Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

this is kind of a dumb question.

Does anyone have suggestion on how to not losing balance when stopping the bike with tippy toes? or any suggestion for how can i for sure lean to my left instead of falling on my right side?

below story is what happen to me and all about losing balance when come to a stop.

I am5ft3,weight 95lbs about 29" inseam which tippy toe on both feet when stop on my 2001 F4i you should hear my story on dropping my bike too.

1. drop it at the stop sign to the right where the drain is on the street, brokethebrake lever and peg assbly which takes 6 weeks to order a new one at the beginning of summer. that was sad, by the time i got it replaced, summer is almost done.

2. drop it at the light where my left feet just right in the hole on pavement, this time I broke the mirror.

3. drop it just stop right before coming out from a parking lot where a little down hill and up hill position where i cannot touch the ground at all, this time i broke the front side signal light.

then I lowered the bike down for 3 inches which is the worst decision i make ever. handling SUCKS.
put it back after a month or riding which pretty enjoy the height but not the performance.

now i have to ride at my tippy toe again which still not so confidence with.

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

Sounds like you need to pay more attention to where you're stopping. It doesn't matter how tall/short you are, nobody can take any bike out there and just assume they can put a foot down with no regard to the surface and be ok.

Most experienced riders don't put both feet down; most beginner riders think it's of paramount importance. The MSF will say to stop with your left foot on the ground and your right on the brake - whatever. IMHO you should be prepared to put either foot down depending on conditions, and be able to "swap" from one foot to another at a stop in case you need to access the brake or shift lever. Take the bike onto a lawn where you won't break it if you drop it, and practice.

The world is always going to be full of off camber surfaces, holes, and slick spots. Prepare to deal with it.

KeS

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

there are womans riding boots with a solid heel that will give you some height and be able to stop flat footed.
I'm 5'8" I have no problems touching the ground

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

I might not be the best to give you any advice since I just starting riding a month or so ago. I am about 5”3 and I had a hard time stopping too. As you can see in my last post that you replied to I have had a few accidents as well. I feel really good stopping now. I went to a parking lot with my friend and just practiced for a couple days straight. What was happening to me when I would stop I kept putting my feet down too soon and I couldn’t grab my balance. It took me a little while to figure out what I was doing wrong. I wasn’t using my hand brake enough. I just use my foot brake and then by they time I am ready to put my left foot down I have my hand break in all they way. I also took the MSF class which was a great help to me as well.

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

I personally don't have a problem with having enough feet on the ground and I don't use my rear brake unless it's an emergency stop or I have a passenger and hardly ever on track. I have had a few bikes that I was not flat footed on.

When you come to a stop start with both feet down then slide slightly to one side to get one foot flat and put the other on the peg. Now my daily street routine is to do this anyway. The foot that goes on the peg is the left covering the shifter. Why, I am always watching for some car to rear end me and I want to be able get out of the way as fast as possible. This method takes practice and confidence but try it in a parking lot see if it helps.

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

i don't think that's a stupid honest. it's just an honest one, no shame. everyone was ne at some point. i can't offer advice as i don't even has a bike.

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

I may be a guy, but my buddie had the same problem...it was because he was putting his feet down too soon. To me, I hate having me feet down, so I just sorta taught myself to keep my feet up untill the last moment and as soon as i start to move, they are back up again.To me,when I see a ride with their feet down, it means they are lacking in skill andconfidence.

To build yourself up,just keep your feet up for as long as you can when you are coming to a stop or moving slow. The more you do it, the slower and slower the bike will get before you feel the need to put a foot down. You will be learning to balance the bike to a more precise level then before. Pretty soon you will be"crawling" with you feet still up on the pegs and before you even lift a foot off a peg you can dictate to the bike which side you want to set your foot down on and start leaning the bike that way....once your foot isoff the peg, you will be practically stopped and the ground will already be "higher" on that side due to leaning the bike in that direction...

Its all practice practice practice.....just keep riding and keep thinking about areas you need to improve and do your best to improve them.

follow?

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

Very nicely put TBFGhost. I kind of make a game out of it ~ to see how far I can go without putting my foot down.

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

thought about a lowering link??

RE: Losing balance when stop at the light, any suggestion?
 

I am lucky being a tad over 5"8 I can get both feet on the floor ... your problem here seems to be road camber and drain issues, so would it not be simpler to make sure when you stop you are more in the middle of the lane than right at the edge of the road??

You should ride in the middle of the lane anyway, like a car does ..just because you are on a bike dont hog the side of the road ..this encourages others to want to pass you in inappropiate places .. you have to imagine an area around the bike that extends a good 3 feet or so either side *this* is your personal space ..when I ride down the road I am in the middle of the lane ..if another vehicle wants to pass me they have to move out of my lane to do so ..dont hog the curbs and sides of the road and dont stop by the side either ...


Jules