A few questions.

[UFO8MyCow]

Ok Im just getting into the sportbike world so bear with me. I have afew questions about railing. first off what is the point in knee draging? is it to help keep youre balance or to push your self back up or is there really any reason for it? next is why do you need to slide your butt over? the few times that I have tried it it feals really unstable.

[Anonymous]

Well, first you shouldn't be draggin on the streets (obvious exceptions would probably be the Gap and such)

If you're draggin your knee, then you're at the edge of laying down, cause the knee is literally used to keep the bike up at those angles...but obviously it's also for weight balance & stability in the corners as well (turning into corners faster and the like)

And leaning off also is used for weight balance..which if you felt unstable leaning off, you were probably going to slow for it to be necessary.

However, this is only what I understand to be correct, as I'm sure other opinion's will chime in.

(I don't get why people stick their knee's out when they don't have pucks on?)

Check out how far this guy gets even when not using his knees

PIR

[BraadaJim]

The idea behind dragging is to lower your center of gravity, sliding your butt in the direction you are going helps with that. Thesecondary reason is to gauge how far the bike can safely go over, your draggin, your there.

It has been proven to some extent though that all this hanging off and dragging actually does no good and that you can make the same turn at the same speed without ever changing your seat position.

I can't get a knee and really don't try to so I can't speak from experience on the matter. These are just the things that I have gathered reading articles and seeing a couple of truly amazing riders in action. It sure does look cool though

[Mojoe]

I am not a "pro knee dragger", but I do not think there is any real need for it. I am just assuming that when you are pulling the bike down, with your butt off the seat, the knee just happens to touch at about the point you have pretty much reached your limit. And you can't really keep your knee tucked in on a big lean because it would throw your balance off. The butt off the seat is to aid you in getting the bike down. The bike actaully needs some coaxing if you are leaning with any speed involved.

But like I said, I have only dragged my knee on a few rare occassions. I am not 100% sure of all the physics involved to be able to say with 100% certainty, so I am assuming. I am only putting in my 2 cents to see how it compares with what others tell ya.

[Mojoe]

well...while i was making my post, I guess Jim was too....and he pretty much says the same thing...so I guess that is it. I believe what he says....you can get the bike down just as easily without the butt off the seat. countersteering helps alot with that.

[BearKat]

Because its cool and my mom can do it....

[ThAzKat]

great info here for newbie's or those who would like to learn the in's and out's. LOL

[The CyberPoet]

Think of it this way:

The tires touch the road at some angle when you are leaning. The further you put your center of mass out from the bike, the more upright the bike can stay and still maintain the same turn radius. This can keep you from getting to the edge of the tires (reducing the chances of it slipping, and a resultant possible loss of road adhesion). Sticking your leg out just moves that center of mass even further out.

Many riders, once they get used to riding that way (railing with their butt hanging off, leg out) go to the next step, which is maximizing how far off they hang -- which means knee down. Once they are used to it, they start getting into getting the feedback from the puck as to just how far they are leaned over, how much space is left to lean, ground condition, etc. Most of them also do it because it's "cool" and because this is the technique used by the likes of Rossi, Stete, etc. -- (who actually use it because they are riding at their maximum potential and at the bikes' & tires' maximum potentials)

That said, for the typical road rider who goes knee-down, the same speed could be easily carried through the corner knee-up by a more practiced rider, because most riders never ride within the last 15% of their tires' and bike's abilities. A good example is in November's BIKE (UK) magazine, where they put a highly trained British motorcycle cop up against both an advanced rider and against someone with quite a bit of racing experience -- the cop did just as well (and often better) without going knee down.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet

[SweetLou]

After watching that video that Kick put up, I really want to get taht versed in leaning the bike. That was really impressive!

[md86]

Hey , I like to TRY to get my knee down cause I think it looks cool , I'll admit it . But after practicing that for a while , I feel more comfortable hanging off the bike than not . And I DO only really reach for it on those certain turns that I can see through faily well .

[ThAzKat]

IMHO draging a knee on the public roadways is not a neccessity. The roads aren't in that good of shape to do so, but I do think there are a few exceptions, like Deals Gap.

[AHF]

I must be an idiot. I always thought that the only intended purpose for touching a knee down was for a feeler...a way for you to determine how far over you are/how much further you can go before lowsiding.

[Zukiman]

The superbike racers use the knee as a guage when cornering. It does have a purpose. Just not on the street.
Whats funny is I saw a guy on a Ninja, wearing shorts, sticking his knee out evertime he went around a turn. Dumba$$ poser!

[ThAzKat]

HS and I spoke about this issue and on the pre98 750 if you don't put the knee out you will scrub the main fairing where the side covers stick out. I don't really rail that much being from the flat lands of Ohio. I really can't wait till the Rally so I can.

[WildKat]

Everyday riding does not require any type of dragging 95% of the time.. the only way you may use it, unless your practicing on public roads and shouldnt be doing that anyways...is if you come into a corner to hot, and you really gotta lay it over to make it or low side, then its a handy skill to have..or else you learn it real quick when you start leaning and leaning to make a turn! Trial by fire so to speak.