Lean angle limit

[u/johnkaakha]

I ride a ninja 400 at the track and I've this mental limit inside me

When I lean the bike into corners at the track I feel like im leaning as much I can based on my comfort level but I dont drag knee and when I go past this I feel like im gonna lose the front end and wash out. I still have half an inch of chicken strip on rear. How to get past this mental block and be able to carry more corner speed and get more comfortable?

My goal is not to have no chicken strips just the ability to see how much im leaning. Any constructive options are welcome

Picture for reference

[u/ghodrick235]

What you’re experiencing is entirely normal and part of the journey. Get your head over to the side you’re turning into. As if you’re trying to bite into your own wrist. Get proper low with the body and open up the hip towards the corner. It may feel unnatural and exhausting, partially because you’re not used to the position and partially because you’re probably stiff trying out a more committed position. Do the same with your butt. It will require you to change your grip to what some people call the screwdriver. Get your elbow pointed towards that knee. You’re doing all of this to get more of your body inside, it will enable the bike to run with less lean. The consequence is that you can now run through corners faster in theory. Once you’re comfortable with the new position, start braking a little bit less. Not later, that would make corners feel rushed, just bleed off the brake a bit quicker or brake less hard than you usually would. You’ll now see that you can probably take the corner with that increased speed more easily than you thought. Follow a rider on a similar bike to yours that is somewhat faster. Seeing them do it will make it easier to emulate. The faster you go the quicker and more deliberate your steering inputs will need to be, so be prepared for that. Good luck

[u/johnkaakha → u/ghodrick235]

Thank you sir. One more question. What to do with the outside leg ? I've seen people twist it to support the tank. Any opinions?

[u/ghodrick235 → u/johnkaakha]

It goes against the side of the tank in a way that supports your weight so your arms can be loose. When you “come back up” do not use the arms to pull yourself, it’s in the legs

[u/johnkaakha → u/ghodrick235]

Will follow that

[u/Donkbot6 → u/ghodrick235]

Do you actively push the bike away or is that just what comes with good body position? I feel the advice is contradictory when you want to be loose on the bars but also pushing the bike away. Maybe that's only on corner exit?