Cornering/knee down question...

Now, today i went out for a little ride and i've got a corner i really like first corner going into west field heading towards? breed (maybe) but not towards hastings.. and i've been getting pretty going left around it so i've now began to try get my knee down round it BUT, i cant seem to do it my pegs scrape along the floor before my knee gets there now i dunno if its something im doing as im using all of the tire (see pic) but would me upgrading to a 140 instead of 130 rear tire give me more chance of getting that dam knee down?

also next question what way do you prefer cornering because i find i corner better round left hand ones instead of right is that normal lol

this is the pic of most of the tire looking like most of its used


Defo got the peg down


This is to show how much they stick out from the bike, rear sets could be an option but im to tall and i cant afford them as they're pretty pricey

 

TBH I really wouldn't bother trying to get your knee down. When you corner fast enough and fluidly enough, it'll happen naturally. I would recommend relaxing and adapting your position on the bike so that you can really 'flow', so get used to moving your hips around on the seat so that your weight is pitched into the corner. The same is true in relaxing your shoulders - keep looking at where you want the bike to go so that when the bike is at 'full lean', your view point is between the mirror and the fairing. Over-thinking the process before you turn-in actually makes you slower, so initially just build your confidence by having fun.

As for right / left bends... I've never had a preference but know plenty of people who do.

 

You've clearly got enough lean angle to get your knee down, too much in fact !

All you need to do is hang off the bike a lot more and your be putting plastic on tarmac in no time. Can I recommend you do it on a quiet roundabout though? Only because the speeds required on a roundabout are far less than a corner.

Are you anywhere near the Gravesend area? If you are then I know of one good roundabout in which people practice on and I'd happily give you some tips.

 

On the road, cornering fast and getting your knee down are diametrically opposed principles.

If you're scraping you're pegs your leaning too far, simple as that. Undulating surface coupled with unexpected changes in speed mean the last thing you want is an extra point of contact that you can't remove at will.
Getting your knee down is a gauge to how far you have before anything else touches, so you have the option of lifting it should the need arise.
In principle.

For most people who get their knee down on the road it involves hanging off the bike in a position that makes them look like a stick insect holding onto a branch. Flick through a few bike mags and marvel at the angle of the bike compared to rider

Touching slider to tarmac is a simple enough exercise, once you eliminate the distractions and worries, as Micky says a roundabout is perfect for this - the bend is infinite (until you get dizzy), the surface predictible and the speed lower allowing control of position.
Having a buddy to film / photo is a great tool as you can see what you are actually doing, compared to what you think you are doing, they're rarely the same at first!

My main tip would be, don't hang off the bike. It's not necessary unless you're doing a knee down on a straight road (more on that later ), more than one cheek off and you start to twist your hips which actually makes it harder.
Getting your right knee down is mostly about getting your left left hooked in against the bike, this gives you confidence that you'll stay put, add to that a bit of flex to your right leg so it points out some, a bit of roll in your hip tilting your right side down and then just keep circling.

Knee down isn't about hanging off, it isn't about speed, and it isn't about a sharp enough corner.
It's just a technique that once learnt properly, can be employed anywhere - mini roundabouts, car parks, straight roads, wherever.
Car parks are actually ideal, but can be confusing as you can't 'see' the bend like on a roundabout. And people get funny when you use their cars for it!

And no, you don't need different tyres.

 

Skortchio - you're on the money there. I've riden bikes for years and have only put my knee on the tarmac a handful of times - not because I don't want to, but simply because I haven't needed to on the road. It always makes me chuckle when I see those Sunday 'race-reps' out for a little spin, clearly trying so hard to get their knee down 'cos they've seen their favourite racer doing it on the tele' (all the gear and no idea). I'd more impressed if I saw someone 'drifting' through a corner on the road like many GP riders, but that's a whole different skillset. The irony is that while these bikers are trying to impress each other by standing around admiring each other's ground-down sliders in a slightly homo-erotic fantasy, I've already left them far behind simply by riding faster.

Miky-G is also right about your bike being too far over already. Stop thinking about your angle and think more about your speed (it's much more fun).

If you're dead-set on having a go, have a read of this article;
http://www.fasterandfaster.net/2011/01/keith-code-evolution-of-art-of.html

 

Thanks for all the responses,

as for the hanging off the bike im what i'd say as 'half a cheek' off the seat, not sure if i may be twisting my body when i next try i'll really work on the position of my body, it just feels i cant physically stick my knee out any more than what im doing (doesn't feel much) i think its due to my leathers, they're like a stretchy material around the inner legs which may also contribute to it.

Unfortunately im not that close to Gravesend if anyone knows of a pretty quiet roundabout around the Hastings area that'd be good to know

That's a good idea about getting a photo/video think i will also try that to really see what im doing, as you said i could be doing something completely different to what im thinking im doing. Like i said earlier im starting to think it might be my leathers not allowing me to point my knee out much..

Thanks for the link of that article shows theres lots of different ways of cornering just down to the rider, i know what you mean about it being done because they've seen it on the GP but i do think it would be a good thing to be able to do come a time were i may need to do it, plus i think personally for me it would be so i can tell my self that i can do something which i found difficult and then could do, not to keen on thinking i cant do something, makes me seem to want to do it more haha

 

Most common mistake while trying to knee down is hanging off too far but due to subconscious self preservation you actually end up laying along the bike pointing your knee forwards rather than out, but in your head it feels like your hip is going to dislocate.

Once you suss out your body position, outside leg and inside elbow mostly - the rest is just waiting for it to touch.

 

Yeah i can see how that could play on your mind, next time i give it ago i'll make sure to video my self a couple of times so i can see what im doing and not what i think im doing