A little Lean Angle fun

Claviger

Aspiring Student
Joined
Jul 25, 2014
Messages
6,934
Location
Olympia Washington
Ride
'21 Z H2, '14 R3R, '02 Daytona 955i
So I was playing with some still shots from the GoPro footage @1olbull shot on the Coronado Trail.

Interestingly, using some software I was able to get some pretty accurate guesses at ultimate mid-corner lean angle.

Comparing the same corner:

1olbull seems to be regularly hitting 34 degrees, up to 36 in spots. He can/will drag boards through corners, so of you've ever wondered about actual angles, bet on 36 as touch down point for boards and 35 for Roadster pegs.

Looking at myself in the video, I come up with an interesting thing. While my bikes angle is only usually around 29, my spine/head is more like 35-36 degrees with my inner cheek off the seat. I will note, I got lazy off camera, didn't shift body weight and ground my peg through a corner pretty hard, even though I didn't feel like I'd cornered any harder.

Granted the Coronado Trail was a road I was not going full retard, that came later in Utah on highway 12 :)

What I find interesting is just how much getting your head and shoulders towards the inside mirror in a turn helps, something I've long known, but never been able to quantify. Now I know, when climbing off the inside in a corner I'm saving myself about 5 degrees, so 5 degrees more to play with :)

This is, to me, the best reason to have someone chase you with a GoPro fitted, just how much room remains and what is your body position vs how it feels. This is the type of still used:
20191022_195508.jpg
 
bet on 36 as touch down point for boards and 35 for Roadster pegs.
Depending on tyres actual rotational circumference at the contact patch and dynamic sag of suspension at cornering speeds. Before fitting the Maxtons I regularly grounded ( I hate doing it ) - Not had one clip since.

But the little KTM - I am not even going to try and find it's lean limit. I'll fall off and that hurts. But for the same corner and speed I have to lean less. ;)
 
Indeed, differs for every specific setup, same with the Daytona, by the time a peg touches down, the bikes leaned farther than the tires are designed to allow, not a good place to be.

I would estimate 36 is going to be pretty close to or just past initial touchdown on most non-touring rockets. Those with stiffer rear setups will of course gain a little bit (Wilbers, Nitron, Maxton, etc) vs squishy but comfy shocks (stock, stock comfort, 440s, 430s, 412s).
 
Those with stiffer rear setups will of course gain a little bit (Wilbers, Nitron, Maxton, etc) vs squishy but comfy shocks (stock, stock comfort, 440s, 430s, 412s).
I now work on the squishy tummy sensor. This is partially due to age. The Fournales are a bit hard to classify as they are VERY progressive.
 
Air shocks are a great idea, often poorly implemented, though I hear the Fournales are good. I also do not touch down, in fact, this trip was the first drag event since I fitted the Wilbers, and it was 100% because I was lazy in a 10mph right hand hairpin taken at about 20mph that got tighter than I expected and had to really lay the bike over while still sitting centered.

I will admit, there are time I wish I could turn the Wilbers sports focus down a notch or two. The damping range goes from "stiff and sporty" to "Jesus is this a race bike?". The harder you ride the smoother they feel though, bit of a paradox, but it's how they are.

As an example, coming down 337 (one of the sisters) someone on 444s mentioned they didn't like the washboard feeling of the road. I didn't even notice or feel any washboard texture at all.
 
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Honestly, I try to focus exclusively on vanishing point in corners on the street. When on roads with sketchy surface like pot holes all over or gravel or high likelihood of contaminants, I ride a little slower and keep back and forth between road surface and corner exit target (vanishing point).

On nice quality roads, I ignore the road and point my eyes to the corner exit, Apex, vanishing point depending on if you can see through the turn or if it's blind. Apex point when you can see the whole turn, otherwise vanishing point.

You'll pick up road hazards in your peripheral vision when staring at vanishing point, you'll also stop processing your lean angle and speed as acutely and your pace will increase. It feels weird at first, but force yourself to do it and you'll find you'll ride more smoothly and hold better lines through corners. When it all clicks, and your flowing from one Apex to the next, picking your corner
Apex points 3-5 seconds ahead it feels like heaven imo.

It's like driving, do you stare at the tail lights in front of you, or do you look ahead of the car directly in front and anticipate by seeing further up the road? Your peripheral will pick up the brake lights directly in front of you, but by looking beyond the nearest car you can anticipate every action of the driver in front of you well ahead of time.

This is the biggest mistake I see in contemporary driving daily, people focus on the car ahead instead of the road ahead of the car ahead.
 

Look at my eyes here. Visually I'm already done with the turn I'm in, and I'm picking my entry point for the next turn, a full throttle 2nd gear right hand kink with a shift mid corner. By planning the line so early it allows your brain to focus on the important things, entry point, shift timing, hitting full throttle instead of 80%, body position etc.

Just like gymnastics, the body (and bike) follow the sight line of the eyes.
 
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