Coming to a stop - with grace (and dignity)

[renier8]

Hi everyone

When I bring the bike to a stop, the last 1-5 meters before it stops, is really akward to me. Firstly, it feels like the bike does not want to go straight. So I end up making these small moves with the handlebars to compensate for it. This, as you can imagine, makes it even more unbalanced.

2ndly, my stopping is really without grace. I feel like the bike is going to fall to either side, so I end up jerking my legs to the road, before it comes to a standstill, to try and make it stable (balance it).

Sometimes, I come to a standstill like a real pro. The bike slows down gracefully, it stays 100% straight, and my legs only have to come down a fraction of a second before the bike comes to a complete stop. But this is the exception rather than the rule.

My question: Is there more to this than just practice ?

Thanks
Renier

[Shea]

Not really.

I see you are from Africa, are there any safety riding courses you can take there? If so, I suggest giving that a shot to see if you can get pointers.

Lastly, it's mostly practice. Getting used to a bike and learning how to balance it. An experienced rider does it without even thinking about it. What you could do is put your feet close to the ground those last couple meters for a "just in case" event. THis way you are still practicing without dumping the bike.

[old&slow]

One thing I noticed is the more your doing when coming to a stop...braking,clutching,gearing down,footbrake, the more likely you are to be sloppy. In the last few seconds of the stop if I use only the front brake and look straight ahead I usually nail it it! And that can be brakeing real hard as well. It just seems that all the other stuff I mentioned above takes away from a well balanced stop. If you want to gear down and reduce the amount of brake usage,do it with lots of time and space, and try knocking down 2 gears at once. I find this is very effective in gearing down!
When applying the front brake I also keep all my fingers on the grip except for my middle finger. I think that helps with overall balance.
But I could be doing it all wrong.

It's actually quite tough to ride a bike really really slow! Any kinda of bike!

[Shea]

Originally Posted by old&slow

One thing I noticed is the more your doing when coming to a stop...braking,clutching,gearing down,footbrake,

You forgot blipping the throttle for downshifting.

[old&slow]

Originally Posted by Shea

You forgot blipping the throttle for downshifting.

I never quite understood the mentality for that!
But I'm easily confused!

[hammersfan]

I find that when I am tired my stops get a bit sloppier than usual.

[Zoe Dotes]

I wonder if you are using the front brake more than the rear? This will make you tip a little more if the bike is not perfectly upright and straight. You WILL get better with time!

[Ext1jdh]

If you look at the spot where you want to stop, you'll muck it up and wobble all over the place.

Look far ahead of where you want to stop and you'll usually nail the stop much better.

It has something to do with your bike tending to turn in the direction that your head is looking.

Learned that in the MSF

[Clint]

I think the key is to ride the bike to a stop, don't begin your stop at speed. Ride the bike to zero mph, then put your feet down. I can come to a stop and go again without touching down, or I can just drop one foot. It takes practice and the mindset to ride it to zero.

[Sgt Mike]

Practice, practice, practice, with a little time and patience your stops will become smooth and straight.

[Boulevard Billy]

Here's my suggestion and take it for what is worth as I have probably walked farther than I have ridden a motorcycle in my life. Find a big, empty parking lot and practice starting & stopping. Just before you are ready to place your feet down, pull in on the clutch, get the bike in first gear and without putting your feet down slowly let out on the clutch and take off. Once again, slow right down but before you put your feet down take off again. This will give you a feel for how th bike "wallows" at slow speed and make you more comfortable with the feel before stopping.

I always keep my feet up as much as possible and I practice going real slow with the feet on the pegs. A good rider (and I can't do this yet) can make a full stop without ever touching the ground. The police don't define this as a full stop unless they are on a bike themselves.

[POE-BOY SAMICH]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mike

Practice, practice, practice, with a little time and patience your stops will become smooth and straight.

+1

I was having the same problem.
I didn't do anything special, they just went away as I racked up the miles.
Some will get better at stopping at 50 miles, some at 500, and some later.

Take your time, relax, enjoy the ride, and so long as your sloppiness is not making the stop UNSAFE, don't worry too much about it!

ride safe!

[Shea]

Originally Posted by old&slow

I never quite understood the mentality for that!
But I'm easily confused!

Blipping the throttle is actually considered an "advanced" riding technique. It is taught in the Advanced Safety Course and is used to bring the engine speed (RPMs) up so that it meets the speed you are traveling when engine braking. Creates less wear and tear on the bike to do this.

[texrider]

Forget about staying so straight, and focus on which way you want or will need to lean when you do stop. The last few feet usually result in a slight turn to one side or the other to make small balance corrections anyway...

[dcstrng]

I think the key is to ride the bike to a stop, don't begin your stop at speed. Ride the bike to zero mph, then put your feet down...
I agree... The weight of swinging your legs to the ground can upset the balance of a bike right when it has little natural stability, leaving you wallowing from side to side... even though I know better, I find myself doing this when I’m tired at the end of a days run or when in heavy traffic and I really don’t have any stationary visual references... you might find it useful to practice riding the bike all the way to a stop – tell yourself you don’t even plan to put your foot down – you’ll be amazed, if you learn the balance of your scoot, you can (at least on level, smooth pavement) get to the point where with only modest practice you can brake to a stop, pause for an instant and feed the clutch back in and ride away all without putting your foot down...

The other factor that can affect your stop is your “sight-picture.” Keep your eyes up... I find that when I glance down as I roll to a stop, my bike tends to follow my eyes (target fixation – as a common a problem with riders as it is with pilots). But mostly it comes from purposefully cultivating good habits and getting to know your scoot... that you even notice the “wallowing” probably says you’ve gotten smooth in other areas, and feel your stops aren’t yet at the same level... good, you’re riding with your head... it’ll get there.

[renier8]

Thanks for all the great input. I am working on it every day. And thanks for the vote of confidence DCSTRNG. It goes a long way for a rookie like me.

Renier

[dogcatcher]

I have only been riding for 3000 miles and I had the same problem.

My solution was to keep looking far down the road as you come to a stop. I became unstable at stops because I was looking down at the limit line. Remember you will go where you are looking. If you keep you head up at stops, you will be much more balanced and the wobble will disappear.

D

[Captain Steve]

When I was a new rider, I tended to lean foward a bit and look down when I was comming to a stop, especially a hard stop. This did bad things to my sense of balance.

Your natural instincts help you keep your feet under your head.

Think about when you're running. When you're at a stop and about to go.. you crouch down and lean foward. When you're running flat out and have to stop, you lean back, straighten up and put your hands up in front of you. You do it without even thinking about it.

If you do the same things on the bike that you do when you're running, your reactions will feel much more natural. So, lean back a bit when you're comming to a stop, and lean foward a bit when you're about to go. You can tell what an experienced rider is about to do by watching their posture on the bike, if they lean foward, they're about to hit the gas, if they sit up and lean back, they're about to brake hard.

[c50tiger]

Not to be redundant, but...

Practice, use more front brake, and more practice. Eventually you'll get the hang of it.

[TaterDog]

+1 to what everyone has said, especially keep your eyes looking ahead and not down. You'll be amazed how much difference that makes in your stopping stability.

Also practice some slowing riding maneuvers in an empty parking lot. That will both increase your skills and your confidence. Anyone can ride straight above 20 mph. It takes skill (practice, practice, practice) to ride slow and not everyone can do it well. Unfortunately, when riding in heavy traffic we all have to do it. When you move to North America you'll find lots of wide open road, but also lots of traffic and construction zones. By the time your move here, however, you'll be a seasoned pro!

I've really enjoyed your posts -- keep 'em coming.