Short Motorcycle Riders - Stopping with One Foot on the Ground
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
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If you're a shorter rider but want to learn how to ride a big bike like BMW R 1250 GS or Honda Africa Twin, or any other tall adventure or dirt bike, watch this series for short rider tips and tricks.
In this video, I show how to stop when you can only use one leg for support, the importance of being equally comfortable supporting the bike on either side, and how to choose which leg to use depending on the situation.
This is the second episode in the series of exercises for shorter riders. The complete series can be found here • Short Rider, Tall Bike...
Thanks Toots, just bought a KTM Super Duke, after a chunk of years, I’m struggling to throw my leg over the bike, so I’m using my foot rest to hop aboard. The more time I have on it, I’ll develop my own style 😎🏴
Great series ! I wish I had watched this sooner!
Such a fantastic video. It explains the challenges of stopping with 1 leg down on both inclines and uneven roads. Especially viewing and identifying the terrain for the safest route before stopping. Lots of videos out there on 1 leg down. This one just hits the hammer on the nail. I went out immediately to practice. Looking forward to much more lessons like this. Great job!!
Thank you Lana !! for your excellent video.
Excellent, excellent, excellent! So many TH-cam clips out there showing short riders how to shift weight and put one foot down, almost always stressing that you should always use your left foot (unless on uneven ground). You are 100% correct on the importance of alternating left foot down and right foot down on a regular basis. Getting in the habit of using only one foot [the left foot] for the majority of the time over the years WILL ABSOLUTELY alter muscle growth / stretching vs shrinkage around the lower back area. And it will cause complications to your back in the future. It’s also just a great idea for your body to comfortably react to putting either left or right foot down depending on the situation occurring at the time. Love your TH-cam clip.
Thank you Lana for your vlog tutorial about short rider driving a motorcycle that was big as me.thanks for your vlog.
You’re welcome 😊
Thanks for covering this in such a detailed way.
My pleasure!
Thank for sharing you tips and time Lana. I am a 5ft9in GSA rider and appreciate all of your tips.
Lana I am enjoying your lessons very much. Thank you.
Thank you, this helped me a bunch!
This is an excellent video! You demonstrate how to shift you body before you stop. Something I am not used to. I stop with my left foot down for the most part. It feels so awkward trying to put two feet or even my right down for that matter and being slow and smooth on the front brake. You have given me something else to practice. Thank you, and I love your riding gear! 😎
Excellant video for short riders who aspire to ride tall bike like me.
I usually prefer just to add height to my riding shoes so I can use both legs, but the one leg technique is good to practice!
It is a solution that I sometimes see shorter riders use. I personally stay away from it because adding hight to riding shoes changes riding ergonomics in both sitting and standing.
You’re supposed to stop on one leg regardless of height. That’s how it’s taught in msf courses.
I love how bmw looks. But it’s intimidating as i’m a short rider… this video is really helpful. Keep it up ma’am
Smooth, controlled movements, just like ballet. 👍🏽
This is a really excellent video. Thanks for posting. I'm tall enough to flat foot an 800mm ADV bike but still practice the one foot down. To me it is a perfect way to stay in control of the motorcycle at a stop line.
Excellent clip. Thank you for clear and eloquent tutorial
This is a brilliant video for myself as a short and new rider. I prefer bigger sports bikes but the high seat heights mean I’m going to have to get use to this technique
Herzlichen Dank für Dein sehr informatives und sympathisches Video. Grüße aus Deutschland, Erich
Loved this - Subbed!
Very good video and straight to the point. I am sick of watching videos supposedly for short legged riders produced by Americans that sound like unintelligible gobbling turkeys with intervening periods of showing off. Well done you.
This channel is so underrated
Thank you, Carlos. Feel free to share the links to this channel to your friends riders. The more skilled riders we have, the better!
Thank you for the video. I just had my first driving lesson and since i didnt reach down flat footed, i was not able to enjoy any of it since i was terrified when ever i had to stop the bike. I almost dropped it several times when stopping. I will try your technic shifting position before i stop. Hopefully that will boost my confidence so i can actually learn how to ride a bike and not only focus on the next stop.
Best of luck!
Where have you been all my life? I am impressed with your approach and techniques. By the way, I have neglected some bikes because of their tall seat heights, and though my present ride doesn't present too much of a problem, these techniques will be of help. Thank you.
Really professional in a depth view. Thank you so much for a great job! Subscribe 🙏
Thank you. Very good video.
Usefull video. However in an unexpected situation where you have to make an emergency brake manouvre there is no time to see what the high side of the road is. I went down this way when I suddenly had to stop for a car where there was a storm drain running across the road where I tried to put my foot down.
This is incredibly helpful as a new, short rider. My bike has a 31" seat height and I have a 29" inseam. I was barely on my tip-toes at stops and it kind of freaked me out. The hardest part for me starting moving with only one foot down is adjusting myself - I kind of wobble until I get back firmly on my seat.
I hope the new video about Cowboy Mount was helpful for you. th-cam.com/video/ZYkrIXzMTbM/w-d-xo.html
Great lesson, thanks. Sometimes you need to stop the bike while turning, perhaps in a drive or at a corner where the lanes leads left (right hand drive) or right (left hand drive). Or you are following traffic around a corner and it stops. Left foot down is fine, the foot brake will stop the bike. But using the front bike risks dropping the bike. A wight transfer forward stopping while turning tends to cause the bike to jus fsll over. So where conditions require right foot down how do you qvoid the front brake dropping the bike? Pehaps swap fron foot to hand gently at the last monment? What are ypur thoughts or other viewers? Ps short legs lookimg to buy a new taller bike.
Hi Paul, thank you for the comment. Most of the braking should be done by the front brakes. This is for your safety and the most critical skill to learn and to use. If you primarily use the rear brake to stop, you need to practice using front brake to the point when you can modulate it even more efficiently as you do the rear brake. When you come to a stop, your balance needs to be good enough that YOU choose which foot to put down. Again, this is a trainable skill, not something that humans are born with.
I've watched and rewatched your videos - and those of others talking about the same things - but I would add a word of caution that things can still go wrong.
I'm 5'2 and usually ride a Harley Street Bob, on which I can safely get both feet not flat to the ground, but almost. I wanted to try out the new BMW 2024 F800GS, which is a lighter bike than mine but on even the low chassis/low seat option I can only have both feet 'en pointe', as it were. Many years ago I used to have one foot down only on previous bikes so I figured I'd need to brush up on technique but I should be OK, so took one out on a test ride.
I was fine for the first 20 mins or so, managed stopping at lights and intersections, but then on stopping at another light I put my foot down, managed not to balance the bike properly, and it just fell over, trapping my leg underneath - I couldn't stop it falling. I have been off my bike for three weeks now, and my leg is still not healed enough to ride yet.
Fortunately I was riding with a friend, and he got the bike off me. However, with this I have badly damaged my calf muscle and bruised from knee to toe - plus usually I ride alone, so this could have been much worse.
It won't put me off riding this bike, but I need to figure out how to make sure the bike stays balanced when I shift my weight over to put my foot down. Even as a rider of 40 years as I am, this is still something I need to figure out!
Hi Helen, thank you for your comment, experiences like yours absolutely need to be a part of the conversation. I think what happened in your case is a result of something I keep repeating in most of my videos: motorcycle skills are perishable. Even taking a break for a few months or easy riding without using your complete toolkit - the first time you need to step it up, do it gradually, and in a controlled environment like an empty parking lot. The ballpark is several hours of focused exercise to bring your existent but long unused skills to the level where you can rely on them in real life again. And after that, do extra work for skill maintenance: if you go for a fun easy ride, find a place on your route where you can spend 10-15 minutes doing the more complex stuff, just so your body doesn't forget.
To answer your question about balancing, it is the skill that's more important for short riders than for anyone else. The most useful videos among the ones are produced are the very first one in the short rider series th-cam.com/video/4IMtZzrsfAQ/w-d-xo.html and the "slow race" th-cam.com/video/Djy_TBC0_yQ/w-d-xo.html - you'll need to stop less often, and when you do, the couple of seconds before you actually stop will be much more controlled.
Thank you again for writing, and I hope your leg heals soon and you're back on the bike 100%.
@@LanaOnWheels Thanks for replying Lana - yes, I have watched videos one and three several times! I have done slow riding courses, but on the Harley, which is a very different beast.
My slight problem is, I don't have or know anyone with the 800GS to practice on, plus in these modern days of almost 24 hour opening, the UK very rarely has empty car parks to practice in. I learned to drive a car in an empty car park, but that was 33 years ago, and they're just not around anymore!
I'm going to have to decide whether or not I buy the GS, with the certainty that I can learn all over again, and never repeat the off-balance I had during the test ride, or just stick with the Harley.
I don't like backing down from a challenge, though ... 😁
I keep on experience this scenario. It's a steep hill. But with a steep slope. I have to stop with my foot into the slope. But that means my foot is not on the rear brake. My turn is sharp left. How do I approach this scenario safely.
Thank you Lana at 5-7 with a 29 inseam I have found I have a challenge on the CB500X.. seat height 32.7 inches..
Hi Robert, thank you for the comment. I hope you can practice the drills that I'm sharing in this series. What exactly do you find challenging?
fantastic ,i,m short inseam ,and just changed my bike from a low seat both feet on ground to a higher seat and i scared myself taking it home for the first time,,question ,if your at a stop sign t junction and you want to turn right or left onto main road and the road is sloping away from say you left hand side and you cant put your left foot down because of that slope how do you turn in that left direction safely,your holding the bike on your right leg and foot ,but you want to turn left following that slope downhill on the main road,,thats the bit that scares me, thanks for youvideos ,really helping me,
This is a very good question because I also struggled with this at the beginning. The simple answer is break the move into two parts: first, start rolling and get the balance, second, execute the turn as usual. But there's probably a more detailed answer needed here because your discomfort is likely caused by some specific things. I can think of the lack of access to the foot brake, or unsteadiness at low speed (incidentally - the subject of my upcoming video), or is there something else? Think about the whole sequence, break it into pieces - which one gives you the most concern?
@@LanaOnWheels thank you for answering ,just the thought of that slope and getting the balance this is also a new bike as well so its a few things ,i think inexperience is the root cause even though i rode bikes in the late seventies ,its like starting all over again,i think i,m going to be very aware of road levels from now on,i have a lowering kit but i dont want to use it,,,
@@neillindsay5889 Riding skills are perishable. If I were in this situation, I would have first tried to get my confidence back riding a lower and easy to manage bike (borrow from a friend? rent one for a few days?). Once you feel your old skills are back, try stopping with one leg on that same easy bike, taking turns with left and right legs. Then take the new bike to a parking lot, and spend lots and lots of time stopping and taking off with a turn (like the first few examples in this video), randomly picking the leg you use for standing and then the turn direction. Add real streets and slopes as the last step.
@@LanaOnWheels haha i did,first bike in 30 plus years a honda rebel .only had it 4weeks ,nice low seat ,but i wanted a bigger engine size so traded it in,,,wow,but we will get there eventually ,with videos like yours ,really grateful
Very useful videos in your channel. Maybe I miss or maybe you didn't mention but what about gears when you are stopping the bike?
You should be in the 1st gear
@@LanaOnWheels Thanks
top video. sometimes it looked liked you just leaned, and not jumped. Sometimes however, just leaning hasn't worked for me, and caused a quick change of foot to prevent dropping bike. Do do you jump, shift your weight or just lean your body?
Perfect observation. This really depends on the situation. Having one flat foot on the ground is the safest approach. So for long stops or situations where control is critical I shift my weight and stand on one foot. For situations where I anticipate a short and easy stop I sometimes just reach out with toes of one foot to the ground and that's enough for me to keep the balance on this heavy bike. This comes with experience and one needs to feel confident that they will be able to catch the bike on any side, if an emergency arises. For that, please refer to my first video in this training series: th-cam.com/video/4IMtZzrsfAQ/w-d-xo.html
I am facing difficulties to release the stand at the start up , I am short
Me too. There are many solutions for this. One way is to do a cowboy mount. See my video about that. Another is put up the kickstand before swinging a leg over to mount, but that requires practice before you master it. I also observed some short riders modifying the kickstand to provide something they can reach. Here is a video from Jocelin Snow that you may find helpful as well th-cam.com/video/WJId0tt_dcw/w-d-xo.html
What gets me is if you put your left foot down on an incline and you realise you're not in first gear. What then?
Watch this video. I cover exactly this scenario.
@@LanaOnWheels Thank you! I will check it out.
Your videos are very informative, Lana , May I know your height please?
5'7'' or 167cm
Thank you for reply@@LanaOnWheels
Great video, what is your inseam length?
That's a very personal question!
30".
Also to note, my GS has sports suspension, 20mm taller than standard.
@@LanaOnWheels thank you and apologies for being personal … it just puts things into prospective. I have a 30” inseam too and I couldn’t reach the side stand … putting it down was no problem but reaching it was impossible … any tips or do you have a video illustrating the technique
@@AlastairT00 I can just guess that you have a wider seat, probably a typical one from the passenger kit. You and I belong to one of the toughest categories, because we ALMOST can get away with reaching down to the ground, but in reality, it's never safe. To address this, there are at least three different types of mounts that could be used. I'm going to film 2 videos about this. The first one will be a prerequisite for actual mounts - something that people typically don't think about as one of the fundamental skills. These are skills that could be easily trained, if you set your mind to do that.
@@LanaOnWheels looking forward to it
Wear do your jacket and pants come from?
Please see here th-cam.com/video/MYTFHuam8Rw/w-d-xo.html
How tall are you?
5'7''
@@LanaOnWheels I love your videos and find them very informative. I hate to inform you that you are not considered short for a woman hahaha. You are actually tall! What is your inseam, though, which is the more important measurement (as you know)?
@@motomama9565 “Short” and “tall” are relative terms. I’m average height for a white American woman but I would be considered short in the Netherlands or tall in India or Peru. In the context of motorcycle riding, “short” means anyone who can’t flat foot on a given bike and needs the extra skills I demonstrate in my videos. As for my inseam, I have a whole video about that: th-cam.com/video/ZCfLQ9Mi7vk/w-d-xo.html
I dont know - cause lag of english skills - how exactly to write that in a nice way. But there is still one suggestion > all. Do not buy a bike that does not fit to you. Or at least, lower the bike etc. I saw a lot of skilled (mostly female) Rider which are to small and in 90% chance, the day will come, your rules/tipps will not match to a situation. The damage of such situation is mostly more through the shame, some riders feel, when they drop down. So realy, buy a bike fitting to your Size and you will be able to rule EVERYTHING in a normal way, insteed of using workarrounds.
That is logical. However, people who are vertically challenged have limited choice in motorcycles. Not only limited choice, but limited cc’s as well. If they want more cc’s, that means a larger and taller motorcycles. I do not have that problem, but have adopted this technique to vary my riding(and stopping) on long trips. Its super easy to learn and get a hang of. If I was a shorter rider, Id have even more of an appreciation of the technique🤷♂️.
its not a workaround. its a skill.
Great lesson! Do you place your foot behind, outside or in front of the peg when stopping? Thank you!