www.zxrworld.co.uk

So many times there's a thread about someone who's read all the Ride mag technique guides and watched all the racing religiously on TV - they have the body positioning, counter-steering, gripping the tank with their outside leg, Colin Edwards style head placement, gripping the tank with the outside leg, weighting the footpegs, confidence to do it, perfect bit of road......

But they still CAN'T quite get to experience the Scrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtchhhhhh when they can drag their knee on the road on their favourite bend - let alone at will on any corner.

I was there, too, once.

I'd convince myself that i COULD do it, but had read things that said you can corner faster without it ( ), and that the tiny scuffs on my knees weren't made by tiny morsels of gravel flipped up by the Fiat Uno pulling away in front, but were, in fact, where my knee had scraped.

Then all of a sudden i could turn into ANY corner and drag my knee through the whole corner so much that i'd find myself lifting my knee off the road to save my sliders!!!

So what happened???

Easy. I rode another bike for a considerable ammount of time, then went back to my ZXR.

In my case, i bought an old Jap import factory streetfighter 1988 Honda VFR750 FG - raised bars, narrow tyres - the lot. For the first few weeks i was terrified that on every corner my exhausts and centre stand would ground out on every corner and kill me. The front end was all wobbly and unsettled compared to the awesome roadholding of the ZXR. I was like a scared little girl.

Then i built up confidence in it and after a few months i got my knee down for real and knew it!!! Although i now think going knee down on this bike is irrelevant to the point of this thread... read on...

Then i got the ZXR back on the road after a year.

First time i took it out it felt plain weird compared to a bike on narrow tyres with high bars. It was like i was holding the front axle between my hands, and it either didn't turn at all, or wanted to lay flat on it's side! Once again, i was a scared little girl...

So i took it to The Cloverleaf (basically my favourite corner in the world, for those who don't know it ), and i entered it at a very moderate speed so as not to bin it.... leant it over a bit and hung off.... and SCrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

ALL the way around the corner!!!! We're talking about a 20-30 sec CONSTANT knee-down here!!!!

I couldn't believe how easy it was!!!! It wanted to do it everywhere - so i obliged!!! And this was my first time out on it for 12 months!!!

The reason i only write this now, is that i've been riding an ancient Suzuki crosser on knobblies for the last 2 weeks, and took my ZXR out today for a final blast.

Scary at first cause again the handling felt weird - but got EXACTLY the same feeling of it wanting to lay down in every corner!

So i think all you need to do, if you think you're close (or maybe even if you don't) to scraping your knees - borrow a bike with raised bars and narrow tyres and ride that every day for 2 weeks!!!!

Then when you take the ZXR out again, spend 20 mins getting the feel for it again before you head straight for your favourite bend. You WILL now be able to get your knee down with ease and confidence!

If anyone else has the means (i.e. another bike) to try this theory, or has found it themselves - i'd love to hear if you think i'm onto something here!

I agree mate. I was using a Hornet for a few days and it was like riding a lawnmower. Back on the ZXR and wheeeeee everything's in the right place plus you feel like you look the business head down butt up etc

Having said that I'm not brave enough yet to get down far enough but I'm working on it

Its strange how difficult it is to first get your knee down on the ZXR, i could do it but found it akward. Then when i started getting my knee down on my XJR and then got back on the ZXR, it was a hell of alot easier in comparison to the XJR, now its peice of piss. The XJR doesnt exactly have massive amounts of ground clearance and numerous time had the back come round on me where the exhaust has lifted the bike up! Looks fucking cool tho

I was finding it really hard at first, had someone follow me, and asked them, and they said I was literally an inch from the ground.. but then watched "Knee Down Masterclass" from Bike magazine, went out and did it first time.. thing is.. I dont have sliders yet.. so I was touching floor through my leather trousers..

i havent got my knee down on the zxr yet. i could do it left right and centre on my gixer, even scraped the exhaust on 1 or 2 occasions. i think once i get used t the zxr, it will be second nature.

i also watched that masterclass dvd, very helpful.

it's such a nice feeling when you get ya knee down the zxr, only thing i'm finding weird atm is when i stick my butt off the side of the seat the zxr turns much faster than i first expected it to and i ended on the other side of the road on a left hand bend.

For ya next tip jamz how abouts a "getting your elbow down on the ZXR"

I'm 100% sure it can be done on The Cloverleaf on a ZXR.

I've been knee-down and toes down through the entire corner - only i still had my knee tucked in!!!

Problem is, if you come off you're probably going to die - and also i wouldn't really want to scrape the elbows of a £400 Spyke jacket!!!

lol, me either!

Elbow donw is my next aim looking pictures getting the end of your elbow near to where you knee is seems to be the answer

well, if you can get your knee down with one hand on the throttle you can do start scratching those carbon knuckle protectors in too

Hum, well at my present level of ability I think a serious attempt to get my knee
down would end up in me getting my butt down instead

yo jamz , i came off on the clover leaf , im still here , back in the day 7 years ago or so , knotts told me they were getting a smashed up bike to fix atleast every two weeks , in my case i didnt bin it i hit a car who changed into my lane without indicator or looking into the lane he moving into , i was on a 125 at nat speed limit i dont think i was gonna accel past him in time , but like i say still here , my foot got fecked still hurts now in the winter the cold gives me a limp , but yeah because of that i would go above 50 mph on my 636 i just had a mentall scaredness of the pain , Rob

Cornering fast is scary at first, the bike will do it, just being rider used to chicken out and apply a bit of brake forcing the bike to bolt upright an almost highside. Getting to grips with cornering now.. have been for a while, suprising how smooth now I can ride down private roads I know at like 80-90mph and not think anything of it..

Kin ell Rob636!

So were you on one of teh bends when you came off, or was it one of the dozey fkrs pulling onto/off the dual carriageway?

I've had 2 'moments' there - which is a miracle because i'd go for a blast just to there and back, or hang around on it waiting for people to race...

First 'moment' was actually on my ZXR - i was just coming off one of the downhill bends, and there was a learner driver travelling down the dual carriageway. He wasn't signalling to turn onto the cloverleaf or slowing down, but i was a bit wary anyway, cause i'd come off the bend dead level with him so assumed he couldn't see me alongside... So i watched him.... and watched him.... then looked in front of me and ARGH!!!! I was drifting directly towards the -ing kerb on my left!!! I must've looked like a right Tithead - sat bolt upright, feet off the pegs and legs waving in the gutter, and i must've been milimeters away from the kerb Imagine the shame if i'd crashed on the -ing straight flat bit under the bridge....

2nd time was my first ever blast on a ZXR750 - so i took it straight to the CLoverleaf! Did the first 2 corners fine - knee-down straight away and just feeling the bike out. On the 3rd corner (uphill - they're the best cause the front is less likely to slide and the road doesn't tighten), i thraped it past the outside of a car, then cut back in towards the tight line still with my knee dragging, and just as i got back on line the rear slid like a motherfkr - so i kept the power on gently hoping to catch it, but it upset all the suspension and flicked upright. Bear in mind this is doing 70+mph and going straight on means 'going straight over 2 lanes then kerb/barrier/trees'. The front suspension was like a pogo-stick, so i gently eased the brakes a bit just to try and settle the bike down and scrub off a bit of speed, then in the fraction of time it took to almost be out of road, dived back off the side of the fkr and jussssst about got it turned in again....

Scared the fk out of me, too.

Bet the slide looked cool to the car i'd just passed, though!!!

I think the best way is like this





Or this