Style of hanging off

[Lope]

I've gotten used to riding my bike without fairings. When I slide around to the side of the bike now with fairings my knee hits the fairings. so instead of sliding around near the front I have to go more sideways. I'm a bit wobbly at it, the bike tends to change its line twice when I do it.
Do you hang off to the side and just hang onto the bike with the back of your shin?

[Drunkn Munky]

Hang on with the back of your shin!!!! how far are you hanging off the bike? Just dig your knee into the side of the tank, that should be all you need.

[Cammo]

Get you head next to the mirror and hang on to the tank with your knee.

That should be a good start!

[eamer1989]

yep, dont need to get your knee off can scrap your knee even when your knee is agasint tank pritty much lol

[Lope]

I tend to hang off the bike more than necessary for two reasons
1. if you lean off more, the bike leans less and you have more traction
not necessary at the level I'm riding at on the road, but trying to build good habits. also sometimes you enter a corner faster than you thought, and you're glad to be hanging well off the side.
makes sense?
2. seems to handle bumpy corners better than if your ass is planted on the seat.

[Neosophist]

sometimes you enter a corner faster than you thought, and you're glad to be hanging well off the side.
makes sense?

Don't come to rely on hanging off as a substitue for bad cornering technique, if you play these odd you will bin it at some point. Hopefully there won't be a ravine at the apex...

Have you read the books A twist of the Wrist Vol.1/2. There 'essential' reading and a good starting point to becomming a better rider.

[greggo]

2. seems to handle bumpy corners better than if your ass is planted on the seat.

Sorry lope, bad suspension or the fact you can't actually feel what it is doing because you aren't adequately connected to the bike is giving you a false sense of security.

It sounds as if you are sliding around the tank, which actually moves your C of G forward and it remains close to the centre line of the bike, certainly closer than just sliding one cheek off the seat sideways. A lot of it is technique, but using just A knee, A Elbow, or A calf to hang on isn't enough. It should be all 3 - and more.

To give you an idea, at turn 12 at Phillip Island (where i use everything i've got) I am pulling down on the inside bar, have my right elbow locked against the tank, knee on the deck, right calf hard against the seat unit foot pushing down, arse one cheek off the left and I slide forward a little, keeping the head tucked close to the bike and my chest / abs touching the tank if I can. So I have 8 contact points, 2 hands, 2 feet, one arse, 1 elbow, 1 calf, and my chest. I also discovered later that this, turn one and turn 2/3 were a good place to use my other elbow to look for my knee on the ground, to try and form a kind of tripod. Only did it a couple of times but I intend to practice that more for the fast long turns. On my race bike you can see where my heel grinds against the swingarm and other bits while riding.

It's easier to preach than do, the twist of the wrist books do a good job, and there is a DVD now too for the Gen Y's who can't read.

Whatever you do, do what is comfortable for you, ride at your own pace, learn at your own pace and within your comfort zone.

[Lope]

sometimes you enter a corner faster than you thought, and you're glad to be hanging well off the side.
makes sense?

Don't come to rely on hanging off as a substitue for bad cornering technique, if you play these odd you will bin it at some point. Hopefully there won't be a ravine at the apex...
Have you read the books A twist of the Wrist Vol.1/2. There 'essential' reading and a good starting point to becomming a better rider.

Yes, I've read the book. Good read. Its very seldom that a corner is sharper than I anticipate. (or has decreasing radius I wasn't expecting) and if it does, its not by much. I do push my limits slowly.

2. seems to handle bumpy corners better than if your ass is planted on the seat.

Sorry lope, bad suspension or the fact you can't actually feel what it is doing because you aren't adequately connected to the bike is giving you a false sense of security.

That may be so on the track. But South African roads are pretty shit mate. I find the suspension gets badly upset if I go over a bumpy corner with ass planted; As I go over the bump the rear suspension compresses, the energy pushes up into my body, I float off the seat slightly, I come back down, and the rear suspension compresses again.
If I'm hanging off and go over a bump, the suspension compresses and decompresses, the back wheel/back of the bike may bounce around a bit, but theres much less severe weight upsetting, because I'm just hanging off the side. My outside arm/leg act as extra suspension.
It feels a lot safer than being planted on the seat.

[Pleiades]

Thread is a bit old now, but these vids are pretty bloody good, well worth a look. First one just makes sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxODoscChNo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - How to hang off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt9lB-LE ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Knee to knee part 1. As noted in the comments, vid seems to have been poorly edited, fails to mention that as you are sliding across the seat, the hips move first as both knees remain in contact with the tank (becomes clearer in the 2nd part)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHJY74495xs&feature=fvw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Knee to knee part 2.