Leaning into turns.....

[willy]

I did my 5th and sixth track day of the summer last thursday and this monday. after putting in .95 straight rate springs from race tech, things went the best on monday. I'm no longer carring so much what I look like as how well i'm putting the track sections together.

I still look like a dork but I don't care!

still some speed to rung from myself and the machine, but trail breaking to the max is leaving me feeling near a front end tuck...

photos here:GRON4 Photo Viewer

photos of note: of note, I love the pic number 18 from the rear, worthy of VFR photo of the week...IMHO, and in photo number 24, it looks like nothing is going on but in reality i've just recovered from a near high side after the pilot powers finally gave up the ghost after 5 track days. You can see air under my butt after I stood up into the highside motion. miliseconds from a photo of me real real sideways. heh.

photos I hate: any one showing me holding up faster guys.



in general , a fun and forgiving bike, if it only weighed 100 pounds less...!

[deepdish]

Originally Posted by sullyvfr

I had my 04' on the track for the first time at Road Atlanta this weekend. I did really well for my first time, but I struggle with bringing my knee out and leaning into the turns.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I know the VFR isnt a track bike and I am thinking since the tank is so much bigger, it is hard to get from side to side.

yes lean over till your knee hits...............trouble bringing your knee out?? hummmm is there something wrong with your knee???tank bigger hard to get side to side do you have square tires I heard those make it hard to lean.. okay this might be in top ten stupid posts, by stupid people...

[Bubba Zanetti]

^^^^^^^^^^

Above is really a public service announcement on why you shouldn’t smoke crack.

Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Willy, did someone teach you how to trail brake? Just my opinion, but I would back off of the trail braking. For one track days are really about having fun and if you don’t get trail braking right it will all go wrong. I know all the current racers use this advanced skill, but I am more of an advocate of the Keith Code ‘all braking done before the turn’ and the Freddie Spencer ‘using the throttle to make adjustments’, which I guess isn’t much different but for me its been easier to be smooth on the throttle than smooth on the brakes.

I appreciate the posts of your track day exploits. Hopefully, my buddy will send me some pics soon from the July 20th date friends and I did, but I’m still waiting.

BZ

[monk69]

Originally Posted by sullyvfr

I had my 04' on the track for the first time at Road Atlanta this weekend. I did really well for my first time, but I struggle with bringing my knee out and leaning into the turns.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I know the VFR isnt a track bike and I am thinking since the tank is so much bigger, it is hard to get from side to side.

I'm just adding this to the "Where to section".
Everyones pretty much covered how to do it. I just want to add, I use some of my local 4-leaf clover turns to practice on(I'm not saying that you need to ride fast)..... They work great. 1st time around look for crap on the road(oil/mufflers/etc.). From there you can work on technique without worrying about cars(except in the merge areas. I use my signals to show I'm not coming out(right signal). It's a free track (like someone said, his track only has 2 lefts and the rest are all rights). you can do this and still be legal, besides I've never seen LEO's hanging out on these anyway, and if they were you'd see them on the 1st lap........

[betarace]

great pix, would suggest moving your head to where your mirror should be and off the top of the tank area, more body off the bike = less lean angle. A good way to position is to have your right elbow over the gas tank on left turns (and vice-versa)..

[willy]

well.. iv'e been trail braking on ice racing motorcycles and supermotos for quite awhile. also suzuki v stroms love parking lot trail braking...

anyway, It comes naturally to me, though I wasn't doing it at the track too much at first. The hardest part right now is the added speed of track riding makes the transition from two fingers gripping the brakes to rolling back on the throttle a little clumsy-the supermotos and dirt bikes you generally get away with 1 finger braking, which makes transitioning onto the throttle a little easier.

part of the reason I decided to get back into the track thing is, I do a 24 hour ice race (the Numb Bum up in canda, aye) where the speeds are pretty high and they have been adding a lot of top gear sweepers (spirals really) that have been intimidating me since here in wisconsin, ourr ice racing tracks top speed is rarely more than 60 mph...where as in canada, I'm. hitting turn one at 90 mph on the big KTMs....and may be 100 mph depending on what bike we race next year.

as far as hanging off, titty/elbow to the tank ect...it seems like every time I solve one problem, I regress somewhere else...hopefully i'll get it all in one box one of these days...


thanks for any and all advice.
willy, member of "americas premier 24 hour ice racing team (actually, america's only 24 hour ice racing team)
The IceHoles Racing Team

[GoForARide]

I hope noone has said this already, but...

I am not an expert, and this may not be an exact answer for your exact question, but one thing that I know and practice (off track on certain turns around my town) is that if you are say, turning to the Right, as you go into the turn put light pressure on the right handlebar turning your front wheel to the Left.

by the way, this only works if you are going fast into the curv, try it with leasurly driving and youll kiss the pavement.

im sure everyone here knows that a bike turns via leaning, not via turning the handle bars. and when you put pressure as if turning the wheel in the oposite way that you are turning it will naturally force the bike in the way you are turning.

this is how pro's are able to go from side to side and turn so fast, do it right and it will throw your bike down into the lean.

oh, ya, might want to practice a time or two before doign it aggressivly, push too hard and youll taste the pavement.

[GoForARide]

Now for a question for myself. if yall dont mind.

I have leaned my gen2 enough to drag the side of my foot many times. now for the noob question. why exactly do you push your knee out?

[monk69]

Originally Posted by GoForARide

Now for a question for myself. if yall dont mind.

I have leaned my gen2 enough to drag the side of my foot many times. now for the noob question. why exactly do you push your knee out?

Other than weighting the inside of the bike to help it stay straighter up so that you can CS it deeper, it's used like a curb feeler on a car.