Proof that dragging a knee is neither "speeding" nor "reckless driving", and a required skill on any motorcycle to be able to know how to steer quickly in an emergency.
Practice correct body position facing into turn, arms loose, leaning forward with chest on tank, hold on with legs. Pick a radius (30 feet in this case), then increase speed in 1 mph increments until knee drags. DIY strap-on knee pucks using sports knee pads with pucks and cable ties. try to find a flat parking lot without painted lines, best to get permission from the property owner.
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636 curves & 36 cops per 22 mile lap
Normally in an "emergency" there is prior warning, but a "short circuit between the headsets" and deadly delay before taking action. As can be seen in this fatal head-on crash video:
This crash could have been easily avoided, but the camera bike froze in panic. Probably same for the oncoming vehicle, resulting in target fixation and failure to countersteer. Not being able to drag a knee just adds to the fear factor.
Three ways to steer:
1. countersteer (fastest)
2. feet (step on the peg to help steer in that direction = slow countersteering if no hands on handlebars)
3. hanging off speeds up the turn and reduces steering effort (esp at high speed due to gyro force), and adds ground clearance to avoid grounding and crashing, but requires a lot of endurance and stength if hanging off in every curve
Bottom line: draggin a knee is control, and control = safety.
Draggin a knee is merely training wheels for sharp turns at high lean angles. It's a lean angle gauge, like aircraft have bank angle gauges. And the puck adds crash protection.
Example: Beginner pilots are required to make 60 degree banks. Imagine 60 degree lean angle on a bike...
Failure to panic is also a great survival skill, and requires confidence from knowledge applied as skill. Last time I rode the Dragon, 2 bikes passed a car on a short "straight" coming towards me (except there are no straight in the mountains). 1st bike made it, 2nd bike passed the car in my lane, as I passed them. I didn't break a sweat or blow a gasket, and didn't chase them down to shoot them. I felt in total control and proceeded to my destination. But some idiot passing in a blind corner is what I'm worried about.
That's why I'm trying to improve my skills after riding for 35 years. I only got me knee down this year, in a parking lot. We dont have roundabouts here in USA, and parking lots without cops are hard to find.
Head-on crashes are common here in blind corners:
The DVD Bit By The Dragon also has a head-on crash, bike v bike, in a blind curve. But the skilled riders had no injury nor bike damage, since they were able to move 6 inches to avoid direct impact, while draggin a knee. BMW sportouring bike was passing a car in a blind curve, and didn't even stop after impact.
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636 curves & 36 cops per 22 mile lap
Last edited by dealsgapdragon : 10-01-2009 at 03:15 AM.
I'm afraid I have some difficulty with this idea of knee dragging having something to do with safety, especially in emergency.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dealsgapdragon
Normally in an "emergency" there is prior warning, but a "short circuit between the headsets" and deadly delay before taking action. As can be seen in this fatal head-on crash video:
This crash could have been easily avoided, but the camera bike froze in panic. Probably same for the oncoming vehicle, resulting in target fixation and failure to countersteer. Not being able to drag a knee just adds to the fear factor.
I think that deadly delay followed by target fixation had much more influence than fear caused by ignorance of knee dragging.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dealsgapdragon
Three ways to steer:
1. countersteer (fastest)
2. feet (step on the peg to help steer in that direction = slow countersteering if no hands on handlebars)
3. hanging off speeds up the turn and reduces steering effort (esp at high speed due to gyro force), and adds ground clearance to avoid grounding and crashing, but requires a lot of endurance and stength if hanging off in every curve
Given that (3) requires planning and setup and (2) is just slow hard work, it's hard to see why anything other than (1) might be used in an emergency.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dealsgapdragon
Failure to panic is also a great survival skill
Probably the most important survival skill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dealsgapdragon
But some idiot passing in a blind corner is what I'm worried about.
Never ride so fast you can't stop in the distance you can see to be clear.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dealsgapdragon
The DVD Bit By The Dragon also has a head-on crash, bike v bike, in a blind curve. But the skilled riders had no injury nor bike damage, since they were able to move 6 inches to avoid direct impact
Skilled riders / head-on collision??
__________________
Bob - Ringer, not dead yet
Switch to reserve ~120 miles, fuel panic ~150
2. feet (step on the peg to help steer in that direction = slow countersteering if no hands on handlebars)
3. hanging off speeds up the turn and reduces steering effort (esp at high speed due to gyro force), and adds ground clearance to avoid grounding and crashing, but requires a lot of endurance and stength if hanging off in every curve
Bottom line: draggin a knee is control, and control = safety.
Listen carefully everyone, it is imperative that everyone understand that there is only one (1) way to steer a single track vehicle at speed and that is to countersteer. That’s it, there is no other way to turn. Period. Shifting your weight around does NOT steer the bike in any shape form or fashion.
When you hang off the bike (not necessarily dragging a knee) you are changing the centre of gravity of the bike. By doing so you reduce the amount of lean angle required for the bike to go around the corner you are countersteering through. In other words, at a set speed you will lean less if you change the CoG than you would by sitting bolt upright in the saddle.
Now, two things:
-Changing the CoG, and therefore providing less lean angle of the bike, gives you an extra helping of traction should you need to correct your line in a mid-corner emergency. IMO hanging-off really is a safety feature on certain roads/corners. However;
-Dragging a knee means you are going faster through the corner than you really need to on the public street. If you are dragging a knee whilst leant over you are also already utilizing all the lean angle and traction allotted to you, and thus, the lord and god of physics shall provide you with no more, and should the aforementioned mid-corner emergency occur you will likely be SOL.
__________________ We're in Italy and occasionally we get a dumbass Italian who decides to do something heroic and it all goes pear-shaped. -Colin Edwards
That's why I'm trying to improve my skills after riding for 35 years. I only got me knee down this year, in a parking lot. We dont have roundabouts here in USA, and parking lots without cops are hard to find.
We have race tracks where you can do this. It's great, everyone is riding in the same direction so nobody is going to hit you head on, and no cops are going to write you ticket.
How about just staying in your own lane? That's the best way to avoid a head on.
Unfortunately that is not always true on the Dragon. Many people, cars, bikes and 18 wheelers think the road is their own to use from white line to white line. Blind corners included.
Unfortunately that is not always true on the Dragon. Many people, cars, bikes and 18 wheelers think the road is their own to use from white line to white line. Blind corners included.
Having dragged a knee whilst doing repeated circles at 25 mph in a car park is going to be of no practical use in that situation.
much more constructive by far is have regularly practiced emergency changes of direction (using counter steer), left or right at speed.
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