Motorcycle Practice With Tdm 900 And Fz1 Fazer

Posted 06 April 2010 - 06:36 am

Me and a friend spent some time practicing some drills at a car park.

Here are the pics, snapshots and video:

Our practice area is the main car park of Istanbul Park Track, where the Turkish F1 and MotoGP are held:


Our Motorcycles and my friend Batur:


Slalome Drill




Random Slalome with FZ1




Random Slalome with TDM
















Hang off and Knee Down (At least tried with tall TDM














This one shows the leaning angle, body position and the right point to look


And this is the video:



youtube link:

http://www.youtube.c...feature=channel

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 06:46 am

QUOTE(T_T @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 07:36 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Me and a friend spent some time practicing some drills at a car park.

Here are the pics, snapshots and video:

Our practice area is the main car park of Istanbul Park Track, where the Turkish F1 and MotoGP are held:

Interesting.
Would you agree that it could have been any car park? Did you do this out of desperation that you could not get on the track?
Nice of you to teach English people how to take a round about from anticlock wise. Will be useful at the next Euromeeting

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 09:58 am

I had been wondering if you could get the knee down on the TDM - going by those photos, I'd say you would have your work cut out

The FZ-1 does look a little tiny compared to the TDM

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 10:07 am

QUOTE(Stormtrooper @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 10:58 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had been wondering if you could get the knee down on the TDM - going by those photos, I'd say you would have your work cut out

Yes, you can.
(although admittedly I've only done it on a race track)

Yamaha XJ600S Diversion '94
Yamaha XJ900S Diversion '97
Suzuki SV650S '01
Yamaha TDM900 '04

Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré '08 + Yamaha TRX850 '97

I'll let go of my throttle when they pry it from my cold, dead hands...

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 12:50 pm

Good work

I did something similar a week ago ( it has rained since), although my emphasis was on low-speed/tight turns.


I've been looking out for a good, clean, large car park without obstructions to try the sort of higher speed drills you were doing. (they tend to put in street furniture, probably to stop this kind of thing!) I've found one or two with potential.


It would be good to have the warm, dry weather that you have in Turkey!

Edited by MCBodge, 06 April 2010 - 12:54 pm.

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 01:40 pm

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 01:40 pm

Unless you have really long and bendy legs and are trying a knee-down as a goal in itself (rather than actually gaining any cornering speed) then you will struggle to achieve much success on a TDM with its low footrests: your feet are positioned relatively forward to easily point your knee down while you'll start scarping the footrest long before you get anywhere near a natural and meaningful "look-at-me-I-am-Rossi" position.

Having said that, perhaps it works better when trying this on the tarmac of NASA's shuttle launch area rather than an ordinary, your-every-day Formula 1 circuit. Mind you, Sainsbury's car-park might work as well

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 01:49 pm

QUOTE(robelst @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 02:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Unless you have really long and bendy legs and are trying a knee-down as a goal in itself (rather than actually gaining any cornering speed) then you will struggle to achieve much success on a TDM with its low footrests: your feet are positioned relatively forward to easily point your knee down while you'll start scarping the footrest long before you get anywhere near a natural and meaningful "look-at-me-I-am-Rossi" position.

I beg to differ on that one

neither long nor bendy legs in my case. And it is precisely because of the low footrests (and in my case a center stand as well) that an extreme hanging off style was required to allow faster corner speeds on the track. It is not pretty, nor comfortable but it sure beats hooking the center stand in the tarmac on a downhill left hander

and once you're hanging off that far you (or rather I) can't help to impress your friends by doing a knee-down on a "boring touring bike"

Yamaha XJ600S Diversion '94
Yamaha XJ900S Diversion '97
Suzuki SV650S '01
Yamaha TDM900 '04

Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré '08 + Yamaha TRX850 '97

I'll let go of my throttle when they pry it from my cold, dead hands...

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 02:27 pm

QUOTE(duibhce Kaelann @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 01:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I beg to differ on that one

neither long nor bendy legs in my case. And it is precisely because of the low footrests (and in my case a center stand as well) that an extreme hanging off style was required to allow faster corner speeds on the track. It is not pretty, nor comfortable but it sure beats hooking the center stand in the tarmac on a downhill left hander

and once you're hanging off that far you (or rather I) can't help to impress your friends by doing a knee-down on a "boring touring bike"

A knee-down is more like an "optional extra" of hanging-off, they are not the same thing. Well, execpt if your name is Stoner and simply have no more room left than to stick your knee on the tarmac

Hanging-off definitely works because you can keep the bike more upright using your body as a counter-weight, but going as far as a knee down seems a little "fabricated" on a bike like the TDM? Mind you, at my age I am glad to get my knee over the seat

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 03:09 pm

QUOTE(robelst @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 03:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hanging-off definitely works because you can keep the bike more upright using your body as a counter-weight, but going as far as a knee down seems a little "fabricated" on a bike like the TDM? Mind you, at my age I am glad to get my knee over the seat

I am slowly getting to that age as well On the XTZ I get on the left foot peg first before I throw my right leg over

As implied in the last remark of my previous post the KD on a TDM indeed has more bar-talk than real speed gaining benefits. But still, the amount of hanging off I needed to do on the TDM to keep it upright enough as to clear the center stand / foot peg was already that involved that there was not really that much effort into putting the knee down. But it does take extra effort so indeed, in hard numbers it will slow you down.

(although it does still help you get a feel for the amount of lean angle you have an thus how much ground clearance is left)

Yamaha XJ600S Diversion '94
Yamaha XJ900S Diversion '97
Suzuki SV650S '01
Yamaha TDM900 '04

Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré '08 + Yamaha TRX850 '97

I'll let go of my throttle when they pry it from my cold, dead hands...

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 04:11 pm

QUOTE(duibhce Kaelann @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 03:09 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am slowly getting to that age as well On the XTZ I get on the left foot peg first before I throw my right leg over

As implied in the last remark of my previous post the KD on a TDM indeed has more bar-talk than real speed gaining benefits. But still, the amount of hanging off I needed to do on the TDM to keep it upright enough as to clear the center stand / foot peg was already that involved that there was not really that much effort into putting the knee down. But it does take extra effort so indeed, in hard numbers it will slow you down.

(although it does still help you get a feel for the amount of lean angle you have an thus how much ground clearance is left)

You are a lot better off now with all that anyway on a TRX by the looks of your avatar-picture?

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 04:17 pm

QUOTE(robelst @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 05:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are a lot better off now with all that anyway on a TRX by the looks of your avatar-picture?

that's my latest track-baby

anyway, enough of me hijacking this thread... Just want to add that anyone serious about biking should do the types of exercises from the vid at least once a year. And preferably add some emergency stop and brake-and-swerve exercises as well.

Yamaha XJ600S Diversion '94
Yamaha XJ900S Diversion '97
Suzuki SV650S '01
Yamaha TDM900 '04

Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré '08 + Yamaha TRX850 '97

I'll let go of my throttle when they pry it from my cold, dead hands...

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 06:11 pm

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 07:16 pm

QUOTE(Fernihough @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 09:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting.
Would you agree that it could have been any car park? Did you do this out of desperation that you could not get on the track?
Nice of you to teach English people how to take a round about from anticlock wise. Will be useful at the next Euromeeting

Any carpark with a good tarmac

Will be on the track for California motorbike school at Istanbul Park 17-18th April. Please be informed http://www.superbikeschool.com.tr/

And about the round about, I nearly got killed just by walking on the London streets a few times. Would agree that if our British fellas feel the same way in rest of Europe

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 07:23 pm

QUOTE(Stormtrooper @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 12:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I had been wondering if you could get the knee down on the TDM - going by those photos, I'd say you would have your work cut out

The FZ-1 does look a little tiny compared to the TDM

Honestly that was my first try on the video and my friend told me that I was so close a couple of times. However, I didnt feel like touching the knee to the ground. The problem was scratcy foot pegs or me not hanging off enough.

I was also scared that my pants would torn without the sliders. May be the sliders would give an extra inch to touch down. What do u think?

PS: The hang off was on first gear only.

FZ1 is a lovely machine but a little tight on the sharp and slow maneuvers. Yet the 150 HP would be an advantage over TDM on the track

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 07:33 pm

QUOTE(MCBodge @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 03:50 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good work

I did something similar a week ago ( it has rained since), although my emphasis was on low-speed/tight turns.
I've been looking out for a good, clean, large car park without obstructions to try the sort of higher speed drills you were doing. (they tend to put in street furniture, probably to stop this kind of thing!) I've found one or two with potential.
It would be good to have the warm, dry weather that you have in Turkey!

The car park that I shoot the video is about 40 miles to home. The reason that I made such a long distance is I have the same problem here to find an appropriate area to practice. Besides, the track is rarely visited on a day with no event. So, no disturbance at all.

About the weather, what can I say other than 'lucky me'

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 07:39 pm

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 07:47 pm

QUOTE(duibhce Kaelann @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 07:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

that's my latest track-baby anyway, enough of me hijacking this thread... Just want to add that anyone serious about biking should do the types of exercises from the vid at least once a year. And preferably add some emergency stop and brake-and-swerve exercises as well.

Totally agreed. Just FYI, I did the braking drills, but did not shoot the video since it would look funny

QUOTE(stu @ Tue 6th Apr 2010, 09:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Looks like fun.Are you connected with OMM riders??

No, dont like that the Turkish OMM riders following a hierarchy.

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Posted 06 April 2010 - 10:12 pm

An excellent example of you go were you look. I likee. Thats a smart way to spend an hour or two, better than trying to get your knee down cutting up unsuspecting car drivers.

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