[AZ Pete]

Are you talking about being off the throttle through the turn? If so, that's very bad advice. Coasting or or engine-braking mid turn will destabilize your suspension and give you less control when you need it the most. You must learn how to properly set your speed and use your throttle through the turn.

that is not what I said, I was not talking about through a turn, I was talking about controlling your speed going down hill. I reread my post and cannot see where you got your criticism from...maybe you should read for comprehension.

 

[OfirMX]

The angle itself looks scary and I don't think it's helping you stay in proper position, especially going downhill.

that is not what I said, I was not talking about through a turn

Gotcha. It is still a better practice to use both brakes (especially the front one) to set your speed prior to entering a turn. Doing this stabilizes your suspension (which gives you better traction and control) while engine braking alone does not.

 

[Irishgirl]

Do you squeeze the tank with your legs to hold yourself in place? You should.

I do squeeze the tank, however maybe only 20% of my knee is making contact with the tank pads.
I have the pads installed as low as I can on the tank. Right below the tank is the plastic strip where the rest of my knee makes contact, again slippery.
Thinking I'll maybe look into adding more grip to that plastic, also redesigning my seat or get an aftermarket one.

 

[Skywalker67]

Thinking I'll maybe look into adding more grip to that plastic, also redesigning my seat or get an aftermarket one.

All I can say is that having had my seat rebuilt this way made a huge difference with slipping forward during braking or going downhill.

But I do have my knees resting in the centre of the tank sides, and I am able to squeeze the tank with my legs pretty good.
Besides this, when I lean forward with my upper body, I can use my feet to "push away the footpegs" to keep my bottom from sliding forward (if this makes any sense for you).

 

[golden chicken]

I do squeeze the tank, however maybe only 20% of my knee is making contact with the tank pads.
I have the pads installed as low as I can on the tank. Right below the tank is the plastic strip where the rest of my knee makes contact, again slippery.
Thinking I'll maybe look into adding more grip to that plastic, also redesigning my seat or get an aftermarket one.

SVRider member Bighammer makes nice adhesive grips in any shape you want, you could contact him and see if he can cut you something to fit those strips.

 

[Irishgirl]

All I can say is that having had my seat rebuilt this way made a huge difference with slipping forward during braking or going downhill.
View attachment 56083
But I do have my knees resting in the centre of the tank sides, and I am able to squeeze the tank with my legs pretty good.
Besides this, when I lean forward with my upper body, I can use my feet to "push away the footpegs" to keep my bottom from sliding forward (if this makes any sense for you).

That's a nice looking seat! Who rebuilt your seat?

 

[mad8vskillz]

Every track day I've been to has coaching, classes (first visit requires mandatory classes between every session), etc.. There are control riders that are there to observe, help, whatever. You don't just pay your $$ and go out to ride around the track blindly. I don't know what kind of "advanced riding courses" you teach, but apparently nothing to do with track or you would know this.

depends on the org.... there are plenty that dont have class and dont coach much. just like a "here's a playpen have at it" style. I actually like those cause I dont need the handholding anymore...

 

[MOHillbilly]

depends on the org.... there are plenty that dont have class and dont coach much. just like a "here's a playpen have at it" style. I actually like those cause I dont need the handholding anymore...

Tracks here watch over the Novice class pretty close and if you're having trouble with something, help and advice is always there. Once you graduate to Intermediate or Expert classes, they let you go, but still keep an eye out for the occasional that over estimates their abilities and jumps up too soon. Pretty well structured and organized as a whole.

 

[Skywalker67]

That's a nice looking seat! Who rebuilt your seat?

I chose a Grand Comfort Deluxe seat with gel inserts from french manufacturer Top Sellerie: I shipped them my original seat and they rebuilt it.
Before doing this, I had selected from their website a few samples and colors of cover material and had them shipped to me to help decide the final look.
I placed the order one year ago because they usually have the gel inserts for free in that period of the year (December/January) and because that's about the period I pause riding my SV due to winter season; I received back the seat in a 30-days turnaround time.
So far, with this seat, even 650Km one day road trips (about 6 hours) have been a nice ride.

 

[bcj]

Trying to keep up won't help confidence on a day to day basis.
Takes practice and repetition. Take a week off on your own and go up and down 4 or 5 times a day.

Snow ski'd at a particular resort for about 5 years before I even considered taking on the black diamond Exterminator run.
Was fine with it after that, but after 5 minutes of mogul busting, you're standing at the bottom again waiting in line with everyone else.
Even then, I preferred the longer more scenic routes going off on my own.

 

[busdriver]

I had issues with downhill when I got back into riding a couple years ago. In my case it was too much weight on my hands, essentially locking up the steering by fighting myself.

 

[Irishgirl]

I had issues with downhill when I got back into riding a couple years ago. In my case it was too much weight on my hands, essentially locking up the steering by fighting myself.

Same, too much weight on my hands as I start into the corner. Thinking if I can raise my feet position, maybe withy adjustable rearsets I can make good contact with my knees on the tank?

I have a background in mtbing, DH mtbing, and lots of ocean rockgardening, this has helped in some ways on the bike.
However, I've decided I should get some professional instruction. I've never had any motorcycle classes or instruction outside of my friends who have helped a lot. I'm in Sacramento CA, any recommendations in my area?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Skywalker67]

If you have such an extensive background with mtb in descending, I guess we can rule out locked elbows as the cause of excessive weight on your hands.

On the other hand, if you still find yourself with excessive weight on your wrists, is it possible you rely on your arms only to support your upper body weight, without helping with your abdominals and back muscles too?

Are your elbows bent outwards or backwards?

 

[Irishgirl]

My body position ( little lower) and elbows is similar to the position this video. I'm the rider in back with the orange helmet.

In the beginning of the video we talked with two riders those went down due to the icy conditions.
we all avoided the jumps, too icy.

 

[Skywalker67]

Ok, here's my guess.
While riding your mtb, the elbows bent outwards help in absorbing uneven terrain and will allow you to easily move fore/aft as required by the riding. Same as motocross.
I do the same while riding a mtb.
On the contrary, on an (almost) even surface riding a motorcycle, you don't need to have your arms acting like a third damper and there's not that much need to shift fore/aft your whole body.
Maybe you should try and bend your elbows backwards rather than outwards, tucking them closer to your body: this will prevent you from ending up with (almost) locked arms, therefore supporting your whole upper body weight through your wrists for long time.

 

[Irishgirl]

Thanks for the advise Skywalker, will focus on bringing my elbows in toward my body and backwards.
I may also have my front suspension setup to stiff, causing me to compensate with my arms.
After a spirited ride this afternoon does this look like the right amount of travel?

 

[Skywalker67]

Might be a little on the stiff side, but it all depends on your riding style.
Were this a mtb I'd say it's definitely too stiff, but were it my SV (fork with cartridges) I'd say it's almost normal for my "spirited" rides: I get close to the top (less than 1 cm) only when braking real hard (e.g. emergency braking).
But on this subject (fork stiffness) I yeld to more knowledgeable people, since I'm no expert.

 

[Irishgirl]

Thinking it is a little on the stiff side. I was told a good rule of thumb is an inch of travel left in reserve after your hardest normal braking.
How far can the lower leg go up, does it go right up to the lower triple?

 

[Skywalker67]

Although not declared by Suzuki in the tech specs, it seems widely accepted that 3rd gen. SVs have a 125mm fork travel.

 

[ShaggyZ]

I don’t know where those forks bottom out mechanically. Unlikely to be at the bottom triple. Until you know that, hard to say if too much or too little. I think on street (even on track) you wouldn’t want suspension to reach limits under “normal” conditions. Need room for more extreme scenarios like major dips and super hard braking.

I don’t think accurate internet assessment is possible.