Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Difficulty balancing when stopping or stopped, balance, slow

Question
Hi Pat,
I'm a newbie to the riding world and I just recently received my riders certificate of competance, (I'm in Australia) although I fell off the bike 4 times. I'm only 5'3, so I found it difficult to balance on the bike I was given as I was on my tippy toes whenever we stopped moving. My instinct every time we came close to stopping was to put both feet down to stop myself falling. I was just wondering if you had any tips on how I could either gain confidence or any suitable bikes for shorties like myself? Thanks in advance, Jasmin

Answer
Low-speed riding is a difficult skill and it takes years of riding and practice to really master it. When you're coming to a stop, you have to spend that last little critical part of the stop balanced at very low speeds, while braking--it is a tricksy maneuver for a newbie.

Of course, it's best to start with a bike that allows you to hold it up with complete confidence. Sometimes this means riding an oversmall bike for your first year or two while you gain the skill and experience necessary to ride a bigger bike. (After years of experience, a rider can get so good that being able to flatfoot isn't necessary.) The shortest seat heights are generally the cruisers in the 250-650 range. The Buell Blast (not made anymore) has a nice, low, seat height and is really easy to manage. Most bikes can be lowered and have the seat shaved to take the ride height down a few inches, as well.

In general, your first bike should be a 4-cyl no bigger than 500, or a 2-cyl no bigger than 650.

There are several things you can do to improve your balance at stops.

First and foremost, check your posture: your arms, elbows, and shoulders should be loosey-goosey. You should be gripping the motorcycle with your legs. If you have a death grip on the handlebars, there's no way you'll ever be able to stop smoothly.

Keep your knees tight against the bike and don't plan to put your feet down until you're stopped. (Only put your feet down before you're stopped if you absolutely have to.)

And keep your head and eyes up. Looking down makes for a wobbly stop.

Smooth on the brakes. Steady pressure, front and rear, easing up as you come to a stop. Ideally, you'll be completely off the brakes at the exact moment that your bike comes to a stop. If you're stopping while still on the brakes, you're likely to be tilted one direction or another--see next item.

The last thing to remember is that when you stop, your handlebars should be square, you should be perfectly straight up and down, and the bike should be moving in a straight line. (If the bike is leaned even slightly, it will want to fall to that side as you stop and you'll have to hold it up.) This sometimes means that you stop pointed in a slightly different direction than the direction you want to go. That's okay--it's better than falling over. Position yourself in the center of your lane as much as you can so you have more room to work when you take off again.

Pat