With my butt of the seat, where should my weight be?

[SoloScott]

I have done a lot of reading here and used a lot of the great advice (thanks everyone). In some turns, I have my butt completely off the seat (is that too far?). I have also been moving my feet back, so that only my toes are on the foot pegs. That has reduced the amount of toe-scrape. Now that I am rounding corners in that position, I am worried about having most of my weight on the inside peg. If the peg does scrape with a lot of weight on it, it could cause a cantilever as if I had scraped on a hard piece of the bike (right?). How much weight do you advanced riders put on the inside peg? If not much weight is on that peg, then how do you support your weight when leaning that far off?

[trinc]

i rotate my outside foot and pin my ankle against the heel guard then use my outside leg to 'anchor' myself on the bike.

my weight is probably 60/40, 60 on the inside peg & 40 using my outside leg. of course line adjustment can be made by changing the ratio.

+ i like to turn in late in the corner.... i use bar input ( countersteer ) but also use my outside leg to pull the bike down.


talking to riders who want to go faster in the corners: 2 points, keep your forarms parallel to the ground ( this has many advantages - gets you lower on the bike, your weight ratio front to rear will be better, helps you stay light on the bars ). find & use your anchor points

tim

[Grimmy]

Not like I am extremely experience rider or anything, I still Lean, Hip, Knee and obviously push steer. I do not peg steer quite yet, but from discussions with some experienced riders, getting off the seat and looking cool comes after you master peg steering.

Personally, I do shift in the seat a bit, and slide over to the side I am turning to, but I do not hang off the side of the bike like an Ape and have only a hooked leg left on the seat.

-Grimmy

[BucKatana]

Twist of the throttle II

Great read.




Buc

[Black_peter]

Ummm I think Buc meant "Twist of the Wrist II"
By Keith Code..

[BobKat2002]

i rotate my outside foot and pin my ankle against the heel guard then use my outside leg to 'anchor' myself on the bike.

my weight is probably 60/40, 60 on the inside peg & 40 using my outside leg. of course line adjustment can be made by changing the ratio.

+ i like to turn in late in the corner.... i use bar input ( countersteer ) but also use my outside leg to pull the bike down.

In addition, as a taller rider (6'3", 180lbs.) I lean my torso forward and down. Therefore, if half of my behind is left or right of centre my shoulders are positioned similarly.
In other words my shoulders are parallel with my hips, and a bit tucked.

-------------------------
-------------------------

[BucKatana]

Ummm I think Buc meant "Twist of the Wrist II"
By Keith Code..

Ya...ya....that's the one.
thanks

Geared towards the track but the principles can be applied to the street .Well except for line choosing.........you have to stay in your designated lane.


Buc

[Black_peter]

Well except for line choosing.........you have to stay in your designated lane.
Buc

I hate that!!!!

Why can't twisty roads be one way half the day?

[SoloScott]

Thanks everyone. I guess I need to work on finding a solid foot placement for the outside foot, as tim suggested. I may be doing things the right way now (60/40-inside/outside), but it just feels like my pegs get real close to scraping on some fast offramps. I am working to keep the bike as upright as possible.

[trinc]

Thanks everyone. I guess I need to work on finding a solid foot placement for the outside foot, as tim suggested. I may be doing things the right way now (60/40-inside/outside), but it just feels like my pegs get real close to scraping on some fast offramps. I am working to keep the bike as upright as possible.

it's amazing how far over you need to get to touch the peg feelers.
a lot of people think they get WAY over until they see pictures

tim

[SOULRIDER]

You need to be comfortable.

I see people all the time hanging off their bikes like monkeys while there bikes are upright.

Body position is something that comes in time.

Gradually work your body off the seat. Make sure your not moving your body as you go around in the corner.

Elbows bent, and arms relaxed.

Over this past year I have really worked on my form.

After last years killboy photo shoot I was embarrassed.

It's taken a year, and now finally I'm getting comfortable. Thus more corner speed, and I'm getting much more feedback from the bike.

Take your time, and good luck!

[crazymofo]

first off.. find a nice mid speed corner thats open and smooth. and with low traffic. start riding thru the corner slower then what you normally would, and get a feel for the line,, then-re-ride the corner adding a little bit more body movements each time (baby steps baby steps!)

generally, you want the balls of your feet to be positioned on the pegs, grip the tank with your outside knee, keep your arms bent and parralel to the ground (forearms) and keep your arms and hands relaxed on the bike, dont grip the bars with a death grip, it just makes it harder to steer. countersteer the bars and L@@K!! to where you want to be on the road, and ye shall follow!

at first, just try dipping your upper body into the lean of the bike, and get used to having your weight on the inside of the bike, then start shifting your weight with your hips/arse as well but in little movements, this will help build your confidence a bit more,

then just focus on being smooth with the throttle and your body movements, (thus is what will increase your corner speed) eventually you will get to the point where you start shifting your arse with out even thinking, and everything starts coming together.

its not overly complex, just a bit of method, and a LOT of practise makes perfect (or near abouts :P )

just build up slowly, ride at a reasonable pace, and keep working on your technique, you'll find speed will just pile on all by itself when your technique is good.

anyways good luck, let us know how ya go!

cheers.joe.

[SoloScott]

it's amazing how far over you need to get to touch the peg feelers.
a lot of people think they get WAY over until they see pictures

tim

I'm sure you are right on target with that last point


I have gotten more comfortable in corners, so it's coming to me slowly. With the balls of my toes on the pegs, I can get further off the seat, but I feel like I'm hanging onto the bars more. This is because with my arch on the pegs, I feel that my lower body is better anchored on the bike. I am making sure not to be shifting around while in the turn. I think my main focus is keeping my eyes up, on the exit of the turn. If that's the only thing that was drilled into me in the MSF course, it was worth it!

Thanks again for all the pointers. When I get the time to ride, I will be practicing.

[87hurricane]

Make sure you have your toes on the pegs, and use your legs to move you on the bike, not your arms, when I move off I lift my butt of the seat slightly and then move. It takes alot of practice, but try to avoid using your arms at all, too much extra unwanted bar input.

[fulcrum]

Why can't twisty roads be one way half the day?

I was shown a section of twisty road the other day that is one way. It used to be a very narrow 2 way, but now the downhill is a dirt road, and the uphill is still sealed.

It is great fun swinging out wide and cutting through the corner. The lane markings are still visible (although faded) in the middle of the road. The only thing is you have to pay close attention to when it starts, and more importantly, where it ends.

It is now my favourite piece of road. I just wish they'd seal the downhill so I could do laps of the section.