Don’t want to go on but here’s another piccy of the sort of body position you need. Nice ass eh?
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Quality pics guys, I can definately see where my positioning is going wrong. Think I would be better suited to practising on a track day really.
Ta.
Sadly this is not me, but a fellow member (Pip) of the Boxhill Forum getting a bike as about as flat as it could be!
Thats hardcore!
Now THAT is impressive!!
There is more to biking than getting your knee down. Getting it down on the road can actually be classed as dangerous riding, you have been warned!
Going back to the picture of Terry, you need to get the bike over more than that unless you want to hang off like a monkey. Trust me, the bike will do it as long as the tyres and suspension are ok. The bike will grind the pegs before it slides out. When you get real close, usually dropping your elbow towards the ground on the side that you are cranked over will push the bike that little bit more and plant the slider on the deck.
You could always bid on the pillion ride with me in the Auction, I can show you how a bike goes over, even two up!
i’m guilty on the toe scraping from poor peg position - found it tricky on the duchess move back on the pegs. not sure if its just me being crap or whether the bike was a tad on the small side for my lumbering ass but will see what happens when the new toy hits the track.
this may be a silly question but do you need to be reasonably flexible to do it too? most of the pics looks like the riders have their legs reasonably splayed so it that something you need to work on? also how should your leathers fit to give you sufficient movement to move around/knee down but still provide protection? my jacket definately isn’t long enough ( picks from brands show the lining with the zip attachment was showing) but not sure if the leather trousers are also too restrictive (no stretch panels in the crotch etc)
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Looking at those pics Johnny you are nearly ready to go on the knee. Your feet look a little forward on the pegs from what I can see, you should be on the balls of your feet. You also appear to have pretty rigid arms in the pics, you should be more relaxed and have them bent over. Hard to tell from the front but your backside looks to be in about the right place, so I reckon its get your feet back a bit more, relax the arms, stick yer leg out, and it should come.
By the way, love the second pic.
As for kit, you should make sure that the jacket zips all the way round to the trousers and you should have room to move about. Tight leathers are no good, they are restrictive and make life uncomfortable.
agree - wicked second picture…
that’s what i was hoping for from the Silverstone trackday…'instead of images of either the front section or rear section of my bike. oh well until next time…
Chears for the advice mate.
All taken onboard, I think I will pass on the pillion ride unless anyone has a nappy available for me to wear as I am sure I would fill it many times over!
Thats one problem with that roundabout its got a wicked radius of turn and a good surface but too busy! Very quiet at night but then the surface isnt so sticky.
Just wonder which I should concentrate on first really increasing my lean angle or getting used to hanging off more?
thanks guys!
defo agree chufster, my big ol’ feet often weren’t in the right place - often knew it setting up for the corner but didn’t seem to be able to move back on the pegs under braking forces pre corner and the amount my legs were doubled up. have to say that buying the pics was really worthwhile to understand what i was doing and what to work on (and a couple even make it look like i can ride). my leathers can be flippin uncomfortable at times when fully zipped up have to say
do need to relax more - was concentrating WAY too hard on touching the slider down and not enough on just enjoying the corner! 
terry - these guys can prob advise better than me but i’d work on getting happy moving around the bike/getting off the seat/pegs etc and being smooth with inputs - lean angles are just a factor of speed and radius of the corner you’re taking (you’ll be amazed how much more the bike will lean when you ask it to).
if your body and set up for the corner is right, your knee will touch down before/at max lean anyway. like the guys are saying, if your weight is properly shifted the bike can remain more upright and provide more traction/drive which is actual aim (rather than avoiding abuse from mates over your shiny sliders!)
Ah i see it now Tel, that’s a better image size for me to read up here in Manc land.
Erm, ditto what’s been said mate by the other guys, they know more about going fast than me and I can’t add owt more than them.
But dude, you just look like some one riding with their legs open mate, take that position and move over on the bike. It’ll happen for sure But don’t start getting lairy all over the place or you’ll be on yer ass before you know it.
on this topic actually what is the best order for a corner set up/entry?
i.e. weight shift, braking, gear change, movement to ball/toes of foot etc.
i find when pushing hard that many of those are happening at the same time/rushed and the braking forces etc are preventing me from getting into the position i really want to be in. i know by the time i tip in i need to be feeding off the front brake and everything needs to be in place but dont always seem to get it right (sometimes in the seat too much, foot position wrong etc).
also from watching the racers it looks like some? turn their outside foot outwards rather than remaining on the ball/toes. is this just personal style? have tried doing it myself and seems to make it easier to splay my legs as a result but not sure if that’s just rubbish/a bad habit?
Its hard to describe really, it just comes naturally to me. You need to get your body position correct before you get to the corner, adjusting yourself on the bike with it leant over can be a complete recipe for disaster. Braking while hanging off though requires faith in you and the bike and is not highly recommended for someone starting out trying to crank the bike over.
To try and describe it, as you approach the corner, get your backside crack onto the side of the seat where you need it - right hand side for right corners. Get your left knee tucked in to the tank. Arms at 90 degrees to the road surface. Keep your upper body to the middle of the bike until you are ready to tip, this way it makes it easier to brake as more of your weight is still central. When you get to the corner and start the tip, your upper body now needs to be over the side of the bike that is tipping down. Your left foot (we are going right here), should have swivveled on the peg to about a 45 degree angle and the peg should be on the ball of your foot. Your right foot should also be on the peg with the ball of your toes and in its usual staright forward line. Tip the bike over, get your knee out. Now if you get all this right, your knee should eventually brush the tarmac without trying too hard. If you are nearly there, drop your right elbow some more towards the ground.
I will reiterate again though, there is more to life on a bike than getting your knee down. I know of many who have crashed trying on the road, the track is the place to do it. The knee is used for stability and a guide to how far over you have got the bike, not to look flash.
Hope that helps.
Your sequence is right there johnny but the trick is timing and putting it all together in a controlled manner. As Chuffster says it is crucial to get this done before the turn as any movement in the corner can upset the bikes balance. Basically the less movement on the bike in a corner the better. However, racers do make fine body adjustments in the turn but to start with you dont need to think about this just yet. The same with the foot position, do what is comfortable and safe for you at the moment and dont give yourself too much to think about here.
As you say, there is a lot happening here at the same time and it feels rushed. This is completely normal if your fairly new to track riding.
If it feels rushed it probably is but the good thing is that youre specifically aware of this and have a point of reference to improve on. An experienced rider will get the sequence done very quickly but youll need to build up to this. Start off by practicing spreading this sequence over a longer period of time for the corner, i may only be talking of about 1 second here. Do this by braking a bit earlier and not rushing the gear change. Get your braking finished just before the turn in point (every corner has a different turn point) this is a safer way to turn in as the front is less loaded it also means more concentration is now available to hit the right lines and apex and getting on the power early for the all important exit.
Keep practicing the sequence but gradually shortening it by braking later and harder and getting the bike turned more quickly as you become more proficient. The tricky bit is to do this but still hit the right lines, apexes and getting on the gas early.
Lots of practice.
Strange thing about all this is that the harder you try to get it down, the harder it becomes. You may find yourself tensing up (without knowing) and this will in turn make your riding rough and jerky. Once this happens you got no chance of your knee touching tarmac.
As others have said on here concentrate on smoooooth, flowing, relaxing. Slamming the bike on it’s side in a desperate attempt to touch is heading straight to the scene of the accident.
I know, done it myself, and with my experience it just makes me a tw@.
lol biggus
cheers chufster/b. i’m not about to pretend that scuffing my sliders aint on the priority list but i’m defo more concerned about being a better rider. smooth/ fast/ relaxed and enjoying myself is key
that stuff really helps thanks - that makes a lot of sense about the body position which i think is my main sticking point, esp at druids after the compression of paddock then heavy braking.
oh and i need to stop holding my breath down the main straight. daft blummin thing to do that is!
now where’s the track day list…
Posted this clip up before but for those who haven’t seen it, enjoy.
If I can do it anyone can… and I am a short arse on a tallish Gixxer-6
very nice mate