How do I get my knee down? (Pics)

St0rmer66

St0rmer66

St0rmer66

Soldato
Joined
31 Oct 2004
Posts
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Location
Harrogate, North Yorks
Did California Superbike School a few weeks ago and it has improved my riding massively, I was genuinely surprised at how much difference it has made :) . I'm going faster with less effort and leaning further over than ever before (no chicken strips on the rear AT ALL). However... I still haven't got my knee down. Now I've heard plenty of times that it's not necessarily how far you lean but more down to your body position. So what am I doing wrong? Some photos of me riding on the CSS:

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imageoutput1.jpg


Preview pics from the website will have to do for now because my CD of all the images hasn't arrived yet (I HAVE BOUGHT THEM, I'm not just being a ***** and stealing the images! :P ).

So what do I need to do?? :o . Got a track day at Rockingham on Saturday and would like to get rid of my knee sliders virginity!

Cheers.
 
in the pictures above - looking from the rear:

bum needs to be further off to the left - so your right cheek is on the seat.....

then stick your knee out.. your head & shoulders actually looks to be in the right position (to me).

careful not to hit the kerbs with your knee, if one's sticking out slightly it *might* hurt :P
 
Posted this on a few forums now and everyone has said bum off the seat more.. so that's a very good place to start! :D .

I was trying to stick my knee out but it wouldn't go any further (and I'm pretty flexible), I think I need to sort of twist round a bit so my thigh is naturally closer to 90 degrees to the ground.

Hopefully won't be hitting the kerb! :) .
 
Both your feet are flat on the pegs. I've seen people with less lean angle than that with their knee down so its all about your body position.
 
Get your arse off the seat, it looks like its clinging on for dear life, the rest of you looks primed and ready to go. I always position my foot sideways so that the sole of my boot is at right angles to the frame, helps you bend your knee.
 
You dont really stick your knee out as such not as in trying to force your knee to the tarmac, as said arse off the seat more and get the ball of your foot on the side of the footpeg and point your knee out like your pointing it to a point on the floor around where the front of your engine is but dont force it like your trying to have it horizontal, Drop your left shoulder too.

**
I know the top half of my body position is crap in this pic but I wasnt even trying, think it was warm up laps lol, see how my knee is foreward more and how my other leg comes across the seat more.
JH4Q9311.jpg
 
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Yep as people have said, arse off the seat and on the balls of your feet. Use your outer thigh to grab the tank. should always have a light a grip on the bars as possible. Once you have done it a couple of times and realise its all about body positioning rather than talent the novelty will wear off.

Dont get to hung up on getting your knee down. I used to get my knee down at pretty much every corner. Just because I could.

These days knee down action is limited to trackdays where I use it just so I know I not leaning over to far that you ride off the tyre.
 
Okay I've got the better photos now and some from different angles:







Click for bigger versions :) .

Click for my favourite one!

Looks like my outside leg isn't locked into the tank which is probably a side effect of me not getting my arse of the seat enough!
 
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1st of all, don't worry about it. It took me until my 3rd track day until I got my knee down, even though i was right upt to the limit on the tyres. It will come.

2nd, grab some of the instructors on the track days. They're free. Use them.

3rd. Looking at the pictures, your whole body position is wrong. Well, not wrong but it won't help. You moved your bum a littled, but your upper body is directly on top of you bike. Thats why you're body twists and thus you can't point your knee. You have your elbows tucked in which makes you too stiff during a bend.

Don't worry about the knee down yet. I first knee downed on the last session of a track day.

Oh and lastly.

You think you're leaning a lot. You're not. You can lean a lot more. As for when you'll knee down, kinda depends on how long your legs are. For my short height, I can only knee down pretty much at edge of tyres, whilst someone with very long legs can probably knee down stationary..:D
 
I have to say I've never been much of a knee down person but that's an individual preference though flukester and fireskull both commented that they thought I was owing to my riding style! :o

Your bum needs to come off the seat more anyway, irrespective of knee down or not, especially when you star carrying more speed round corners, it'll help the centre of mavity of the bike. Balls of feet on pegs I find absolutely crucial as it helps to push on the pegs better and in a more controlled manner. I push on the pegs to help the bike turn.

You should be able to hold yourself on your inner thigh on the upper side of the bike, in the pic it looks like you've got space between your leg and the bike.

Top half looks good to me, but maybe you could shift it a little off the bike? I've been taught that you almost want to look to the side of your screen rather than over it. And you're top half wants to be fairly loose.

Good pics though, definitely look like you're happy on a bike! :D
 
It will be tougher for you aswell becuase your on a mille, there quite a tall bike so harder to get your knee to the ground anyway. Day to day riding im no where near knee down on the duc, maybe its a vtwin thing???
 
i am eager to know, what is the reason for the knee to meet the tarmac?
Stability?
an ability milestone?
 
More of an ability milestone I would say on the road
Once I could do it and do it anywhere I basically stopped doing it, I rarely use it on track now either, only usually on off camper tight corners to make sure im not going to wash the front out, but my knee is always there though just in case I can stick it in the ground to save the front :p

Yea your so worried about locking the back up if your drop off the throttle you've got no time to think about knee downs :D

I found the 675 Daytona one of the hardest to get knee down on!
 
Probably both.

I use my knew to gage how much i'm leaning and whether i can go faster or not.

It also acts as a support, taking more weight off the bike.

I never try to do a knee down on the road though. one bit of loose gravel and you'll be off.
 
I want to get my knee down as an ability milestone. Just want to get a track day, or track training done some time soon. Need more money!! lol.
 
Watched that many-a-time, and read guides, but still no luck for me. Think I'm just too worried about binning it on a road lol.
 
Seriously though.

Im at a bit of a loss...

a cheap track day can be had for around 90 quid or less. I did even cheaper ones during march on my ducatis. when it was freezing cold.

If you crash on the road by trying a knee down, the repair bills will run several track days worth..

Doing a DAS or any motorcycle licence course these days are well expensive. The instructors will give good information and you will have a blast.

Ever since I started doing track days, I don't speed "as often" and definetely not crazy speeds on the road...

You will get knee down safely and you will improve...

for the sake of a 100 gbp, you're willing to risk getting pulled, coming traffic, etc.

Sure, you might fall off on a track, but then again, know your limits and not to think you are the next rossi and every one goes home smiling..

I track my 999r and 1098r and for sure, there is always a chance i get knocked off. but I know when to push and when not to.

And when the day comes that I do have a bum on ground moment, I hope i will have some track fairings by then.
 
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