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I read an article posted by Dylan at Twisting Asphalt about him getting his knee down on the deck for the first time. So of course I thought back to when I used to drag a knee through Deal’s Gap. Those roads let you do it regularly and with ease. Back in those days, I was atop Jap inline big-bores and only sampled the Dragon on an Italian bike (Ducati 888) once.

I thought back to the last time I actually put my knee down and realized that I have done so only once since moving to AZ in October of 2001. When it did happen, it was forced. I leaned WAY over in a lower speed turn just to see, and it wasn’t right. It didn’t feel right and the speed was way too slow. It was forced. This was on CA-58 in the canyon section heading from LA to Monterey for the 2002 WSBK races.

While CA-58 is not as tight overall as Deal’s Gap, its certainly tight enough to get the knee down based on my history…so I thought. After I read Dylan’s post, I thought about the differences between then and now:

1. Different roads
2. Different bike
3. Different capability (better)
4. Different attitude (better)

Of these, I have determined that Its #2 & #4, but mainly due to a different bike.

Different attitude: As I have aged a little and crashed twice on the track since the Deal’s Gap days, I have gained a little wisdom. The first is that I suck at the track. The second is that I really don’t give a shit about being the fastest any more. It bothers me much less to let a faster guy by these days compared to back then.

I have also come to realize that being smooth and comfortable will get you through the turns much quicker than being leaned over too far. I say “too far” because I remember I was fixated on dragging my knee, and drag I did. I would say that I wore through about a third of a new set of pucks in a couple of days. The problem was that I was forcing it to happen, by leaning over much further than necessary. And since there is only so much grip available, the more cranked over I was, the slower I went.

I realized this phenomenon on the drive back to Michigan and figured the next trip I would not care about grinding the pucks. That next trip was so much more fun: better riding, smoother entries and exits, and much faster overall. From that point forward, I have not focused on dragging the knee on the street. If it happens, it happens.

NOTE: I am not whatsoever stating that people should not hang off the bike. You likely should. I am stating that while I do hang off the bike in the twisties, I don’t think about getting the knee to touch the asphalt. Its one less thing to clutter the brain processing the next move.

Different Bike The first thing I remember thinking to myself when I mounted that 888 was “wow, this is narrow!” as it felt like a dirt bike coming off of an R1. My big-bore inlines were from’93-’99 so its possible that things have changed, but on those bikes my legs were in a 45 degree “V”. I feel like now on my RSVR that its almost the natural feel when you sit - say 20 degrees. Of course these are rectal numbers, but that’s my perspective in relation to each other.

I don’t know if its experience or what, but on my R1, I felt the need to hang off it to get it to turn. Sometimes I would catch myself hanging off it when it wasn’t necessary. The RSVR on the other hand, requires some body weight shifting (more like rotating about the tank), but I’m not sure I’ve had to hang off this bike. That bike does what I want it to do much easier than any Jap inline I have owned.

I get it though. Its bad mojo to be showing up at a place where sport bikers meet with brand spankin’ new leathers (read: bright as hell), with new, virgin pucks. Grind ‘em on the street, grind ‘em on the track, but once they’re broken in so to speak just let it happen.