Rockster for sport riding?

[Yahoo-Boy]

Anyone use their Rock for serious sport riding? I've always used the bike for transportation, not for sport. Recently some friends took me to the Dragon. Wow. I can't believe how those guys ride! But I like it!

Anyone getting a knee down on their Rocks? Or is the bike too "standard" to ride like this because of the lower pegs and wide bars? I don't expect to whip the Jap crotch rockets, but I'd like to improve my own riding.

[fnfalman]

I take it that you didn't read my dragging the footpeg thread?

[Yahoo-Boy]

I take it that you didn't read my dragging the footpeg thread?

Guess I could have scrolled down the page a little farther, huh? Were you dragging a knee or leaning that far? I'm nervous about leaning that far over. Dragging a knee makes more sense, keeping more tire in contact with the road and all. Not to mention a more upright bike gives you a jump on accelerating out of a corner and better chances of using your brakes in a pickle.

With my butt firmly planted on my seat I've worn the top half of the elephants off my Z6s. I can do that fairly consistently, so now I've been practicing moving around on the seat setting up for turns. Don't have the gear or the balls to touch down though.

[1stBeemer]

this little beastie is my first bike so I was extremely cautious with leaning and all, spending lots of time practicing in large paved lots with no traffic.

Basically, I am learning how far I can lean the bike over to take a "given turn" at maximum speed without having to get my butt off the seat.
It’s all about knowing my and my bike's limitations.

I am lately pretty comfortable leaning the bike over all the way to scraping foot pegs on the pavement without dragging any of my body parts.

Here is the tricky part though: when you lean that far over on our boxers, there is a very fine line between dragging foot peg marker and having it dig into the pavement or touching down a cylinder head, which might lift your rear tire into the air, resulting in a helluva low or, even worse, high side. (It did happen to one of the guys with Roadsters last year (I think it was Gary, but I might be wrong).

I do know that the whole point of shifting your weight lower is to go through the turn with a minimal lean angle at maximum speed, but I am not up racing yet, just enjoying physics in action

[Yahoo-Boy]

When I first brought my bike home I had a buddy help me lean it to see how far you'd have to go to touch the cylinder head in a turn. "IMPOSSIBLE!" I thought. Then I saw a magazine artcile talking something about the Boxer Cup Replica. That bike in the pics had sliders of some sort on the cylinder heads! I still thought it had to be a precaution...surely no one leans that much. Then I saw an R1100S *sparking* around a makeshift racetrack a local group set up in an abandoned parking lot! HOLY CRAP! This guy was hanging off and still laying it over that much! Of course he had some sort of home-made metal slider intentionally sparking, but it was still cool to see.

[Dred80]

I do hang off the side and while I've yet to touch a knee on the Rockster, I get pretty close. I've snapped 2 peg grinders, ground center stand and my right side head gaurd has some road rash. That said, I'm no where near as fast as some folks I know. The Rockster is not a "sport bike" but it is a very "sporty" bike and, like they say, "it's not the bike, it's the rider". If I were a better rider, the Rockster is capable of doing more than I've done with it so far.

[riceburner]

The only time I've touched anything down on the Rockster is when I've fallen off it....

but for riding rapidly - it's superb.

[fnfalman]

I dragged the pegs because I wanted to see how far I could lean the bike. When I dragged the pegs, I still had more room to lean over before the heads touch the ground. Of course, if one were to equip the Rockster with a sportier aftermarket rear suspension that raises the ass end up, there would be more ground clearance ala BoxerCup Replika.

[Yahoo-Boy]

It obviously can be done. I found this a couple o nights ago while doing some "sport riding" investigation. I also posted on a local rider's group board to try and locate the guy who was sparking it up last summer. No reply yet.

[Illuvatar]

Wow. I can't believe how those guys ride! But I like it!

Anyone getting a knee down on their Rocks? Or is the bike too "standard" to ride like this because of the lower pegs and wide bars? I don't expect to whip the Jap crotch rockets, but I'd like to improve my own riding.

Dude...I felt the exact same way after going to my first track day up at Buttonwillow and seeing this guy in the "A Group" seriously having fun on his Rock!

If you want to see tons of photos of him just go here, click on 2005, then June 20th, then Album A-Group, and finnnnnnnnally click on Album: a134. Lots of clicking I know, but I am not resposible for thier site set-up.

Oh....I'm in the B Group #B146

Now...as for me...I was so motivated by one...having mine on the track and feeling quite the rookie even after 15 years of riding, and two...seeing this guy (and others on other bimmers) just zoom around the track and having a blast that I signed up for Reg Pridmore's CLASS school of Smooth Riding!

My class is scheduled for Oct. 7th and you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as I get some pics of me and my baby on the track again there will be quite the diff!

[Yahoo-Boy]

Nice pics. Even that guy doesn't get a knee down...close enough too, though. The closest track to me is 3.5 hours away. Some guys from town go a couple of times a summer, but I haven't been. I may have to see when their next trip is...

[Rock986]

I LOVE the way these bikes look on a hard-leaned right turn, with the exposed rear wheel, and all the bits and pieces hanging out the side. Too bad I can usually never see it...

[Rockster_Cyp]

Hi guys...

the answer at your question if you can put a knee down with a ROCKSTER it is positive.. I need to change my uniform sliders..

6 Months ago I bought a Rockster, without the ABS.

I am using Bridgestone BT10 tyres with 2,1 pressure in the front and 2,3 in the rear tyre.

The settings for the suspension are the ones that BMW gives in the manual for solo drive and the preload at the Low level.

I have installed a K&N air Filter and a Laser Exaust with its Chip.

The bike has made an enormous difference at the accelaration especially. It really pushes more from 2,700 rpm..

The only problem that i have with the bike is its cylinders..

I touched down the right one so I have installed an engine guard now..

I will gives spikes during the night rides

I wil try to get some photos for you or for those that do not believe in Rockster..

Rockster can do it..

I can't say anything for the normal version as I think that the two bikes are using different kind of suspension..

Cheers...

[wardieone]

I have taken my Rockster "Chugger" to the track for Keith Codes Super Bike School and it gave a good accounting of itself. It doesn't move down a long straightaway very fast but I can keep em' close in the curves. I have ground the little Titis off the bottom of the pegs and have leaned the Rockster over as much as the rider on the copper Rockster has. In fact I have touched the sides of my BMW bags before but I've never even come close to A) touching the clinder heads and B) touching my knees.

[Est51]

Remember the "S" is about 25mm taller and those guys can get their heads down, so certainly the Rox can. Not me tho', too old & too chicken for that. My aim is not to get anything to touch down [as it's just something else to repair] but just to get rid of the 5mm "chicken strips" I still have

[Yahoo-Boy]

Remember the "S" is about 25mm taller and those guys can get their heads down, so certainly the Rox can. Not me tho', too old & too chicken for that. My aim is not to get anything to touch down [as it's just something else to repair] but just to get rid of the 5mm "chicken strips" I still have

I've been working on that for a while now. Stubborn sonsabitches!

[[email protected]]

Remember the "S" is about 25mm taller and those guys can get their heads down, so certainly the Rox can. Not me tho', too old & too chicken for that. My aim is not to get anything to touch down [as it's just something else to repair] but just to get rid of the 5mm "chicken strips" I still have

I've been working on that for a while now. Stubborn sonsabitches!

I also have about 5mm worth... I'm beginning to wonder if that may be the physical limit (short of washing out)?

[Rockster_Cyp]

I am not sure if you are talking about the tyre guys...

On the stock tyre i couldnt work all of it.

After i changed to Bridgestones BT 10 i saw a difference.

Have in mind that tyres have different profiles. Metzelers M1 is a more touring tyre than BT10.

Also check your tyre pressures.

I found the tyre pressure that the BMW manual gives are too high for me.

[Yahoo-Boy]

I also have about 5mm worth... I'm beginning to wonder if that may be the physical limit (short of washing out)?

Like Rockster_Cyp said...I think it has a little to do with your tire. A buddy of mine has a Roadster and has little curled up pieces of rubber all along the edge of his tread. He scrubs those things like you wouldn't believe! But he also has Dunlop 208s on it and that is a much softer tire.

Then again, there are some guys n this board who've scrubbed the elephants off of Z6s, so I know it can be done.

[Rockster_Cyp]

Guys,

Rockster Can do a lot of things..

My friends use r1150r, r1100s, suzuki 650 sv, z750 etc.. and i can say that i am one of the fastest riders.. ok.. i cannot compete with ducati 749S or honda SP2 but i do my best

And have in mind that in Cyprus we do not have tracks so we use roads for our rides .. yes... i know.. it is really dangerous...