Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

hey all I am having a bit of difficulty keeping a steady scrape arround bends and roundabouts I feel like I am all over the bike like a balinese monkey on a unsuspecting tourist, and causing the bike to twitch a little. does anybody feel like when leaning in that it is hard to feel the point where the bike will stop leaning over? like it is hard to limit the pressure on the bars and keep a constant lean angle? it is hard to explain what I feel but it just feels a bit inconsistent I am still learning and have never really got the hang of this kneedown stuff so now I am starting to try hard

To be honest the best thing to do is stop trying.
I haven't got my knee down yet - no leathers with sliders - but I've been over far enough that I've had to lift my knee to keep it off the ground
There's a few factors - getting comfortable with cornering, leaning AND hanging off on YOUR bike. That is, you've got to get familiar with all 4.
As you go faster you'll find the need to lean more, then you'll get used to leaning more, then before you know it you'll be scraping your knee.
If you can get out to the track I'd recommend it - a safer place to practice than the road. But if the road is all you have just take you're time - you don't want to screw it up
hth
ty

A bike will lean over alot further than you think it will. You can be scraping your exhaust and it'll still stay up right (though thats a very dangerous thing to do). So long as your tyres are properly warmed up and the such.

As for maintaining a certain angle, just relax on the bike, keep your throttle steady and constant, look into the corner and let the bike do the work.

I've found (i'm the same as ty tho) that finding your favorite curve (preferably one that is a nice constant LOOOOOONG turn, possibly a decreasing radius turn that then opens up slowly) is the best to practice on. You can come up to it at your "comfortable" speed and smoothly go through it at that speed, then you can come up to it and apply a constant increase in acceleration through it.... nice and smooth. this is how i scared the shite outta myself by first scraping my toe... then as ty said, get even lower and you have to lift your knee for it not to scrape!
But i'm still learning like you to get it solid on turns i don't know... this is where leathers and sliders will be nice
good topic for discussion tho!

As TY said, do it on the track. Its easier, more natural and less dangerous.
As also stated, if you try to do it, it will be uncomfortable and you'll probly look stupid. You need to get use to steep lean angles and hanging of the bike, you only want one ass cheek on the seat... depending on the size of the cheek that is...
You'd be surprised how easy it is once you have done it.

As other people have said go to the track to practice knee down stuff. Not a roundabout where cages drip more oil on it everyday.
Even better do a brake and cornering course,they will have you dragin your knee in safety within no time.

Gonna go with the audience on this one Ed. Knee down and scraping is getting close to the limits, and doesn't leave you a lot of room for anything unexpected.

It also puts you closer to the ground and more out of sight of knob-nut drivers, who rarely look at roundabouts anyway - even when your in a car. I wouldn't be making a habit out of that on the public roads...

And I'll second doing the course...

what ty and madkaw said..

go to the track and do it... it took me ages to get the knee down and when i did i was jumping back up all startled from the contact... do it enough times and you'll get used to it..

also, sort your bike's suspension at the same time, it should soak up the irregularities in the road esp when youre leaned over and not have you feeling like a balinese monkey...

The way I figure it, if you're getting your knee down on the road, you're riding too fast. Hey Phil?

Like the others say, if you want to learn, go to a track and learn. At least when you have perfected it there, you'll stand a chance of being able to do it on the road without killing yourself.

shit man!! i try to keep my bike as upright as possible on roundabouts!!
there always so bloody slippery!!
i only got my knees down a few times on a road i knew real well..then i
dropped it...lucky i didnt get run over too!!
keep it for the track i agree...also 2 wheels had a good article on it in
the last issue....but most of these lads have given good advice!!
kudos to them!!
Neka
2000 CBR 929RR
1988 KDX200 thrasher
1996 VS SERIES 2 UTE
"dont hate me cos im sexy, hate me cos ur mrs thinks im sexy"



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getting your knee down is only good for photos.
it slows you through the corner. its only meant to be used as a guide to how far your banked over.
as everyone has already said, go to a trackday and practice there. too many things can go wrong on the road.

when i first started hanging off my bikes, it felt really weird, but after a while it starts feeling right. weigh the pegs, keep your arms loose and go with the flow.
might be a good idea to have a decent set of tyres aswell

i guess thats one of the key points, dont try to get ur knee down. its just like scrapping ur pegs, u dont try but it happens every now and them (for me anyway).

be patient grasshopper.

I'll wait til i get to a track day before i attempt the knee down thing...

besides, i don't want to mess up my pretty Dainese knee sliders...

Things can even go wrong on the track,a mate of mine was doing it really nicely at darlington a few weeks ago first lap fine, second lap it all went pearshaped and ended in a barrel roll with a half pike.

Yes but the idea is its a much safer place to do it. The "unknown" factor, the likelihood of shit being on the road etc doesn't exist. And if things go wrong, you're not about to go flying into guard rail or something. The road surface is near perfect, its the best possible situation you're gonna get for playing silly buggers.