Had my first track day now a question

thatguyx · 05-06-2008, 08:29 AM

I had my first trackday on sunday. It was fun, except for one thing. After a few sessions I started picking up the pace. I was also hanging off more. However at one point, I felt my puck touch for a second. (I've only ever dragged knee in a parking lot doing 20-25mph. That was a few months ago...) Well anyway, I was not comfortable dragging or touching down at speed. I wasn't even trying to drag a knee, it just touched down on its own, but as soon as I felt it, I immediately stood it up and ran wide. After that, I tried to maintain speed or go a little faster, but as a result, I was running wide more often or not accelerating later. Just to clarify, I don't want to drag a knee (well I kind of do), it just happened and it was an uncomfortable feeling. Didn't touch down at all after that.

So now the question, how do you become comfortable dragging a knee/hardparts/toesliders? I'm not trying to drag knee now, but when I do my next trackday I would like to be a little more prepared for it, so I don't ruin my lines or concentration.

stealthy1 · 05-06-2008, 11:54 AM

Just keep in mind that it may happen. It is a good thing...I was more worried about my toe sliders taking a beating than grinding pucks. I actually prefer to have my knee down. I guess I'm not very good at judging lean angle without feeling the pavement with my pucks. Somehow it just gives me more confidence. It doesn't make me fast by any means, but I like to know about how much further I could go if I ran in hot next time.

When you get comfortable with a certain turn that you are knee dragging, just pick up your knee ever so slightly..you'll have to work on not getting freaked out. You don't want to have it scare the hell out of you and run wide...think of anyone who might be behind you. It could get ugly.

Research Monkey · 05-06-2008, 02:32 PM

I believe you become more comfortable after continuing to do it. That what happened with me anyway. First time a knee puck touched down, it scared the crap out of me! LOL! Then i just got more and more used to it.

Oh, toe sliders... shouldnt be touching down. Your foot position is wrong if your toe slider is touching.

OreoGaborio · 05-06-2008, 05:35 PM

Look at it as a reward for carrying good cornerspeed.

Pucks are designed to drag on the ground and remember, you don't have to BURY your knee... I hardly put any weight on my pucks, I just let the pavment kinda push my knee up.

What is it about dragging your knee at speed that bothers you? Is it because you're kinda 'in the zone' with 100% of your focus on the task at hand and the puck touching down is a distraction? If so, maybe you're riding too close to the edge of your comfort zone. Turn it down JUST a touch, become 100% comfortable with that pace, work on your consistancy and smoothness, then gradually pick then pace back up.

jk750 · 05-06-2008, 07:56 PM

This has to be the first time I've ever heard of someone on SBN getting upset about touching a knee down.

Glad you had fun at the track!

Myke · 05-06-2008, 08:38 PM

Keep your knee tucked in. You can go blazing ass fast without dragging your knee. Make sure to get your weight off the bike (correctly) but you don't have to drag a puck if you don't want too. I use mine to judge my lean angle but i keep my leg tucked up close to the bike and just use it as a feeler. Everyone's style is a little different so do what makes you most comfortable.

thatguyx · 05-06-2008, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

What is it about dragging your knee at speed that bothers you? Is it because you're kinda 'in the zone' with 100% of your focus on the task at hand and the puck touching down is a distraction? If so, maybe you're riding too close to the edge of your comfort zone. Turn it down JUST a touch, become 100% comfortable with that pace, work on your consistancy and smoothness, then gradually pick then pace back up.

I don't know really. I don't ever really (parking lot story excluding) drag knee or anything. Part of it was, I was in "the zone" and then i heard it and felt a little jolt, I immediately stand it up. I know the pucks are meant to drag, but I was just a weird sensation. Don't get me wrong after it happened and I realized it, I just screamed whooo in my helmet. But after that, as I was getting more comfortable and faster, I just didn't wanna drag it. Felt like I was doing something wrong, I guess.

I don't have any pics from that session as the photographer stopped after 3 or 4 sessions. I think it's just a sensation I'm not used to. The instructor emphasized form after the 3rd session, so I was working on that. I thought I had good form since I'd been practicing on the street (not knee down territory, but off the seat, head down, etc). Instructor, Bill Sink, said no one really had any form... I saw the pictures and realized damn.... I need to drop my head and angle my knee out more.

I think part of the problem is that since my knee isn't out as much as I think it should be , when I touch down I may be at a farther lean angle than if my knee was out more. Maybe if I work on how I pivot my leg out, it may touch down sooner when I dont feel like I'm leaned as much. "In the zone" I felt like I was 95% comfortable, just doing my thing. After the weirdness, I felt less confident because I kept thinking about my knee dragging like I was doing something wrong and was gonna lowside if I touched a knee down.

I guess I'm just gonna have to do another trackday and get the feeling outta the way.

thatguyx · 05-06-2008, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jk750

This has to be the first time I've ever heard of someone on SBN getting upset about touching a knee down.

Glad you had fun at the track!

lol I do believe you're right. Wow, I am a weirdo.

kz2zx · 05-06-2008, 11:25 PM

You get used to it. When you slam curbs/berms with the puck at 100 mph for the first time, you're like, "yeah, well, I'm pretty much at the apex..."

As was said earlier, you get used to it, and pretty quick, too. I also pick my knee up when I drag it so it just trails lightly, skimming. I get two seasons from my pucks, easily.

Look at the really fast racers - about half don't have their ass hanging off the seat, and they're skimming knee.

You'll find the limit of traction slowly - a lowside tells you only that you've gone too far, but when you begin to sense the tire slip or want to tuck/skip/push, you'll know. If you're just starting to skim knee, you'll be a while until you get to this point.

So just do more trackdays. They're fun. Oh, wait, you said that...

GSXR RACER MIKE · 05-06-2008, 11:31 PM

The puck is used as a feeler guage to give you an idea how far over on the tires tread surface you are. See how close to the edges of your tire your wear pattern is, if your going all the way to the edge then it's a good thing you did touch your knee as a warning not to tip it over too much more. But if you still have room to get further over on the tire (and if your not going to be dragging hard parts of the bike if you go further) then it gives you a reference as to when you need to start being cautious on much more lean angle. It's a bit of a developed thing, but eventually you should get to a point where you use touching a puck to know about how much further you can lean over or if that's where you should stop leaning all together.

Sixx · 07-09-2008, 06:07 PM

Ride more..............

Seat-time is everything.

Ozy · 07-09-2008, 06:24 PM

I felt like this the first time I touched Ass down.

Throttlehappy · 07-18-2008, 09:46 AM

I did my first track day july 1st and got my knee down 4 times. I loved it. It didnt scare me. Actually, as soon as it happened I started screaming, then it happened again two turns later. I was trying to get it down most of the day and couldn't, it felt like I was over far enough but nothing touched. So I quit trying so much and just focused on being smooth and trying to do all the drills right. Then all of the sudden I heard the scraping and felt my knee on the ground. Theres no words to describe that felling but "Awsome". I can't wait to go back.

Throttlehappy · 07-18-2008, 09:50 AM

I guess I don't have any questions except, How can you guys afford to go so much?

OreoGaborio · 07-18-2008, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Throttlehappy

I guess I don't have any questions except, How can you guys afford to go so much?

Glad to hear ya got a knee down, bro! It's kinda funny that you weren't able to get it down again until you stopped trying... not because it isn't what I expected, but because it's EXACTLY what I expected.

When you start TRYING to get a knee down, to use the old Keith Code money analogy, you're spending money on things other than proper technique and carrying your cornerspeed... thus your speeds slow down a little & you aren't able to do it. When you AREN'T trying, you're using all your money on the things that matter... thus your speed picks up & the puck gets scuffed.

I always think of dragging a knee NOT as a goal, but a reward.

Hope that helps!