Motorcycle Body Position: You’re Making it Harder

Free online riding workshop - Road to High-Level Riding. Join here!
lifeatlean.com...
In it you'll learn the 3 KEY steps to BUST your riding barriers and go from complete track riding beginner, to calm, comfortable & confident high-level rider
============================
Like the tee? Snag yours here! 👕
Grand Prix 500 Tee:
shop.lifeatlea...
============================
How do you achieve good body position?
The answer to that question from a lot of riders would simply be… “just copy Marc Marquez”.
It’s a decent enough plan for some, but for others it could be a bad one. And together with a lack of understanding of what good body position really means, all you’re going to do is create unnecessary barriers and problems in your riding.
There’s so much more to consider, so we’re going to lay it all out here. We’ll uncover what good body position really means, how to achieve it for yourself, as well as avoid the common mistakes so you can get to a fantastic place with how you look and feel on the bike.
============================
Make sure not to miss a single video from Life at Lean! Click here to Subscribe:
/ @lifeatlean
============================
More from Life at Lean here:
🎓 Keep Learning: lifeatlean.com
👕 Custom Merch: shop.lifeatlea...
📸 Instagram: / lifeatlean
============================

[@Eddargos]

As long as you don't scrape both knees at the same time, your body position is probably okay.

[@abhishekkunwar8051]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@MrGreatness412]

HILARIOUS!!!😂😂😂😂

[@steveman1982]

Having scraped boths knees and elbows at the same time... Yes.

[@markcardwell]

Awesome 😂😂😂😂

[@wallycunningham5090]

100% on board with this approach. Early on I focused nearly 80% on body position. Once I got stuck in the top of the beginner track day class, I looked around and noticed so many faster riders with 'much worse' body positioning. Once I was able to stop focusing on body position so much, pre and mid corner, I was able to finally pay attention when being towed around by a coach. Went from fast beginner to fast intermediate in one track day after being stuck for 6+. Get it OK, then focus on other much more important basics! (Eyes, breathing, throttle control, line)

[@Matt-we7si]

very good points there :)

[@PAD32]

It's fine to focus on body position when you're a beginner, even if that make you slower. At some point it become an automatism, and you can start focusing on something else

[@wallycunningham5090]

@@PAD32 Agree, just due to advice I kept trying to perfect in the moment vs focusing on other more important (for my riding) things.

[@jldkid8022]

@@wallycunningham5090what would you consider those other important things to be? I might have an idea on what it could be, but maybe theres something else i havent wrapped my head around in yet. Just trying to improve on everything overall so your tips would be greatly appreciated

[@h0ij0i]

@@PAD32 Actually body position should come natural, what you should concentrate on is how to get comfortable on your bike and get the best feedback & feel from your bike. Like he said in the video, focusing too much on certain body positions you see on TV from the pros may wont work for you and makes your ride actually slower and maybe more likely to crash because you lose the feel from your bike. Get your own riding style by riding how it feels natural and you feel comfortable with.

[@Abdulio63]

I love the coffee, bike, repeat sign. Coffee and bikes are on my top-5 list of favourite things.

[@DanielRodriguez-dt9rt]

I’m on board with you right there

[@MrTrick.]

@@Abdulio63 Mine are wheels and t!ts, in that order.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

Body position is a personal thing - I had a guy tell me I was riding all wrong (yet I was whooping his ass on the track). He was 5’2 and I’m nearly a foot taller. Nothing he said would have ever worked for me and vice versa. Not only that, but every bike, every track, every level of racing and a million other variables come into play. Best advice is do what you did - observe, experiment and find your own groove and be smooth about it.

[@shadeburst]

Choose the right parents so that your forearm and thigh lengths are such that you can always keep your elbows in front of your knees. Any halfway good orthopedic surgeon should be able to break your joints and reset them so that you have the right knee and ankle geometry. Bone replacement with titanium is expensive but it's worth it. Balls of steel is another option worth considering.

[@KensWorldRestorations]

@@shadeburst awesome

[@krzysztofkowol5392]

load working wheel

[@shadeburst]

@@krzysztofkowol5392 One hundred per cent right! Changing your position on the bike forward or backward, from braking to cornering to exit, comes first.

[@thepassionofthegoose5472]

I had the good fortune to have a very fast mentor when I started doing track days tell me something very similar. Move as needed, when needed and as fluidly as possible. Extra only leads to extra time on the clock, which only works in photos.

[@domothepilot]

really really good video. im an instructor on the track and usually in the front of fast group. i think every beginner and intermediate trackday rider should watch this video. in fact, im gonna show it as preparation for my students in the future. good job.

[@Jaibee27]

The most helpful thing ive ever been told about body position was how he described the movement of his legs. He said when he was racing, it was like doing thousands of mini squats. This was from a professional rider. Since I got this image in my head, body position just came naturally. I also like it because I see riding as a substitute for going to the gym. Everyone else is praising naked bikes and how their lazy buts dont move while riding but body position makes riding way more fun for me.

[@MrBCRC]

The upright seating position really do suck. I came back to riding after a long break hoping among other things that I would build a bit of core fitness around my legs and lower back. Not with bikes like the mt09 that should by all accounts be quite nimble bikes. You're locked into the most uncomfortable and uninspiring seating positions ever.

[@blipco5]

I’m a street rider only. I go out to the country where the quiet twisty roads are. I ride fairly quick there when I feel up to it but once I stopped trying to ride like Rossi I found I was still going at my same pace only I was enjoying it much more. 99.999% can’t ride like a MotoGP racer. Being smooth with a realistic understanding of your capabilities is safer and more fun.

[@everybodyisfish]

Awesome summary! Hats off to you for keeping it short and simple. This is a good advice for every rider. Novice, amateur and (semi-) professionals!

[@Rutik_VR46]

Love this channel. And don't copy Marc, he's an alien, us normal people can't match his skills

[@ridewitg]

Great summary on a this subject..After watching hundreds of videos I also came to the conclusion that there is no one perfect body position. I applied these basics and it increased my confidence when cornering

[@PeterBohm-uj3ff]

By far one of the best explanation i have heard so far. To the point 🙌👍

[@tristenwilliams1943]

Thanks for this video! I’m a new rider, only a few years of street time under my belt and looking to get faster. I had the same mindset to over focus on body position, and I noticed today in the canyons that my body position is actually amazing for me….. I just don’t ride fast enough to even lean the bike over. I catch myself almost diving inside the apex, which to me says that I’m going way too slow. I get scared on corner entry, and if I’m going fast enough I’ll look outside the corner and almost ride off the road. I just need to get on a track and actually practice in a safe environment.

[@CarloPiana]

I agree with everything. A suggestion for shifting rapidly in tight s (and by extension, easily in all other situations): use the outer (upper) leg while raising the butt (not slide). This will relieve the inside leg, which carries the effort of raising your body. Also, try leaning forward and raise only the backside, not the entire upper body. This sits well with the good advice to shift your butt before breaking, this will help reduce fatigue compared to moving while upright and busy breaking.

[@TheMasaget]

Very nice again! I follow your channel since a few years already and the content is always on a very high level! Thanks for sharing your experience. Another advise from my side: for example, if your change your body position coming from a corner into a straight, use the moment of shifting to support the change. At this moment the bike is almost pushing you a bit of the seat which makes it much easier on acceleration.

[@FranBunnyFFXII]

Another video by you added to my motorcycle training playlist. I reallly appreciate your videos and the work you do.

[@denominatorxero720]

Can i make a request on content? Setting up controls, optimizing position of adjustable rearsets and bars to fit your body. I bought a used track bike and its clear I'm much taller than the previous owner and im struggling to get it set up comfortable for myself

[@joyridemel]

Thank you for posting this! I haven't even been to the track yet but it's on the plan for next year. This is so helpful to develop your eye. Thank you! 🤝

[@targetoz5470]

Riding from waist down to give the hands a light grip on the bars, pretty much what you were saying👍👍

[@pietercoetzee9376]

I use that same leaning technique on the shitter, and let me tell ya...

[@RCCopterLove]

Great explanations and you have chosen great footage to illustrate your explanations!

[@AaronP220]

Having watched all your videos to date, this is by FAR the most informative for me, as I’ve been struggling with fatigue and leg stress related to body position. Having a track day in less than 48 hours this was the perfect drop for me. Thank you!

[@Atilla8huno]

That's me, seeking perfection and don't see to be improving much. Thanks for the tips!

[@bennyb.1742]

3:14 THIS! Screwdriver, not hammer. I'm a pro-am flattrack champ, and this is the number one little tip I give people of all skill lives on all types of tracks. It seems so small, but completely frees up your elbow and shoulder to move around in a relaxed and fluid manner.

[@DCG_42]

wow there is always something new to learn

[@samanthagregoryurich4167]

If I don't hang enough, I need to continue pressure on the inside bar through the turn. If I hang to much, then I need pressure on the outside bar. If I hang just right it's effortless (as far as steering goes anyway).

[@T595955i]

^^ yeah pretty much this. I think for most (normal, "non-pro") riders it's all about finding that sweet spot, in body (leaning) position, according to your own ability and physical condition. That differs from one person to another.

[@amisfitpuivk]

On the road at normal speeds I get it completely. At normal speeds most non-sharp turns need 0 counter steering and the body lean can take care of it. But the faster you go the more body leaning doesn't do dick and it's 90%+ counter steering. The sweet spot is different for the same turn depending on your speed, Or if we keep the speed constant the sweet spot depends on the turn radius. But in general, the faster you go or the tighter the turn, the more imperative it is to counter steer

[@samanthagregoryurich4167]

@@amisfitpuivk Hmm...not on my bike. On track I'm at full lean on the edge of the tire with no steering inputs required after counter steering to turn in. I use throttle to adjust track position until it's time to stand up the bike and roll on the throttle. I ride in the advanced group and rarely get overtaken so it's not really about not going fast enough. Check out Simon Crafar's Motovudu series. He mentions that if you need steering inputs once you have committed to the corner then you probably have some issues with setup on your bike.

[@RANhxcCORE]

I love your videos and your workshop was great!

[@mricemantoyou]

For most spirited road riding you don't need to move around on the seat or stick your knees out... I'm usually quicker in corners on my slow bike staying in line with the bike than those hanging off the side on super sports

[@rugershooter5268]

I'm not a track rider, mostly cruiser riding, I've had 2 crotch rockets and thinking about another....like the Kawasaki 900 My leaning is pretty much all upper body, so my head is farther off your line but butt is usually center, makes for really smooth transition and works well with the fact that I'm not going that fast(yes this goes for cruiser too) Ever watch videos of guys crashing in curves as they hang off bike to drag knee then the bike seems to just drop, the comments have all kinds of reasons for the crash but it all boils down to they were leaning and hanging off bike too far for the speed they were going and not allowing the front wheel to steer thru the curve, thus bike drops Not allowing the front wheel to steer comes from pulling on the opposite handlebar to hold body up instead of leg on tank as in video Most people are like me, not in good enough condition (especially lower back) to be riding crotch rockets correctly.......DO NOT USE ARMS TO HOLD BODY UP.

[@lucasdump]

Perfect, kept it simple. Thank you!

[@mhordijk0871]

I once came upon a guy on a brand spanking new CBR600F, in a crisp one piece leather suit. As if he just rode off the lot at the dealer a mile and a half away. We were just coming to a meandering levee. The kind that has 4 corners to reach the place 50 feet in a straight line. Averaging 30 is a task. As i watched him going through the first corner, i thought, what is he doing? He was hanging off the bike, while going like 10 miles an hour. I thought he was going to keel over, at times. So, i kept my distance, for if something was going to happen. After a few corners, i saw an opening to get past and took it. The next few corners i danced through, just shifting my body weight a little After 3 corners i lost sight of him. Must have been someone fresh from the test, riding his first 'real' bike. I had about 10.000 miles under my belt already. Only time i'm hanging off significantly, is when i'm taking corners at twice the speed limit. At normal speeds, there is almost never a reason to slide more than half a buttock off the seat.

[@calvinhall4878]

Brilliant and informative, simply put 👏👏👏

[@NeilOKeefePrivate]

Another super clear video. Hip flexibility is critical to body positioning. If you’re not flexible you reduce your options for engaging the tank with your legs and how much you can extend your inside knee towards the track. Consequently you tend to carry greater lean angle from the bike for a given speed. Hip inflexibility also tends to mean shorter muscle groups up the back. In turn this reduces the ability to relax into the tank and remove pressure on the bars. My point then is that even before getting on the bike think about your preparedness in terms of stretching and other mobility exercises. You can then have a better outcome when practicing these techniques. I always think a physio at a track day would help people like myself be faster and safer by tuning the body for the task.

[@davidciesielski8251]

WOW!! Thank you very much, I could really relate to the way you explained all of it.

[@ExtremaRider]

I find that I only press down on my foot pegs (alternately) in Chicanes and tight twist. It’s not to my the bike lean more. It’s to slightly lift my weight off the seat to allow the bike to move more freely beneath me

[@hamad1979]

Thanks for the video. My friends are telling me that I am leaning the bike much to the limit, but not much of my body!! Is this okay as a ride style?

[@doitdamnit]

Toprak Razgatlioglu! Wow, what a rider!

[@dinoornido7805]

Thanks! Great info

[@markcardwell]

Awesome video 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@williamlu4394]

Question: put more weight on outer peg or inner peg or doesn't matter? I've found putting more weight on outer peg improves grip on tank and general stability, and loads up the lateral arm (inner arm) for pushing forward the inner handlebar thus turning more intuitively

[@lesmcqueen697]

Mick Doohan had a different position on left hand turns than he did in right hand turns... he did ok with his style.

[@MrTrick.]

That's a legacy of his near career ending crash in 92, he lost a lot of mobility in his legs but still came back strong.

[@lesmcqueen697]

@@MrTrick. It was actually from his dirt track days according to him. He adopted the use of the thumb operated rear brake after the Assen crash.

[@YoungL_rd]

We all want that cool track day photo 😂.

[@kishored.bsingham8427]

I'm a more doohan 500cc mix with a lil bit of new riding style kinda of rider.. my aim is always .. how fast can I get into turn and finish the turn so I can get on the throttle as soonest with out any major dramas..😂😂😂

[@ezbg]

I’m 1.9 meters tall and half my thigh/knee was above the part do the tank that’s supposed to be gripped and also it was hard to rotate my foot enough to get my knee to pop out to get the A-frame or knee down position.

[@I.F.TPIGEONS]

love your style, how you relay the info no fapping , great job great channel, bought gixxer 600 at 47 ,your geeee ing me up to get track racing ,again great channel fairplay to ya

[@therealfakecaptain7978]

Really great.

[@2458849]

Good information for a novice (me).

[@robswitz9728]

I have actually never scraped my knee puck. But I’m faster than many riders who look fantastic in the photos!

[@augustopudimtwo4872]

Same thing happened to me these days, first time track riding and buddy, the first run of the 4 I Was the only one with a 300cc the other riders were with a 600cc or 1000cc, and there was just one rider with a Ninja 400, and buddy I wasn't lapped by literally anyone, and passed two times and stayed we up front of the ninja 400 rider. I knew I was good rider but when I did this track day, I knew I was born to it, the difference is brutal, just look up my bike on Google, CB300R 2010!

[@Titot182]

Where's Jeff Palmer from Track Day Addicts to show us his chicken strips and expert advice on body position? #UnbelieveableJeff

[@williamlu4394]

I counter leaned on corner exit and all my 4 limbs scraped the ground which means I'm 2 times as skilled as a motogp rider

[@vijayam1]

Brilliant..

[@pagnol3226]

1-I do not agree with pointing the outside foot out to "hook it to the peg". Sitting down, try pointing your foot out, and then pushing you knee in, feels odd and contradictory doesn't it? as there is no debate about "hanging off with your legs and torso/no arms pressure on the bars", we do knee to "hook the outside knee to the tank, and this is way easier but putting your ourside foot parallel to the bike and you can STILL hook it to the peg 😎, try this too! 2-You CAN see the Ducati rider at 7:22 "pushing the bike up-to the side" to "have less lean angle", on exit and during the corner. Of course it is not to look good! and also not just "for GP bikes", works on any bike. and 3-Tilt your head back as far as you can and have a friend tell you: Does it go that far back that the back of your head and you back form an L? is yes, congratulations! you are either young or have kept your youth's neck flexibility AND you CAN go lower with your upper body to tuck in or in the corners, if it's more like V, or wide V like me! :( , we CAN'T go as low and "loose our forward vision"! we are basically fucked! for now. I am doing neck flexibility excersices to recover it. Peace!

[@cmdr.sypher1820]

45+ years ago the top level riders didn't do all this hang off and we didn't have an internet to teach us stuff. We did get shoulders & head inside and concentrated on not upsetting the scooter mid turn. I just ride the street use all my tires and go just as fast as the people going slower with their knee down. You may need this crap if riding with Mark or Peco but most don't have that privilege. Point it where you want to go and look the same way and that body in motion will remain in motion until acted on by another force.

[@PrestoninParadisus]

I wouldn’t call it a privilege to be a motogp rider 🤷‍♀️

[@cmdr.sypher1820]

@@PrestoninParadisus the privileges would only be mine. Riding better than everyone else got them there. With a touch of luck we all hope to have.

[@PrestoninParadisus]

@@cmdr.sypher1820 yeah but if you’re riding with motogp riders, it’s because you’re also one. It isn’t a privilege, it is a skill that you honed to become a world class competitor. That isn’t privilege.

[@143DREWID]

Nice... I'm already faster ! Sequence matters when seeking fluidity.... Especially for wheelies and stoppies ;-)

[@2_Wheel_Jay]

99% of body position is comfortability. if ur not comfortable u wont go fast

[@archiewilson4943]

The more you lean off the more tiring it is. True. However, the closer your head is to the ground the less it will fall if you crash. If your elbow is out, it is between your head and the ground. The closer your head is to the bar the easier it is to turn the throttle. The further your butt is back the more you can move your upper body to effect.

[@amisfitpuivk]

Unless you highside, then your low head is getting whipped across the other side of the bike and probably hitting it on the way. Pros and cons to everything

[@bigjam8429]

Watch Alistair sealey and his body position

[@stiki108]

I miss the details of the effect of your body position on the suspension and tire behavior and why is it worth to try to hang off as much as possible. Otherwise the content is on spot.

[@joncarney6511]

@6:13 Tesla driver is like ?????

[@JessicaSimonson1976]

Motorcycle cops lean on top of bike.....can out manuever most riders on the roads. Due to better visibility verses to being tuck under. This assures them also better balance.

[@b-radsadventures6846]

80/20 Yup

[@mociczyczki]

its not only body position its bike construction itself which determined and favor in specified circumstances specific position when we twlking about track riding 😉👌🏻 weight distribution , COG , footpegs hight and width , tire profile size width alll this impact on this which body position be best and how huge range of type of body position you can choice before you fell of from fastest pace 😉👌🏻 feg cruiser with low COG low footpeg wide tire be fastest around corners when rider will hang off bike as much as physicallly can cos such bike very fast catch limits of lean angle egzacly cos of low cog low footpegs wode tire often flat profile asf …. and sich bike even with max hang off it still never be as fast in corners as naked sports bike or sports bike 👌🏻 on high supermoto with superhigh cog thiner tire ypu have huge range of body posotion which dosent make you slower cos ypu have huge lean angle clewrwnce suply asf asf ….actually when you watch supermoto comeptition on world level they even often use oposit body position to moto gp rider one of reasor is what ive already mention other is fact that in supermoto they have often oposit corner after much shorter distsnce and time and must fadt change lean from left to right or right to left …. 👌🏻🍿

[@robbiepemberton]

Stay on the bike, be relaxed, push bar to go round corner. All this shifting around is pretty much pointless. The fastest guys on 2 wheels never leave their seat, they just have confidence in the bike and let physics do its thing.

[@Rideuplife]

😀

[@__Max-oe6zm]

This info is nothing new

[@quicklee1807]

😊