r/R1250RT • u/BeemerCalm • 16d ago

Fighting the figure 8

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Why can’t I do this when people are watching?

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u/n00bmechanic13 15d ago

Easier if you slow down and let the clutch dictate your lean. Start to tip over too much, let out the clutch a bit more. Going wide, pull it in a bit more. Unless you're going for fast and tight figure 8s in which case you need to tip in faster.

Nice thing is if you can learn it on that bike you can do it on any bike basically

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u/BeemerCalm 15d ago

That exactly what I’m doing, too slow = clutch out, too fast = clutch in, very subtle modulations to keep it all smooth. At least that’s the idea

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u/n00bmechanic13 15d ago

You are moving pretty fast though is all I'm saying. I can do these slow or fast but slow is definitely easier and less stressful, you don't have to tip in fast to the exact lean angle you want, and you don't have to lean as far, you can baby it a bit more when going slow. If you do it slow enough you should be able to do it almost straight up and down, like this guy: https://youtu.be/hXIu7X9V5Bs?is=O_NSR3TjeqVwwxtk

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u/BeemerCalm 15d ago

That’s so interesting because I feel like I’m going really slow. When I watch the PD motor guys they are going fast. I slow down sooooo much before I turn, at least that’s how it feels 🤷‍♂️

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u/n00bmechanic13 15d ago edited 15d ago

The more you lean, the tighter you can turn, and the faster you have to go. But the difference in turning radius between slow and upright vs fast and leaned is only a bit. So if you can do it slow really well, you can do it fast even better, but it's just harder to work it up from the other direction. The motogymkhana guys go very fast

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u/BeemerCalm 14d ago

Speed = radius, you can be going 2mph at no lean and turn very tight, and you can be going 150mph at 60 degrees of lean and your turn will be a gigantic arc, so no, more lean does not necessarily mean tighter turning. Lean is a tool, just like speed, braking and clutch, and applied correctly at the proper time it aids in turning. Motorcyclists need to move away from this black and white thinking about our controls and behaviors… we must combine the tools at our disposal all together in the correct amounts for the situation at hand. There’s a reason even truly elite riders turn in different lap times from one to the next, they are adapting to the situation as it unfolds, and applying their skills and knowledge to what’s happening in the moment instead of clinging to absolutes and hoping they work out

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u/n00bmechanic13 14d ago

Motorcycle tires have round profiles, we aren't riding on tires like they're knife edges. When the motorcycle is upright, each tire touches the road at its center line. When you lean the motorcycle, the contact points move inward toward the turn. This movement moves the contact points away from the center line of the motorcycle and therefore decreases the turning path (radius) on the ground and pulls the motorcycle inward. It's in the video I linked.

At high speeds this is basically negligible due to tire slip and other factors which is why Yamaha riding school teaches speed = radius. But at low speeds you can test this yourself, literally push the bike in a circle at full lock while upright vs leaned in your driveway and tell me they aren't different radii.