Who has gotten a knee down?

[taxonomy]

I'm just wondering about this. The magazines throw it around blithely but I wonder how many people have actually touched down a knee. I have not. The closest I ever came was a weird 90 degree turn in traffic where I dragged my boot. For one think I don't really hang off and haven't ridden on a track.

I'd like to see a poll on this.

I've never gotten a knee down
On the track
On the street
On the street and track.

Just wondering what it breaks down like in a group of "hardcore" street riders.

[Paul_E_D]

Hi Adam!

Never touched a knee on the street.
On the track I can go through a set of sliders in 2 days.

[mzdagrl]

I've never touched knee, street or track. But I'm not very hardcore either. I did drag my toe in T6 at my trackday though. Don't know if it's because I have stock rearsets or wasn't off the seat enough.

[reiobard]

never got a knee down, maybe at a trackday this year, but that is not my goal (alhough it would be cool), riding smooth and fast is my true goal.

[Doc]

Knee down for the first time last year at the TRACK. Was a complete surprise as I wasn't trying to, I was concentrating on body position and such, but I am used to it now. I am a light knee scraper, My pucks will last for years 2, 6 and 9

NEVER on the STREET.

Dragging your toe COULD be that you did not have the ball of your foot up on the peg.

[brewmaster]

Never on the street.

T1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 9 at Loudon.

[wingerdor]

Knee down for the first time last year at the TRACK. Was a complete surprise as I wasn't trying to, I was concentrating on body position and such, but I am used to it now. I am a light knee scraper, My pucks will last for years 2, 6 and 9

NEVER on the STREET.

Dragging your toe COULD be that you did not have the ball of your foot up on the peg.

That's exactly when it will happen. Getting you knee down is a product of good technique. Those that try to get their knees down struggle. Focusing on vision and good body position are the keys, suddenly your knee will be down before you know it, because you will be loose and relaxed, if you are tense on the bars, forget it.

Remember, once you do start dragging you knee, it is merely a gauge of lean angle anyway. (Plus it's pretty freakin cool!)

[jtaylor719]

Never on the street.

T1, 1A, 2, 3, 6, 9 at Loudon.

You haven't touched down in 7 or 10 or 11? Maybe that's my problem

Touch your knee down on the street and you're an idiot. I'd rather ride alone.

1st time I hit my puck was in 11 a couple years ago. Came back to the garage and was grinning ear to ear - awesome feeling when you first do it. I can't wait for that sound and feeling again!! Hopefully it's happening just after I pass Brewmaster!

[Kurlon]

I have finally gotten past the 'OMG KNEE GRIND TIME!' point on minis, so I skim now rather than eating pucks like candy on them.

On my full size machine, my ST3 I've just kissed the inside curb in the bowl twice with my knee during a track day. Haven't been remotely close on the street.

[CMG241]

The first time my knee went down was in the bowl. 1st my knee, then the bike, then my hip, shoulder, helmet....

[Currently]

Only place I ever touched a knee down was on the Dragon and it came as a complete surprise to me. I was just focusing on going thru the 180 turn and staying in my lane. I don't think I was even doing 25 - 30 mph.

My goal is to be smooth and not use my brakes. That is for street riding, not track riding.

As for track riding, sometime this fall hopefully.

Next spring, I am definitely going to the 3 day KSSS in April.

[Nate Dawg]

Never been on the track. So..the only place I've experienced enough comfort, focus, and twisty tight turns to get a knee down was down in Shady Valley TN. 418 turns in 12 miles.

To each his own.

[brendanp]

You haven't touched down in 7 or 10 or 11? Maybe that's my problem

Touch your knee down on the street and you're an idiot. I'd rather ride alone.

1st time I hit my puck was in 11 a couple years ago. Came back to the garage and was grinning ear to ear - awesome feeling when you first do it. I can't wait for that sound and feeling again!! Hopefully it's happening just after I pass Brewmaster!

I have yet to do it.
Can you explain why not on the street? I'm not being a smart ass here, would like to know. Is it like illegal or something, or is hazardous?

[taxonomy]

NEVER on the STREET.

Dragging your toe COULD be that you did not have the ball of your foot up on the peg.

This is probably it. It was one of those traffic situations where I am balanced on the bike motionless and everyone else is paused. Like suspended animation, finally I just went and had creeped up on my intended corner so cut it slowly but really sharp. It wasn't like I was in go fast mode at all. I just realized something was scraping it was my boot.

My goal is by next fall to have my cornering cleaned up enough to touch a knee down, I'm starting with the Lee Parks school and will do a track day (or two) before the end of the year. I may take my 4th ERC too. It's always a nice refresher.

I really want to clean up my riding. Are there videos worth watching?

Hi SRNE people.

Adam

[OreoGaborio]

Never on the street.

+1. Only on the track.

With that said I'm sure there have been more than a few times I could have put it down on the street... but I kinda like saying I've never put a knee down on the street... makes me less of a hypocrite

Like wingerdor said, dragging a knee is not a "skill", it is a PRODUCT of proper technique & sufficient cornerspeed. The more you think "I'm gonna try & drag a knee here!" the more it probably won't happen.

And get your toes up, bro! Balls of the feet on the pegs... Hell, I practically grip the pegs with my toes like a Monkey... Shit I bet that's what Clayton does, he IS a monkey!

[taxonomy]

+1.

And get your toes up, bro! Balls of the feet on the pegs... Hell, I practically grip the pegs with my toes like a Monkey... Shit I bet that's what Clayton does, he IS a monkey!

Yeah, this was a few years back. All the same, when not in go fast mode it's easy to get into just ridin' around mode. I know... I know...

[brewmaster]

You haven't touched down in 7 or 10 or 11? Maybe that's my problem

Touch your knee down on the street and you're an idiot. I'd rather ride alone.

1st time I hit my puck was in 11 a couple years ago. Came back to the garage and was grinning ear to ear - awesome feeling when you first do it. I can't wait for that sound and feeling again!! Hopefully it's happening just after I pass Brewmaster!

Wow, we haven't even started yet! We will just have to see... oh wait we won't find out until I advance to expert. Since I scared you into it.

[Dangerz0ne]

places like dragon or shady valley it's actually hard not to. You would have to come to almost a complete stop at every turn to avoid the lean angle.

[CEO]

Never on the street except when working on technique in some deserted parking lots.

Dragged knee for the first time at my first track day back in august, and again at TDs 2 and 3 in september. Have done it in 1, 1a, 2, 6, 7. Can't wait to get back in april.

[Doc]

I have yet to do it.
Can you explain why not on the street? I'm not being a smart ass here, would like to know. Is it like illegal or something, or is hazardous?

Read "The Pace". I just don't think it's appropriate or nessecary on the street.

Never wore pants with pucks on the street either so...

Have I tried to stick my knee out, hang off and look like a racer on the street? Yep, sure did. I just think it is silly now that I have been to the track. To each his own I guess.

[The Snowman]

BTW, Denno, the title of this thread is "who had gotten a knee down", not "who has gotten down on their knees".

Hardy, har, har....

[ZX-12R]

I inadvertently touched down once on a long sweeper in upstate NY. It surprised me because I normally don't get too far off the seat while riding on the street. I was a little upset because I didn't have sliders on my pants and they got scuffed up a bit.

[Ken C]

I have gone fast enough to drag knee in every corner at NHIS. But this is while racing and when I feel frisky at track days (usually following Tony )

Never on the street.

[Ryno]

I dragged my knee for the first time years ago on the street. I got into racing not long after that where it happens all the time. Since I stopped racing, I haven't dragged a knee on the street.
It really doesn't matter much in my opinion. I used to race with a guy who's pucks lasted three times longer than mine and he always beat me. He just didn't didn't hang off the bike quite as much.

[taxonomy]

So, this is the funny thing about this. I've been riding for several years now, maybe I bought a bike 10 years ago and have ridden some years more and some years less in that time.

I think I have been a "good" rider, having taken the ERC a bunch of times and consumed a lot of Keith Code kind of stuff. But I am nowhere near to putting a knee down. I just ride way too tidy, way more Hailwood than Rossi. I mountain bike quite a bit some years and am pretty comfortable sliding both ends doing that. But crashing there is low risk.

Dragging a knee is so iconic and it's in all the magazines. It's this style that's so promoted unless you're some kind of Harley dude. Eventually you get to wondering what the deal is with it. Is everyone else just ripping it up? Am I way off the pace? What gives?


Track days are nice and all but it's expensive. My goal isn't really to get a knee down, so much as it is to have that very connected feeling when everything lines up more often.