My left foot!

Papa_Bear

So I'm absolutely fed up to the back teeth of loosing my balance and dropping my v-strom.

Thing is I can't pass my test without being able to put my left foot down when stopping etc. but I just can't seem to get used to using it instead of my right foot. I've been riding bikes for 4 yrs now all the time using my right foot when comming to a stop. When I think of it even when as a kid cycling I wouldn't use my left foot to stop (is it a right/left hand thing I wonder).

Anyway any time I try it I always feel unstable and unnatural if you you understand me, as if I don't have a good grip on the ground quick enough and might lean too far. It can be just as bad if moving off from a left footing. Essntially I have to concentrate alot more where as its all sub-conctious when using the right. I tried practising in the industrial park close by when theres no traffic to distract me but still fell yet again.

This crap has already cost me 150 notes for new indicators/ handguards.

Any ideas welcome.

Cheers

Papa_Bear

Tigger

thumb operated rear brake

either http://www.nabd.org.uk/adaptions/javaindex.htm

or http://www.thumpertalk.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-12863.html

then you'll be grand

MargeS

I know exactly what you mean, and all it takes is for the bike to tilt over slightly to the left and you feel like you've lost control of it.

All I can say is, that it seems to be a bad habit you have gotten into over the past 4 years and you need to be able to stop the bike with the back brake for hill starts, etc.

I know that for me, I started slowing down early before a stop sign, it gave me the feeling of being in control more, I used the back brake to slow down so it didn't feel like the bike was being made unstable by having all the braking on the front wheel. And the biggest thing that I didn't realise I was doing was.... making sure that the front wheel was straight before I braked. If the front wheel was slightly at an angle to the bike then the bike was unstable when I braked.

All I can say after that is perserveer! Come to a stop slowly so that you feel more in control, to hell with the peeps behind you until you get your confidence up.

RosieJoe

Papa_Bear wrote: »

So I'm absolutely fed up to the back teeth of loosing my balance and dropping my v-strom.

Thing is I can't pass my test without being able to put my left foot down when stopping etc. but I just can't seem to get used to using it instead of my right foot. I've been riding bikes for 4 yrs now all the time using my right foot when comming to a stop. When I think of it even when as a kid cycling I wouldn't use my left foot to stop (is it a right/left hand thing I wonder).

Anyway any time I try it I always feel unstable and unnatural if you you understand me, as if I don't have a good grip on the ground quick enough and might lean too far. It can be just as bad if moving off from a left footing. Essntially I have to concentrate alot more where as its all sub-conctious when using the right. I tried practising in the industrial park close by when theres no traffic to distract me but still fell yet again.

This crap has already cost me 150 notes for new indicators/ handguards.

Any ideas welcome.

Cheers

Papa_Bear

Only thing I can suggest is that you try and borrow a smaller bike to practice on. And if you cannot borrow one, pay for some lessons and explain your situation.

cantdecide

Are you a bit on the short side? Can you get alternative/ lower seats for the bike?

Seriously. Go and practise your slow manoeuvres. With your experience, you might feel like a prat having to go and practise like a noob in a car park but slow driving is a discipline in itself. The more you practise this, the steadier you will be with the stops. This was my experience.

If you've never had training or an assessment- you should go and do it. Every biker should. I'm right-footed and did struggle to feel the balance of bike in the beginning but when slowing and stopping becomes one seemless move, it kind of tips-off your senses as to where the bikes center of gravity is.

What you're supposed to be doing is rumbling up to a stop with both brakes on. For the last second or two, leave the front brake go and rely on the back, only. This technique ties-in nicely with the idea of slow manoeuvring with the rear brake on for extra control.

trad

Do your test on a 70's or earlier Triumph. Gears on the right, rear brake on the left. One way of getting over your right foot / wrong foot problem.

jayok

I'd the same issue. For some reason I kept loosing balance when using my right to brake, so I'd over compensate with the front and would end-up making a complete mess of the stop. I put it down to being left-handed.

So what I done was practiced I focused more on the braking than gears and freewheel the stops until I got the hang over it. Took about 1-2 hours to perfect. No problems since.

Papa_Bear

MargeS wrote: »

I know exactly what you mean, and all it takes is for the bike to tilt over slightly to the left and you feel like you've lost control of it.

All I can say is, that it seems to be a bad habit you have gotten into over the past 4 years and you need to be able to stop the bike with the back brake for hill starts, etc.

I know that for me, I started slowing down early before a stop sign, it gave me the feeling of being in control more, I used the back brake to slow down so it didn't feel like the bike was being made unstable by having all the braking on the front wheel. And the biggest thing that I didn't realise I was doing was.... making sure that the front wheel was straight before I braked. If the front wheel was slightly at an angle to the bike then the bike was unstable when I braked.

All I can say after that is perserveer! Come to a stop slowly so that you feel more in control, to hell with the peeps behind you until you get your confidence up.

That sounds like very good advice esp. about the front wheel being completely straight. I have been trying to use my back brake more but I guess I need alot of practice and need to stop using the front as a substitute for the back.

And indeed thanks for all the other ideas...cheers

Papa_Bear

Tigger

Papa_Bear wrote: »

That sounds like very good advice esp. about the front wheel being completely straight. I have been trying to use my back brake more but I guess I need alot of practice and need to stop using the front as a substitute for the back.

And indeed thanks for all the other ideas...cheers

Papa_Bear

have you had lessons?

Papa_Bear

I've had two lessons previously, one being just before xmas and I dropped the bike during that too - didn't inspire confidence with the instructor!

Anyway something about MargeS's post above rang a bell with me in that I noticed if the front wheel isn't straight and you use the front brake to stop you can certainly become unstable easily and most likely tip over.

I also noticed recently that I feel unconfortable trying to judge how much preasure is required on the brake pedal to be confident of bringing the bike to a stop in time, event when just slowly freewheling up to traffic. It's as if I don't trust myself to use the back brake fully to stop and as a result subbing with the front.

I think just practicing a few straight stop/starts in a quiet carpark somwhere as suggested by Cantdecide above is probably the best remedy.

Cheers

no scope

Look mate im 18 when i did lessons we were put on a straight road

they had 1 cones when to go on the brakes

we would go to the top of the hill reach 50 km wen u reach the cone go on the brakes, when the bike stops mark where you stopped, rerpeat the same thing and try to make your breaking distance shorter thats what i did i use my back brake 80% of the time