Stopping?

[Brown Bear]

When stopping at a stop sign do you have to put both feet down,or just the one.

[SMOKEU]

It's a matter of personal preference. You should put both feet down for your licence test. Be very careful when stopping on slippery surfaces, if you're riding in the rain and stop on an intersection your foot could easily slip, causing you to take a tumble!

[ellipsis]

...is this a trick question...

[rapid van cleef]

put both feet down for your test? thats weird. you fail for doing that in the uk as u dont have ur back brake covered.

[Brown Bear]

Thankyou smokeu.Yes i go for my restricted on Friday.I just use one foot but have only found out today that for stop signs you are meant to put down two

[Jantar]

There is nowhere in law that says you have to put down any feet at all. It is quite possible on some bikes to stop and remain stopped for some time without taking a single foot off the pegs. I would recommend puting down one foot only, but make sure that it is visible to the testing officer, and stay stopped for a count of at least three seconds.

[Camshaft]

in my test onli put dwn 1 foot was fine, and as far as officers are concerned u nd to put a foot down, even if u can balance at a stop, got out of the tiket but wnt do it again

[NotHisRealName]

Seems pretty odd. In Australia here, only 1 foot is needed and it's suggested that it be the left foot to cover the rear break (as previously stated).

[Brown Bear]

So it looks like either way is ok.Confusing so now i might stick to my one foot.As long as i stop i am sure it will be fine.

[Phreak]

Pretty sure at a stop sign you're supposed to come to a complete halt for a minimum of two seconds, just as easy to put your left (gear-shift) foot down instead of balancing the bike for that duration. That's what I do, anyways. I usually keep my right foot on the back brake.

[george formby]

I was always under the impression that the criteria for a stop sign was that your wheels had to stop moving. Cars & bikes.

[spajohn]

I learned in Sydney, but what is taught there is to be changed down to first by the time you come to a stop (ready for quick take off / get out of danger from cager behind you), left foot to the ground if needed to be at complete stop, right on the brake.

[Crisis management]

There is nowhere in law that says you have to put down any feet at all.

I thought otherwise Jantar, but can't find anything to support that arquement, I have some faint recollection of one foot being required to touch the ground and people being ticketed for not doing that.

Me, I stop and balance and only put a foor down if it's a long wait or crap conditions.

[Jantar]

I thought otherwise Jantar, but can't find anything to support that arquement, I have some faint recollection of one foot being required to touch the ground and people being ticketed for not doing that.

Me, I stop and balance and only put a foor down if it's a long wait or crap conditions.
The tickets are for "failing to stop", not for "failing to put a foot down". Some cops don't believe a motorcyclist can stop for long enough without putting a foot down, so that is what they look for.

There is one stop sign I pass through on my way home from work where I always put a foot down, and sometimes both feet. Its on a bend with a very slight gradient, and the camber of the road requires that the right foot goes down. Sometimes I already have my left foot reaching for the road, hence both feet end up down.

There is another stop sign nearer to Alexandra where I usually just balance the bike, and neither foot goes down.

[firefighter]

You must stop, turn your bike off, get down on all fours, check if the way is clear.

[george formby]

I remember being taught in the car to apply the handbrake at a stop sign, which I still do & on the bike to have the sole of one foot firmly on the road. The reason for both is to remove any doubt that you have actually stopped & with the car the hand brake is also a precaution to stop you being shunted forward into traffic when you get tail ended by somebody who does not believe in stop signs.

[oneofsix]

I was taught, in NZ, to only ever put one foot down. There was discussion as to it being the right or left. Right is good if you are a short person on a heavily cambered road. Putting the right down allows you to cover the gears. In fact we were also taught that the right foot should be off the foot brake and going down as you stop.
Law is you have to where you have a clear view and nothing to do with numbers of feet. Also the basic handling skills includes being able to stop without putting any feet down.
I would recommend one foot down and a previous suggestion of stopping for a few seconds to give the assessor time to note that you have stopped during the test is a good one.

[KiWiP]

The stop junction differs from the give way in that there are additional hazards so the important thing the examiner is going to be looking for is that you apply additional observation. If you've
You must stop, turn your bike off, get down on all fours, but don't make adequate observation you will fail. The important bit is the observation not the feet.

You could always ask the examiner before the test what the expectation is.

[St_Gabriel]

Just ask the examiner to clarify before the test starts. On mine he stated that one foot was fine as long as he saw the tread had stopped on the tyre. Ask them any questions before the test start, they arent out to trap you (or at least the one I had didnt appear to be)

Oh and good luck on Friday

[Berries]

I was always under the impression that the criteria for a stop sign was that your wheels had to stop moving. Cars & bikes.
+1. You have to stop, the number of feet in contact with the ground doesn't come in to it. For a test I would suggest a single foot down, in an exaggerated manner so the tester can see it. Personally I would say roll up in first and put your left foot down, but it might be different if on a hill. Big head check so he can see that as well, wait a good two seconds (for the tester, there is no length of time to mentioned in the legislation) then you're off. Generally there should only be a stop control if the visibility is really bad. Not always the case, but best to make sure it is safe to pull out.

[Gremlin]

And just to further confuse, I was chided for putting my foot down too early... So don't drag your foot, as such.

[PrincessBandit]

This is actually quite intriguing. When doing my tests I'm sure I'd have put both down, simply as a noob rider who felt safer with both feet on the ground while stopped. Now I usually put the right down (even though I was taught at SASS it should be left down and right on the brake [sorry Sis]) largely because I am short and have been caught out with a left slope before. It just feels more natural to me too. Dunno why.

I was always under the impression that the main thing at stop signs was to be completely immobile (for whatever the limit of time is) so as to not perform a rolling stop. (Which I have also been known to do...:spanking: although that's more in the car rather than on the bike).

[p.dath]

I would recommend puting down one foot only, but make sure that it is visible to the testing officer, and stay stopped for a count of at least three seconds.

+1. This makes it obvious the bike has come to a complete stop.


You must stop, turn your bike off, get down on all fours, check if the way is clear.

:lol:

[ellipsis]

...millions of years ago, it seems now, four of us were coming home through the city and we stopped for the lights...Pete, long gone from the planet now, pulled up to the far left of us and put his left leg out and it went straight down a drain that had lost its grate...his bike ended up on top of him and held him down the hole...he was covered in wet smelly shit and we pissed ourselves laughing so much that we struggled to get his bike off him ...the lights must have changed four or five times before we managed to get him out...

[Brown Bear]

Asked the test person if he required one foot or two feet down when stopping,when i went for my test yesterday.He said one foot down the other covering the brake is fine.So that's what i did.No problems passed easily.Maybe it,s time for KB to update there info on this.

[EJK]

Stop. Drop. and Roll.


In that order.

[Luckylegs]

Asked the test person if he required one foot or two feet down when stopping,when i went for my test yesterday.He said one foot down the other covering the brake is fine.So that's what i did.No problems passed easily.Maybe it,s time for KB to update there info on this.

What's the point of covering the rear brake, when you've got a perfectly good right hand and a full set of "mrs palmers finest" to use the front brake. I'd of thought using the front brake allowed you to keep the left foot free for gear selection which gives you the best of both worlds.

[Buyasta]

What's the point of covering the rear brake, when you've got a perfectly good right hand and a full set of "mrs palmers finest" to use the front brake. I'd of thought using the front brake allowed you to keep the left foot free for gear selection which gives you the best of both worlds.

Because it's a lot easier to ease onto the throttle and off the rear brake when doing a hillstart than it is with the front brake.
Aside from the odd commute at peak times when there will be long light cycles, at which time you may want to be in neutral so you can let go of the clutch, there doesn't seem to be much advantage to not being in 1st by the time you come to a stop.

[Luckylegs]

Because it's a lot easier to ease onto the throttle and off the rear brake when doing a hillstart than it is with the front brake.

No it's not

[Robbie_]

I was talking to a driving instructor, he told me (this is true for cars too) that what the testing officer does and what the police should be doing is watching your bike for the stop as they watch for when the suspension goes down and then back up at the front. (Think he said suspension, but 100% sure they look for the front of the bike to return up)

[Gareth123]

No it's not

Combination of front brakes and clutch work well for me.

[scracha]

No it's not

Well it is for pretty much everyone else. Modulating the front brake lever at the same time as turning a throttle is so much harder than just throttling on and easing off the rear brake.


I was talking to a driving instructor, he told me (this is true for cars too) that what the testing officer does and what the police should be doing is watching your bike for the stop as they watch for when the suspension goes down and then back up at the front. (Think he said suspension, but 100% sure they look for the front of the bike to return up)
But unless you're coming to a hard stop, you're taught to ease off the front brake an use the rear brake only at low speed. This prevents the front end dipping/pogoing and gives you more control of the steering.

[BJ250]

to make it a bit more interesting....

i put my right foot down at stop signs.. an old thumper where the rear brake is on the right side. :bleh: ie: brake lever on the left and gear lever on the right

[Maha]

I put my left foot in I put my right foot out I do the hokey tokey and I shake it all about.

[ynot slow]

I put my left foot in I put my right foot out I do the hokey tokey and I shake it all about.

Have seen that move-not flash.

Ask the tester what is required at stops re feet,maybe say you use left leg on ground so right is on rear brake to ensure stopping is achieved.