Motorcycle Racing question?

Question

I was at a drag competition this past weekend and they had motorcycles up. While some of the riders were racing, they would stick one or both of thier legs out to the sides. I thought they were about to fall off. Why do they do that? Looks crazy to me. I would be afraid my foot would catch the track wrong and jerk me off the bike. Can someone explain, please?

Answer 1

like nonyabuisness says the short quick time that they are accelerating the wind forces the legs back so much so they probably couldn't touch the ground if they wanted to. the acceleration is so great that even letting the throttle off is a fight. next time your in a car travelling open the window and put your arm out. you will get the idea then. don't do it if your going too quick, it will hurt.

Good pics by the way

Answer 2

Well said. I could not have said it any better myself !

Answer 3

If you looked closely, you'd probably see that their feet were behind their body so then they could drag the top of them while in a leather boot , basically to cut down on wind resistance. You also may have not seen the peg that they actually rest their foot on behind them on the cycle frame. They also may lift up their feet for the several seconds that they are actually racing.