After 6 track days and 12 years I finally got my knees down. Great day at donington on monday (when it stopped raining). Mate following me said it looked like i'd done it at melbourne after one session so i just leant a bit further next time. In the final session I managed to get it down on quite a few corners including the goddards left hander. I'd always just not believed i could lean any further without dropping it but just overcame the fear. Cant wait to give it a try at oulton park next month. Need to learn to wheelie next.
Well done! Secret to this in some respects is not to think about it. I remember spending a whole Saturday desperately trying to do this and not doing it. On the Sunday, I just concentrated on lines and going quickly and knee went down all by itself. In fact, when you're riding properly with the right style, knees skim the tarmac automatically.
To echo what gliddofglood said, I recall trying and trying and the more I tried the less it happened, I slowly realised that going at it all like a bull in a china shop and thinking Im some kind of trackday god just does not work so I slowed down and actually thought more about being smoother and taking better lines. Without realising the knee was soon down and I was doing quicker laps. On another quick note gliddofglood WTF kind of username is that?
Heh. I remember my first time, at Cadwell Park. I'd had a good session and I said to my mate back in the paddock, "You know, I don't think I'll ever get my knee down" and pointed to my sliders - and lo, unbeknownst to me, they had been scraped. I fell about laughing (endorphins, I guess), I had finally gotten my knee down and hadn't realised it. :biggrin: Great feeling isn't, Wellesley
First time I got my knee down was on an XS250 when I was 19 ..... closely followed by my elbow, shoulder, backside, and head as I tumbled off down the road and the bike slid off at a tangent !!!
Well, it is true that the first time I scraped my knee sliders I managed to do both of them at the same time in the same corner.
What were you riding? A rollerskate? Jean Phillipe Ruggia used to have elbow sliders.........given time I expect he would have had ear sliders as well. AL.
Nice one Wellesley, doing my first track day next wednesday and hoping to start on the journey, not confident enough to think I'll do it on my first track day but hoping to reduce my large chicken strips a little ! Sounds like I should be taking the advice from here too and not focusing too hard on the knee down bit but getting the corners right.
I'm suprised though about the mention of not knowing, unless you've got leather sliders on (which I've never tried) and ear plugs in you can hear them scrapeing
You can hear leather sliders as well as feel a slight tugging, and if you have friends following they can smell them burning as well
My first time, with the plastic sliders, I was lightly kissing the tarmac. Didn't hear or feel a thing. Once I knew I'd done it, at Cadwell that time, I was digging in for all I was worth - and yes, you can hear and feel it just fine then. On another trackday, at Brands Indy, I came away with sore knees. Towards the end of the day I was pulling my knees up out of the way, trying not to get my knee down. Yeah, I know. It's really only a big deal if you haven't done it and you feel you want to, or ought to, have done. After that, it's just a thing you do :smile:
Dont go outside of your comfort zone and go looking for it. Ride it and it will come :tongue: and yes you can hear it and it sounds lovely Took me three years of track days to be confident enough mind
Well. I did another track day at oulton last weekend and it was awesome. Scrapage abound. Lodge corner being a favourite and left knee down every time out of the second chicane. Feel like i've moved on a leap now i have confidence in the tyres and the knee as a gauge. Still have much to improve though. Thinking of an october mallory weather gamble.
Ah glad we know that know. I must say I have tried to figure it out a few times. Enjoyed the UTube. Regards Steve
