidence is to practise the slow speed stuff.

And if like you'd said it's easy to take the road at the speed limit, then you aren't going in to fast. I notice that your skills get better the longer you talk about one ride though.

[VermilionX]

even on my 1st post here in this forum... i mentioned that leaning low was my top objective.

don't care too much about stunts, but fast cornering is what i dream of being good at.

anyway, i don't expect to drag knee this early. but i wanna do drills that will lead to it. so i wanna practice huge figure 8s. i just have to find a suitable parking lot for it.

i also wanna practice on mulholland viewpoint since it's great for practicing downhill and uphill cornering.

[VermilionX]

On to getting the knee down. Do you watch World Superbikes or the MotoGP?

I want you to watch the riders, when they are doing corners they arent sitting on the bikes. Their entire body mass is shifted so that if they are doing a lefthander only their right buttcheek is on the bike, and vice versa.

In fact the rider in the foreground of your picture is demonstrating the technique.

Trying to get your knee down without needing to shift your weight on the bike is, well, pointless.

yeah, i do practice shifting my body weight into the lean even if im not leaning low just to get the feeling and get used to shifting my body weight. i have been shown and taught a little about this by a diff rider who coached me last month.

he made me do practice drills that shift my body even while going straight just to get used to the feeling of shifting my body weight. and later, he made me do it while doing figure 8s.

on the DMV circle, you counter balance. so that's why i don't like practicng it since counter balancing doesn't apply to fast speed cornering.