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The first time YOU dragged knee. . .

19K views 154 replies 85 participants last post by  Rocky5000100 
#1 ·
So when was the first time you dragged knee, and what was your experience like? How did it feel? Where were you? How long were you riding up until that point? Etc...

For me, it was this past December at Jennings. It was my 3rd day and I was gradually getting a lot faster as I was learning the track and gaining more confidence with the bike. I've been riding for 1 season (8 track days), and in the middle of my season I had a crash which slowed me up more then I thought and made me a bit hesitant to really push hard.

At Jennings from the first day to the third day I dropped my time by 15 seconds. My confidence was soaring...likely because I just got CZ wheels and full ohlins suspension. The bike was just riding like a beast and so easy to control. My second to last session I was going through turn 8 (a hard left turn...pretty shady turn actually) and all of a sudden I heard it.....ERRRRRR (pause) ERRRRRRRR (pause) ERRRRRRRRR. What an odd feeling. You can feel the plastic vibration from the concrete go through your whole body. Dragged 3 times through the turn. I knew it was eventually going to happen, and I've had so many friends like John, Ant and Fred continue to tell me that when it happens...don't get nervous just leave it and stick it out. So that's what I did! It felt AWESOME.

After that turn you make a quick right through turn 9 and I just let out a quick...."F-------------CK YEAHHHHHHHHH!" and wanted to just do a quick fist pump. I was so hype.

After that I continued to drag it in that same turn...not every single lap though. I also got it down lightly in turn 1 just once.

What an amazing feeling. Next track day is in about a month. I can't wait to get it down again!!!

:toocool:
 
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#88 ·
Still trying too....
 
#91 ·
My first time was in Turn 2 at Infineon at my first ever trackday back in March '08. I was trying to do it all day and when I finally did I thought for sure I was crashing! I pulled my knee up super fast and chopped throttle!

After I came in from that session (just before lunch) I was stoked! Then for the rest of the day I couldn't keep my knee off the ground, and burned through my pucks by the end of the day. Now, I barely touch down and its only a guiding marker. I've had the same knee pucks on for about the last 10 trackdays and they are barely scuffed.
 
#96 ·
I don't know does pucks make a difference...but when I dragged mine for the first time there was no loud boom and noise that scared me. Just a smooth whoosh sound...
 
#97 ·
I actually got both my pucks down on my first track day at a local track an hour away.

Mission raceway in BC. first time barely tapped and i pulled my knee up and then I wanted to work on body position and not being twisted. always kissing mirrors and then I dragged it all the way from entry to apex and out

oh and this was last monday july 9 2012
 
#107 ·
i am currently riding my first motorcycle season and it happend some weeks ago. it was a tight left turn and i felt pretty good at this day.suddenly there was a strange feeling on my left knee and some scratching noises. it took some seconds until i realized that i did my first knee down. since then the left side is pretty easy... right side is still a virgin. dunno why this is harder to do for me :pimp
 
#109 ·
at thunder bolt my last time out a couple weeks ago, i did two tracks in one weekend. the first day at the first track i low sided, the next day we went to the other track (one im more familiar with already) and i touched my left knee a few times very gently. the next day i felt good and ended up dragging both left and right through most the turns.
 
#116 ·
First time I got my knee down was this spring at a racing school with the former Korean Superbike champion (and currently 2nd place in this year's championship), my first time on a track. They set up a cone and made us do circles around it, while working on body position and always looking at the cone. We did this on both sides until we were comfortable doing it easily. My next time out on the track I was draggin' it on on almost every corner. They even got a picture of it that ended up in a Korean motorcycle magazine, that is me in the Icon jacket:
 
#118 ·
Turn 2 at NCBIKE (NCCAR really). Kind of scared me at first. Felt the knee touch and immediately stood the bike up a bit.

"WTF was that?!?!? Oh, that's my knee!" dropped the bike back down and planted my knee saying "TIGGGHHHHHHHTTTTT"

Completed the turn while nodding my head in excitement.
 
#121 ·
First trackday (2 weeks ago). Turn 10 at Jennings GP. 3rd session of the day for novice group (15 min sessions). Been riding for 4 years on the streets.

Felt like I could touch it then when that turn came around I pushed off a little more and heard a scrape, immediately came back up since it scared the crap out of me.

Dragged knee for the rest of the day. Like others mentioned, my lines and times were horrible but it was so much fun.
 
#123 ·
arizona motorsports park turn 8 3rd session of my 1st track day. had gotten close to dragging on some turns on the freeway so it felt comfortable. it was an amazing feeling to feel the knee just slide across the pavement. became a super addicting feeling. that was back on my 06 600rr tho.
 
#124 ·
Rode the r1 for a couple years... Then the r6 for a couple years... Finally got a suit and tried too hard for several months. Went to get my suspension tuned to my height and weight, literally dragged knee the next day in the canyons on a nice mellow cruise. It's just like everyone used to say on here.. It comes naturally when you're just having fun and being super smooth. Scared the shit outta me at first... but then it gives you more confidence in leaning the bike.
 
#125 ·
My first time was in the twisties (I know... I was planning on doing more TDs later in the year but I still love the twisties). I had been doing a lot of runs that day, then finally touched down. I thought "cool", got carried away and gunned it too early during the same corner to get it down again, forgot about the dip and decreasing radius, and crashed into the mountain side.



It took a while to get my confidence back but I'm at the point I could feel that I'm really close again. First time I did it, crash aside, it didn't feel epic or anything but it was nice to finally get that monkey off my back. Now though, especially after looking at my crash video, I'm hesitant that my foot will want to come off if I do it again even though I didn't have that feeling the first time I did it. :scared Should I be worried?
 
#126 ·
My first time was in the twisties (I know... I was planning on doing more TDs later in the year but I still love the twisties). I had been doing a lot of runs that day, then finally touched down. I thought "cool", got carried away and gunned it too early during the same corner to get it down again, forgot about the dip and decreasing radius, and crashed into the mountain side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5j9SD0odJs

It took a while to get my confidence back but I'm at the point I could feel that I'm really close again. First time I did it, crash aside, it didn't feel epic or anything but it was nice to finally get that monkey off my back. Now though, especially after looking at my crash video, I'm hesitant that my foot will want to come off if I do it again even though I didn't have that feeling the first time I did it. :scared Should I be worried?
Davetechme! I think you know who I am from our brief conversations on Youtube haha. Welcome to the best motorcycle in ze world :laugh
 
#128 ·
My first time was in the twisties (I know... I was planning on doing more TDs later in the year but I still love the twisties). I had been doing a lot of runs that day, then finally touched down. I thought "cool", got carried away and gunned it too early during the same corner to get it down again, forgot about the dip and decreasing radius, and crashed into the mountain side.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5j9SD0odJs

It took a while to get my confidence back but I'm at the point I could feel that I'm really close again. First time I did it, crash aside, it didn't feel epic or anything but it was nice to finally get that monkey off my back. Now though, especially after looking at my crash video, I'm hesitant that my foot will want to come off if I do it again even though I didn't have that feeling the first time I did it. :scared Should I be worried?
You should be much more worried about your horrible body position than anything. I've never see helmet cam footage of a crossed up rider like this before. It's a neat perspective. It's distracting looking at the knee dragging, but when it yanked back like that, it was probably your SUIT leather hitting the ground vs your knee puck. When the leather touches, it will almost pull you off the bike!!!!

But, watch the video again, and you're on the opposite side of the bike during the turn. You really squeezed a TON of lean angle out of that Suzuki!!! :eek5

Don't be worried about the knee getting pulled back. What happens in real normal life, is you goto a race track, and that's where your knee touches the ground. When it does, you run a bit wide, get a shock, then come your next lap you bury that knee in the same turn triumphantly!!! :flex:

When you come in from the track, you high five your boys, possibly embrace in a few bro-hugs as well, then you stare at the knee puck for the next 40 minutes till you get another session to try at it again!!

But while you are looking at this knee puck, you'll see that it's not pressing the ground flat or perfectly. Very few people's do. This is why you have a huge area on your knees to put the pucks. So if just the top half touches (like it does for my short ass), then you move the knee puck up towards where it needs to be. This will insure that your suit doesn't touch the ground and yank your leg back again!!!!!!

Whether you can afford 1 or 20 track days a year, you can get there and make it happen. I'm sure the guys on here will help you get to and from the track. EVERYONE is looking for gas money these days!! :fact And more importantly, everyone is looking to help each other out. Shit, I became an online parts retailer and started my own race team with a pal so we could bring the help to new levels for all our friends and forum members!!!

I bet if you just stayed off the twisties for a few weeks, you'd have saved the gas money to goto the track. It's worth holding out on yourself for. :fact

Good luck to you, and focus on keeping your body position good. Prior to the crash and that turn, you were kissing the mirror like a pro in most turns. That's what you wanna keep doing so it becomes second nature.

Also, use your hands and countersteering to bring the bike back up. Bringing your body over into the crossed up position obviously didnt work well for you!!

And Sorry, but holy shit bro. That was a fcuking serious crash and I'm glad to see you posting about it vs. being another statistic.

You sir are a rugged and durable motherfcuker for SURE!!! :flex:
 
#129 ·
Don't be worried about the knee getting pulled back. What happens in real normal life, is you goto a race track, and that's where your knee touches the ground. When it does, you run a bit wide, get a shock, then come your next lap you bury that knee in the same turn triumphantly!!! :flex:

When you come in from the track, you high five your boys, possibly embrace in a few bro-hugs as well, then you stare at the knee puck for the next 40 minutes till you get another session to try at it again!!
Bahahahaha so true.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Motorcycle.com App
 
#133 ·
I wish!! :rant I think I could get it on the apron if I am lucky. I tried a few times at my last TD this year cause I was feeling great. :laugh Needless to say, video showed that there's at least a few inches to go. :bowroll:

Thanks bro. I'm short too. But yeah, I managed to squeeze out quite a bit of lean out these Q2s. Love them.

Since I'm whoring footage :*tongue, here's my BP on the run just before the crash:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPJ6WlXNDeY

My BP has changed a bit since. Now I try to get my upper body off more or at least I find that getting my outer arm on the tank helps with facing me more towards the inside to kiss that mirror.

For the couple weeks leading up to the crash I started to build up a mentality that I could push myself pretty hard, not a wise thing to do on the street and I'll do more TDs this upcoming year to get that out of my system. I learned my lesson and I did get seriously lucky. I doubt I'll give up riding twisties for good, but I definitely stopped trying to ride like I have something to prove. Just go out and enjoy the ride.
It's not bad bro!! And the camera on one side of the head looks like it exagerates the lack of hanging a LOT on the lefts. The one thing I see that you will benefit from is locking your outside leg into the tank. When traction lets loose, it can really help keep your feet on and near the pegs!

I find one thing that really worked for me and my BP was keeping my chest down all the time. Literally all the time. That was the only way I got used to laying down all day. Without ONLY riding track, it's very hard to get your head and body used to laying down on the tank so much.

The other thing I like to tell people is to bend your inside elbow. It forces you to bring your body off the bike and your head into position. You're off to a great headstart and will surely do very well on the track when you go bro.

You make your BP change, then tip the bike once and then look into the turn. You have a LOT going for you to be very fast quickly on the track. It's REAL tough to make that initial input and then work the throttle from there. Mid turn lean and bar inputs are terrible mid turn and you really don't do it much. That's a major thing to make one bar input like that. Smooooooth!!!!

For the most part you're textbook riding great!!! Seat time will be epic for you man. And your attitude is even better, and that's what will get you great help in the future.

Keep up the good work and safe riding when you can!! :burnout
 
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