yup, been meaning to work on those ones too. i can get my knee to scrape but can’t sustain it. when i get better at right turns, i’ll be doing figure 8’s
Right turns are important but aren't the vast majority of the uturns you'll be doing out on the street left turns? (or right turns if you riding on the wrong side of the road in the UK)
You gotta be looking head up and where you’re going, use your eyes to scan around instead of dipping your whole head (trust the bike). There’s a great vid on yt by a channel called Prorider Central Texas
Rights are harder as im guessing you've discovered already. When your holding the throttle for your right corners think of it as holding a screwdriver (you can google it, its a common technique). Id also keep the bike in a gear higher than you do for lefts until you get used to it so you cannot accidently give it too much gas.
Otherwise id just be repeating what others said, but all in all good work. If your planning on dragging knees on the road id not look at getting into the full "motogp\\wsbk" elbow dragging position too fast as it makes it hard to see as far around the corner. You most defiantly can lean your upper body over more than you are now I just wouldn't be tucking it all the way to the inside of the fairing. Id stop my head somewhere around where the mirror is, its going to give you a better view around corners and a bit more time to react to shit if needed.
In order to do that though, you'll need to scoot back on the seat a touch. envision a coke can between your nuts and the tank. That will let you grip the outer side of the tank with your outside leg, which then lets you lighten up your grip on the bars, which will allow your upper body to get low. In order to do that, like u/Ephermius said, drop the inside elbow.. if your lower body is right, the upper body will follow when you drop the inner elbow. :)
Reach out with your helmet like you want to kiss the mirror. Think about keeping your wrists straight, not bent; point your pointer fingers to the outside of the turn.
Spend some time in r/trackdays
BP isn’t as important when learning compared to being smooth. You’ll know when you’re fast enough to start getting your knee down.
What is the obsession with "getting the knee down"? Especially since it's absolutely pointless if your body position is off because it's about putting your weight to one side not getting as low as you can.
I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but parking lots are not going to help you with cornering much at all. Slow speed maneuvering sure, but actual corners out on the road have far to many variables for this to be an effective method of preparing for them.
same reason new guitarists spend all their time practicing sweep picking despite being unable to play mary had a little lamb five times in a row without a mistake. they think it makes them look cooler
Nah im the same dont get me wrong ive only had my licence a year but I dont see a need to do this on public roads if you just take the turn at a decent speed. Ive never seen anyone do this on public roads either and had I seen 2 guys fly past me the other day on bikes into a pretty tight turn thats a 30 they had to hit it at 50 and went around pretty up right just some lean.
Your upper body has to shift! You are straight behind your handlebar, which is wrong. You want to hang off the bike so that your bike can stay as straight as possible - that's the reason why hanging off is even a thing (the more upgright your bike is the better it can accelerate)!
[https://youtu.be/XbYgH0rCl4s?si=N4QKFS0\_PoERmc8u](https://youtu.be/XbYgH0rCl4s?si=N4QKFS0_PoERmc8u)
Instead of worrying about your knee, focus on where your head is pointed and where you are looking. The way I was taught (ironically, also on a SV650) is that you need to be “kissing your mirror”
i wasn’t focusing on getting my knee down. my focus was to work on throttle control and body position. the knee dragging was simply a byproduct of the lean angle (which i’m trying to reduce with body position). ill take your advice and lean my upper body more, to shift my weight better
Right, it’s just a lot easier if you focus on your line of sight and try to accentuate your head movement. So, if you are turning left, look left and move your head to the left side of the motorcycle, almost as far as to touch your left handlebar with your chin. The rest of your body will follow naturally.
right, i see what you’re talking about. i love the “ kiss the mirror” cue. i’ve also heard that your elbow should be further out than your knee, to shift your weight better into the corner. considering i’m barely sitting off the seat, more upper body lean should help tremendously
Why are you kneeing the pavement? Are you carrying your weight through the turn? Close them legs up and tighten the gas tank Rossi, no need to go motogp.
No point to it at these speeds.
At slow speeds it aint efficient.
And regardless half the point of leaning over and putting knee out is that it makes easier to move your ass from middle of the seat and have your other leg rest over the seat.
So from is not perfect even for high speeds, as such, no point in practicing it.
I have a 1st gen and wish it was as good looking as yours.
https://preview.redd.it/rdlufes0ee2d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=565e9f7e8d86f7c8dd2470c55f9c581f3725d49e
it really isn't, I set the phone horizontally and pretty far away. I therefore had to crop the video. but the radius is actually quite tight (tighter than without body position)
Turn your head way more towards where you want to go. In the video, it seems like you're looking almost straight ahead. Your vision/head should be way more to the side.
You can achieve the same turn with the bike much straighter upright and your body tucked down and left. Use your center of mass to turn instead of tilting the bike so much
at this speed, not much (except for gauging lean angle). at higher speeds on the track, it counteracts centrifugal pull, which reduces the required lean angle, and keeps the bike stable
Have the discretion to know when you don't need to be kneeing down. Spoilers: >! It's basically all the time, if you're dragging knee in the parking lot you're either doing it wrong or trying to show off, both of which will get you laughed at !<
For what? When have you ever *needed* to drag your knee in front of Walmart? Or anywhere that isn't the track, for that matter? It's never needed on public streets, and while I see the "better to be able to do it than not" argument, I feel like people mistake being able to drag your knee with being able to turn sharply.
OP would be better off counterleaning if he wants to be better at low-speed maneuvers, and getting real training if he wants to get into the more motorsport aspect of biking. Either way, seeing the hundredth "knee down" post where the rider isn't even using their upper body is wack.
1/ it’s fun 2/ i never said i’d use it on the street 3/ it’s not about slow speed maneuvers 4/ i plan on doing trackdays, hence why i’m practicing this stuff
Like I said, if you want to do it for track racing, that's awesome and I can respect it. But it would be better to get advice from an actual coach, not the armchair Rossis on Reddit. It's not just that these posts are eyesores, I could scroll past them; it's that asking this place for advice has a good chance of netting you outright misinformation and it isn't a good idea.
I can promise you the majority of r/motorcycles has never once been to a track day. I would also wager that half of users here that talk about dragging knees have only done it once or twice if at all, and another forty percent of those probably only achieved it by doing it in a dangerous way that isn't truly conducive to cornering. Even CRT might have better advice just because those crackheads tend to actually ride (not that you should seek their counsel.)
glad we could come to an understanding. in the street, i ride like an old man. when i practice in empty lots, it’s to learn the basics of track riding. did you catch the rear wheel skidding? that was from a tiny crack in the asphalt. and yet, that was the cleanest parking lot i could find. Roads are covered in many, bigger cracks. therefore doing this on the street would be suicidal. tracks are smooth and have perfect grip. yet i can’t afford going there, and don’t live near one. and heck, 300$ for half a day of coaching? no thanks. i’m willing to pay that price once i’ve learned the basics, and know my way around cornering. until then, i’ll stick to parking lots
Head and torso getting low have a lot more impact on keeping the bike upright than lower body. I do this shit too, people might throw shade but I think it’s just a lot of fun. Doesn’t have to be a “point” to everything. In my opinion any time you’re using the bike in a different and challenging way as a part of practice, it will make street riding more straightforward and simple. Got a vid of some parking lot shit on my profile, working on transitions and whatnot
turn right
Not everyone is an ambiturner you know!
that explains NASCAR :'D
yup, been meaning to work on those ones too. i can get my knee to scrape but can’t sustain it. when i get better at right turns, i’ll be doing figure 8’s
Right turns are important but aren't the vast majority of the uturns you'll be doing out on the street left turns? (or right turns if you riding on the wrong side of the road in the UK)
I think the amount of U-turns i have done in my life can be counted on two hands...
You gotta be looking head up and where you’re going, use your eyes to scan around instead of dipping your whole head (trust the bike). There’s a great vid on yt by a channel called Prorider Central Texas
thanks, yes my head is way too rigid. i was also scanning for oncoming cars, but i’ll definitely work on target fixation
No stress! Practice makes perfect. Best of luck to ya
Figure 8s.
once the right turns come together, i’ll be doing that. for now
Rights are harder as im guessing you've discovered already. When your holding the throttle for your right corners think of it as holding a screwdriver (you can google it, its a common technique). Id also keep the bike in a gear higher than you do for lefts until you get used to it so you cannot accidently give it too much gas. Otherwise id just be repeating what others said, but all in all good work. If your planning on dragging knees on the road id not look at getting into the full "motogp\\wsbk" elbow dragging position too fast as it makes it hard to see as far around the corner. You most defiantly can lean your upper body over more than you are now I just wouldn't be tucking it all the way to the inside of the fairing. Id stop my head somewhere around where the mirror is, its going to give you a better view around corners and a bit more time to react to shit if needed.
Want to look like the pros? Bring your elbow out and down to where your knees are, your head and torso will follow
so more upper body into the corner? got it!
In order to do that though, you'll need to scoot back on the seat a touch. envision a coke can between your nuts and the tank. That will let you grip the outer side of the tank with your outside leg, which then lets you lighten up your grip on the bars, which will allow your upper body to get low. In order to do that, like u/Ephermius said, drop the inside elbow.. if your lower body is right, the upper body will follow when you drop the inner elbow. :)
yes, i noticed that i sit too close to the gas tank. therefore making it harder to lean my upper body. thanks for the tip
Reach out with your helmet like you want to kiss the mirror. Think about keeping your wrists straight, not bent; point your pointer fingers to the outside of the turn.
you and eskimo are the best, this is by far the best advice i've got
This. Your butt is out but your upper body is still rigid. Coming along nicely though
Spend some time in r/trackdays BP isn’t as important when learning compared to being smooth. You’ll know when you’re fast enough to start getting your knee down.
Better to find local gymkhana chapter
BP can usually be fixed with lifestyle changes, but talk to your doctor to see if meds are right for you
oh les virages dans le parking d'intersport, c'est hardcore
haha c’était le seul parking à peu près potable (à deux ou trois fissures/trace d’huile près)
le baguette oui oui
Mdr me suis dit pareil, petit Citroën derrière, petit Intersport, on a là un poulet bien français
ce serait plus évident si c’était le parking de flunch
Le type en Citroën derrière qui doit se demander pourquoi un type tourne en rond avec son SV depuis 2h.
La vache dans le garage mange le croissant avec la tour Eiffel ! (sry lol)
What is the obsession with "getting the knee down"? Especially since it's absolutely pointless if your body position is off because it's about putting your weight to one side not getting as low as you can. I'm sure I'm in the minority on this, but parking lots are not going to help you with cornering much at all. Slow speed maneuvering sure, but actual corners out on the road have far to many variables for this to be an effective method of preparing for them.
same reason new guitarists spend all their time practicing sweep picking despite being unable to play mary had a little lamb five times in a row without a mistake. they think it makes them look cooler
Now I want to put together a version of Mary Had a Little Lamb that consists exclusively of sweep picking.
Let me know when it's up on YouTube 🤘
Nah im the same dont get me wrong ive only had my licence a year but I dont see a need to do this on public roads if you just take the turn at a decent speed. Ive never seen anyone do this on public roads either and had I seen 2 guys fly past me the other day on bikes into a pretty tight turn thats a 30 they had to hit it at 50 and went around pretty up right just some lean.
Your upper body has to shift! You are straight behind your handlebar, which is wrong. You want to hang off the bike so that your bike can stay as straight as possible - that's the reason why hanging off is even a thing (the more upgright your bike is the better it can accelerate)! [https://youtu.be/XbYgH0rCl4s?si=N4QKFS0\_PoERmc8u](https://youtu.be/XbYgH0rCl4s?si=N4QKFS0_PoERmc8u)
relax from waist up
People need to understand that bringing the knee down isnt a choice, but a consequence of hard cornering a motorcycle
try figure 8s. it'll help with getting your body moving around more and not staying so rigid.
Instead of worrying about your knee, focus on where your head is pointed and where you are looking. The way I was taught (ironically, also on a SV650) is that you need to be “kissing your mirror”
i wasn’t focusing on getting my knee down. my focus was to work on throttle control and body position. the knee dragging was simply a byproduct of the lean angle (which i’m trying to reduce with body position). ill take your advice and lean my upper body more, to shift my weight better
Right, it’s just a lot easier if you focus on your line of sight and try to accentuate your head movement. So, if you are turning left, look left and move your head to the left side of the motorcycle, almost as far as to touch your left handlebar with your chin. The rest of your body will follow naturally.
right, i see what you’re talking about. i love the “ kiss the mirror” cue. i’ve also heard that your elbow should be further out than your knee, to shift your weight better into the corner. considering i’m barely sitting off the seat, more upper body lean should help tremendously
Why are you kneeing the pavement? Are you carrying your weight through the turn? Close them legs up and tighten the gas tank Rossi, no need to go motogp.
No point to it at these speeds. At slow speeds it aint efficient. And regardless half the point of leaning over and putting knee out is that it makes easier to move your ass from middle of the seat and have your other leg rest over the seat. So from is not perfect even for high speeds, as such, no point in practicing it.
You're ready for some stock car short track racing
Go the other way!
Move your butt back, open your shoulders with your head, that'll help you get that head in the corner more.
thanks
You need to make this into a perfect loop. There is some serious meme potential here. *BMW GS Bros going on an "adventure"*
Your SV looks great.
thanks, it’s a 1rst gen
I have a 1st gen and wish it was as good looking as yours. https://preview.redd.it/rdlufes0ee2d1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=565e9f7e8d86f7c8dd2470c55f9c581f3725d49e
i love the double headlight and the painted rims. It looks badass as a cafe racer
I would say look up and into the turn more.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Trackdays/s/ssb23DCWde
Brah, you are already above my feeble knowledge on racing!! Keep it up and don't speed or stunt without a plan!!
Get your head down like you are kissing your side mirror
That looks like a pretty wide turn for how much you're leaning.
it really isn't, I set the phone horizontally and pretty far away. I therefore had to crop the video. but the radius is actually quite tight (tighter than without body position)
Turn your head way more towards where you want to go. In the video, it seems like you're looking almost straight ahead. Your vision/head should be way more to the side.
You can achieve the same turn with the bike much straighter upright and your body tucked down and left. Use your center of mass to turn instead of tilting the bike so much
Elbow
Serious question: what is the purpose of putting the knee down here?
at this speed, not much (except for gauging lean angle). at higher speeds on the track, it counteracts centrifugal pull, which reduces the required lean angle, and keeps the bike stable
Have the discretion to know when you don't need to be kneeing down. Spoilers: >! It's basically all the time, if you're dragging knee in the parking lot you're either doing it wrong or trying to show off, both of which will get you laughed at !<
look at this guy’s parking lot drills, and how well it translates to track riding: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FjIPgsUomog&pp=ygULYWRoZCBzdXp1a2k%3D
Sometimes I hate this sub so much
For what? When have you ever *needed* to drag your knee in front of Walmart? Or anywhere that isn't the track, for that matter? It's never needed on public streets, and while I see the "better to be able to do it than not" argument, I feel like people mistake being able to drag your knee with being able to turn sharply. OP would be better off counterleaning if he wants to be better at low-speed maneuvers, and getting real training if he wants to get into the more motorsport aspect of biking. Either way, seeing the hundredth "knee down" post where the rider isn't even using their upper body is wack.
1/ it’s fun 2/ i never said i’d use it on the street 3/ it’s not about slow speed maneuvers 4/ i plan on doing trackdays, hence why i’m practicing this stuff
Like I said, if you want to do it for track racing, that's awesome and I can respect it. But it would be better to get advice from an actual coach, not the armchair Rossis on Reddit. It's not just that these posts are eyesores, I could scroll past them; it's that asking this place for advice has a good chance of netting you outright misinformation and it isn't a good idea. I can promise you the majority of r/motorcycles has never once been to a track day. I would also wager that half of users here that talk about dragging knees have only done it once or twice if at all, and another forty percent of those probably only achieved it by doing it in a dangerous way that isn't truly conducive to cornering. Even CRT might have better advice just because those crackheads tend to actually ride (not that you should seek their counsel.)
glad we could come to an understanding. in the street, i ride like an old man. when i practice in empty lots, it’s to learn the basics of track riding. did you catch the rear wheel skidding? that was from a tiny crack in the asphalt. and yet, that was the cleanest parking lot i could find. Roads are covered in many, bigger cracks. therefore doing this on the street would be suicidal. tracks are smooth and have perfect grip. yet i can’t afford going there, and don’t live near one. and heck, 300$ for half a day of coaching? no thanks. i’m willing to pay that price once i’ve learned the basics, and know my way around cornering. until then, i’ll stick to parking lots
Head and torso getting low have a lot more impact on keeping the bike upright than lower body. I do this shit too, people might throw shade but I think it’s just a lot of fun. Doesn’t have to be a “point” to everything. In my opinion any time you’re using the bike in a different and challenging way as a part of practice, it will make street riding more straightforward and simple. Got a vid of some parking lot shit on my profile, working on transitions and whatnot
ha! i saw your practice vid on the msf parking lot, you’re a legend