chocadile Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 After reading a post from dbtripple, I figured that I'd post a question that I've had for a while. After watching this vid with Nick Ienatsch and Ken Hill . Nick said he spent a lot of time with Ken getting his foot position correct and once Ken had it correct that it made a world of difference. My question, what is proper foot position? The whole video they don't show one clip of where his feet are. Can someone shed some light on this for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 After reading a post from dbtripple, I figured that I'd post a question that I've had for a while. After watching this vid with Nick Ienatsch and Ken Hill . Nick said he spent a lot of time with Ken getting his foot position correct and once Ken had it correct that it made a world of difference. My question, what is proper foot position? The whole video they don't show one clip of where his feet are. Can someone shed some light on this for me? Well... there's a question... Do you think the foot position point is of more relevance, or as a consequence of getting locked onto the bike and keeping stable? Is foot position, or being locked on, something you're struggling with? Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 I set my pegs so that everytime I shift, my foot is anchored by the heel so it is easy for me to pivot up and down on the peg. It is the same when I use the rear brake. When I am not shifting or braking, I rest the balls of my feet on the pegs so that the pegs are weighted at all times and I can easily shift weight from one side to the other. Lets say I am making a right hand turn. My foot is pointing in toward the turn, my heel is pointing in towards the rear tire and my knee and foot are aligned. I do this so I have my body positioned for the turn and the weight of my body going directly down and weighting the inside peg. I am positioned in such a way that I actually have very little or no weight on the seat in the corner or on corner exit. The inside foot should be the base for the leg and upper body to rest on. You can't have good body position in a turn if your inside foot isn't positioned correctly. Other people on this forum might have a better way but this works for me and I'm going pretty quick using this method. This is the way I do it and do not represent anyone or any instituion that teaches anything about anything, even Road Race World. Do not practice this at home (wait, you could practice this at home if you have good stands) but I didn't tell you to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocadile Posted August 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Bullet - Locking onto the bike is something that I have been trying to get figured out for sometme. I did the lean bike last year but it was abbreviated because it was time to head back out to our next session. After reading your response along with fossilfuel's I think I'm having a mini breaktrough. Fossilfuel - I would like to buy you a beer. Between this thread and the other you've helped a ton. I've had more than a few light bulbs go off in my head. When reading your explanation it really helped my visualize what I should be doing, or what I'm not doing. Thank you. I have been concentrating on the knee locking onto the tank. I noticed that when I got my knee in what felt like a comfortable position while hanging off that my outside foot would slip right off. (practicing this in the garage on stands PitBull FTW ) For the most part I would keep my feet parallel to the bike, not using my heels or pointing my toes. So yes I would say that foot position for me is critical to being locked onto the bike. I'm going to do some more stactic drills tonight and play around with getting my feet locked in along with my knee and see if this helps me. I'll let you know how it works, thanks again Bullet and Fossil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 You're welcome, and essentially, you've got the picture now.. Often the reasons we do something aren't immediately obvious. Take it easy, keep us posted. Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Chocadile, You owe Bullet a beer as well, maybe he can show me how to properly drink a Guinness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 12, 2009 Report Share Posted August 12, 2009 Chocadile,You owe Bullet a beer as well, maybe he can show me how to properly drink a Guinness? Nah, I'm just here to help out man. Mate, if we ever meet up, you're more than welcome to buy me a guiness, or a proper beer. :-) Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chocadile Posted August 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 What a world of difference. With my heels bing locked onto the bike I feel much much more comfortable. I feel solid on the bike and no problems of feet slipping off the pegs. I was able to put almost no weight on the handle bars. It even feels more natural, not sure why I wasn't doing this before. Thanks again for the helpful advice. Bullet what's a proper beer? I hope nothing served at room temp. Never understood that. Ice cold is much more refeshing. All joking aside Calsberg was one of my favorites while I was visiting. Even found a beer with my last name on it(McEwans). I would love to go back to the UK to do some trackdays. Cadwell is a track I've wanted to ride ever since seeing the mountain for the first time. Donnington is another that I would like to ride reminds me of Laguna as both follow the natural flow of the land, and both are world class tracks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 What a world of difference. With my heels bing locked onto the bike I feel much much more comfortable. I feel solid on the bike and no problems of feet slipping off the pegs. I was able to put almost no weight on the handle bars. It even feels more natural, not sure why I wasn't doing this before. Thanks again for the helpful advice. Bullet what's a proper beer? I hope nothing served at room temp. Never understood that. Ice cold is much more refeshing. All joking aside Calsberg was one of my favorites while I was visiting. Even found a beer with my last name on it(McEwans). I would love to go back to the UK to do some trackdays. Cadwell is a track I've wanted to ride ever since seeing the mountain for the first time. Donnington is another that I would like to ride reminds me of Laguna as both follow the natural flow of the land, and both are world class tracks. Glad thats worked out well for you my friend, sometimes its the simplest of things that make such a difference! Keep at it, you'll soon not even be thinking about that now! Whats a proper beer...? Well, McEwans, is an old mans drink, drunk by old men, in my opinion. You can't beat a good wife beater, (Stella Artois), or maybe Kronenberg. If I'm really keen, I'm quite keen on White Beer, (again comes from Beligum area), HoeGarden is just amazing stuff, though oddly, you're meant to drink with a lemon in it, oddly.. 3 Pints of that though, and you're anyones, I assure. I have to say, there are some great beers in US as well, from my travels there with work, had some really, really great beers, though many of them are just the wrong colour, way too pale looking. That said, they all taste damn good eh? Take it easy man Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Wow! You don't even tell your old buddy Fossil that your talking about beer. I could handle a Stella, Becks, Hoegaarden, or my favorite of all time Wasatch Polygamy Porter - "why have just one" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 13, 2009 Report Share Posted August 13, 2009 Pull up a chair fossil, lets sink a few! Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Pull up a chair fossil, lets sink a few! Bullet I'm having the first of a few right now. Cheers Mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbtriple Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 That's rich.... a pommie and a yank talking about good beers! db Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Hey Bullet! Did you invite Crocodile Dundee to the table? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubbard_28 Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I've never thought about adjusting rearsets to lock in with my heal. I've been riding with stock pegs, and have to adjust to the bike using the balls of my feet, so I don't know the feeling. I'm going to slowly invest in a track bike when my wife graduates. Maybe turn the Kawi into one. A real mans beer, by the way, is Natural Light. Pay less, drink more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I've never thought about adjusting rearsets to lock in with my heal. I've been riding with stock pegs, and have to adjust to the bike using the balls of my feet, so I don't know the feeling. Hey Hubbard, Thats exactly the challenge I have with the Yamaha's we use in the UK. I have to do exactly what you describe. I'm moving myself onto the balls of my feet to get a really good lock into the bike. Sometimes, you just have to make a compromise to get a result, but clearly race rearsets are better, more adjustable, and most importantly for me, much gripper in the footbed area, thats probably the most important thing I've found, wet or dry, you've got reliable grip. Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I set my pegs so that everytime I shift, my foot is anchored by the heel so it is easy for me to pivot up and down on the peg. It is the same when I use the rear brake. When I am not shifting or braking, I rest the balls of my feet on the pegs so that the pegs are weighted at all times and I can easily shift weight from one side to the other.Lets say I am making a right hand turn. My foot is pointing in toward the turn, my heel is pointing in towards the rear tire and my knee and foot are aligned. I do this so I have my body positioned for the turn and the weight of my body going directly down and weighting the inside peg. I am positioned in such a way that I actually have very little or no weight on the seat in the corner or on corner exit. The inside foot should be the base for the leg and upper body to rest on. You can't have good body position in a turn if your inside foot isn't positioned correctly. Other people on this forum might have a better way but this works for me and I'm going pretty quick using this method. This is the way I do it and do not represent anyone or any instituion that teaches anything about anything, even Road Race World. Do not practice this at home (wait, you could practice this at home if you have good stands) but I didn't tell you to do it. This is a good description and something that I found by accident myself. But it brings up something that's been nagging me for quite some time that I've heard about: I've heard something about weighing the inside peg on corner entry and outside peg post-apex. Anyone know anything about this? Is it completely bunk? FWIW, I weigh the inside peg through exit, but I'm not anywhere near the edge of traction either (LOL) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fossilfuel Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 JayBird, I have heard of this. I haven't been riding long so I don't know all the tricks of the trade. I think it is helpful in getting the weight back over the center of the tire. I am thinking of turn 5 at Barber or 11 at Laguna or 4 at VIR. You enter the turn with the weight of your left side on the inside foot peg and you are on the throttle a little. Once you know you are going to make the apex you look toward the exit and slowly start to pick the bike up "pick up drill". as you start to pick the bike up weighting the outside peg may help to get the weight over the center of the rear tire so you can have more throttle. And it might help to rotate the bike more to center. I didn't start going real fast until I started weighting the inside peg and somebody is going to have to show me how I'm gonna get faster weighting the outside peg. I have done countless track days, schools and raced and not once did a guy running grid WERA or AMA lap times tell me "Hey you wanna go fast? Weight the outside peg!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodypresti Posted August 16, 2009 Report Share Posted August 16, 2009 Beer and motorcycles. The end is near! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullet Posted August 16, 2009 Report Share Posted August 16, 2009 You forgot to mention Man's eternal vice.... ! Bullet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kawdude636 Posted September 2, 2009 Report Share Posted September 2, 2009 always riding on the balls of my feet. I get good lock like you guys are saying heals into the guards and toes pointing in the corners. I started doing this naturally just felt solid... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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