How do you get moving on your bike?

[Stickchick]

Ok now I'm a little confused. If on flat road and you are the lights or an intersection should you have your right foot on the brake or have your left foot on the peg. Being a complete newbie I'm getting confused and for me its more confortable to have my left foot on the pegs and my right on the ground before I'm about to go than the right. If this is wrong then I will change.

[jrandom]

Gah! Jesus motherfucking Christ. This is ridiculous. I know I had to do a hill start for my restricted licence test. Has testing become even more of a farce than it used to be?

Brake to a stop. Leave the bike in first gear and pull the clutch in.

Balance with your left foot on the ground.

Hold the bike in place with the rear brake. This words just fine on any bike, on any slope.

Let the clutch out and take your foot off the brake when you need to proceed. If you have trouble with stalling, practice until you don't.

[slowpoke]

If nothing else, this both feet on the ground then both feet onto the pegs manouveur looks fuggin' naff when you're following someone.....unless you are a chick in which case I don't care what you do so long as I am allowed to follow you....:

Hmmm, well that's how I take off.
Let out clutch until the 'slack' is taken up.
Then lift feet, open throttle and ride off.
You can do that sort of thing on a Harley

The Harley makes all the difference. You guys look cool no matter what, whereas the rest of us have to work at it.

[discotex]

And opposite to a car but same applies, who says you need the handbrake if you're good enough with your feet?

Try doing a hillstart in a cage (manual not auto) on a 20 degree hill without using the handbrake and without crushing a matchbox a foot behind your rear tyre. Unless you heal-toe it you'll never do it.

In an ideal world slipping back a foot wouldn't matter but with other drivers stopping right behind you...... It's the one occasion where the car in front will be claiming on their insurance.

On a bike though you can control all three controls with both hands so if you find that easier go for it. Personally I find controlling three controls with three appendages gives maximum finesse and control.

[Biff]

yeah and my accepting of the challenge!!! who's been moderating this thread???

Me. It's what I do around here. Especially after receiving receiving several complaints about the 'guff'' 'shit', 'crap' etc being posted in response to a serious thread (as stated by said complainants). Twas off topic IMO, so it was PDd. No infractions given this time though, because I'm too soft. But my infraction stick has now been sharpened.

Oooo the power - I'm sure I'm corrupt ya know. Gimme $10 for each of your posts and I'll turn a blind eye.



ON TOPIC PLEASE FOLKS

[breakaway]

Ok now I'm a little confused. If on flat road and you are the lights or an intersection should you have your right foot on the brake or have your left foot on the peg. Being a complete newbie I'm getting confused and for me its more confortable to have my left foot on the pegs and my right on the ground before I'm about to go than the right. If this is wrong then I will change.

Do whatever is comfortable for you.

[avgas]

I pull every leaver and push every button, If im not moving at the end of it - something is wrong.

[Balding Eagle]

If you are starting off on level ground you don't need a brake on. Might sound obvious, but sometimes you just don't know. Put your right foot on the ground and select 1st gear. Put your left foot on the ground and your right foot on the peg, give it some revs and let the clutch out. Look well ahead and as you start to move put your left foot on the peg.

Hill start eg at lights or an intersection. Select 1st gear as you approach the intersection. Come to a stop using both front and rear brake but primarily front brake. As the bike comes to a halt, put your left foot on the ground to maintain balance and keep the rear brake applied with your right foot. When you want to move off, it is just a matter of applying throttle, release clutch and as the clutch starts to take and you can hear the revs drop, release the rear brake, look in the direction that you are going to go (not right in front of you) and put your left foot on the peg as you move off. If you are going straight ahead, look into the distance. The biggest mistake learners have is looking at the ground too close to the bike. One of the big principles in bike riding is "the bike will go where you are looking" which is why a lot of bikes hit lamp posts. You start getting a bit out of control and you look at the obstacles instead of the clear road. Look at where you want to go and that is where the bike goes.

The best thing to do is practice, practice, practice. Start out on the flat with this technique and then go out and find a very gentle slope and try it there many times until you are comfortable with it and then find a slightly greater gradient until it becomes second nature.

Best of luck and enjoy.

[cowpoos]

Me. It's what I do around here. Especially after receiving receiving several complaints about the 'guff'' 'shit', 'crap' etc being posted in response to a serious thread (as stated by said complainants). Twas off topic IMO, so it was PDd. No infractions given this time though, because I'm too soft. But my infraction stick has now been sharpened.

Oooo the power - I'm sure I'm corrupt ya know. Gimme $10 for each of your posts and I'll turn a blind eye.



ON TOPIC PLEASE FOLKS

fair enuff....my first post was serious....and as many KBers can confirm...I loose shitloads of places on the grid with race starts....and with only 7-ish race meetings under my belt...I'm def a newbie at it...race starts are my achilies...and are very very important for sprint races that we race,during the vic winter series.


and Jorja...hill starts are in the road code....if you have a licence?? you would be familiar with the road code...???

[EnzoYug]

I did the CBTA course at Passrite. They taught us to use the back brake on hill starts. There is quite a bit of logic to this. Because the bike is trying to roll backwards, the back brake is more effective just as the front brake is more effective going forward. Secondly it only requires each hand to do one action so that everything is simplified. When you want to start off (assuming you have already selected 1st gear) you add revs with the right hand, release clutch slowly with the left hand, and when the clutch starts to bight and pull the bike forward, release the rear brake and lift the left foot. Takes the complexity out of the manoeuvre and the physics are right as well....

This is probably the best explanation of the two-foot-shuffle I have read on this thread so far. I use and and, whilst it might sound clumsy with a bit of practice it becomes second nature and very fluid not to mention effective.

Me personally
1 Pulling up to lights-> Both Brakes (70% front) in, gear down, Clutch, neutral.
2 Stopped at lights-> Neutral, Left foot down, right foot on brake, hands free to stretch / smoke (true badass )/ wave to the ladies.
3 Leaving the lights-> Front brake in, right foot down, clutch in, gear down to first, left foot down, right foot on brake, right hand free to twist the throttle and bang! I'm gone.

Step three might sound a over complicated and it seems lots of people like to keep both feet down. I try to always keep on one foot for two reason, 1. it makes your legs stronger. 2. Improves your balance on the bike and then if things ever do get hairy and you need both feet down you can do and you know you'll be rock solid.

That's just my 2c. If any of the other old-skoolers want to comment I'd be keen to hear.

[FROSTY:Me]

1 Pulling up to lights-> Working down through the gearbox Both Brakes ,Stop in FIRST GEAR. In right wheeltrack of left lane or left wheeltrack of right lane. Watching mirror for cage behind to stop -once he has ------->
2 Stopped at lights-> Neutral, Left foot down, right foot on brake, hands free to stretch .
3 Leaving the lights-> Front brake in, right foot down, clutch in, gear down to first, left foot down, right foot on brake, right hand free to twist the throttle and bang! I'm gone.

Thats the way I do things most of the time. The reason step 1 is so complicated is so always in the correct gear and ready for cagers to change lanes or forge to stop behind me

[Pancakes]

Hi Frosty
Clutch in, put into 1st, then with both feet on the ground, get rev's up, slowly release clutch and when bike starts pulling increase throttle, both feet straight onto pegs and slowly release clutch fully, and I'm off
This does not work when I panic at intersections.

The writing makes sense but no matter what your method is if it doesn't work for you all the time start practising a new one. When you realise a truck is locked up and gonna take you up the poo'er and you have to run a red through traffic to get safe (like I had to one time when cycle couriering, stopped and looked back, glad I'd gapped it!) your gonna use what you've practiced most. Not picking on you Mystery but if it's not working critique yourself and find a new way.

[Pancakes]

And if your gonna cover a brake I do the rear, then if your bike pop's into gear (some do, some types more than others) it will stall not push you into traffic.

Agree w/ Enzo and Frost-o

[Dave-]

front brake full on, clutch full in, first gear.

let the clutch out untill you hear/feel the bike's revs change, let out brake and clutch, ready for the upshift to 2nd, right foot on the ground.

doing the above you're not breaking on a driven wheel, so you're not gonna stuff your engine...

[Pancakes]

What about me and all the other people with short fingers who are safer using the foot brake?

Your worried about stressing the engine with the minimal amount of rear brake used to steady the bike as you take off? Sounds like your riding your clutch Dave-. If you think that puts load on your motor I hope you don't accellerate up hills!

Have to add also that using a rear brake on launches is a technique used in high powered rear wheel drive cars to control power getting to the ground.

edit. Sounds like your getting ready for a burnout bro!