I have a turning right condition...

[Otto Man]

I suck at them, to put it bluntly. I've been riding dirtbikes since about age 5 and started on the street at 16. I recently took my '09 Ninja 250 to Deals Gap this past weekend. I'm still waiting for most of the pics to get posted so I can buy them, but when riding, I just can't get comfortable in getting my right knee puck down. From the few pics I've seen, it just looks like I'm not hanging off the bike enough. Left side? No problem. I went from my ZX-10 to the 250 because I wanted to perfect my riding form and technique without having to worry about 150HP between my legs. From the few books I've read and the riding classes I've taken (courtesy of the military), I think I have most of the bike set up right - I'm in the gear I want to make the turn in, I have the throttle slightly open from the get-go (To prevent chassis upsetting from closing/opening throttle), and I'm looking through the turn. I generally don't (trail) brake at all, and when I do, I rarely use the rear brake, it's almost always front braking. So it can't be a footing position thing with the shifter/brake lever. It's just very, very ackward for me. What gives? :dunno:

 

[Saltman]

Come out to Barber in August. It's mostly right turns. The CR's will help fix you right up!

 

[Blinky]

Be careful of getting off the bike more. You don't want to hang on with your arms, but everyone has a different riding position. As there was a CR telling me to get my butt off more and when I get to California superbike school they tell me that my butt was off too far and this was the same position I have been riding in.

Be care on the street, go to the track and the CRs will help you out when they aren't busy. I have been faster without putting a knee down with correct body position than the guy in front of me putting one down and I'm a slow guy.

I Always use front brake on asphalt and rear on grass. Of course no one wants to run wide but it happens.

 

[jimgl3]

i had it too. i think mine came from not being able to see as far through right hand turns on the street. i could see farther through left turns. it should go away on the track without even thinking about it. it did for me anyway, and i've had a hard time at everything else!

 

[booboo1]

Ive had the same problem for a long time. It just takes pushing it a little at a time. I was getting my left knee down all t he time. The right was just not going good. Well after doing VIR full i used the first turn. Each lap I would set up a little better each time and focus. Just really focus on a single right hander you like and each lap get off more or lower or whatever. I did that and from just that day I feel good left or right. It was a bid confidence booster.

 

[92illpony]

seat time and lots of work. i was the same way. still am in some ways.

 

[dbakerpa]

Just get your butt off and set up for the corner without worrying about your knee. I doesnt have to be on the ground to corner well. If you set up, balls of your feet on the pegs and relax your upper body, look through the corner and be smooth you will be fast knee down or not. But likely; if you do the above you will you will find your right knee on the ground.

 

[92illpony]

look way down the track. worked the best to help me.

 

[JGardy_781]

I've never gotten any knee down on the street... Still have big chicken strips on my streetbike's tires, front and rear... Come out and ride at the track. The CRs will help get your body position fixed up, and you'll find that the knee down is a result of other things, and not an end in and of itself... You'll be turning right with the best of 'em in no time.
/j

 

[jaren warren]

92illpony;192773 wrote: look way down the track. worked the best to help me.

dito. I used to have huge troubles with lefties. I didn't like them, didn't feel comfortable, etc. One day I figured out that I wasn't looking ahead very far because I didn't trust the lefty. Once I looked way up, problem solved.

 

[tiggen]

As others have said, look way ahead.

Also, when I had this problem, somebody told me to think about my left shoulder. In a right hand turn, with right butt cheek off the bike, hang off and push your left shoulder towards the right side of the tank/right clipon.

This will square your shoulders up to be more perpendicular to the bike, and that allows you to move more weight lower/to the inside of the bike, allowing you to carry more lean angle. Or so the person told me.

 

[alocker]

Getting your knee down should not be your first concern, or even your third concern, especially riding deals gap.

I had both of your issues: Uncomfortable at right handers and did not get my knee down much.

Installing clip ons and moving the grips forward made getting to maintenance throttle on rights much smoother and easier. The allowed me to focus on corner speed and staying relaxed on the grip.

Knee down came with speed. I stopped focusing on it and its starting to come naturally as corner speed increased.

 

[TeamBeer]

Don't practice that at the gap! There are too many other things going on in your head to really learn to do it right! With oncoming traffic, people running wide, trees, and mountains sides there isn't much left to worry about form. On the track with everyone riding in the same direction, lots of runoff and few obsticles you can concentrate on form and speed. The gap is also way more technical than the track. At the gap concentrate on staying in your lane and not getting taken out by a Harley running wide or an eighteen wheeler across both lanes!

 

[Motofun352]

I too loved lefts and struggled in rights, at the beginning. I figured out that, for me, the issue was how I held the throttle. When hanging off the right side my right wrist would get cocked at a strange angle and this would cause me to lock up and not square up my shoulders. The solution was to hold the throttle more like a screwdriver instead of a hammer. This opens up the wrist and gives more freedom of body movement. Its still a little strange to hold the throttle this way and I occasionally find myself reverting back....but like they say, practice makes perfect.

 

[Motofun352]

tiggen;192927 wrote: As others have said, look way ahead.

Also, when I had this problem, somebody told me to think about my left shoulder. In a right hand turn, with right butt cheek off the bike, hang off and push your left shoulder towards the right side of the tank/right clipon.

This will square your shoulders up to be more perpendicular to the bike, and that allows you to move more weight lower/to the inside of the bike, allowing you to carry more lean angle. Or so the person told me.

Less lean angle? More angle equals more risk...the goal should be to achieve less....for the same equivalent turn. Then as speeds come up more lean will be necessary. While on the subject, chicken strips are a good sign. All things being equal (which they never are), A rider with chicken strips will be a safer rider than one without.

 

[Meat]

dbakerpa;192771 wrote: Just get your butt off and set up for the corner without worrying about your knee. I doesnt have to be on the ground to corner well. If you set up, balls of your feet on the pegs and relax your upper body, look through the corner and be smooth you will be fast knee down or not. But likely; if you do the above you will you will find your right knee on the ground.

I agree. I drag my knees TREMENDOUSLY less than I did when I was an Intermediate. So definitely don't judge pace by knee dragging. But I do understand wanting to judge lean angle, and just a general feeling of comfort, from dragging a knee on each side.

 

[tiggen]

Motofun352;193006 wrote: the goal should be to achieve less.....

...not if you want to get your knee down.

 

[Fastguy]

tiggen;193146 wrote: ...not if you want to get your knee down.

 

[Mikey75702]

tiggen;193146 wrote: ...not if you want to get your knee down.
Fastguy;193180 wrote:

I'm with fastguy in this..... At first my goal was to get my knee down, been there done that. Now i use dragging a knee as a gauge, I know if my knee isn't dragging, I'm off the bike properly (or better then before at least) so I know i can speed up. If you are so focused on dragging a knee, you need to come to njmp and do the lightning course. The LONG bowl turn will have you dragging a knee quick... Then you can focus on improving your skillset.

 

[jfeagin]

My recommendation, FWIW, come up and do Jefferson at Summit. It's short, nearly all right-hand turns so you'll get lots of practice at each corner. If you aren't comfortable with right-handers by the end of a day at JC, you may be beyond help.