Do you “Hang Off” your FJR ??????

[James Burleigh]

Hanging your ass off the seat whilst turning a bike on the street, is for squids and attantion whores. You can shift weight inside to assist turns without sliding around. Steve

That's a pretty strongly opinionated statement there, bub.

I'll just say I disagree and leave it at that.

I disagree too, but just can't bring myself to leave it at that. ("Really, JB! What a surprise....")

It's kind of a dumb thing to say, because it suggests the author has not made a study of motorcycle safety and dynamics and is not attempting to become a better rider. "Leaning off" isn't about showing off or being a squid or being an attantion whore, whatever that is.

Leaning off is just an expression for moving your body on the motorcycle to improve traction and margin of safety by reducing lean angle (keeping the bike upright). Everyone when going into a curve should move their body slightly or aggressively depending on the curve and speed, either by shifting the centerline of their upper body inside the centerline of the bike, or by aggressively sliding over, locking the outside knee into the tank and dropping the inside knee out. And if you scrape a peg, you're being lazy as Toe said.

The author of this thread asked a question that suggest he is making a study of motorcycle safety and is trying to become a better, safer rider. Good for you. BTW, now that you've read Lee Parks, I recommend the class. (I don't recommend Reg Pridmore, however, as I stated in an earlier thread that a site search could turn up.) (See signature.)

Anyone who doesn't want to move their body on the bike should get a Harley and cruise the freeways in the number three lane whilst SUVs fly by on either side. Me, I like to ride!

JB

Lee Parks demonstrates leaning off on a student's bike.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Hanging your ass off the seat whilst turning a bike on the street, is for squids and attantion whores. You can shift weight inside to assist turns without sliding around. Steve

Squid or Attention Whore... Those are my choices? I don't see your name on the CFR Confirmed Players, so I guess I'll have to wait for my official new label.

Two days after this ride, my quadriceps thought we had been to the gym. I interpreted that as meaning I was doing something right. I don't know how you can shift your weight without getting your ass off the seat and 'sliding around'.

edit: Now that I've hit the Preview Post button, I see JB has already composed a more articulate post on the subject. I should just delete everything I wrote and replace it with "Yeah! What Toe, Skooter, and JB said!"

 

[Niehart]

JB, ya just make me LOL!

 

[FJRBluesman]

IMHO - For street riding it doesn't make a huge difference. On the track I would say it does as you're going for maximum, speed, traction (contact patch), etc. I don't ride that aggressively on the streets, too much to go wrong, road conditions, objects, cars, not knowing the conditions/road, etc. When I rode the track I didn't have to worry about those other things.

I believe you'll do just fine not "hanging off" the bike; however, adjusting slightly your body position should help. You probably do it automatically already, but very subtly. If you have taken a riding school apply what you've learned, it doesn't have to be totally hanging off the bike, but just slight position changes, etc. There other things you can do like more foot pressure on the inside peg of the turn. Almost like steering the bike with your feet. I learned that from an instructor, neat stuff. I believe Keith Code also talks about this.

I don't believe my fastest times on the track were where I was really hanging off far or dragging a knee, my fastest times were where I was at one with the bike. Everything was smooth and I was not fighting the bike in the turns. You set up for the turn, and you and the bike do it together without throwing it around like a wrestling match. At times I would ride what I thought was real aggressive really hanging off and look at my lap timer and it wouldn't be what I expected. Other times I would be just doing well with form, riding smoothly, etc, and look down and it would be my fastest lap.

Again just MHO YMMV.

Anyway, ride within your means, and for the conditions.

Ride safe.

 

[Steve G.]

Hanging your ass off the seat whilst turning a bike on the street, is for squids and attantion whores.

Just sitting there is for lazy lumps who don't want any exercise and like to hear hard parts scrape.

Hell yeah! and I get my butt up off the seat a bit, to ease the burden on my suspension, which really smooths the bumps and helps the tires carve. It's much less expensive than a thousand dollar-plus suspension upgrade. Not to mention maximizing ground clearance and saving some for "traction credit". I didn't ride 400 miles and pay $300.00 to take Lee Parks' clinic and not practice the skills!

After 140 miles of Hwy 36 last week, my legs were wooden toast....

You must be a 10%er. By far the majority of squids that hold me and my buddies up is some 'pretender' showing us the crack of his ass. Amusing for a while, but just a short while.

Steve

 

[PDXFJR]

I guess I'll get in on this mix. What I find interesting is that if you read any books on expert riding, for street or track, you will quickly find that after line choice in the corner, the next most important part of the equation is body position on the bike. Starting with your head, then your shoulders and then your entire body.

I ride pretty aggresively in the right areas. I will tell you that moving on the bike is part of riding. Like others, I'm on the balls of my feet on the pegs and shifting weight on the bike. Do I drag knee..NO. Do I come close, don't know and don't care. I've had a few riders that are behind me ask me if I know how close I am...I tell them no, I'm concentrating on my line and the road. I do move about half of my butt off the seat in corners. In all corners? NO.

Are you a "glory hound" for riding like this? I'm no glory hound...Don't care what people think, I just want to keep improving my riding and the experience of twisties at a good speed. And by the way, how can you be a glory hound when everyone behind you is trying to keep up?

Ray

 

[profireguy]

I move around on the street, even though I don't really go fast enough to need to. If I am prepared to drastically tighten my line (hanging off), and I need to, I can. If I don't meet a deer or SUV, I got some exercise. I don't see a downside.

Unless you are someone who cares what other people think about how you look or enjoy your ride, do what you want. I couldn't care less what bystander opinions are.

 

[DailyCommuter]

[SIZE=18pt]Do you mean like this?[/SIZE]

:clapping: :yahoo:

 

[fjrchooser]

In Michigan , not really. Best I can do around here on the straight roads is nail it and flap like a flag from the handlebars.

Heading out west or down your way where the roads are real, I like to get into a rthym and exaggerate what I mentally practice on all the intersection 'curves' here. Can't say I've had much more than half a cheek off even then, but do tend to keep a lot of weight on the pegs and move the upper body towards the inside mirror when it gets interesting. The bike responds well and I could see me doing some hanging off if the road and my skills justified it.

Best example of hanging off I've ever seen was in my rearview mirror several years ago. Several biker guys on Harleys- one on a stripped down rat trike, trying to keep up with EscapeFJRtist and I near Yellowstone park coming home from WFO in Washington . We were cooking pretty good and loaded up with gignormous luggage and they stayed with us for several miles generating lots of sparks and working very, very hard. Neither of us had to hang off and still had plenty left. We were both impressed.

We pulled over after a bit to let them catch up while we put on warmer gear for a pass but they never showed. I don't believe there was any turn offs and always hoped we hadn't led them into trouble. I'm sure those boys were at 10 or 11/10ths while we were more like 8/10ths considering our load.

Be careful not to let it ALL 'hang out' on the street while you're playing. Its intoxicating and can leave you with nowhere good to go.

 

[DailyCommuter]

the big thing I remember from the reading is to always keep your body's centerline to the inside of the bike's centerline in a turn.

 

[RadioHowie]

JB, sorry to point out that your statement

Anyone who doesn't want to move their body on the bike should get a Harley and cruise the freeways in the number three lane whilst SUVs fly by on either side.

is JUST as wrong as

Hanging your ass off the seat whilst turning a bike on the street, is for squids and attantion whores.

Fail on BOTH replies.

The only "right way" is what's "right" for you. Some guys can and DO drag hardware on a regular basis. Other guys can ride for 35 years and never touch a peg. Doesn't make either one better than the other. Just different.

 

[RadioHowie]

I get my butt up off the seat a bit, to ease the burden on my suspension, which really smooths the bumps and helps the tires carve.

Toe,

'splain to me how moving your weight from the seat to the pegs can "ease the burden on my suspension" when the seat is pretty much directly over the pegs on a Feej and both are part of the "sprung" portion of the sprung/unsprung total of the bike. The only way you could "ease the burden" on the suspension would be to shift your weight to the front or rear axles. Otherwise ANY weight on the bike, above the springs, is sprung weight and no matter where you shift it on the bike, you're not going to unburden the suspension. You may be moving it forward or backward in relation to the fore/aft centerline, but the cumulative affect of the weight on the entire suspension ain't changed a bit.

I'm not trying to be a wiseass...I'm just trying to get my head around what you said, 'cause in its original context, it don't make a lick of sense.

 

[zorkler]

It all depends on the road . I myself moved from Staten island n.y one of the 5 boros where even if you wanted to shift your weight when needed you have to go and try to find the road or ride 2 hrs . Since moveing to NC which has 2 of the top 10 motorcycle roads in the U.S.A forgot the mag. it was in (the B.R.P. and the dragon . i myself think the Cherohola Skyway which starts in robbinsville nc is better than the dragon ) I was brought up on dirt bikes and your moveing all the time . On the road bead when needed yes this 680 lb. beast needs to be pushed around before the penske shock my knee had to be planted to the tank around turns and my body english was not hanging but more over to what side of the turn i was in . After the penske shock ,Which i purchased 3 years after i purchased the bike . The bike handles like a GEM no more knee to the tank very little body english i would never thought a 780 buck shock could do soooooo much .

 

[FJRONAMISSION]

When I'm jammin in the twisties and ..... have really bad..........

Gas.... sometimes I hang one cheek off....... :huh: ^_^ :lol: :lol:

Just sayin.......

B....... :stink: :stinker:

 

[Franko]

... Leaning off is just an expression for moving your body on the motorcycle to improve traction and margin of safety by reducing lean angle (keeping the bike upright). Everyone when going into a curve should move their body slightly or aggressively depending on the curve and speed, either by shifting the centerline of their upper body inside the centerline of the bike, or by aggressively sliding over, locking the outside knee into the tank and dropping the inside knee out. And if you scrape a peg, you're being lazy as Toe said. ...
JB

That's pretty much the way I understand it too, based solely on the several books I've read on the subject. Weight shifting is good and is a practice that should be cultivated if you want to be a better rider.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I get my butt up off the seat a bit, to ease the burden on my suspension, which really smooths the bumps and helps the tires carve.

Toe,

'splain to me how moving your weight from the seat to the pegs can "ease the burden on my suspension"

If dampening is included in Toe's definition of suspension, he's talking about the knees dampening the shock of the riders weight on the bike; or knees, tendons, ligaments, quadriceps working together to dampen the shock of the rider's weight

 

[Toecutter]

'splain to me how moving your weight from the seat to the pegs can "ease the burden on my suspension" when the seat is pretty much directly over the pegs on a Feej and both are part of the "sprung" portion of the sprung/unsprung total of the bike.

My knees supplement the damping of shock up through the bike to my body, and vice versa.

Try skiiing with locked knees some time....

If dampening is included in Toe's definition of suspension, he's talking about the knees dampening the shock of the riders weight on the bike; or knees, tendons, ligaments, quadriceps working together to dampen the shock of the rider's weight.

Bingo, except it's damping, not dampening. That'd be when one wets their pants....

 

[FJRBluesman]

The only "right way" is what's "right" for you. Some guys can and DO drag hardware on a regular basis. Other guys can ride for 35 years and never touch a peg. Doesn't make either one better than the other. Just different.

Well said Howie! I concur, but that's just me.

Bingo, except it's damping, not dampening. That'd be when one wets their pants....

Sometimes you may do both... :dribble: Ya know what I mean...

 

[jjsC6]

.....nyone who doesn't want to move their body on the bike should get a Harley and cruise the freeways in the number three lane whilst SUVs fly by on either side. Me, I like to ride!....

Your statement is just as far off base as saying that those who do are squids or attention whores. As stated in my post above, I move very little on the seat (yes, a little, but damn little). Yet somehow, in 1982 I finished in the top three in the country in three different classes in the AMA Amateur roadracing points standings. And I wasn't racing against SUV's

Not long ago I got bashed for posting this, but I'm 56 years old and just a few months ago I stayed with a guy on a 1098 Ducati hanging off in a 100 mph curve. I was in my usual position on my FJR.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

..., except it's damping, not dampening. That'd be when one wets their pants....

Thanks for the correction. My spelling prolly won't get any better as I dampen my neck with these beers.