Foot placement?

[Breed777]

Sorry 2 noob questions....


What is correct placement for your left foot... when your riding...do you keep it above the gear lever and change gear and put it back or do you ride with it under the lever ready to go up to the next gearand keep it there?

Mine is constantly UNDER the gear lever even in 6th....is this bad?


And.... when going from 1st to 2nd.... should you feel a double 'click' in the gears or am i changing too slow or something?


Cheers

:devil2:

[The Pastor]

keep the balls of your foot (lol) on the pegs, put a bit of weight on the pegs.

also preload the gear selector before you change gear, apply pressure but not enough to change gear, clutch in and change. works wonders.

[Breed777]

Do you keep your foot under the lever even after changing gear or do you sit it on top?

[sil3nt]

I have heard some bad things about apply pressure before you change. But i would not keep my foot under the lever. Surely its uncomfortable and it means you wont be able to shift down in a hurry

[mowgli]

Sorry 2 noob questions....
No need to be sorry. This is KB.

RM is onto it. Change gears then back to the pegs.


Mine is constantly UNDER the gear lever even in 6th....is this bad?
Yes. When you gain confidence and start leaning eventually your foot will contact the ground. When this happens mid-corner it'll give you a fright and anything could happen.

[mowgli]

I have heard some bad things about apply pressure before you change.
Works well for me. It's the basis of clutchless changing.

[Breed777]

Thanks, will make an effort to keep it above the lever.....so...... I noticed with the brake I can rest my foot on it....even with a bit of pressure and the light wont go on.... is this the same with the gears.... i can rest my foot on it and not accidently change down?.... also how safe a lean should I do into a corner..... I tend to slow more than I have too and lean but like you said as i get more confident I am taking corners faster and leaning more.... how much is too much lean?

[mowgli]

I noticed with the brake I can rest my foot on it....even with a bit of pressure and the light wont go on....

Noooooo! Don't do that! At best you'll wear out your pads slowly. At worst you'll overheat your discs/hubs and have no brakes at all.

Keep both feet on the pegs.

Don't be in too much hurry to lean. Concentrate on smooth riding/braking in the approach to corners and where you're looking through corners. The key to good cornering is in the approach and where your eyes are looking.

[Breed777]

So to brake its not a pivot... but actually lifting the foot foward to the brake?

[crazyhorse]

The guys like Brian Bernard who race bikes, suggest that you put the balls of your feet on the footpegs, and move them forward for changing gears or braking - obviously if you're doing lots of corners, then you wouldn't be moving your feet quite so often.

But that is what he told us at the race track. [And not just on the track - the road too he said]

[Cheshire Cat]

Do you keep your foot under the lever even after changing gear or do you sit it on top?

When I'm not changing gear I keep my left foot back and to the side of the gear lever.

[Breed777]

Thanks guys...ive been riding round with my toe sitting on the brake and the other foot under the gear lever.... what a nob!:doh:

[steve_t]

Thanks guys...ive been riding round with my toe sitting on the brake and the other foot under the gear lever.... what a nob!:doh:

And now you know not to. Good on ya for asking

[cowpoos]

Sorry 2 noob questions....


What is correct placement for your left foot... when your riding...do you keep it above the gear lever and change gear and put it back or do you ride with it under the lever ready to go up to the next gearand keep it there?

Mine is constantly UNDER the gear lever even in 6th....is this bad?


And.... when going from 1st to 2nd.... should you feel a double 'click' in the gears or am i changing too slow or something?


Cheers

:devil2:
what evers comforable for the feet mate...and no to double click...if you have very very good feel [which 95% of people dont] it will be a slightly more solid click...but not much!

[cowpoos]

also preload the gear selector before you change gear, apply pressure but not enough to change gear, clutch in and change. works wonders.

why does that work wonders??? lol

[The Pastor]

why does that work wonders??? lol
you'll know when you try it ;)

[Breed777]

Sometimes when I change to 2nd I get that 'crunch' like you get in a car when you grind the gears... what am i doin wrong?

[riffer]

Nah. Preloading is bullshit. Wears the gear selector dogs prematurely.

I stay on the balls of my feet with my ankles hard against the metal side bits above the pegs (that's why they're shiny) and move my feet when necessary.

And make sure you use the weight on the pegs when you corner. It drops the centre of gravity which can make the bike a lot more stable when you hit bumps mid-corner, especially if you're leaning off the bike with the knee out a bit.

Read Twist of the Wrist 2. Keith Code talks a lot about pivot points there which I found really helpful, and how weighting the inside or outside peg can tighten the turning circle, or get the back end sliding (if you like that kind of thing).

Buggered if I can understand the whole sticking the leg out thing that Rossi's doing at the moment though...

[xgnr]

I think that a ME might (should) help out here...

FWIW

Gear lever, foot would normally rest underneath (which would be the natural position) for normal riding.

Pre-load if you ride a BMW. Tractor gear box.

Clutchless works just fine if you pre-load, drop the revs then shift up. (even on Beemers)

Cheers

Stu

[riffer]

Sometimes when I change to 2nd I get that 'crunch' like you get in a car when you grind the gears... what am i doin wrong?

You are releasing the clutch just before the gears have meshed. Try releasing your gear lever a bit slower. With practice you'll get it right. Smooth is best.

[Breed777]

[QUOTE=xgnr;1129232838]I think that a ME might (should) help out here...

FWIW

Gear lever, foot would normally rest underneath (which would be the natural position) for normal riding.


Ok.... doesnt hit the ground when leaning?

[gatch]

how much is too much lean?

When your bike slides out from underneath you say out loud "that was too much lean". I'm not taking the piss or anything, it happens..

[Breed777]

Kinda hoping to learn my leaning limitations before reaching that point...I know you cant help accidents...but knowledge is power,,,,hopefully the power to stay upright longer...:shit:

[mowgli]

When your bike slides out from underneath you say out loud "that was too much lean".

Nah, say "it's about time I got my lazy arse off the seat."

[Katman]

Nah. Preloading is bullshit. Wears the gear selector dogs prematurely.



From a mechanic's point of view riffer is 100% correct.

And as far as placement of your feet - in the early stages of learning do whatever feels comfortable. There's plenty of time to modify your technique as you gain experience.

[Breed777]

I just dont wanna leave my foot under the gear lever if the consensus is to sit it elsewhere.... lean over and have my toes sheared off....:no:

[Katman]

I just dont wanna leave my feet under the gear lever if the consensus is to sit it elsewhere.... lean over and have my toes sheared off....:no:

There's too many on this site who fancy themselves as the next Rossi when they're out on the road. Be wary of who you take advice from.

[mowgli]

Actually, check your clutch cable for slack. Your clutch might not be fully disengaging.

[Supertwin Don]

Just to confuse a noob - I have footBOARDS - where do you wise ones reckon I should have my feet?:whistle:

[Breed777]

Just to confuse a noob - I have footBOARDS - where do you wise ones reckon I should have my feet?:whistle:



Can I borrow them? :Punk: They'd look great on my Crotch Rocket!

[mowgli]

Just to confuse a noob - I have footBOARDS - where do you wise ones reckon I should have my feet?:whistle:
Definitely on the gas tank :whistle:

i see you haven't voted yet :)

[sil3nt]

Just to confuse a noob - I have footBOARDS - where do you wise ones reckon I should have my feet?:whistle:Trick question! If it don't have pegs it isn't a real bike :bleh: :chase:

[xgnr]

[QUOTE=xgnr;1129232838]I think that a ME might (should) help out here...
FWIW
Gear lever, foot would normally rest underneath (which would be the natural position) for normal riding.
Ok.... doesnt hit the ground when leaning?

Maybe your boot will touch down if you are having a good time but don't worry about it tho' as you would normally have more lean to go before you are in trouble.

Just be comfortable and the rest will come as you get more experience.

Do a Ride Right Ride Safe Course !

http://www.rrrs.org.nz/

Cheers

Stu

[Supertwin Don]

I see that you play "soccer" and ride a - 250 - who are you to talk of "real bikes" :laugh:

[Breed777]

[QUOTE=Breed777;1129232851]

Maybe your boot will touch down if you are having a good time but don't worry about it tho' as you would normally have more lean to go before you are in trouble.

Just be comfortable and the rest will come as you get more experience.

Do a Ride Right Ride Safe Course !

http://www.rrrs.org.nz/

Cheers

Stu

Would be great, not sure if they run them here in Tauranga.... took me a while just to find someone who did the BHS test.
Bit off topic but...

As I was getting my car rego the other day at PostShop, I said to the guy out of interest... 'How much is a 12 mth rego for a motorcycle'.... he replied 'sorry I haven't done one before'... turns out he has worked there 6 years and never done a bike rego.....:mellow:

[sil3nt]

I see that you play "soccer" and ride a - 250 - who are you to talk of "real bikes" :laugh:I play soccer? Maybe socially but i just spent a month in China training Muay Thai for 6 hours a day if you think im one of those soccer playing poofs :bleh: but of course this has nothing to do with bikes :whistle:

Bike rego is shit. Same amount (or slightly more?) than a car.

[mikeey01]

What ever feels comfortable and good for you.

I ride.....

Straights / slow riding.
Left toes under gear lever. It's kinda cramped yet the only comfortable position on a Ducati :)

Once the pace heats up a little (never breaking the speed limit of course, us Duke riders never do shit like that)
The balls of my feet are on the peg ends, I end up rolling my foot up on them kinda like as if I was standing on tip e toes... Of course gotta come off the peg to tap lever and then back on balls of feet again. What's surpose to happen is all that is meant to be done before you go over that far... I've never tryed to put it into words before, hell I'm a legend on this site for farking that up :)
All this depends on the pace, the corner one's going into. braking into right hand bends etc etc etc....

Like I said I've never thought about it to put it into words, it just something that becomes natural after awhile I guess.

Arr hell don't listen to what other people do, just get out and ride if not with a few mates or a group by yourself, it will come naturally just give it time.

To ride quick is one thing, to ride fast is another, do it on the track!
Any good racer will tell you how important feet / weight placement really is.

[Supertwin Don]

Not trying to be abusive - but Muay Thai sounded like something the local restaurant dishes up !!
Don't know where the rego thing came from - try it here in UK - £65 per year for a bike, £165 per year for an older car!
Over here it's the compulsory insurance that is the killer - my son has had to pay over £400 per year third party,fire and theft only for a 125 before today!

Anyway, my Guzzi has a heel/toe type gear lever so my foot is "under" both ends of it and I "heel" it to change up and "toe" it to change down. Brake lever is similar.

and my race bike has a big red button to change up!:cool:

[scumdog]

On straighter bits of road I have feet on the highway pegs unless actually changing gear.

And on the twisty bit ball of foot on peg unless changing gear.

[YellowDog]

Pressure on the lever either way is good for a fast gear change OR even clutchless.

[Insanity_rules]

I ride with my feet on the handlebars, much more relaxing on those long rides.

[Laxi]

I ride with my feet on the handlebars, much more relaxing on those long rides.

how many bikes you been through so far this year?:girlfight:

talk about setting yourself up:bash: :rofl:

[Insanity_rules]

how many bikes you been through so far this year?:girlfight:

talk about setting yourself up:bash: :rofl:

I'm only on my third. One retired (my learner bike) which I still have, one crashed and the one I got now.

Smart ass:bleh:

[Laxi]

I'm only on my third. One retired (my learner bike) which I still have, one crashed and the one I got now.

Smart ass:bleh:

haha you is soooo much fun to wind up:Offtopic:

[98tls]

To ride quick is one thing, to ride fast is another, do it on the track!
Any good racer will tell you how important feet / weight placement really is. All good except throughout racing history theres been many that come along and do things completly different to the accepted "correct way" with much success,similar to the supposed "correct braking" methods/cornering methods,knee down has only been a recent development when you look at the big picture.Ive no problem whatsoever with all these "correct way to do things" courses/books/videos etc that young guys are bombarded with these days compared to what we had when starting out but sometimes i wonder if theres some natural ability that gets somewhat stifled along the way.

[Max Preload]

You are releasing the clutch just before the gears have meshed. Try releasing your gear lever a bit slower.

The gears are always meshed - that's where the term 'constant mesh' comes from. What he's feeling is the dogs not fully engaging because he's not selecting the gear positively enough. Releasing the gear lever more slowly does nothing either.

[cowpoos]

you'll know when you try it ;)

read below


Nah. Preloading is bullshit. Wears the gear selector dogs prematurely.



yup


From a mechanic's point of view riffer is 100% correct.



yup



And as far as placement of your feet - in the early stages of learning do whatever feels comfortable. There's plenty of time to modify your technique as you gain experience.

Yup...you have plenty of other things to worry about before you should be dealing with things like feet placement... :)


There's too many on this site who fancy themselves as the next Rossi when they're out on the road. Be wary of who you take advice from.

Sadly very true...and alot actually believe the bullshit they will tell you!!


All good except throughout racing history theres been many that come along and do things completly different to the accepted "correct way" with much success,similar to the supposed "correct braking" methods/cornering methods,knee down has only been a recent development when you look at the big picture.Ive no problem whatsoever with all these "correct way to do things" courses/books/videos etc that young guys are bombarded with these days compared to what we had when starting out but sometimes i wonder if theres some natural ability that gets somewhat stifled along the way.

I started thinking along these lines a while ago...after watching heaps of current racers ride on track and on tele...there are vast amounts of them that ride wrong according to keith code and others...but kick arse!! go figure!

[riffer]

The gears are always meshed - that's where the term 'constant mesh' comes from. What he's feeling is the dogs not fully engaging because he's not selecting the gear positively enough. Releasing the gear lever more slowly does nothing either.

Fair enough. I'm obviously showing my age here. <_<

[pritch]

...there are vast amounts of them that ride wrong according to keith code and others...but kick arse!!

That seems normal. My competitive sporting experience doesn't come from motorcycling but the reality is similar for most sports.

Talented guys can go a long way on their natural ability, perhaps even to National Champion level. To get right to the top though it is usually necessary to unlearn the "natural" stuff and relearn everything the "correct" way.

It's normal for the results will drop off for a while as the re-learning takes place but should then improve beyond what was previously possible.

[buellbabe]

Well I ride with the balls of my feet on the footpegs, always have.

I quite often see riders who have their heels or arches on the pegs but their feet are hanging down and out...maybe they just like to scrape their boots so that they can boast about it LOL.

[Maha]

Archers for me, I alternate though, theres no 'law' on foot placement. When I am into the corners then I shift to toes (balls/front whatever) but other than that, I do what I like with my feet, they are my feet to what I like with.

[MarkH]

how much is too much lean?

When your foot pegs scrape then that is about as much lean as you want, try not to lean any further than that.

[bogan]

Nah. Preloading is bullshit. Wears the gear selector dogs prematurely.

Just to clarify, preload shifting wears selector dogs, but in my experience it does provide a far quicker shift, though far quicker being maybe 0.1s vs 0.4s so not a huge difference. Is this right? or can full clutch shifts speed compare to clutchless? course on my mx bike i just slam the gears round clutchless anyways, both up and downshifting.

[sil3nt]

There is no need for clutchless shifting unless your racing. Its all about the wank factor.

[beyond]

The guys like Brian Bernard who race bikes, suggest that you put the balls of your feet on the footpegs, and move them forward for changing gears or braking - obviously if you're doing lots of corners, then you wouldn't be moving your feet quite so often.

But that is what he told us at the race track. [And not just on the track - the road too he said]

Bang on mate :)

[scumdog]

There is no need for clutchless shifting unless your racing. Its all about the wank factor.

Like so many other 'must do's' you hear about on here.....narrow pussy strips, knee-dragging etc.<_<

[Pixie]

keep the balls of your foot (lol) on the pegs, put a bit of weight on the pegs.

also preload the gear selector before you change gear, apply pressure but not enough to change gear, clutch in and change. works wonders.

Great for wearing away at the selector forks

[Pixie]

I just dont wanna leave my foot under the gear lever if the consensus is to sit it elsewhere.... lean over and have my toes sheared off....:no:

Take it from someone who's ridden for more than 30 years: I don't ride with the balls of my feet on the pegs (how exactly does having the arch of your foot on the peg prevent you from applying weight to the peg?),I don't scrape my toes doing this.My toe is under the gear lever.I do smooth clutchless changes without abusing (preloading) the gear selectors.

I saw a tosser doing the ball of the foot thing on a Ducati,recently,he still had 200mm to go before his toes touched and he had trouble finding the peg when he shifted his feet.

And I have no chicken strips on my tyres.

[Pixie]

Just to clarify, preload shifting wears selector dogs, but in my experience it does provide a far quicker shift, though far quicker being maybe 0.1s vs 0.4s so not a huge difference. Is this right? or can full clutch shifts speed compare to clutchless? course on my mx bike i just slam the gears round clutchless anyways, both up and downshifting.

It wears the selector forks.If the dogs were touching you would know about it.

[bogan]

It wears the selector forks.If the dogs were touching you would know about it.

Ah yup i see now, the torque being applied through the gearbox holds the dogs in mesh until you close the throttle, releasing the dogs from their current position, and the preloaded force on the shit lever/selector forks then moves them to a new position, that right?
Another question, stupid though it may be, has anyone actually worn out selector forks? the reason i ask is that the first time i heard about preload shifting it was described as being easier on the engine and driveline (when done properly) (in a published book too) as it reduces the torque forces acting on all the gears/chain etc resulting from a shift.
btw i dont actually preload shift myself, it just seems like a good technical discussion.

[Swoop]

...in the early stages of learning do whatever feels comfortable. There's plenty of time to modify your technique as you gain experience.
It can be harder to get out of a bad habit though.
Primacy in learning.

Archers for me
Longbow, crossbow or compound?:bleh:

[scumdog]

It can be harder to get out of a bad habit though.
Primacy in learning.

Longbow, crossbow or compound?:bleh:

Or maybe the drink?

[Maha]

It can be harder to get out of a bad habit though.
Primacy in learning.

Longbow, crossbow or compound?:bleh:

As long as there's a target in front I wont ever... quiver!...:msn-wink:

[Katman]

It wears the selector forks.If the dogs were touching you would know about it.

It actually wears both (but primarily wears the gear dogs).

The dogs are touching when a gear is selected - that is how drive is transfered through the transmission.

Preloading begins the process of moving those dogs out of contact while power is being transmitted through them and leads to the dog faces wearing at an angle and can result in the transmission jumping out of gear when under load.

[The Pastor]

wank wank wank wearing the selector forks, huck huck huck im a bike nerd...

the time you are preloading the gear fork is about half a second before you change gear. shut the duck up.

[LBD]

Guess ...end of my leg is the wrong answer?...Maybe I should shut the duck up as well...

[MarkH]

Mmmm, duck :drool:

Right now I am roasting a chicken flavoured with lemon juice (I get a lot of lemons from a small tree out back). It will be delicious, but duck in orange sauce would be pretty tasty too.

Oh - what was this thread about again?

[bezajel]

When I'm not changing gear I keep my left foot back and to the side of the gear lever.

This is what I do, too.

[scumdog]

wank wank wank wearing the selector forks, huck huck huck im a bike nerd...

the time you are preloading the gear fork is about half a second before you change gear. shut the duck up.

And if it does wear out?

Send the bill to him.











(keeping on the 'duck' theme)