| Author | Message | ||
     Dwardo |
The biggest gripe I have with my new M2 is that I can very easily drag my foot going around turns. The suspension sag is fairly close to what it should be. I have been admonished that a sport bike should be ridden with the balls of the feet on the pegs, which was news to me. Everything I ever rode was ancient, so that is a new concept. I'm trying that and it certainly improves the clearance problem, but I have to move my whole foot to work the shifter and brake. I don't like that. What is the proper technique and what do you all do? Thanks. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
M2 pegs are a bit low. Footpeg relocators are great on a M2 (there's a thread here with pictures). They make a big difference on when things touch down, great for aggressive street riding, okay on the track too. If you are going to the track you might consider rear sets though, they are pricey and don't do much for commuter comfort. I do most of my riding on the balls of my feet and just change foot position for braking and shifting. I figure it's good to stay active on the bike anyway, keeps my brain more alert.... | ||
| Sanchez |
Get some peg risers. Peg dragging contributed to the demise of my M2 and my left ankle. As for technique, you should be on the balls of your feet as you approach any corner you plan to take at speed. Don't worry about shifting or braking, as you shouldn't be doing any of that mid corner anyway. With the balls of your feet on the pegs, you can easily shift your butt from side to side. The heel of your inside foot should point straight back toward the bike. That positions your knee outward and shifts your weight toward the turn. With your knee out, slide your butt off the seat and hold yourself on with your outside calf. Keep your shoulders forward and parallel to the handle bars. Doing all this puts as much of your body weight as possible to the side, which allows the bike to stay more upright through the turn, and you can carry more speed. Buy some peg risers and knee sliders, practice for a while, and you'll eventually drag your knees. Oh, and did I mention that you need peg risers?  You can't put a knee down on an M2 with the stock pegs, but you can sure plant the peg down. Stick the peg into the ground hard enough, and you'll lose traction on the back tire. | ||
| Djkaplan |
Even on a bike with rearsets, I ride on the balls of my feet and move them into postion to shift and brake. Seems counter-intuitive to have to move your feet into position, but that's the way I do it... I think because I rode dirtbikes that way. | ||
| Littlebuggles |
Very nice explanation Sanchez, I drag my pegs in the canyon and on the track with the risers. Never got a knee down on my bike at the track but on the demo Buells I was dragging pretty good with no peg contact. I don't know if that was me not wanting to crash my bike (more timid on the M2) or the newer Buells having better clearance - I'm pretty sure it was both. Oh, just me but I wouldn't work on knee dragging on public roads, just too many variables to do it safely. | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Can you drag the shifter enough to push it into another gear (causing big problems if your that leaned over)? For lean angle reference, this picture was taken by KillBoy at the dragon, while the stock height peg was grinding into the asphalt:  I could've shifted my weight off the seat and stuck my knee out further. But looking at that picture more, I don't think there's any chance I could drag a knee. I have a track day in October (Mid Ohio! WOOHOO) that I'd really love to drag a knee at (for the first time in my life), so I'll be getting a set of these risers before then. | ||
| Josh_ |
Straighten your outside arm and shift your upper body into the turn and forward. Shifting your butt to the inside is a good start, but you've got to move the upper body to get the weight transfer. Drop your inside elbow. Tuck your outside knee into the tank to support yourself (you'll need this support when you try to touch your knee). Turn your hips and point them into the turn. Look through the turn, head and eyes. Tilt your head to keep it perpendicular to the road. Spot your turn in, when you are sure you'll hit it, look into the turn for the apex. When you are sure you'll hit the apex, look for the exit. Keep looking ahead. Have all your braking done before you lean it over, roll on the throttle at the apex to stabilize the bike and raise the suspension. don't ride fast if you are tired (see below) or on roads you don't know.  | ||
| Mikef5000 |
Thanks for the assessment! I've never discussed my technique before. It's good to hear! I've mastered the 'looking through the turn' already:   I know apexing from when I raced my car, but I don't do it much on the bike, because I'm worried the more of the lane I take up, the more chance I'll have to find that one piece of devil gravel that's screw me over. | ||
| Tattoodnscrewd |
One thing that wasn't mentioned with regards to getting off the bike in the turn and leaning the bike - The more you are able to get off the bike, the less you will need to lean it .. don't misunderstand - you will still lean the bike plenty - but it won't be as severe if you yourself are hanging off the bike as Josh described ... (feels really awkward the first few times you do it .. ) Mike - the first picture you posted, if you were off the bike instead of sitting upright, you wouldn't be borderline peg-dragging in that shot ... not saying knee-dragging - but you'd be surprised at how far you can shift yourself off the bike before touching a knee - might think you are hanging far off, but in reality you probably aren't ... I barely touched my knee down once at Road America 2 weeks ago .. and with rearsets on my S1 ... still scraped every peg - ended up cutting the toe pegs shorter after that day, but had I been able to shift myself off the bike more, and actually use my knee, probably wouldn't have tore up the pegs as bad as I did... | ||
| Dwardo |
Thanks guys! That is excellent info. To surmise, (1) the stock peg location sucks (2) you really do need to move your feet around, and (3) I need to practice if I'm to have any hope of riding the bike to its potential. Let's see if I can keep the (sort of) shiny side up. | ||
| Josh_ |
Apex is simply the closest point to the inside of the lane. Try to late apex everything. It lets you see more of the corner and exits farther down the road. I scrape the pegs on my FJR and a 07 ZX-6R at Barber, but I can go *almost* as fast on the FJR. Getting into and out of the corner is just as important as whether you can hit 35 or 40MPH at max lean at a specific turn radius. Really ticks off the squids when you pass them on a touring bike too  | ||
| Djkaplan |
I will forever have my ass stuck to the seat... like Mike.  I'm too old to know it's slowing me down. |
