which riding style is "correct"?

[gitarman]

ok last night I went ridin with some sportbike guys and we had a little quicker pace then I follow when I'm by myself or with my parents. I noticed those guys really lean their bikes (GSXR and a dualsport) but keep their body still. I tend to lift my body up almost off the seat and move my body while keepin the bike a lil straighter.

My question is which style is correct? I mean is my method safe? Also can our bikes get as low as the GSX-R's or other sport bikes? I have bridgestone battalax tires if that helps.

[octane]

The GS probably can't lean as low as the gixxers, etc. without dragging something. Your method of hanging off the bike is generally accepted as the "correct" method when riding at a fast pace. I started scraping pegs on my GS even with the rearsets and had to learn to hang my ass off so I could continue to get faster, etc. The track day really helped a lot with that.

[ghettorigged]

um, I tend to use both methods. I find I can cook along even on my skinny dual sport if I stay straight and lean the bike more.

What did the MSF class say? "keep your spine in line" ... I think that was suppose to mean, keep your back straight and lean with the bike.

That all said, ride how you feel most comfortable I guess! :lol:

[shep_bannister]

In general, I think hanging off more than a little should be reserved for emergency situations or track days only.  But then, I'm pushing 30 and somewhere along the line my brain actually outgrew my balls.

Overall, it's probably a judgement call.  If you're really familiar with a road, and there's very little chance of coming around a blind corner to find a couple of kids riding bicycles in your lane or something like that, it's probably not such a bad thing.  Just remember that hanging off of the bike simply allows it to go faster around the same corner before traction breaks.  If you can ride the speed you want to without hanging off, then doing so only makes you squidly.  If you need to hang off in order to keep traction, you might want to consider whether you're going too fast for the street you're currently on.

That said, it's a useful skill to have.  It's worth practicing some, because once in a while we all go into a turn a little too hot, and that little bit extra might just make the difference.

[pantablo]

...somewhere along the line my brain actually outgrew my balls.

hanging off is the 'correct' way. It keeps the bike more vertical for the same corner speed, giving you better traction and is safer. Pushing the bike down while keeping your body up is done by people who are afraid to lean (my personal assessment) and is more a dirt bike style. Not good on the road.

I hang off the bike all the time, and use up my rear tire to the edges so I think I *need* to lean off. (Time to hit a trackday I think...).

The gs may not lean as much as the gsxr but if you're riding by hanging off and they arent you can carry more corner speed and still be faster than them.

[Will McClard]

Great question,
I just raised my handlebars and my riding style has gone to hell. I have ridden dirt bikes most my life and now I tent to stay vertical as my bike leans. This is all wrong for the road. With the lower bars I tended to stay put and cross steer. I can bend my arms and lean forward but it just isn't the same as having lower bars. Low bars really suck in the dirt, and I love to explore. I hate compremise. Why can't I have it all?

[gitarman]

Cool, this is just the kind of stuff I wanted to hear.

One other question tho: When people talk about losing traction and using the edge of the tires. How do you know you are down with out being too far? I mean the obvious too far would be low-siding so when do I know I'm at the brink?

I think I'm going to invest in a decent riding book; I know nothing replaces actual experience, but experience with bad habits is worse. Is "A Flick of the Wrist" a good one?

[Will McClard]

Feelers are things that hang down from the pegs. When you hit them you know how far you are pussing it. I guess that the gs can go to the pegs, but It wouldn't seem sane to do this on the street, with the unexpected waiting around the next bend.

[dgyver]

I have seen both styles on the street and both have been highly effective. I ride with a guy on a BMW K12 and he never gets off the seat (old and fat excuse). Always right with me even when I have a knee down. I only feel comfortable turn while off the seat, whether on my TL or GS.

Getting off the seat will lower your center of gravity. While keeping the bike more vertical will allow for more tire surface and hence greater cornering speed potential. Dragging hard parts can cause serious problems. Some like to brag about scrapping pegs. I would like to know who they are so I am not behind them when they lift the rear wheel off the ground in a turn.

I got a bunch of great shots of me when I was at Tally. After reading this thread, it made me want to see them again. Awesome to be able to see my position on the bike while in a turn. Yeah, I do hang off a lot more than some. This was the first day riding this bike. Just think...I have a lot more room to lean

Vickie of VHS Photography likes taking butt pics.  :mrgreen:

[pantablo]

Is "A Flick of the Wrist" a good one?

"Twist of the Wrist" by Keith Code is a great one.

So is "Street Riding Techniques" by Nick Ienatsch

Highly recommend both. I read them before I got my first bike and it helped tremendously.

[pantablo]

I have seen both styles on the street and both have been highly effective. I ride with a guy on a BMW K12 and he never gets off the seat (old and fat excuse).

The 2 styles you're referring to 1) hanging off and 2)straight with the bike are both effective and on the street you can get away with either. One time I was following my buddy on his sv650, him dragging knee in every corner, me sitting straight and leaning the bike. Same speed.

What I read into the original post is a dirtbike style where the rider actually pushes the bike down underneath him while keeping himself upright, the opposite of hanging off. This would seem to be dangerous as it prematurely gets you to the edge of the tire.

[Dandy D]

Don't know if you guys remember the MSF course?? The memory is only 3 wks old for me. But for slow speed turning - i.e. a parking lot or figure 8 cones that pop up everywhere  :lol: - leaning the 'bike' into the turn while 'you' are more vertical helps tighten the turning radius. It actually works. I was able to hold a couple of turns *inside* the fig 8 cones. It was a 'fun' excercise that my trainer had his group do. Maybe other trainers do too -  :dunno:
Just thought I'd throw that into the mix. I'm cerainly not one to be giving any advice.
Ride well! (I'm tryin'!)
Dandy D

[Diderich]

It's pretty simple really, sliding your butt off to one side moves the center of gravity of the bike over, so you don't have to lean as much for a given turn radius.  It gives you a larger margin of safety, in that you CAN lean the bike over more if you have to.  

That said, I went to a track day and practiced it, and what with all of the braking, and going fast and watching other riders and shifting and trying to remember skootch my butt over all the time, it was just one more distraction.  Plus if you're not careful about your arms, you can transfer inadvertent steering inputs to the bike when you move around.  

What I'm saying is, practice it going slow until it's natural  (heard that before?)

[gitarman]

No Pantablo "Flick of the Wrist" is the Korean imitation of "Twist of the Wrist"  :lol: . Actually I just went to Barnes&Noble and picked up "Twist of the Wrist" and it looks to have a lot of good info.

I understand the concept of why leaning off the bike is better...dgyver's pic shows it well. He's makin a sharp corner but a large chunk of the tire is still on the road.
Thanks for the help folks!