Cornering: ass touching tail?

[Red October]

Originally Posted by rikke

good idea, thanks.

well, i think im in the right path then... moving as back as i can, provides a good bp with my upper body low and arms correct for bar imputs.

maybe i can improve my corner speed this way

If you ride the tank then simply look at what happens to your outside leg. The point of contact with the tank is a single point which actually pivots your outer thigh and you have barely any contact with the tank, which in turn makes you try to grab onto something else, aka handlebars.

Btw, not being able to put the head down isn't actually due to being on the tank. I can get the head and shoulder down whether I'm on it or not. Slightly angle your inside wrist to form a screwdriver around the grip, then drop the inside elbow. Do not lead with your shoulder or head down, drop the elbow instead, it will pull everything you need down.
See an example here:

To improve the corner entry speed:
- Fix the BP, but take it easy first.
- Slow down
- Work on sliding your butt back as you are braking/downshifting on the straight
- Also, as you slide back, don't use your hands to push off
- Once your butt is back and your BP is fixed, consider using 3rd gear/brakeless drill.
- Which involves going through the track in 3rd gear and using only engine brake to slow down before corners
-- Take it easy, each lap/session just push your "throttle rolloff" point further and further before the corner
-- The whole point of the exercise is to get you out of the comfort zone to let you "learn" what your bike can do
-- If you find yourself in "Oh crap, I'm so not gonna make it" situation, well...eihter tap the brakes or just commit yourself to the corner and ride it out
-- Obviously, if you're going into a 30mph turn at 100mph b/c you were daydreaming, you should slow down using brakes

[chuxter]

Another factor may be the incline/angle of the stock seat from back to front. I am short and always found myself slammed against the tank during braking or coming off the throttle, then fighting the bike to push backwards into the seat (uphill) with my feet, knees and arms. I would be worn out by the second lap.

I changed to a superbike tail with segmented foam for the seat area and it is a big difference for me personally. I don't slide forward at all anymore for two main reasons:
1) I find that the superbike tail is not as aggressively inclined as the stock seat is, so my weight is less on my arms.
2) The texture of the foam I'm using for the superbike seat area helps me to not slide forward during braking like I used to with the more slick material of the stock seat.

[Ricardo_]

thanks guys
specially red october; very good tips.

[Hokie]

Realistically, unless you are extremely crossed up, whatever feels the most comfortable works for you. I tend to hang off more than most people. I also tend to hug the tank. I'm on the left for reference.




Dubguy above is not using the "proper" form as his upper body is still over the tank and head is high, but I bet he can outride all of us in here. Personal comfort will make a bigger contribution than ideal physics.

[Red October]

Originally Posted by chuxter

Another factor may be the incline/angle of the stock seat from back to front. I am short and always found myself slammed against the tank during braking or coming off the throttle, then fighting the bike to push backwards into the seat (uphill) with my feet, knees and arms. I would be worn out by the second lap.

I changed to a superbike tail with segmented foam for the seat area and it is a big difference for me personally. I don't slide forward at all anymore for two main reasons:
1) I find that the superbike tail is not as aggressively inclined as the stock seat is, so my weight is less on my arms.
2) The texture of the foam I'm using for the superbike seat area helps me to not slide forward during braking like I used to with the more slick material of the stock seat.

Some people also experience problems locking into the tank. I'm one of them...couldn't do it properly on WC rearsets. So had to get me some adjustable rearsets to find a place where my outside leg can hold me without extra inputs.
As a rule I try (not always succeeding, as my instructors indicate) to stay light on the seat always (thank you, bumpy TX tracks), and usually when I'm braking I'm trailbraking, so most of the force is being taken up by the outside leg and the tank, not the seat. That's the theory anyway.

[dubguy85]

Originally Posted by Hokie

Realistically, unless you are extremely crossed up, whatever feels the most comfortable works for you. I tend to hang off more than most people. I also tend to hug the tank. I'm on the left for reference.




Dubguy above is not using the "proper" form as his upper body is still over the tank and head is high, but I bet he can outride all of us in here. Personal comfort will make a bigger contribution than ideal physics.

Agree with your first statement.. My head needs to be where my mirror is, and I get lazy with my upper body.. The second statement, Ehh.. Doubt it.

[Rink675]

Originally Posted by rikke

i think he refer to his outside leg midlecorner.

Yup exactly, I couldn't find any pictures of it but if you go back and look at some the races and really pay attention you will see his outside foot come off the peg or just kinda dangle for a second or so.

[Rink675]

Originally Posted by Red October

Some people also experience problems locking into the tank. I'm one of them...couldn't do it properly on WC rearsets. So had to get me some adjustable rearsets to find a place where my outside leg can hold me without extra inputs.
As a rule I try (not always succeeding, as my instructors indicate) to stay light on the seat always (thank you, bumpy TX tracks), and usually when I'm braking I'm trailbraking, so most of the force is being taken up by the outside leg and the tank, not the seat. That's the theory anyway.

Yup I had the same issue with my race bike, came with WC rear sets and I couldn't get a good lock on the tank and it makes for a really tiring riding position. My CBR600RR had vortex rear sets and it was GREAT to be able to fine tune my position on the bike.

Made locking into the tank so much more effective!

[Geof3]

Generally, the position you have on your bike will cause you to have a bit more lean angle in your turns than if you sat back a bit and let your body come to the inside of the bike, which effectively allows you to "stand" the bike up a bit more in a corner. More than anything this will give you a bit more room for error potentially. One thing I've noticed on the 675 is the tank is fairly small. On my Ducati my arm would actually hug the tank at full lean which was, for me, a nice tactile feeling. I can't seem to get comfortable doing this on the 675 so I've had to adjust a bit. I haven't had this bike on the track yet, so I really haven't pushed it too hard just riding on the streets. Coming this spring after a few mods and other winter projects I plan to delve into racing and see how it goes... I'm sure things will change further out there. No two bikes are the same. It will be fun to push this thing!

[TwoWheeledWonder]

Originally Posted by Rink675

Yup exactly, I couldn't find any pictures of it but if you go back and look at some the races and really pay attention you will see his outside foot come off the peg or just kinda dangle for a second or so.

ah gotcha misunderstood then