Hey, a little Dr. Seuss-inspired thinking never hurt anyone. Furthermore, while this article was posted in May, I’m writing it during the holiday season and I’m very busy on a speeding train of hot apple cider and gingerbread, so relax. Now, where am I on the foot issue? Sugar coma is real.
Oh yes, your feet. Let’s start with a question: When riding a street bike, do you ever pay much attention to your feet? I don’t mean are they cold, are they comfortable, or do you think they look small when people, um, judge you. No, I mean do you use them for better control and comfort in slow speed driving situations? Whoever?
Don’t worry, grab a gingerbread cookie and I’ll walk us through some footwork concepts while we begin our max carb loading protocol.
Now, if I’m known for one thing in police motorcycle competitions, it’s my extreme lean angle when I balance. Second is the ability to quickly change direction of the motorbike from one direction to another. And while there are a number of techniques to make those things happen, the main contributing factor is how I use my feet.
No, I don’t expect you to sign up for any police motorcycle competitions, but developing your footwork will give you greater ability and control in street situations.
As discussed in last month’s column (“Which way are you leaning?”), when making slow-speed turns, we benefit from counterbalancing, which “secures” the weight of the motorcycle as it leans by simultaneously transferring our weight to direction opposite to the motorbike. But there are two basic challenges riders face with this technique: 1) they don’t have nearly enough counterweight, causing the motorbike to go in faster than they want but still not as far as the turning radius allows tight turns and 2) they had difficulty getting the motorcycle out of the lean after they completed the turn they started. Not good. But damn, these cookies sure do, right?
This is where my feet step in to save the day. When it’s time to make sharp turns and lean the bike, I use my inside foot to push the latch down. Not only does this help push the motorbike through, but it also creates a stable platform from which I can push myself into a better counterweight position. Imagine we’re making a sharp U-turn to the right. We start tilting the motorbike, and the inner latch along with the seat and bars all fall down, making us feel like we’re sinking. same ship. In other words, everything we connect to falls apart at the same time. But if we use our inside foot to press on the peg as it falls, we will create force that will help us stabilize in the counterweight position and make it easier to tilt the bike.
One final benefit of using our legs is for the exact opposite reason I mentioned, namely picking up the bike after completing a turn. How? By adding force outside close at the right time. Three more cookies and I’ll land the plane, I promise.
External pin weights are useful in two important ways. First, by generating force in the opposite direction of the lean through transferring pressure to the outer peg, I am helping the motorcycle stand up. And second, I’m taking my body weight off the overall mass that needs to be lifted, which further helps my heavy bike stay upright and move in a new direction.
This is what it looks like. Let’s say I fall during a slow, tight U-turn and now I’m turning around and want to get out of the lean. At that point, I keep my body balanced but centered so that when I apply pressure to the outside peg, I help lift the bike back up but avoid “pushing” my body weight into the inside of the bike. Think of this technique like getting out of a car: You step one foot out, but before applying any more pressure, you make sure your weight is on your foot so you don’t fall backwards into the car. bowl when adding force. , then you push yourself up and out.
As your motorcycle leans forward, you place your weight on the outside peg and then press in, causing both the force in your legs and the weightless part of your body to work together to stand the bike upright. And just like the car example, if you press without putting your weight on the front peg, you will push your body in the direction the motorcycle was leaning over (causing you to “fall backwards into the car”), this will only cause you to fall. getting up on the bike becomes more difficult. Do you need another cookie, or have we been clear at this point?
To get a feel for this, we’ll do some figure 8s to practice both the drop in and pick up components of this technique. When your bike is in 1st gear, start riding in a moderately sized figure-8 pattern. You don’t need to slip the clutch here, just execute the pattern while remaining smooth and comfortable. What you’re looking for is being aware of what your feet are doing (or Are not doing) when you rotate in the template. Stay focused on your work inside put your foot first, putting more pressure on the pegs to achieve stability, helping the bike lean and increasing the counterweight range of motion.
Once you can use your inside leg effectively and confidently, isolate outside foot. Focus on a steady, balanced thrust on the pin, making sure that the thrust does not shift your weight toward the incline. Remember, you’re helping the bike lift itself here, so shift your weight inside with a bad push only hinders this goal. Once you master it, put it all together.
This technique works just fine whether you have a footrest or a footboard. Yes, the footboard is further forward and you will need to readjust your foot position, but if you want it there is a way. To see this lesson in action, visit Police motorcycle training with Quinn Redeker on YouTube and search “Foot technique for better riding.”
Find Quinn at Police motorcycle training.
See all the Motorcycle School with Quinn Redeker articles here.
