Gymkhana

[Vulfy]

Originally Posted by shaddix

I was only able to do this turning to the right however, turning to the left is for some reason more difficult. It seems like I have to lean further or lean the bike over further to get it to turn as sharply to the left as to the right.

Might be you throttle hand. Motorcycle control is not symmetrical. You might be having difficulties with the left turn, because your right/throttle hand is stretched out too much for comfortable control of the throttle. Try different positions on the bike to see what works.

I also been doing just that, practicing turns at full lock.



After the initial panic reaction to the locked control and falling bike is gone, its not all that bad. I have two issues now through.

One: is that the bike is traveling super slow, I'm nowhere near the 2 or even 3 second 360 spin. And at higher speed I can't get to the full lock.

Two: I can get to full lock on both sides and keep it there for a few rotations without too much trouble, however that initial transition TO the full lock, takes about half a rotation. In GP8 that means that I'm already leaving the turn, just as I got it to the full lock.

Turns do look quicker though, however my GP8 times are atrocious right now. "Atrocious" compared to my last season when I was in 35 range and managed a few 34 runs on my DRZ. Right now I'm clocking 38-39 seconds. I managed somehow a 35.5 run but that's it.

[Motogymkhanaman]

that initial transition TO the full lock, takes about half a rotation

Mr Kimura spent quite a bit of time explaining this problem and offered two solutions. The first and the one that is recommended for new riders, is to make a much wider offset to the pylon and start leaning the bike way before the entry point. That way you get a lot of lean angle change out of the way before making the final transition to the optimum lean angle and full lock. The second method is to do a max roll rate capsize at the turn point, but this is very much a technique for the expert!

In the first case the key skill is using the front brake to augment the rear before the turn point. Mr Kimura says that you need to go fast between the pylons and not to take a lot of space getting the bike slowed down enough so you can go slow(ish) around the pylon.

When watching a rider do a rotation, he sees where in the turn they achieve the max bank angle, which is usually on the opposite side of the pylon from the turn point. The aim is to move this point closer and closer to the turn point so that the bike is at max bank angle for longer and the spiral entry path is shorter as a result.

[Motogymkhanaman]

Just thought, didn't mention how to achieve lean angle without turning the bike.

Dead easy exercise to do, simply ride in a straight line and push gently, but firmly on one of the bars. Normally you would push and release to initiate a turn, but in this case maintain the pressure on the bar whilst shifting your bodyweight to counteract the lean. You'll end up with the bike leaned one way with your upper body leaned the other way. All being well, you'll end up maintaining a straight course.

This is a fun exercise as you will wobble all over the place until you work out how much lean out you need relative to the amount of pressure on the bars.

In Gymkhana we only need the very slightest of pressure to give us enough lean for our needs, but this exercise is a great one for all you track-day riders to practice as it sets up the perfect cornering body position for your size and weight. The difference between the two is that track-day riders release the pressure on the bars to turn the bike in the direction they are leaning, whilst gymkhana riders apply the brakes to capsize the bike in the other direction.

Give it a try, it's loads of fun.

[Vulfy]

Originally Posted by Motogymkhanaman

Just thought, didn't mention how to achieve lean angle without turning the bike.

Dead easy exercise to do, simply ride in a straight line and push gently, but firmly on one of the bars. Normally you would push and release to initiate a turn, but in this case maintain the pressure on the bar whilst shifting your bodyweight to counteract the lean. You'll end up with the bike leaned one way with your upper body leaned the other way. All being well, you'll end up maintaining a straight course.

This is a fun exercise as you will wobble all over the place until you work out how much lean out you need relative to the amount of pressure on the bars.

In Gymkhana we only need the very slightest of pressure to give us enough lean for our needs, but this exercise is a great one for all you track-day riders to practice as it sets up the perfect cornering body position for your size and weight. The difference between the two is that track-day riders release the pressure on the bars to turn the bike in the direction they are leaning, whilst gymkhana riders apply the brakes to capsize the bike in the other direction.

Give it a try, it's loads of fun.

I'm a bit confused by all of this to be honest.

So lets say I lean the bike to the left. To do that, I would have to push on the left handle bar. To counter the lean and the turn, I would move my body to the right side of the bike, and hang off (counter lean) to the right.

So for a track turn, I would release the pressure on the left handlebar, so that the bike leans to the right where my body is, and go into a right side turn.

For Gymkhana, applying the brakes, would counter the momentum of the bike and capsize it to the left???

Are there any clips from you guys, or maybe Japanese riders that would illustrate this for Gymkhana?

Track illustration would be great too, as I've been trying to scrape my knee for the past few weeks now, without any result. That's of course outside of Gymkhana discussion, but still.

[Motogymkhanaman]

The effect is very subtle and is very difficult to see in video so the best way to learn it is practice it!

If you want to get your knee down on the track however, a gross input and counterbalancing body position will set you up perfectly for that knee-down moment!