You can get a knee down on the 650 with no problems. Plenty of people have on this forum. I have come close to touching and I had lots of room to go.

Proper technique is key to do it safely. Also would only advise this on a track or closed course.

 

Your buddy doesn't know ****, you can easily wear the chicken strips off the tires on an SV. so getting a knee down shouldnt be a problem, its all about technique and getting used to the bike and how comfortable you feel taking the bike down that far.

Edit: Yea, What he said ^

 

Your buddy doesn't know ****, you can easily wear the chicken strips off the tires on an SV.

Really? With stock rearsets? I can drag knee/foot/peg and still have chicken strips front>rear. I think it really depends on tire profile. I'm running Q2s, btw.

 

I'll be plenty comfortable once I have the knee sliders, I'm a safety buff. I just bought brand new Dunlop Roadsmart tires and I'm already getting alot further over. I practice body position every chance I get, even just sitting in the driveway. And of course more miles, more experience.

Thanks folks!

 

Go to a riding school. It will be money well spent.

I've just ordered new pants with spots for sliders, but won't be buying any until I'm in an environment where knee hanging is safe and appropriate. Sure you can do it on the road, but would you like to be at the end of your tires limits when things go SNAFU?

 

I have already approached the local WERA group and plan on entering the school when time and money allows.

 

Show yer buddy this..

 

i thought tracks required taping off headlights and mirrors...

 

I got my knee down once......but the bike fell on that knee!

 

Your buddy is an idiot and you sound way too new to be worrying about getting your knee down. There are so many skills that absolutely NEED to come first that I am certain you don't have a mastery of. Getting your knee properly down is the consequence of using your other skills properly. You don't need to be going fast, I've seen people touch the knee down at very slow speeds in a parking lot, but you need to have everything else put together to do it. People who try to get their knee down before it happens naturally usually end up screwing up their body position which can unsettle the bike and the rider's inputs which can have some nasty consequences. Stop worrying about the knee thing, it will come if you get your actual skills up to par and survive long enough to put it all together.

 

This is absolutely sound advice that I completely agree with. It's more of a mid to long term goal than something I'm just going to do one day. What are some of these skills that should come first?

 

What ^He said............

 

Do some trackdays & you'll find the instruction your looking for, there.

 

^^^ This, for gods sake, This ^^^

 

Looks like you need some reading material and or videos. I'm a big fan of twist of the wrist books I,II and the DVD. You should probably get signed up for a trackday and see if that organization has courses that you can sign up for. Just to name a few of the skills you will need here they are:
• Keeping your eyes up and looking as far ahead as possible (where you look is where you will go)
• Proper body position
• Right state of mind
• Being smooth and consistent (smooth with not just your inputs into the bars and moving yourself around on the bike but being smooth with throttling on and off and the clutch engagement and disengagement.

There are a lot more skills than you will need to master before getting your knee down. Believe it or not most really fast guys hardly drag knee pucks as much as people think. Think of dragging your knee as a level or angle finder. All the rider is doing is finding how much of an angle the bike is besides moving the weight to the opposite side of inertia so that he can go around a corner a fast as possible. Even though you will still be wanting to drag your pucks while at the track just stick to learning the skills first and you will be puck scraping before you know it.

 

Yes you can, even on those crappy stock tires (although that's really not recommendable)

Anyway, keep in mind that dragging the knee SHOULD NOT be your goal. Learn how to properly steer the bike, proper body position, and all the techniques necessary to ride hard and safe and the knee dragging thing will come naturally.

 

On the street, I hang off when I want the bike to be more upright, rather than when I want to go faster.

Best example is choppy road surface in the middle of a turn. I could probably just stay in line with the bike, but hanging off some keeps the bike more upright and that allows the suspension to deal with the chop and gives extra traction to the tires.

I gave up trying to drag a knee on the street.

 

I've experienced the same response hanging off the side. There's this one iffy patch on my ride to work on a turn and I found that hanging while setting the bike upright was the way to take it.

 

This has been some great advice. I completely agree that getting my knee down should not be the goal but it's the term used for this sort of turning and it got the response I was looking for. I'm not going to be trying this on the street, there's a number of tracks around and even someone local that teaches a certified amateur racing school. My father is an experienced skydiver and he's hammered the idea of safety into my head where our mutual love of risk-taking is concerned.

Bottom line, the bike I own appears to be capable of the things I want to do in the near to mid future.

Ride Safe!

-T

 

My father is an experienced skydiver and he's hammered the idea of safety into my head where our mutual love of risk-taking is concerned.

I always said more people would be willing to try it if it was called "Parachuting" instead of "Skydiving."

 

I like drag knee...

 

Not possible to drag knee. See this is at max capacity for the bike and it is impossible to drag.

 

http://www.svrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54027

 

I just KNOW that in my most leaned over, hardcore turn ever I looked bolt upright, bike 2 degree off center, with my knee sticking out maaaaybe 1/4", and all the while, for the briefest of moments, I was a Rock Star.

I couldn't care less about getting a knee down. At least not for the time being. I'm killin it just getting to 1000 miles.

 

<<< This picture, I thought I was inches away.

 

That picture is actually taken in the back corner of a Walmart Parking Lot :thumbup:

 

Hell I've dragged elbow on my old F2.















Which was immediately followed by shoulder, helmet and a small tumble across the track into the grass.:dizzy:



Seen guys drag knee on cruisers also.

 

Knee down in the parking lot using knee pads (over riding pants of course) is awesome. Assuming you can get good technique, it shows u how far you can push your bike.

As soon as u think your gonna touch, you'll have another foot or so before it will actually go down haha!

But as said before, knee down doesn't really do much other than give u bragging rights. Just like chicken strips. Go to the track and you'll see plenty of guys able to get a knee down but they don't because it's not needed. All it is is an indication of how close u are to te ground.








Don't do nuffin stupid on us now, and if u do get it on footy

 

I can pretty much guarantee you that if you make a goal to get your knee down, you'll have super bad form trying to force it. That will make it far easier for you to wipe out.

Forget about getting your knee down. Go to the track. Riding fast on the street is stupid. If you concentrate on just getting into the proper body positioning, and keep working the same corners faster and faster (ON THE TRACK), one time you'll be riding like normal and the track surface will come up and touch the puck.

The longer you force it, the less likely it's going to happen, and the more unsafe it will be.

<-- See avatar. Whole body off, not just lower body, head/shoulder down and looking well through the turn.

 

If you are determined to do this the key is education. Everyone should always be trying to become a better rider, with more skills the rest will come. The key is not to have to goal be to drag a knee but to have good body position on the bike, this will in and of itself eventually allow you to reach the point of getting a knee down and doing it with skill and safety. Try signing up for a Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic.

www.totalcontroltraining.net

on the SV at Pocono in Oct. 2010

On the Vmax Teaching a Total Control Class in Nashville TN. 2011

On the FZ1 While teaching in New York, 2006

On a Suzuki GZ250 while working on program development in GA. 2008

On a 1984 Honda VF500F at Pocono in Oct. 2009

 

All good answers to your ? I will only say get with a Track Day Org. and have the CRs teach you proper technique ie. body position .

 

Most track days usually do not have enough time to devote to body position and spend more time with lines, turn in points apexes etc.

better to start with a class that is more dedicated to riding skills and body position then take that to the track for the rest.

 

Agree with others that this should not be your goal. You goal should be safety and working on proper riding techniques. From that will come speed on the track and eventually your knee will touch. Honestly, I have been riding for 3 years now and I have no interest in my knee touching. I do want to get to the track though and work on improving my technique and my control over the bike.