The s1000rr Cornering Thread

[Nick]

Hi Team,

I now have a thousand road miles under my belt on my 11 plate s1000rr.

I also still have 2 cm chicken strips.

I've started on the bike at my own pace with no previous motorcycle road craft having only ridden crossers as a kid, so not out to impress just learning and nurturing confidence.

So, I've reached the point where I have some questions for those more experienced than I. I've watched a number of 'knee down' videos but they haven't quite told me what I need to know......

i) At what degree to the bike should my knee be coming out to form the 'triangle'? (My groin won't do 90 degrees to the bike lol)

ii) Is cheek off the seat and looking round the bars and screen the right way to go?

iii) Footpegs.. what position should my feet be in......?

iv) Any advice for getting lower.....my knee is quite a way off the deck on my s1000rr, is it body positioning or the fact I just need to go rock the bike fully over and grow some Bertie Bollo*......?

All constructive advice appreciated, I'm currently going round a roundabout near me with a decent camber in third gear at around 30 mph..... I may be over analysing rather than just 'doing' but any help appreciated.

Thanks,

N.

 

[MOz]

You're thinking about it too much.

Get yourself on a trackday with a bit of instruction. The public road IS NOT the place to try to learn kneedown. It's far too difficult to explain the body position in words, easier to be shown it.

 

[phil]

Hi Nick,

I take it this is your 1st road Bike?

If it is do not worry about the way your tyres look, I would not bother trying to hang off while riding on the road either (until your more experienced).

Get out on the Bike and do another 5K miles.

Get yourself on an Advanced course, maybe Rospa or better still give Rapid Training a look http://www.rapidtraining.co.uk/ or any independent Advanced training bod, they will help no end.

Riding advice on a forum is not always the best way to go about it mate.

Phil

 

[fatbob]

I agree with moz
I learnt how to position myself on track days with instruction this was only after I had a few offs at donny and oulton doing laps with my mates

If you really want to learn hook up with someone like spike Edwards , he runs one on ones and you'll learn tons that will also transform your road riding

 

[unionjack]

Track is the best way to get it out of your system and then you'll realise it's a waste of time on the road and attracts all the wrong kind of attention.

 

[Hopper]

Come to Snetterton on the 10th Sept

 

[Parley Waller]

Track is the best way to get it out of your system and then you'll realise it's a waste of time on the road and attracts all the wrong kind of attention.

Gregs right , trackday knee down is the place, no diesel smooth surface and sticky tyres .What more could you ask for?

 

[Boardsofnorfolk]

Not even worth thinking about on the street,plus what matters if you have a 2cm strip left on your tyre? People are far too hung up on this,riding is about having fun! Take it on the track,you'll see what its all about! And the more you think about it the harder it will become.

 

[Trumpetman21]

Third gear? Are you sure?

If you're roundabout surfing at 30mph you should be in a more responsive gear. Try second instead, you'll have more throttle control.

 

[simon d]

Hi Team,

I now have a thousand road miles under my belt on my 11 plate s1000rr.

I also still have 2 cm chicken strips.

I've started on the bike at my own pace with no previous motorcycle road craft having only ridden crossers as a kid, so not out to impress just learning and nurturing confidence.

So, I've reached the point where I have some questions for those more experienced than I. I've watched a number of 'knee down' videos but they haven't quite told me what I need to know......

i) At what degree to the bike should my knee be coming out to form the 'triangle'? (My groin won't do 90 degrees to the bike lol)

ii) Is cheek off the seat and looking round the bars and screen the right way to go?

iii) Footpegs.. what position should my feet be in......?

iv) Any advice for getting lower.....my knee is quite a way off the deck on my s1000rr, is it body positioning or the fact I just need to go rock the bike fully over and grow some Bertie Bollo*......?

All constructive advice appreciated, I'm currently going round a roundabout near me with a decent camber in third gear at around 30 mph..... I may be over analysing rather than just 'doing' but any help appreciated.

Thanks,

N.

You need track days. In my opinion you will learn loads n easily sort your tyres out.

 

[r25sti]

i agree with the majority...track day is the way to go....you can lean the bike untill the pegs scrape but best trying on the track first.

 

[bananaman]

2cm chicken strips???? Prefer safety strips............ As above, instruction is the best way to go, judging by your 3rd gear roundabout antics it seems you dont have a lot of confidence, i know quite a few riders that have binned it getting their knee down the wrong way........Good control brings ground down sliders (on the track) Of course, if its bragging rights you want, take a grinder to 'em : Great fun learning !!!!

 

[Shft_Ctrl]

Buy 'Twist of the Wrist 2'.

 

[Dartanion]

The only safe way is to book yourself some track days and then take advantage of the instruction available - you could also try the Ron Haslem race school at silverstone, all of which will not only give you the knowledge to get your knee down, but will also provide you with valuable skills relevant to day to day road riding.

The open road if definately not the place to practice kneedown action IMHO.

Ride safe

 

[Nick]

All good advice. I shall venture into track tuition. The third gear thing came from an MCN guide on YouTube...... I'm not a complete nutter, just trying to improve cornering technique.

So, tell me about track days in order to learn for relative novice sports bike riders. I did some at Mallory trying out different bikes but didn't feel the instruction was tip top.

How much is Snetterton or Haslem at Silverstone?

I read that as I have and am insured with BMW there are some track days I can join in with around the country which I am insured...... Is this correct?

Any guidance appreciated.

N.

 

[baz]

Learn on the track,not the road.
MSV(owners of Snetterton,Brands,Oulton Park,Cadwell Park and Bedford Autodrome)do 20 minute Novice taster sessions for about £20 or lots of Novice only days.
All trackdays have a Novice group and instructors available.

I believe,only BMW UK sanctioned trackdays are covered by your insurance

 

[Trumpetman21]

I personally wouldn't place too much stock on a MCN tutorial video, More Crap than News....

 

[Godzilla]

Agree with the above. Don't try to learn knee down on the road. In fact best to forget about that altogether. Concentrate on being smoother, everything else will follow in good time.
And don't worry about the size of the 'safety margins' on the edges of your tyre. (there is another thread on this forum about that).

Advice I would give is DO get some training on how to ride on roads (IAM or ROSPA), it wil make you safer AND faster.

In my opinion forget Ron Haslam, much better to spend your money on CSS.
I have heard very good reports of these days at Cadwell, but not done one:

http://www.hoppridertraining.co.uk/booking.html

 

[green_machine]

I was in your position a few years ago and all i can say is, a track day will really open your eyes to what you and the bike can really do. I see so many idiots going round and round roundabouts getting all twisted to get their knee down, a decent rider could probably ride around the outside of them with their knees tucked.

The only downside to doing a track day is that it makes you appreciate how pointless it is having a bike like the s1k on the road

 

[Godzilla]

I was in your position a few years ago and all i can say is, a track day will really open your eyes to what you and the bike can really do. I see so many idiots going round and round roundabouts getting all twisted to get their knee down, a decent rider could probably ride around the outside of them with their knees tucked.

Very true

The only downside to doing a track day is that it makes you appreciate how pointless it is having a bike like the s1k on the road

Even more true.