Who was draggin' a bag on the Dragon?

[luvtoride]

Well, I suppose that body positioning has to do with the mood that you're in. I sometimes hang my butt off the seat slightly & sometimes not & dip the bike low into a curve. Does that make it incorrect body positioning? Not in my book.

Different than you? Maybe... but wrong?

For me, It mostly depends how long that I've already been riding that day as to whether I am moving around on the bike. I tend to not move around as much after I've been on the road for awhile. I think that I'm getting old.

I still see nothing wrong with this person's head positioning. That's what we were talking about, right?

 

[zip]

So from a neophyte's perspective, I'm pretty impressed with the photo. Looks cool. Nice road. Good looking bike. Looks like it could be fairly heavy with full touring gear.

But perhaps I can buy that there are technical, fundamental riding errors here.

I took the MSF class, and it was fine. But there was obviously not much in the class about driving like this in the photo or on roads like that. I'd like to ride like that, and am prepared to take moderate risk in ATG, but would like to do so as safely and intelligently as can be done using proper technique.

What exactly are you recommending that this rider do differently?

 

[luvtoride]

I'd venture to say that hanging his ass off of the seat would provide less lean angle.

 

[ngarider]

1) It looks like a clear roadway ahead, he can see all the way through the turn. So, he should have made a better line. It looks like he's holding the inside line. That's great, when you're trying to pass someone on the outside line -- but with a nice clear corner, you should try and straighten it out as much as you can. Just choosing a good line can make you MUCH faster through the corners.

2) If you're going to lean a bike over like that, you need to move your ass (in fact, your whole body) off the centerline. There's no reason to get knee pucks, but putting your weight off the bike (to the inside) will allow the bike to stand up straighter. This means you can apply more power, go faster -- and makes you faster through the corners.

And yes... I did stay and a HIE last night.

 

[luvtoride]

Tough crowd for sure.

 

[rushes]

Just choosing a good line can make you MUCH faster through the corners.

I don't think his goal was to go fast.

I think he was trying to lean it over as far as he could for the camera, hoping he'd be featured on this weeks highlights.

Mission accomplished! :thumbsup:

 

[mdisher]

So from a neophyte's perspective, I'm pretty impressed with the photo. Looks cool. Nice road. Good looking bike. Looks like it could be fairly heavy with full touring gear.
But perhaps I can buy that there are technical, fundamental riding errors here.

I took the MSF class, and it was fine. But there was obviously not much in the class about driving like this in the photo or on roads like that. I'd like to ride like that, and am prepared to take moderate risk in ATG, but would like to do so as safely and intelligently as can be done using proper technique.

What exactly are you recommending that this rider do differently?

IMHO, his head for his body position is fine, he's looking through the corner. Should his ass be off the seat? Probably. But some folks just don't ride that way. Is he perfect? nope, but none of us are all the time.

His line may not look the best, but we also don't have everything we need to make that call, it's static photo not a series, and I don't know if anythings in the road behind him, another rider on the double yellow, moving him over there, or just bad line picking, etc.

He was probably going in a little hotter than expected, but that's just a guess. I'm glad he leaned er over rather than straighten up and head over to the other side.

But WTF do I know? I've only crashed at least 3 times less than Fencer

 

[ngarider]

Hey wait.

1) That really looks like a GA plate (the sequence of characters).

2) That Givi V46 looks familiar (like the one off my 05)

3) I swear CALIMUS has a big antennae like that

HMMMM.

 

[zip]

So digging a little deeper at killboy.com yields some pretty impressive pictures of crashes on The Dragon. Interesting review of technique there, too. Especially interesting pics of a C14 getting laid down.

 

[Aasland]

Should his ass be off the seat? Probably. But some folks just don't ride that way. Is he perfect? nope, but none of us are all the time.

The point being made about hanging off, is that when riding this hard, he should be moving his bodyweight off the bike so he can get more traction, increasing his margin of safety. In other words, change the equation from 8/8's to 8/10's, which is much more appropriate for riding on the street.

 

[Murph]

I recall reading somewhere that, regardless of severity of the corner, a rider's head should always be level with the horizon.

 

[FightOrFlight]

1) It looks like a clear roadway ahead, he can see all the way through the turn. So, he should have made a better line. It looks like he's holding the inside line. That's great, when you're trying to pass someone on the outside line -- but with a nice clear corner, you should try and straighten it out as much as you can. Just choosing a good line can make you MUCH faster through the corners.
2) If you're going to lean a bike over like that, you need to move your ass (in fact, your whole body) off the centerline. There's no reason to get knee pucks, but putting your weight off the bike (to the inside) will allow the bike to stand up straighter. This means you can apply more power, go faster -- and makes you faster through the corners.

And yes... I did stay and a HIE last night.

It is possible that his goal was not to ride "much faster through the corners," right? I know, I know. Heresy. But perhaps he was just having a good time on The Dragon, comfortably riding within his limits. Also, and I'm guessing you know The Dragon considerably better than I, is it possible that the corner is 180-degrees or better and that he did take a good line but has passed the apex of the turn?

 

[monk69]

"I don't think his goal was to go fast.

I think he was trying to lean it over as far as he could for the camera, hoping he'd be featured on this weeks highlights.

Mission accomplished!"

One thing I like about pictures of this sort,is that it makes a good confidence builder for people that don't know if their s-touring bike can lean as far as race bikes(me included) being loaded an all,specially when they aren't moving their butt off the seat.

 

[05fjrBluedevil]

Nothing impressive about seeing a bike leaned that far with the rider's head leaned AWAY from the turn. As stated above, you should never be there.
Hope he didn't "drag on" too far.

Well, as long as the rider was having fun, made it through the series of switch backs and did not slide into the/ a ditch. i guess there was nothing wrong with any of it..... :glare:

 

[snwdawg]

Nothing impressive about seeing a bike leaned that far with the rider's head leaned AWAY from the turn. As stated above, you should never be there.
Hope he didn't "drag on" too far.

Well, as long as the rider was having fun, made it through the series of switch backs and did not slide into the/ a ditch. i guess there was nothing wrong with any of it..... :glare:

I think he was just daydreaming about that Wing he just past and why...why would someone choose that instead of an FJ, came into the corner to Hot....to inside but refused to give up his line and stuck it out at any cost...helmet position looks just fine and how can you tell if his ass is off the seat or not with the trunk in the way.And by the looks of it it his ass is probably puckered up to the seat like a suction cup just to hold that line....good job I'd say :assassin:

 

[Hit the Road Jack]

At least he's riding his FJR on the Dragon instead of whining about it at his computer!

 

[FJR@DTS]

Well, you can tell that it was not me in the picture because it was not followed by a post regarding how well my helmet, gloves, jacket and pants held up after sliding down the asphalt! :angel:

 

[Fred W]

1) It looks like a clear roadway ahead, he can see all the way through the turn. So, he should have made a better line. It looks like he's holding the inside line. That's great, when you're trying to pass someone on the outside line -- but with a nice clear corner, you should try and straighten it out as much as you can. Just choosing a good line can make you MUCH faster through the corners.

Or you could listen to everyone around here and STAY RIGHT. You can not possibly see enough of that corner to know if some hillbilly is cranking around the corner in the General Lee using up your half of the double yellow and then some.

 

[Bounce]

I sometimes hang my butt off the seat slightly & sometimes not & dip the bike low into a curve. Does that make it incorrect body positioning? Not in my book.

you missed the memo. that book was recalled.

Different than you? Maybe... but wrong?

yep

For me, It mostly depends how long that I've already been riding that day as to whether I am moving around on the bike. I tend to not move around as much after I've been on the road for awhile.

then you adjust your speed to compensate.

I think that I'm getting old.

don't plan on getting much older until you get that revised book.

Is it Friday yet?

 

[luvtoride]

Bounce, I happen to disagree with you completely... well, except for the part about adjusting speed when tired. Not all folks have the same riding style. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are destined to crash.