Shifting Body Position With Less Energy...how?

[mattguss]

First post! How do I use the least amount of energy riding? TRACK ONLY

 

My question relates to getting set up for the next turn, moving off the bike, getting ready for the turn. By the end of the day (make that the middle) I am completely beat by the effort of physically picking myself up and moving from one side to the other. I am in fairly good shape to start with but always could be better. I have been told in other schools to do a few things to make shifting weight easier like:

1. pivot on the tank to shift from one side to the other
2. push against the tank with the inside leg to shift body weight to the inside

My question is what method is best? and how do I break my exhausting bad habit of picking myself up and moving myself from one side to the other all day? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

 

thanks,

Matt

[ktk_ace]

hardware wise:

 

 

 

 

tank pads?

 

 

 

 

software wise:

 

 

 

 

You'll have to conquer yourself just like how I conquer myself from doing all of the SR stuff ...

 

The public road is NOT a track for starters. Ignore if ur just doing it on a track imho.

 

 

 

 

 

[Crash106]

Okay, Matter, I'm not a track rider, but I do know something about doing things the easiest way.

 

1. 
    
   
2. Have you noticed the butt cameras on the MotoGP bikes? Those shots make it look like a two step process--move your butt over, lean your upper body in. Maybe that's all it needs to be.
   
3. I've also heard of "never" sitting in the middle of the seat--when you move up out of a left lean, for example, set your butt halfway off the right side of the seat to setup for that upcoming right turn. I just don't actually see many people doing this. Maybe this one is situational.
   
4. My other suggestion is philosophical: How much muscle tension do you need to ride fast? Maybe it's not as much as you think. I know staying relaxed is a constant challenge for me. The extra tension I carry around doesn't help me ride any better.
   

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[bradvanhorn]

This is well addressed in CSS Level 3. Here's the simple version, or at least as I recall from Level 3:

 

Keep about 3-4 inches between your jewels and the tank; your fist probably is the right size to check the space. You lock on to the tank with your knees; you do not need to try and crush the tank. Use your hips to quickly slide across the seat (aka the hip flick). You slide far enough across the seat to get your weight shifted, but not so far as to lose the outside knee lock on the tank. Keep your hips effectively perpendicular to the centerline of the bike regardless.

 

Do not use the tank as a pivot point. Pivoting around the tank turns it into an obstacle to maneuver around and makes it more difficult to shift side to side. Also, it is likely to get your body position twisted up to some degree.

 

Do not use your legs to lift off the seat and then set back down when you move across. This likely will create instability as you effectively bounce on the seat each time you shift. Also, it's a lot of work using your legs to lift your weight, move it over and set it down.

 

Do not hang on or pull on the bars when shifting side to side. This likely will create instability as you will send tiny inputs to the bars while hanging on and moving around. Using your knees to lock on the tank saves you from having to hang on with the bars.

[mattguss]

Thanks Brad! Your explanation makes sense (except for the keeping hips perpendicular part). I understand this method, now I just have to practice it until it becomes natural for me. I appreciate the feedback. Track day Monday so I've got more stuff to work on!

This is well addressed in CSS Level 3. Here's the simple version, or at least as I recall from Level 3:

 

Keep about 3-4 inches between your jewels and the tank; your fist probably is the right size to check the space. You lock on to the tank with your knees; you do not need to try and crush the tank. Use your hips to quickly slide across the seat (aka the hip flick). You slide far enough across the seat to get your weight shifted, but not so far as to lose the outside knee lock on the tank. Keep your hips effectively perpendicular to the centerline of the bike regardless.

 

Do not use the tank as a pivot point. Pivoting around the tank turns it into an obstacle to maneuver around and makes it more difficult to shift side to side. Also, it is likely to get your body position twisted up to some degree.

 

Do not use your legs to lift off the seat and then set back down when you move across. This likely will create instability as you effectively bounce on the seat each time you shift. Also, it's a lot of work using your legs to lift your weight, move it over and set it down.

 

Do not hang on or pull on the bars when shifting side to side. This likely will create instability as you will send tiny inputs to the bars while hanging on and moving around. Using your knees to lock on the tank saves you from having to hang on with the bars.

[bradvanhorn]

Yeah, I'm sorry I didn't explain the hip position too well. Basically you don't want your hips to twist in the seat. When you slide across the seat you want your hips to stay squared up rather than twist into/away from the direction of the turn. What level 3 shows is many times you will twist your hips into the turn and those little twists can cause you to work yourself forward and up against the tank. Then you have to reset your position by pushing your butt back to regain space between the tank; it becomes one more thing to distract you. During level 3 I learned I was doing this in left turns, but not in right turns. Anyway, I hope this helps clarify the point. I hope you have a great day Monday at the track.

[PoppaNoDoz]

I can't WAIT to go to Level III - I have ATROCIOUS body positioning habits (Ask Mike P). The thing is I'm in pretty darned good shape for a guy in his mid 20's so I just plow through the pain and fatigue, I actually HAD been doing specific exercises at the gym targeting muscles that I had seen fatiguing. I just considered it part of the cost of doing business, having legs that felt like they were on fire.

 

 

Mike followed me around during my Level I day and then pretty much said, as politely as he could "Ok, this needs to stop" which is why in all my pictures I look like my avatar and not like this:

 

 

[johnnyrod]

Matter, I've heard the hip flick (which is similar to a lot of moving around stuff) makes peoples' legs ache, I think you start using some of the inside/outside leg muscles you don't normally use for anything. That and some core strength which a lot of people don't have much of. As the guys say, there are so points to observe, but you'll likely find there are little-used bits of you that you've found a use for now.