How to hang off the bike

[ceo012384]

Originally Posted by No Worries

I haven't been on a racetrack since 1984. And the only time I was in New Hampshire was in 1975 or so for a Geology field camp.

But let me describe a turn, or actually multiple curves on my favorite road. It's a steep, two-lane road with no shoulders. The first curve is blind. It goes around a nose of the mountain. Surprise, it's also a decreasing radius. So you have to lean even more. The road is immediately in a small valley and turns in the opposite direction. Depending on your speed, you have between 1/2 and 1 second to lean the bike fully from one direction to the other.

Picture doing a tight figure-eight at maximum speed and lean. The transition from leaning fully from left to right, and vice-versa has to be done very quickly. Actually, the bike is still leaned over in the direction of the first curve, while the rider has to begin leaning in the opposite direction.

The Total Control class made us practice figure-eights, in both directions, while looking at each instructor in each center of the figure-eight. Only about 25mph, but it was tight. Once you master the figure-eight, mountain and canyon riding are much easier.

After riding on a tight track like loudon, your body positioning becomes second nature and you can switch back and forth VERY quickly.

Also, I find that you can do things with the bike/controls to help to flip the bike and yourself over faster... for example start to decrease lean angle and use that to toss yourself over while you give the bike a little bit of gas, allowing your other side's countersteer to really snap the bike around. You can see me doing (not a great job at) that in the vid I posted in my last TD thread in the chicane of turn 12 which is right before the main straight.