I have a small confession to make: as much as I bring it up, I have never actually gotten my knee down (not counting my many bicycle crashes). I'm familiar with the concept, and why one would want to drag a knee (if you don't know, by shifting your weight out that far you don't have to lean as much, resulting in more grip and thus higher speed through the turn). I'm just not that kind of rider. I love to carve up the road, but no one will ever confuse me with a MotoGP rider.
Getting a knee down is a great metaphor for riding solely for the pleasure of riding, though. Sometimes a fella just has to get out and ride with no particular destination, and sometimes without even picking a direction. Of course, sometimes a fella is just riding home from work and is overcome with moto-goodwill.
When you've got your knee-down groove going, everything seems to go away except for you, the machine and the road. You're aware of everything going on in traffic without feeling like you're paying attention; you just know what's happening. You find your ideal pace, and hit green light after green light. Every turn is smooth and graceful.
I've begun referring to this state of riding bliss, to myself at any rate, as Knee-Down Mind. I don't get into it everytime I ride, though I wish I did. I do believe it's as close as a rider can get to Nirvana, at least while riding.
The funny thing about the Knee-Down Mind is that, at least so far, I can't get into it deliberately. It seems that some days I get there, and other days are just good riding days. I'm hoping I'll be able to train my brain to acheive Knee-Down-itude any time I get on the bike. I'll let you know how that goes...
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