kawman

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Jan 17, 2000
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It seems as if everytime I go around a turn i want to put my foot down as kind of a piviot. I guess i kinda have a fear of the bike falling. What can I do to overcome this fear and turn quicker?

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88 kx 125
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Keep JG in your thoughts and prayers.
 

RM_guy

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I had the same problem. Gomer’s right, the faster you go the more the bike leans and the better it turns. If you put your foot down on the ground in a turn you are transferring you center of gravity up higher and back. This unloads the front wheel (losing traction) and can make you high side (higher CG plus your foot is out preventing you from leaning over).

If your going to have your foot out put it to good use and stick it straight out towards the front wheel. Once you feel comfortable doing this (it will take more length strength) you will see an improvement in your cornering ability.

Good luck.


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40 something and still no direction except toward the track!

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New MXer

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Nov 8, 2000
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What is the purpose of putting your foot out when turning? I see everyone doing it. I do it now so in case I dump it when turning sharp my leg won't be under the bike. What is the real reason?
 

RM_guy

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Putting your foot foward transfers more weight to the front wheel which helps it stick better in a turn. It's important that it doesn't touch the ground or it will throw off your CG.

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40 something and still no direction except toward the track!

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Long term goal: Go riding tomorrow
 

ButtonFly

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Dec 8, 1999
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It also counterbalances the bike so you don't have to lean it over as far... Road racers hang off the bike for the same reason. By transferring your weight to the inside of the turn, you can turn sharper for the same amount of lean
 

bud

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Jun 29, 1999
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New mxer, you have the main reason right there. It gives you a pretty good chance of not crashing if you lose traction. If you put it a long way forward that is. Having your ankle beside the fork leg is a good spot. The Gary Semics book I read said to avoid using your inside leg as a counterbalance. I suppose he could be wrong though :).
 

ButtonFly

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Dec 8, 1999
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Really? Hmmm... they just had an article in MX-cracktion about how to use the leg... might have been dirt rider... I'll take semics over those bums any day. Does your leg implicitly act as a counterbalancer? I would imagine so... Keith Code explains some of this in "twist of the wrist II"
 

bud

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Jun 29, 1999
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Buttonfly, in the words of the book, "If you keep your shoulders square and body centered, you don't need to use the leg as a counterbalance". He also makes the point that your foot should be off the peg for the shortest time possible, eg, while changing from braking to accelerating. He is talking about mx of course. I don't ride mx much and I find I can go faster, lean the bike down further if I stay standing up - less energy expended and much easier to weight the outside peg that way. Only when there is really good traction though.
 

RM_guy

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I don't agree with the inside leg suppling counter balance. Leaning the bike supplies more counterbalance than your leg especially since your leg is tucked in next to the forks.

Gary Semics also says to weight the outside foot peg when cornering. This forces your body to be more upright (relative to the ground) while the bike is leaning.

I may be all wet here but I do know that when I put my inside foot out, lean the bike and weight the outside peg I have more control and can corner faster. Does anybody corner this way?

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40 something and still no direction except toward the track!

Short term goal: Go riding today
Long term goal: Go riding tomorrow
 

bud

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Rmguy, I'd have thought that while having the inside foot forward would put more weight on the front wheel, it wouldn't really help front wheel traction since it's on the inside. To increase front wheel traction you'd have to throw your outside leg forward, but that's a bad idea for lots of reasons :). Please explain it to me.
 

kawman

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Jan 17, 2000
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Thanks a lot for all of the help guys! If the weather is good enough tommorrow i am going to go out and practice and see if i can get better. Im fairly good in the jumps, whoops and straights, cornering was just always my biggest problem. jjj, lol im the one getting roosted on most of the time. ;)

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88 kx 125
Roost on my friends!
Keep JG in your thoughts and prayers.
 

RM_guy

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Bud, I missed your comment that you made right before I posted. I agree with you 100% that being on the pegs is where you should be all the time (unless you’re on the ground and then it’s too uncomfortable). :( Having your inside foot toward the front wheel is only applicable in certain circumstances like a tight corner. You have to experiment to see what works best for you. Every body needs to develop their own style. Look at some of the pro’s riding styles. Maybe not “right” but they’re still fast! I should have said to try and keep your feet on the pegs at all times but there are exceptions to every rule.

If your outside foot is toward the front wheel then it is more difficult to weight the outside peg. Plus centrifugal force would tend to pull it outwards and drain more energy. There are probably other reasons but my brain hurts now.

Putting anything closer to the front wheel is going to help traction. If your style is to sit in turns and have your foot off the peg then stick it out by the front wheel. The biggest bang for the buck is to slide up on the tank and lean your body forward in a turn which is what I typically try to do.

Hey this was fun :)

Good luck Kawman


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40 something and still no direction except toward the track!

Short term goal: Go riding today
Long term goal: Go riding tomorrow
 

spanky250

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Dec 10, 2000
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The one thing that the pros really do better than anybody else is cornering. Anybody can build a fast bike that will accelerate on a straight, but races are won in the turns. Watch any pro race, and you will see the fastest guys are the ones that get around the turns the quikest, not the ones that get down the straights fastest. You just have to experiment and practice till you find what works for you.

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1992 KDX 250-FMF porting,two-stage power reeds, Fatty pipe, Power Core silencer,titanium rod,Wiseco Ultra-lite, Pro-Action suspension...Live to ride, ride to live.
 

Rooster

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There is another advantage to keeping your feet on the pegs, you won't have to have knee surgery to repair damage from jamming it :(
 

fremontguy

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Maybe off topic, but what about deep ruts in woods, with hills, switchbacks? I tend to ride with both feet up, and bounce around like a pinball.
 

RM_guy

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The same logic applies. Keep your feet on the pegs and let the bike move underneath you, using your legs as shock absorbers. If you’re sitting down through a bumpy section, every time the bike kicks up it’s going to kick you with it.

I hope that explains it good enough...


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I don’t have a riding problem...I ride, I fall down...NO PROBLEM!!
 

Monkey Butt

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Putting your inside leg near the front wheel also helps to keep your body up on the tank. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that is the primary way the forward leg helps to place more weight on the front wheel.

Neal
 

Ham

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Dec 21, 2000
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Out here in Utah, most of our dirt is harder than cement and it has a layer of gravel on top of it. My mom was slowy going around a corner and the bike slid out. She didn't get her leg out of the way in time and she broke it very bad. She just got the rod out of her leg that has been there for 18 months. Just a reminder to be careful!

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wardy

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Nov 12, 1999
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Old quote here.....jump for show and corner for dough. course 20 years ago there wasn't free style!

anyway if you want to go fast you win and loose with cornering. i always tell my riders i help, to look at a track....count the jumps and then count the corners, no to often do the jumps win. so be faster on the most parts of the track.(corners)
now jumps are important but lets face it, you show me a good racer, i will show you a rider that corners well and keeps his speed up. anyone is fast down the straights.

another thing to go into this a little bit.
your time is made GOING INTO THE CORNER!! most anyone can accelerate out, don't be afraid to let the front end drift into the corner and use your acceleration to "turn" you. THIS isn't sliding violantly but more a controlled arch and pitch.

feet on the pegs AS much as possible. but if you put that leg out DO NOT HAVE YOUR KNEE UNDER THE BARS or in front of the bar and always never ever lock you knee!
I have to blown out knees from 26 years of racing to prove that theroy.
if you look at the pro's in the pics and at the races most of them most of the time keep that knee out of that area, or you can end up with that CTI brace comercial blues.

hope i didn't go off the subject to far but cornering is an art form in my mind and it is also what i truley believe is the difference between champions and also rans.


wardy



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xrsforever

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Nov 2, 2000
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To me, it seems Wardy's style for cornering most simplifies what the pros do. He had some great suggestions.One trick I do is if I am cornering to the left,I try to put more weight on my right side peg and visa/versa.Try it,I say put your leg down only when neccesary.
 
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