Leg Dragging is the new knee down
DANGLING legs on the way into corners is the new knee down. It is. Or at least that’s what I thought the other day when I went out for a ride on a KTM RC8-R, and a mate talked his way into borrowing an Aprilia RSV-4.
Figuring that if Rossi didn’t know why he dangled his leg on the way in to corners, and buoyed by the fact that I just rode with him at the TT, where he went for hanging off rather than dangle, I’d give it a go and find out what it’s all about.
I’m convinced that we’re only weeks away from watching the MotoGP boys dragging their feet through corners like supermoto gods. And I want to be the pioneer of comedy leg dangling on the road.
Everybody laughed at Kenny Roberts when he started dragging his knee on the ground and fired bikes sideways, and look where that took us. My mate Tomo didn’t just laugh at me when I tried it for the first time, he almost overshot the corner for laughing.
Realising that my legs are quite long on the way into a 60mph left-hander I didn’t really know where to put it. First problem, MotoGP riders are not six foot four.
Weirdly as my left leg came off the pegs, I then over compensated with my right leg taking the weight and pushed down heavily on the rear brake, essentially backing the bike into the corner. Or that’s what I told Tomo. It was more like an out-of control skid with my left foot bouncing off the floor while I struggled to think how I was going to change down gears.
But, and here it is. It did actually feel alright and definitely pushed my weight onto the front of the tank, giving maximum weight transfer to the front wheel. That’s normally how you ride a motocross bike, not a road bike, but it seems to work.
Later I developed it into the leg dangling spark show by dragging my titanium Dainese toe sliders on the ground to create sparks. All good fun, and all completely legal. In fact, anyone know any police officers, I’d love to know if they’d pull you for being out of control as you entered a corner dragging your feet? Next? I’m doing the Desmosedici day at Donington on Tuesday and plan on trying it their. Plus, if Rossi can do one leg, I’m going to try two making all my fellow riders think I’m going to crash.
