Quote:
Originally Posted by Misti
How might sitting back in the seat effect that way you have leverage on the handlebars? When you countersteer do you push DOWN on the bars or FORWARD? How might your seating position effect this?
i
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m11
I'd imagine that sitting closer to the tank puts one more "over" the bars than "behind" the bars. As a result, sitting closer to the bars would cause one to be more likely to push down on the bars, rather than forward?
Keeping my joints in line would have me resting my elbows on my knees when I'm going at highway speeds. Is this appropriate? I find that I can be really relaxed in this position. At slower speeds (under, say, 65mph), I don't find it necessary to be completely "in-line" and can get away with my elbows bending 'outside my shoulders' a bit.
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This is what I find most often with my students. When people sit closer to the tank it tends to straighten up their arms and cause them to push "down" on the bars with stiff arms rather than "forward" on the bars with relaxed arms. Sitting closer to the tank also tends to crowd the rider and cause them to use the upper part of their thigh muscle (which isn't very strong) to grip the tank instead of the lower/knee inside of the knee muscle to grip the tank.
While I always tailor my body position lessons to each riders individual body shape, bike model and riding style, there are some things that I can generalize about. I usually get my students to sit a little farther back in the seat then they have been doing in the past for the above reasons. Of course if you are racing or extremely hard on the gas exiting a corner you may have to move forward to keep weight over the front so you don't wheelie
While riding on the highway it is fine to rest your elbows on your knees if this is comfortable for you and you can stay relaxed and maintain control. As you say, at slower speeds you can either bend your elbows out a little bit or you could straighten up your arms a bit so that the knees and elbows weren't touching.
Misti