to lower or not to lower...

maameeo

im small and on my tippy toes on the fazer. It seems fine to me tho so far (lessons on friends fazer and out on my own for first time yesterday). I've ordered a lowering kit coz I thought id really need it.

So my question is, should i lower it so i can get my two feet on the ground?

or should i leave it if its not bothering me?

I'm sure there are pros and cons for both, one being my bf ordered and paid for the lowering kit and he'll kill me when he reads this! :eek:

Paparazzo

I wouldn't bother if you're happy. I have a gs adventure and its quite high, I can either have one foot flat, or the balls of my feet in the ground. It's only a problem if you stop and go to put your foot down and there's a pothole there.

maameeo

Paparazzo wrote: »

I wouldn't bother if you're happy. I have a gs adventure and its quite high, I can either have one foot flat, or the balls of my feet in the ground. It's only a problem if you stop and go to put your foot down and there's a pothole there.

oh jesus! i never thought of that, Id be crushed!

cantdecide

Paparazzo wrote: »

I wouldn't bother if you're happy. I have a gs adventure and its quite high, I can either have one foot flat, or the balls of my feet in the ground. It's only a problem if you stop and go to put your foot down and there's a pothole there.

Do you mean in the context of off-road riding? In fairness this could happen to anyone who put there foot down and the ground wasn't where they expected it to be, whether they were long of leg or not. It more falls into the category of diligent riding, IMO.

I may be repeating myself here but I think the left foot down, right foot on the back brake sitting position gives you room to get your left foot more of a stable platform.

maameeo

cantdecide wrote: »

I may be repeating myself here but I think the left foot down, right foot on the back brake sitting position gives you room to get your left foot more of a stable platform.

thats coz youre lanky! im teeny! :P

Paparazzo

Pothole thing doesn't happen often, but just be aware if you're parking on uneven ground

cantdecide wrote: »

I may be repeating myself here but I think the left foot down, right foot on the back brake sitting position gives you room to get your left foot more of a stable platform.

I'm not a fan of that position. Much prefer both feet on the ground and use the front brake.

P.C.

I think there is a certain amount of comfort/confidence in beeing able to put both feet on the ground.
The last few weeks we have had strong winds, and it is nice not to worry when you are stopped at the lights.

After a while you might be happier with a higher seat, but I think it might benifit you while you are still learning to have a lower seat.

inchiuvatu

yeah i reckon if you can have a flat left foot and right foot on and using the back brake you should be alright. but it's up to yourself, you should be able to sell on the lowering kit or keep it incase you change your mind...

although there is alot to be said for being able to sit on your bike and being able to walk it backwards, Im the same as the guy above either one foot flat or the ball of both feet on the ground and i find my feet can slip a bit while pushing myself backwards.

Paparazzo

inchiuvatu wrote: »

Im the same as the guy above either one foot flat or the ball of both feet on the ground and i find my feet can slip a bit while pushing myself backwards.

Yeah, a bit of sand or gravel can make it hard to reverse.

OP, since you have the kit, I reckon you might as well use it. May as well make life as easy as possible when starting out.

honeybadger

http://www.soupysperformance.com/homepage.html seem to be the right job and can be customised

maameeo

Thanks for all the advice guys.
dunno if it would make a difference in reversing the bike as its pretty heavy for me but then again having feet on the ground would give me more grip to move it.

Well the kit hasnt arrived yet so ill see how i get on without it and decide when it arrives i guess

Rosahane

It would be easier to have some foam taken out of the seat than have the hassle of lowering the bike. Maybe you can get a secondhand seat, condition doesn't matter and have gel pads inserted and a nice new cover :cool:

maameeo

Rosahane wrote: »

It would be easier to have some foam taken out of the seat than have the hassle of lowering the bike. Maybe you can get a secondhand seat, condition doesn't matter and have gel pads inserted and a nice new cover :cool:

That sounds like more work no?

pretty sure id make a bollox of that, lol!

Rosahane

maameeo wrote: »

That sounds like more work no?

pretty sure id make a bollox of that, lol!

You don't have to do it yourself, there are lots of upholsterers who will oblige. Do a search on any of the dedicated motorbike forums and you will get lots of information, You can also end up with a much more comfortable seat

unclebill98

I would try a lowered bike before doing it. I had a higher Harley and was never happy with the height. Got a new bike and I can firmly get both feet on the ground no bother. The difference is amazing, I'm small enough and the I now feel I'm driving the bike rather than sitting on top of one.

seanybiker

Why don't ya higher yourself.

peckerhead

I was gonna say — a good pair of stilettos should do the job nicely. Don't forget to post some pics.

cantdecide

Rosahane wrote: »

You don't have to do it yourself, there are lots of upholsterers who will oblige.

http://www.cucupholstery.com/ I think I was told about this crowd on Boards, actually.

I think my advice is to look at seats and do use the lowering kit but don't rely on them to the exclusion of better technique. In my training, for my grade 2 and subsequent pre-test lessons, I was taught to *keep your right foot up and I always have. I'm not sure if putting both feet down will fail the test for you but it's a technique that is frequently debated.







*It also ties in with using the back brake when coming to a stop and moving off, as it restrains the bike a little, giving you more control. eg continuing up to a red light and apply front & back brake together. When you get to a very low speed, ease off the front brake and grind to a halt under the back brake only. Keep your foot on the back brake and put your left foot down. When moving off, keep the bike restrained under a little back brake for additional control. Most of bike riding is about your technique rather than your physicality.

maameeo

seanybiker wrote: »

Why don't ya higher yourself.

peckerhead wrote: »

I was gonna say — a good pair of stilettos should do the job nicely. Don't forget to post some pics.

arnt yiz gas!

but looking at them, i think these would be much safer then my boots...



my boots...



hmmmm

maameeo

cantdecide wrote: »

http://www.cucupholstery.com/ I think I was told about this crowd on Boards, actually.

I think my advice is to look at seats and do use the lowering kit but don't rely on them to the exclusion of better technique. In my training, for my grade 2 and subsequent pre-test lessons, I was taught to *keep your right foot up and I always have. I'm not sure if putting both feet down will fail the test for you but it's a technique that is frequently debated.


*It also ties in with using the back brake when coming to a stop and moving off, as it restrains the bike a little, giving you more control. eg continuing up to a red light and apply front & back brake together. When you get to a very low speed, ease off the front brake and grind to a halt under the back brake only. Keep your foot on the back brake and put your left foot down. When moving off, keep the bike restrained under a little back brake for additional control. Most of bike riding is about your technique rather than your physicality.

never thought of the test actually. in my lessons on friday he was getting me to use the back break to stop. I'd never used it before and took me ages to get the hang of it. But coming to a stop with right foot on back break and left foot down was really difficult for me, had to try hoosh my body to the left before stopping so i wouldnt topple over to the right when i pushed on the breaks!!

inchiuvatu

maameeo wrote: »

never thought of the test actually. in my lessons on friday he was getting me to use the back break to stop. I'd never used it before and took me ages to get the hang of it. But coming to a stop with right foot on back break and left foot down was really difficult for me, had to try hoosh my body to the left before stopping so i wouldnt topple over to the right when i pushed on the breaks!!

you can try this out in your driveway and begin with or on one of the quieter roads in killester.
As your coming to a stop just slightly turn your handle bars to the right it will offset the balance of the bike and make it lean to your left, thats what i had to do to get into the habit of putting my left foot down and leaving my right foot on the brake.

maameeo

inchiuvatu wrote: »

you can try this out in your driveway and begin with or on one of the quieter roads in killester.
As your coming to a stop just slightly turn your handle bars to the right it will offset the balance of the bike and make it lean to your left, thats what i had to do to get into the habit of putting my left foot down and leaving my right foot on the brake.

oh i see, sounds scary but ill try in the laneway, see if i can get the knack of it.

Cheers inchiuvatu!

LookBehindYou

Paparazzo wrote: »

Pothole thing doesn't happen often, but just be aware if you're parking on uneven ground



I'm not a fan of that position. Much prefer both feet on the ground and use the front brake.

Do you know that you have less control over your bike doing it that way.
use the LEFT FOOT only to hold the bike, and use the Right foot to hold the back brake.

Options:
Take foam out of the seat.
Drop the front end a bit (forks)
Buy a lowering kit for the rear end.
Use the toes only to hold the bike with the bike leaning slightly to the left.

alanmc

LookBehindYou wrote: »

Do you know that you have less control over your bike doing it that way.
use the LEFT FOOT only to hold the bike, and use the Right foot to hold the back brake.

+1 on this.

I always use both front & rear brakes for slowing the bike (about 75%/25%), but come off the front brake completely when coming to a stop. It gives what my instructor called "a kind stop". The bike is completely balanced when it comes to rest. No nasty rebound of the forks.

alanmc

maameeo wrote: »

never thought of the test actually. in my lessons on friday he was getting me to use the back break to stop. I'd never used it before and took me ages to get the hang of it. But coming to a stop with right foot on back break and left foot down was really difficult for me, had to try hoosh my body to the left before stopping so i wouldnt topple over to the right when i pushed on the breaks!!

I think you may be trying to push on the brake pedal from your hip. Try pivoting your foot around the peg. Pushing the pedal in a circular motion rather than trying to push it downwards. That way using the brake shouldn't affect your balance. If you do have to "reach" somewhat for the pedal, then it needs to be adjusted.

rock22

For me I always put right foot down and hold bike with front brake. With the camber on the road it is almost always the case that you can support the bike easier with the right foot if you are short of leg, which I am. In some cases where the road has an extreme camber, I could not support the bike with left leg as bike would topple over.

Lowering kits, i.e. lowering suspension, might make centre and side stands awkward to use, so try and get information regarding your own bike. Personally I would not take foam from seat, the support is usually little enough and you will probably end up with an uncomfortable bike.

As already said, lower the forks, wear 1 inch addition on heels . If this doesn't help then personally i would shop around for a lower model bike. After many years of struggling with high bikes I now always check seat height on internet and just bypass any bike which is too high!

LookBehindYou

You will fail your bike test if you continue to put 2 feet on the ground.
The rear brake must be applied when stopped in traffic.

antiskeptic

LookBehindYou wrote: »

The rear brake must be applied when stopped in traffic.

For what reason (other than passing a test?). It would strike me as best that you do what feels most comfortable for you. I've heard some say that it would stop you skittering across a junction in the case of being rear ended but I can't see any logic in that tbh



OP
As a short arse, I find right-foot-down best. It means you're ready to click it into gear rather than having to organize a re-balance onto the right foot prior to gear changing. It's not good practice to sit with your bike in gear with the clutch held in.

Not much of a fan on lowering bikes (other than sliding the forks down a little through the yokes). I tried new dog-bones on the rear of a fazer1000 and the change in geometry turned it into a supermarket trolley in the handling dept. +1 on making your centre stand unusable.


Keep a close eye on road conditions and you'll spot favorable cambers, handy kerbs and the like.

unclebill98

I'm a small in height myself. After getting lessons I feel far better with a lower bike and left foot down only. Right foot on the break gives menfar more control over the bike. It makes it solid. You are limiting yourself to one break doing both feet down if you come across the need to break faster.

LookBehindYou

It is normal to click down to first gear before you stop and put your left foot on the ground, holding in the clutch and right foot pressing the back brake.
You would be ready to take off again without shuffling your feet.

antiskeptic

LookBehindYou wrote: »

It is normal to click down to first gear before you stop and put your left foot on the ground, holding in the clutch and right foot pressing the back brake.
You would be ready to take off again without shuffling your feet.

Sitting on the clutch with the bike in gear? As a habitual thing? Is there anyone "official" recommending this? What about relaxing during a long traffic light sequence?

If someone gives you a nudge from behind and you loose the clutch (in addition to inevitably losing the rear brake), you're now mounted on a geared up bike in addition to an unbraked one. That doesn't strike me as ideal.