do you really need to drag your knee?

busa186

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I have heard everything from "you know its not cool, its stupid" to "its the only way to lean" It is very easy to ride fast with this bike, but I would like to utilize it a bit more. Coming from a cruiser, it was not possible to put your head behind the mirror and trow your knee out :laugh:

I had my wife video me and I noticed that I was really crooked, just my tail was hanging off and my knee was out there just hanging out. I have since corrected my stance and man does that bike lean. know that I am looking for new gear (with pucks) I have seen that this stuff should be kept to the tracks (understandable) but so should 150mph outburst.

My question is do you really need to drag your knees in the streets?
 
I have heard everything from "you know its not cool, its stupid" to "its the only way to lean" It is very easy to ride fast with this bike, but I would like to utilize it a bit more. Coming from a cruiser, it was not possible to put your head behind the mirror and trow your knee out :laugh:

I had my wife video me and I noticed that I was really crooked, just my tail was hanging off and my knee was out there just hanging out. I have since corrected my stance and man does that bike lean. know that I am looking for new gear (with pucks) I have seen that this stuff should be kept to the tracks (understandable) but so should 150mph outburst.

My question is do you really need to drag your knees in the streets?

Welcome to the sport bike way of life take it easy out there, it's not what you ride but how you ride it... if you are dragging your knee on a public road you are going to fast for the turn on a public road

 
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In my opinion no. For safety reasons. For me knee dragging is reserved for track days as I've yet to touch down on a public roadway. This may be because I've become much more safety conscious over the last year and half or maybe just the general lack of adequately curvy roads in my local area. If I am out doing some spirited riding I do use roughly the same body position i use on the track, so yes the knee is out there and I am leathered up most of the time with the pucks on but I try not to carry so much speed on the street that I need to use that much lean angle in order to make the corner.
 
Here


Seriously if you dragging your knee through turns on a public roads you are asking for it


enjoy the ride but try to make good judgments as to where an when :rulez: It doesn't always go this well for our track guys riding in the streets
 
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I had my wife video me and I noticed that I was really crooked, just my tail was hanging off and my knee was out there just hanging out. I have since corrected my stance and man does that bike lean. know that I am looking for new gear (with pucks) I have seen that this stuff should be kept to the tracks (understandable) but so should 150mph outburst.

My question is do you really need to drag your knees in the streets?

I don't think you should be knee-dragging on the street; most streets are really not suitable for it and you'll end up having an accident. (Although I'll admit I do it myself, on occasion, depending on the time & place.)

Also, the point of putting your knee out (and shifting your body) is not to make the bike lean over further. The idea is that your change of position means the bike doesn't have to lean over as far, because you are doing the work for it, so you can take corners at much higher speeds.
 
I dont get my knee down.
...but sometimes I have to wait for those who do.


Its not just about speed.
Its possible to do "knee down corners" at a much lower speed than
a rider who's more up-right if you want. Often its just riding style.
 
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In the Goldwing video, you hear hard parts dragging. Not good anytime to do this. There is no lean angle left and loss of traction at the rear wheel = crash. I am amazed a rider will ride on the edge of disaster, for any reason. Like others have stated, knee dragging on the street is a risky practice. It is even more risky if you are trying to learn on the street. Track days are where a rider should learn proper technique. The object of riding in a corner should not be to get your knee down. It should be a side effect of proper riding technique. If I rider's sole intention is to "drag a knee" and has not learned proper cornering technique, it is almost inevitable he/she will crash. A very high price to pay for dragging a knee.
 
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I have dragged a knee on several different bikes but on the street, on most corners I take, the frame is positioned perfectly on the Busa so that I can put my knee on the frame and keep correct position through the corner. My knee goes out only on pretty extreme corners, and it helps with my position.
 
You can hang far enough off the bike to drag your knee at slower speeds. It'll look exagerated, and kinda dorky:laugh:, but it'll get a legit scuff on your pucks.
As for actually using proper body positioning (something I'm still working on myself), and getting enough lean angle to drag 'em on the street, better be careful. We have roads around here that you can do it on, but I wouldn't reccomend it. Kaka can occur unbelieveably quick at 3 times the posted corner speed.
I'm still trying to get my 190/55 pilot power all the way to the edge on the street. Got a stubborn 1/8"-3/16" that just won't go away.:banghead:
 
in the goldwing video, you hear hard parts dragging. Not good anytime to do this. There is no lean angle left and loss of traction at the rear wheel = crash. I am amazed a rider will ride on the edge of disaster, for any reason. Like others have stated, knee dragging on the street is a risky practice. It is even more risky if you are trying to learn on the street. Track days are where a rider should learn proper technique. The object of riding in a corner should not be to get your knee down. It should be a side effect of proper riding technique. If i rider's sole intention is to "drag a knee" and has not learned proper cornering technique, it is almost inevitable he/she will crash. A very high price to pay for dragging a knee.

+1000 :beerchug:
 
for some, dragging just the knees is not "enough"
:bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:


 
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i have on the street but its been on some sharp curves and exit or entry ramps that have a short radius. you dont have to be going fast to do it when it like that. i wouldnt do it on the road with a long curve or ramp where you have to do 130mph in order to get over far enough.

except for the dragon of course:laugh:
 
I have never dragged a knee don't know if I ever will but from talking to friends who can and do sometimes it is careless to do on the streets and most of the time is not even necessary but it still looks awesome :bowdown:
 
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