Kneedraggin on a tiger

[rjvolt]

I wasn't sure if it was possible on a tiger but apparently it is. Stole this from the front page of www.totalcontroltraining.net.

[Advwannabe]

Cool pic!

I drag the pegs on my Tigger on occasion on the road and all the time at the two track days I've been to.

Looking at the pic the guy has his knee down but the peg is still a ways off the tarmac. Maybe knee down is the fastest way to corner a Tigger ( at the track of course)

Knee down is definately the way to go on my Daytona, but that machine sits a lot lower than the Tiger. On Tigger I feel more comfortable just leaning and have convinced myself it's faster anyhow.

Maybe I'm wrong? Any of the experienced ride instructors/racers care to comment?

[rjvolt]

I can't get my knee down on any bike but I've gotten used to hanging my body off the bike on my SV. I've started doing the same thing on the Tiger but not as much. It just doesn't feel right sitting straight up on a bike during a turn. I keep thinking it must look strange to be in this position on a dual sport. How many of you move your ass off the seat during a turn?

[Yukon]

How many of you move your ass off the seat during a turn?

+1 here.

[fano]

:shock: Some day I will have to learn to ride like that. Looks like fun.

[MikeBenzon]

I'm not expert at motorcycles, however I have been racing cars and teaching driving for over 25 years.
Here's my take on leaning off the bike and what bikes it works for.
Leaning off to the inside of a bike decreases the amount a bike has to lean to accomplish a turn than the same bike without hanging off to the inside can, it's as simple as that. Some bikes it has less effect on but still decreases the amount of bike lean required. I have hung off on my Harley Ultra Classic through some awesome turns and it worked just fine for me. The dynamics of turning a bike is the same for all of them, in my most humble opinion.
I am a big fan of the smart ride technique where the rider moves their head towards the mirror ( to the inside and forward) and shifts the upper body towards the inside without moving off the seat or just half off the seat. It is a good way to start working your way to hanging off the bike if that's where you want to eventually to be.
A lot of riders want some type of lean technique to help the bike's turn in without looking like a squid on the street, so a lot of them use the "smart ride" technique.
I used to hear the same BS with cars, (my car doesn't like to trail brake). The fact is that the modern car can move up the brake zone into a tight  corner that requires braking, by trailing the brake zone into the corner to some degree depending on the corner.
I have a friend who counter leans into the corners with his bike. He has done this for so many years I am afraid to try and change him now. He has built all his technique and skills sets with this technique and he might hurt himself if he was to try and change it now. His corner entry speeds are based on his experiences with his counter lean and I am afraid his whole rythum would be upset by changing anything at this point, unless he really wanted to learn. Last summer we rode a real tasty piece of twisties in the Trinity mountains of northern California. I was leading and he was following me. At the end of the day we were recapping the ride and he mentioned how he couldn't keep up with me and that he was scraping the h#*^^ out of his pegs. He asked me if I scraped and I said no. I didn't take it any further than that. We were both riding Harley Ultra Classics. He counter leans and I "smart lean".

Cool pic!

I drag the pegs on my Tigger on occasion on the road and all the time at the two track days I've been to.

Looking at the pic the guy has his knee down but the peg is still a ways off the tarmac. Maybe knee down is the fastest way to corner a Tigger ( at the track of course)

Knee down is definately the way to go on my Daytona, but that machine sits a lot lower than the Tiger. On Tigger I feel more comfortable just leaning and have convinced myself it's faster anyhow.

Maybe I'm wrong? Any of the experienced ride instructors/racers care to comment?

[blacktiger]

How many of you move your ass off the seat during a turn?

No.
I'm too lazy and also don't find that I need to as the Tiger has so much clearance as standard.
My thoughts on getting yer knee down. I think you could get your knee down on any bike if you hang off far enough. OK on a race track but inappropriate on the road.

[blacktiger]

I have a friend who counter leans into the corners with his bike.

That's an off road technique. Does/did he ride MX or enduro?

[HappyMan]

I have a friend who counter leans into the corners with his bike.

That's an off road technique. Does/did he ride MX or enduro?

Yes, very poor ride technique for street riding and excellent for off road.

Kiss the mirror and lean is a must for proper street riding technique.  You need to change the center of gravity and maintain max tire contact.  Whether on a cruiser, luxo boat or a Tiger, you need to lean into a turn.  At the very least on minor turns a simple lean forward toward the mirror and into the turn makes a huge difference in ride control.  It sounds like I'm preaching, sorry, but anyone wishing to stay safe on a bike needs to always work on their ride technique.

[FullMonte]

I keep thinking it must look strange to be in this position on a dual sport. How many of you move your ass off the seat during a turn?

I've been hanging off since I got my first bike in 1998.  Its second nature and I don't even think about it anymore.  Nobody cares what it looks like, especially when you're hanging with fast roadracers on their sportbikes.  Respect is what you'll get from those in the know.

[rjvolt]

Maybe it's me but shifting some body weight to the inside of a turn feels more stable. I've been down twice in a turn. The first time I was more of a noob than now. I was taking a turn a little fast for my abilities and not looking through the turn. The second time I leaned the bike too much and lost grip. The first time I didn't lean because I was tired and got lazy. The second time I didn't lean because I thought I was taking it easy and didn't feel like I needed to. I think if I would have leaned my body even a little it would have helped. Now I'm trying to make it a habit.

[EvilBetty]

+1