Hey guys, :hmmm:
I just took the DR350 out on it's maiden SM voyage down a tight, twisty, hilly road with a 120/65-17 Mich. pilot sport (front tire) on the rear, and a 120/60-17 Power Race (soft compound) on the front. It's virtually a slick with a bit of tread to pass DOT.
This thing is like freakin' GLUED to the road. Especially the front tire (Power race soft), the profile at the sides is virtually parallel to the rim, the tread wraps practically all the way to the rim, so theoretically, I have enough tread on the edges to virtually touch the bars to the ground.
I am really confused though. I see all these pics of pro's leaning over so far they touch their elbows to the track and such. I was decked out and planning on trying my nerve, at least a little knee work.
My question is this, Remember, this was my first time out since the SM rebuild- I have the shock spring cranked up pretty stiff so it won't squat much in the corners, and although the DRZ forks still have the stock springs, I was under power all the time so my weight was on the rear tire while cornering, and my FIRST time out I was dragging the pegs a few different times.
HOW do these Pro's get the bike leaned over so far? Is the DR just that much wider? I was leaning the bike as far as physically possible because the pegs were grinding solidly on the road - I wasn't hanging off much, but there was NO WAY I could have even put a knee down, much less an elbow.
What am I missing? The SM track wants sliders on both axles, the bar ends, and under the footpegs. If I do that, I may as well ride a cruiser around the track, I won't be able to lean it at all.
I know sliding the corners isn't the fastest way to get around the track, but I'm not in it to race, I just want to have fun, and to me that means trying to touch my elbow, etc and see how low I can go.
Do I just need a narrower bike? Or, since I only have a small rear tire, that is also limiting my ground clearance. A higher profile, and wider tread would provide more clearance, but not THAT much... and the widest I can fit is a 140, which limits my choices.. (has anyone tried a BT003RS for street use??)
I have some slicks that are 125/80-17's, that would be a good bit taller, but I can''t run 'em on the street, and I can't afford to waste money at the track if I can't lean the bike over...
Can any of you PLEASE enlighten me as to what I can do, or what others are doing, to allow them to lean as far as they want without grinding half their bike off?
Thanks!
Joe
I just took the DR350 out on it's maiden SM voyage down a tight, twisty, hilly road with a 120/65-17 Mich. pilot sport (front tire) on the rear, and a 120/60-17 Power Race (soft compound) on the front. It's virtually a slick with a bit of tread to pass DOT.
This thing is like freakin' GLUED to the road. Especially the front tire (Power race soft), the profile at the sides is virtually parallel to the rim, the tread wraps practically all the way to the rim, so theoretically, I have enough tread on the edges to virtually touch the bars to the ground.
I am really confused though. I see all these pics of pro's leaning over so far they touch their elbows to the track and such. I was decked out and planning on trying my nerve, at least a little knee work.
My question is this, Remember, this was my first time out since the SM rebuild- I have the shock spring cranked up pretty stiff so it won't squat much in the corners, and although the DRZ forks still have the stock springs, I was under power all the time so my weight was on the rear tire while cornering, and my FIRST time out I was dragging the pegs a few different times.
HOW do these Pro's get the bike leaned over so far? Is the DR just that much wider? I was leaning the bike as far as physically possible because the pegs were grinding solidly on the road - I wasn't hanging off much, but there was NO WAY I could have even put a knee down, much less an elbow.
What am I missing? The SM track wants sliders on both axles, the bar ends, and under the footpegs. If I do that, I may as well ride a cruiser around the track, I won't be able to lean it at all.
I know sliding the corners isn't the fastest way to get around the track, but I'm not in it to race, I just want to have fun, and to me that means trying to touch my elbow, etc and see how low I can go.
Do I just need a narrower bike? Or, since I only have a small rear tire, that is also limiting my ground clearance. A higher profile, and wider tread would provide more clearance, but not THAT much... and the widest I can fit is a 140, which limits my choices.. (has anyone tried a BT003RS for street use??)
I have some slicks that are 125/80-17's, that would be a good bit taller, but I can''t run 'em on the street, and I can't afford to waste money at the track if I can't lean the bike over...
Can any of you PLEASE enlighten me as to what I can do, or what others are doing, to allow them to lean as far as they want without grinding half their bike off?
Thanks!
Joe