k bryant
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posted November 17, 2003 01:51 PM
Wet equals no sac
Believe it or not, it's been "damp" a little in SoCal lately. You guys from Washington, Oregon, etc. would probably laugh at the way some of these guys "ride" in the damp. I'm not even talking about wet. Just some damp spots. You'd swear the guys who just blaze in the dry, left their sacs at home if even a shadow of dampness is in a corner. Hell, half the fun is trying to still drag a knee when it's wet!
   
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Y2KZX12R
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posted November 17, 2003 02:24 PM
Yea, I feal sorry for you north westerners. You get some nasty weather.
Here in CT we arnt too far behind trust me. The new year starts with ice and snow and blends into sand and pot-holes. But then its nice riding.
Then in the summer (july) its 90 and humid and starts to rain lightly for the first time in 10 days, the roads get friggin slick. Once it down pours for a few minutes its great. The oils wash off and traction is suprisingly good.
KB, where are you at?
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k bryant
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posted November 17, 2003 02:59 PM
Southern California - Anaheim Hills area. More towards LA, than San Diego.
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swft
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posted November 17, 2003 06:03 PM
I remember riding in the southeast. Charleston, SC. If it hadn't rained for a few weeks, very very dicey as the oil would come up. If it was the rainy season, watch out, it'd rain hard enough to raise welts under a light jacket. Plus, you can't see through the rain. That's when you'd head for the nearest overpass and camp out under it till the rain stopped. And prey a car didn't take your bike out while you were waiting.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 18, 2003 04:57 AM
was out on the track the last time we went out for a track day, we got the report from track officials that there was a wet spot on the outside of turn 5. As it turns out the wet spot was on the inside. I adjusted my line to compensate for the outside edge puddle of water when I hit the water on the inside edge at full lean with a knee on the ground it about made my heart stop, the bike went into a 2 wheel slide across the track, Fortunately the wet spot wasnt very wide and the bike came out of it quickly, I rolled out of the throttle, and bumped the ground with me knee to push up the bike, and made the corner. Thought I was gonna have to go clean my shorts....while riding Bridgestones BT 012's (had to throw that in for K).
Have to say that the suspension set up that i had done to the bike by a guy I know, and the sotnes did what they we suppose to do, give me a few seconds to react, and not fall down.....just glad I wasnt running WFO, tha towul dhave been ugly.
whats this have to do with the subject at hand? Call me sacless if ya wanna, but I am gonna slow down in the rain...I pay too much for my bikes to get stupid and fall down....have I ever drug a knee in the rain...not no, but HELL NO.....hell I just started dragging a knee at all, ant ready to do it in the rain.....just the ramblings of a non knee dragging individual in the rain...lmfao
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EastBayDave
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posted November 18, 2003 06:03 AM
quote:
....and bumped the ground with me knee to push up the bike, and made the corner. Thought I was gonna have to go clean my shorts....
Wow....way to go HDL! Racers do that all the time- sometimes several times a lap. Most street riders can't imagine saving the bike w/the knee. You now have extra big one's in my book...you da man! 
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 18, 2003 07:36 PM
hell I was skeered shitless, adn didnt want to wreck a bike tha thad 750 miles on it....lol it was an act of desperation.......lmfao....but it worked
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EastBayDave
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posted November 19, 2003 05:20 AM
yeah, dats' the point...it works. Ask anyone who's roadraced for a bit & the dragging the knee thing is really for that....saving the bike.
If your really hauling this is at first planned (for those corners where you are sliding both ends every lap), & after practice, you do it in the same places every lap instinctively. It really boils down to he who slides the best (in control) wins the race. It's a fine line between intentional slides of both ends & "saving the bike" when you overdo it...(Kerry?)
You end up varying the amount of slide by that "slide-out" point where you have to use your knee to keep the bike upright. If your experimenting successfully eventually this becomes instinctive (you MUST react fast or end up on your ass!) Then it really becomes fun, squaring the turns kinda like moto-X...
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 19, 2003 05:38 AM
yeah...but the tires your on play a big part of that...I was on OEM tires that time....mistake number one.....It was the first lap, and I hadnt heated the tires up.mistake number 2...
gonna have the Pirelli's on it next time....and heat them up and run the track first to proof it.....
dam when is the next track day.....lol
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k bryant
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posted November 19, 2003 08:49 AM
True, true Dave. Big difference. When I slide with my knee down, it's normally a reactionary save thing and instinctively start to reduce the angle of lean. Everything happens in a split second and I don't even think about it. On the track, I'm more likely to stay in the throttle longer. On the street, I tend to reduce the angle and let off much sooner. You've got a "pivot" point (knee) that naturally is causing a reaction to "push" up. So between that and natural instinct of most people to "chop" the throttle (not litterly) and counter-steer, you're normally in this "save" position for a split second.
Even on the street, when I slide the bike front, back or both, it's not normally with my knee down. It's just part of my "mechinisim" that I hunker into somewhat of a defensive mode or attack mode when sliding. I get all hunched up over the tank, bars, front end and play it out. I do it a lot on the 12. It slides both ends really easily when pushed. So far, it's never done anything funny that I couldn't react to fairly easily. It's a very predictable bike when you set the suspension right, have decent tires and correct air pressure, and use a steering damper (Muzzy).
I still drag both knees in the wet and on the street. But the reason is somewhat different than when I'm doing it in the dry. In the wet, I'm actually hanging off much further to keep the bike more upright and decrease the angle of lean. In the event of a slide, I'm a little more vunerable because I'm so far off, with much more weight on the inside peg. So bailing off is more likely. That's the only draw-back. But I've hit the ground enough through trial/error, that by now I've got a pretty good idea of where the limits are...
In the dry, I just drag my knees instinctively most of the time. Doesn't matter if it's a 40 or 140 corner. Don't give it much thought.
HDL - Tires don't seem to make any diff to me when dragging knees. It's not the lean angle. It's the ability to lay the lead to it when leaned over that seperates a good tire from a so-so tire. And it can be a big difference... Honestly, in lean angles, I've never really had any complaints with OEM tires, no matter what brand. They all stick really well.
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 23, 2003 05:48 AM
well maybe next time it happens, the pucker factor wont multiply by 10.....maybe just 8 next time....lmao
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EastBayDave
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posted November 23, 2003 06:11 AM
Kerry is God.....
We're not worthy, we're not worthy....
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quickwilly
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posted November 23, 2003 07:11 AM
quote:
Yea, I feal sorry for you north westerners. You get some nasty weather.
Here in CT we arnt too far behind trust me. The new year starts with ice and snow and blends into sand and pot-holes. But then its nice riding.
Then in the summer (july) its 90 and humid and starts to rain lightly for the first time in 10 days, the roads get friggin slick. Once it down pours for a few minutes its great. The oils wash off and traction is suprisingly good.
KB, where are you at?
riding in the rain becomes 2nd nature after a while. But those Midwest thunder storms. THATS a different story.
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Dino
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posted November 23, 2003 08:24 AM
I hear ya' Willy!
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uh oh
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EastBayDave
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posted November 23, 2003 09:22 AM
it's phking freezing here in SF Bay.....
we not used to this crap....26'.....!
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 24, 2003 04:11 AM
dam Dave, its 61 here at 710 in the morning....think I might ride to work this monring....maybe even leave work early and ride this afternoon....lol see ya....lol
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EastBayDave
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posted November 24, 2003 06:06 AM
quote:
dam Dave, its 61 here at 710 in the morning....think I might ride to work this monring....maybe even leave work early and ride this afternoon....lol see ya....lol
 bastid....we never get cold weather this early in the year (typically our cold/wet season is late Dec. thru the end of Feb.) Looks like we getting it early this year. Last year we didn't even have ONE freezing day all year long. Guess this is payback time...gonna be a long winter...
AND Kerry is off on some warm island someplace...time to take advantage & hack on him while he's gone... 
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Hells Dark Lord
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posted November 24, 2003 08:45 AM
I think we should all go and crash Kerry's party over on the island.....have about 50 guys show up and follow and harrass him everywhere he goes.....serves him right for not taking us with him......I think he is the real BASTIDGE......lol
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When in doubt, lean farther and go faster....
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