Ridin' Twisties on a K

[MCrenshaw]

Looking for some suggestions/comments on getting the most out of a K1100RS while riding twisties.  Let me begin by saying I'm hardly a peg dragger but I am competent and can push a boxer while riding the mountain roads.  My primary bike is a R1150GSA and the wide handlebars and Ohlins suspension makes it a real gas in the mountains.  My R1100S is as fast, maybe faster and really easy to ride.  But for some reason I seem to find it difficult getting the most out of the K1100.  I'm open to hearing what the experienced cognoscenti have to say.

[Scott_]

I'm not a track rider, nor a "peg dragger"(although I did drag my toes a couple of times this year.....) by any means, but for me, my bikes like it best when geared down as far as possible and keep the rev's up higher.
This year on Virginia 16 and Tenn 421, I was mostly in 2nd gear, some 3rd, occasional 4th on long flat stretch and no 5th.
Kept the rpm's in the 4-5k range.

[roninvt]

+1 on the lower gears and higher revs.  My K1100 loves to be in 3rd sometimes 4th  in the twisties here in VT   

[johnny]

its a top heavy straightliner at best...

once you have a handle on motogeometry and motocontrol and basic cornering techniques... you absolutely have to know how far you can lean... then ride nose up looking through the twisty on the gas late apexing...

your brain wont let you cartwheel off when it has all the information... butts you gotts to be on the gas... gas on = brain engaged + gas off = brain confused as it pertains to keeping your moto on the road...

so the first thing is figger out how far you can lean before you drag... then your tiors and suspension have to earn your confidence... after you become one with your tiors and suspension... ride nose up... look as far as you can see through the twisty... stay on the gas... late apex... getts some yeeeeehaaaaaa...

j o

[MCrenshaw]

Johnny, your comment seems to be a good definition of what I sense with this bike.  I find it rather difficult to get a good lean on the bike.  My thought was maybe it's a combination of short bars, and heavy torque that makes a right leaning turn difficult.  I agree about keeping the revs up.  Most K and Oilheads like to buzz.  But I also find that I need to make a definite body lean.  Counter steering just feels heavier than on the R bikes and I wondered if it was mostly my technique.

Having said that, on the ride to Salem, OR last year I was following, and rooming, with a very fast rider and got over $2,000 worth of free riding lessons from him.  Entry line, Apex, and exit line were emphasized as well as RPM.  One important comment made was "you paid for 100% of your tires, you might as well use them all."

[johnny]

there arents any secrets to becoming a smooth motobricker... its a matter of learning and practicing the right techniques...

find a twisty you wanna master... one that you know you can scrape... and can easily reverse route and practice it over and over...

then you gotts to lean in attempt to scrape... when you scrape you gotts to do it again and again until your brain knows at what lean angle you scrape... this is a conscious exercise to train the brain...

once your brain knows when you are going to scrape... unconscious eye hand foot brain muscle memory... then your brain unconsciously wont let you scrape anywhere when you are doing all the other things right...

this is when you consciously countersteer to initiate the turn and unconsciously lean to finish it off... when you getts to this point it becomes effortless and you will wander aimlessly saying wow...

its really that easy... those who caint yeeeeehaaaaa a motobrick are those who caint trust their trained unconscious eye hand foot brain muscle memory to keep them from cartwheeling off the road...

j o

[drut]

Just a point,on my K100RS 16v tire pressure(run mine 36/42) and rear spring preload make a big difference to cornering effort.

[MCrenshaw]

I've also heard that replacing the OEM bars with "C" type bars makes a large difference.  Opinions on this?  If so, where does one find the K75C bars?

[johnny]

i have ridden the rs motobrick with rs stock bars... k100 euro bars... c bars...

for me the rs motobrick stock bars are best for the twistys... the others are sit up ergos which have an off camber negative cant which causes whack and the perpetual sensation of diminished motocontrol on the rs motobrick...

j o

[MCrenshaw]

Thanks for the comment Johnny.  Now it makes me wonder if a PO has changed out from the OEM stock K1100RS bars.  According to an earlier post by Franenduck the RS bars should be 24.5"tip to tip with a 2" set back. 

[johnny]

if you wanna know whats you gotts... post up some photos...

j o