GTAM at TMP Weekend! July 20/21 2013 | Page 14 | GTAMotorcycle.com

GTAM at TMP Weekend! July 20/21 2013

ZX600 said:
Dragging knee is not an indication of good or fast riding, it is just an indication that your lean angle is low which can mean you are not getting off the bike enough. Good riders try in most cases not to drag knee.

Just FYI
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Really? Damn I always try to get my knee down. This is the advice I need.
 
daisoman said:
Really? Damn I always try to get my knee down. This is the advice I need.
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There are other guys in here a lot faster than me and with more experience that can speak on it, but think of your knee touching the ground as an indicator of where you are in relation to the ground that helps you make decisions like:
Do I continue to lean?
DO I instead get off the bike more and try to pull the bike up (like in a fast corner)?

Think of knee dragging as touching the water before going into the ocean to see how cold it is before you decide to just jump in or slowly and gradually walk in deeper.
 
Corsara said:
No, don't stay in beginners if you're running a good pace, you'll go crazy being constantly stuck and unable to pass! I only started going to the track late last season, and for the 8 or 9 trackdays I've done, I was probably passed 4-5 times total. IMO, if you read a lot, educate yourself and make progress every time you're out, you'll only get to practice being passed after you get to the expert group eventually. Usually there are so many very slow slow slow people in both beginners and intermediate, that unless you get a lap-timer and manage to find a gap to squeeze laps at your 100% without being slowed down, you'll never know how you're actually doing.
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I feel like I'm running a good pace and I enjoy practicing passing people. I try to pass a few people until I get ahead and I can stay In front and practice my own lines. I'm not that comfortable with the late braking and going wot at some of the points. I've only done one real TD so I'm not gonna jump right in to intermediate.
 
ZX600 said:
There are other guys in here a lot faster than me .....
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Just to reduce ambiguity, I think ZX600 used the quantifier "a lot" to probably denote fractions of seconds or at most couple of seconds lap times differences between himself and faster people running in his group. In contrast, you'll find lap time differences in excess of 10 seconds both in beginner and intermediate.
 
I stayed in beginner group until I was able to run in advanced. Stay in whatever group your comfortable with as long as you can safely judge your closing speeds and not effect other riders.

I think I touch my knee 3-4 times max in a weekend, going fast quickly became more of a priority after "dragging knee" for a day. I don't need to use it as a gauge but ZX600 is right, that's usually the point of it.
 
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So to be fast one shouldn't drag knees. Damn I must be slow. Figures, now I know why they didn't select me to intermediate. Lol

I still got lots to learn in the beginners group. Being smooth is also one of my problems.
 
636ninjadude said:
Yammy R6 I enjoyed sharing the track with you man, at the end of the day, I think you were the only one who passed me in novice in the last session. look forward to riding with you in intermediate next time out. your bike is really nice buddy. cheers. From the guy on the 636.
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Thanks a lot brother! Will you be there in Aug? I'll be there with a buddy we should pit together
 
carboncat said:
Paulo uses his helmet to gauge how close he is to full upside down lean angle
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That's right, I think I achieved maximum upside down lean angle a few weeks ago at Grand Bend

2013-07-23
 
daisoman said:
So to be fast one shouldn't drag knees. Damn I must be slow. Figures, now I know why they didn't select me to intermediate. Lol

I still got lots to learn in the beginners group. Being smooth is also one of my problems.
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Here's a picture somebody posted in the other thread, I assume that's you? If it is, my thoughts are you are not nearly hanging as much as you should, your body is not on the left side of the bike but almost above it, your weight is upstairs instead of down low, and all this results in the bike leaned way more for what your particular speed at that moment requires. But somebody of the more experienced guys here should confirm that or correct me, please.

1069416_534632039925115_1963596303_n.jpg
 
Everybody tells me to stick my knee out, but if I do that then I just lose my anchor point on the tank
 
Corsara said:
Here's a picture somebody posted in the other thread, I assume that's you? If it is, my thoughts are you are not nearly hanging as much as you should, your body is not on the left side of the bike but almost above it, your weight is upstairs instead of down low, and all this results in the bike leaned way more for what your particular speed at that moment requires. But somebody of the more experienced guys here should confirm that or correct me, please.

1069416_534632039925115_1963596303_n.jpg
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Yeah that's me. Damn I thought I had good BP. Gotta watch twist the wrist again.
 
Everything takes time, practice, crashes (lol) and patience, you will not learn everything there is to know over night.
Practice makes perfect, just keep at it.
 
daisoman said:
Yeah that's me. Damn I thought I had good BP. Gotta watch twist the wrist again.
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IMO your body positions is better than 75% of the people I've seen at the track in green or yellow. The picture is really small and it's hard to see, but on a second look you do seem to be a bit to the inside, but I think you'll definitely benefit from bringing your head over the right bar more, and lower. Just push that bike out and away from ya! :)
 
Ya thanks guys. I wish I could go practice right now. This track stuff is addicting. I'll try to hang off further.
 
daisoman said:
Yeah that's me. Damn I thought I had good BP. Gotta watch twist the wrist again.
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If I understand correctly this was your first track day? You are doing *extremely* well for a novice - be proud.

Yes, next step might be to try to get your body off the bike to the inside a bit more. But really, you are doing much much better than most people their first time out.

There is no limit to the stuff to learn in this sport, if you have the interest and inclination. Enjoy yourself.
 
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