I remember on one of the 2-day track days I attended years ago, on Day 1, I was desperately trying to get my knee down and failing. The next day, I didn't bother trying any more but just settled into going faster. My knee went down almost immediately. Just knowing the track, being relaxed and trying to go fast and smooth will, assuming you are hanging off a bit and sticking your knee out, have your knee touching automatically. Once you've done it a couple of times, you again cease to pay it much attention. In fact, if you don't hear or feel your knee go down in a bend, you sort of ask yourself, "why not? I can't be going fast enough there." So you do end up using it as a gauge. For non-knee down people, it's certainly not required on the road and the king of the Nurburgring, Helmut Dahne, doesn't do it at all. And if you could ride like him...
That reminds me of a track day at brands. A guy head to toe in brand new kit was there on a Genesis track bike I believe and was having a whole days training. Anyway, I was following him around Druids and his knee finally went down. His first reaction was to pull away from it, but then he realised what had happed, he took his right hand of the bars, while still leaned over a fair bit and nearly lost it completely. :tongue:
It's one of those things that just make you chuckle. Now I find myself wearing out knee sliders, and in Almeria I was ripping them up and laughing all the time. It's just fun!
Same here, made me jump! Lifted my knee back up (reflex) which of course meant there was no evidence of this holy of holiest right of passage...:frown: Did it again a few more times though over the course of the 3 days... Track is defo the best place for such shenanigans!
Kind of. When racing, I literally smash my knee into the tarmac, especially on slower corners, and the lift or press down depending what I need. As I get quicker, or in heat of battle, I'll lift it until my toes and pegs are down then thats the lot..normally its my knee shin and foot dragging along on track days, i'm going a lot slower so tend to skim the track more as I'm far less aggressive
this!... It frightened the life out of me first time and when I do track days it still does! There is a new roundabout near me which is knee down city! Just need it to warm up!... Thing is, I find I have to turn the sliders upside down to extend the life of them?
My set are those dainese white ones that are extra thick. My mates calls them toilet seats. But they came with the leathers, so... For me its all about body position and hanging off the bike. Without 'twisting' which actually turns my knee into the bike. And remembering to bend my arm at the elbow on the arm opposite to where I am leaning. Also balancing on pegs and moving, leaning and turning in a fluid movement. I dont always get it correct.
1st time was at Stowe Circuit on a borrowed zx6r. On the road, a couple of times, best one was a rb outside Hay on Wye on a tt600 which was a great handling bike.
a mate does it all the time on the road. Cochem bends, damp and cold, we stayed at the bottom and by turn three up the hill he was knee down. Bald mix-n-match tyres too.
Paul Varnsverry, he of Swift Leathers fame, told me back in the day that people used to go to the rec in their new leathers and hang off the children's roundabout so that they could get their knee down and give their pristine sliders the real "asphalt" look. How sad is that? You wouldn't want to be doing that in daylight...
Although ive only got my knee down a couple of times I felt really unstable doing it....guess I need more practice!
Jurby Racetrack. completely screwed my lines for the rest of the day as I was tipping in far too hard so I could get my knee down again. <shameful confession> still cant get my left down properly. Skimmed it through Hall Bends once
