am l off balance ?

[FOXSB]

does anyone else have trouble with there bike toppling over at times when their on it ? is the bike just to heavy for me ?or am l , just inept on the thing ? lm only a small lady 5.2 , its not something ive seen in the text books

[Chris750]

what sort of bike is it? Are you on tip toes when sat on it?

[Flip]

If your bike is toppling over I suggest not lifting both feet until you are accelerating.

[Cptn. Awesome]

Maybe the ride height is too high for you? I tend to find I sometimes wobble a little when I stop and am off balance but it's only now and again.

Where I learned to ride they had a bike with lowered ride height to accommodate smaller riders, maybe this will work for you.
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Rides - '60 Plate Ford Fiesta Zetec 1.25, '03 Plate Kawasaki ZX6R B1H and an '87 VFR400 NC24

Naughty Fawbish: "An eagle is but an eagle until the suns flare blinds his prey." - Fawbish, 2010.

[JAMSXR]

I was a little like that when I got my first 'big' bike, it just took a little time for me to get used the thing. I take it this is only happening at slow speeds? I would suggest not opening and closing the throttle but feathering the clutch until you come to a stop.
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Honda SFX50 > Aprilia SR125 > Aprilia RS125 > Honda RFV400 > K4 GSXR600 > KTM Duke > C1H 636 > K3 GSXR1000 > Aprilia RSV-R > Triumph Street Triple R > Ducati 899 Panigale > Aprilia Tuono 1100 > Triumph Daytona 675R > KTM SuperDuke 1290 2.0

[hedgehugger]

I had an ER5 (kawasaki). I pulled up to a juction sharpish with a pillion (me husband) and it was his legs that saved us
the bike just tipped to the right. I think it was poor planning by me and the sudden stop and extra weight.

I would feel a little unbalanced occasionally at junctions, i could flat-foot with a slightly bended knee, if that makes sense, but
I still felt like I had to physically hold the bike up.

I now have an kawasaki er6-n. Have never felt it feel like it's 'going over'. A very well balanced bike in my opinion.
The exhaust is underneath, rather than on the side, could this be the difference?
Both bikes were a similar weight, but maybe weight distribution is the key


(a little taller at 5ft 4")

[G]

If you have a search around for 'short arse' or similar, there's various threads with loads of info about how to
While I'm not that small (13 stone, tad over 5'10"), I recently had my seat made even higher, then added some sheepskin covers to make it even higher. Had to use some of those tactics as literally only just get tip toes down, when before I'm used to easily being flat-foot on my commuter sports bike (this was on a tall trail bike I was having issues with.) For instance, moving off to one side of the seat as you come to a stop, making sure you have your leg to the 'right' side of a slope, etc - especially when your bike happens to balanced on a rock with the front wheel being pushed by another small boulder .

[iooi]

Yep

Stalled the other day coming off the drive and turning right.... Result one smashed indicator and some nice scrapes on the fairing....

And i can flat foot both sides..
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[Darth]

I got off mine the other week, went to put the side stand down, somehow tripped over it and went over on my arse!

Made even more embarrassing by the two giggling schoolgirls walking past me at the time and my next door neighbour who decided that was the exact moment he would choose to come out of his front door to get something from his car
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Harold_Shand wrote: I suppose it's like anything, you get your fingers burned when you start out, you learn from it and eventually become a complete arsehole about the whole thing.

[calyx]

-Maybe you are not looking where you intended to go?(Raise your head and look as far as possible)
-Your front tire could need some inflating?
-Uneven tire wear?
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Boris - London

[Cigaro]

What exactly do you mean by toppling over? At slow speeds? When stopped?

[Bendy]

You need 3 points of contact - two wheels, one foot (preferably flat). If you can't manage that sat in your standard position, slide your butt over *whilst you're slowing down* so that when it's time to stop, you can manage that. And whilst you're doing all that, look at where you're going to stop and scope out any slope/camber/dodgy surface issues that could affect your footing.

When you stop, you'll be leaning the bike very slightly towards your safely-planted leg and you'll be solid. It doesn't matter that your other leg is dangling, the bike has no reason to tip past the vertical and over the other way. Ride away by reversing it - move off sitting a bit off the side and readjust yourself back to the middle of the seat once you're rolling.

Sure, a bike's weight and cg can make a difference to how you feel about it but there really isn't such a thing as 'too heavy' - you should never be carrying any of the weight, just preventing it from tipping over.

[TheDonUK]

Im only about 5'4. The only bike i stuggled with was a CCM dirt bike, which i had to literally climb and fence and then jump onto.

But as bendy so eloquently put it, all you really need is a tippie toe.

I have never been able to flat foot any of my bikes, not a problem, i find i now have excellent slow speed control. I can basically trackstand the ZX6R at lights.

I actually out slow controlled a bike cop the other day.

I was heading to the ace cafe down that slip road, there was a lorry turning right in the right hand lane and the left hand lane was clear to go straight ahead bar the red lights. So the police slowly road up to the lights with me basically next to him, both doing about 1mph. Lets just say that he wobbled and put his foot down before i did. Well chuffed
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[yuri2085]

If your husband could get his feet to the floor fast enough to stop the bike falling, makes me wonder if he was sitting properly?

[hedgehugger]

As far as I know he was square on the back, I am 5'4 he is 5'10. The seat on the er5 wasn't much higher for pillion than for rider.
It happened quickly (as do all accidents eh!) cannot remember if I tried to cover back brake (as was taught), maybe this was what caused the imbalance? though the sharp braking was more to blame lol

The bike didn't actually touch the floor, as Neil got his foot out and stopped it. Then there was much huffing and puffing and pulling, and shifting of weight leftwards to pull it upright


Now I use both feet on the floor if carrying a pillion.

[dswheeler]

thanks guys ! maybe l could shorten the suspension or something ? to make the bike shorter ,

[Ratmonkey]

I used to have a Triumph T595 Daytona and could only get one foot on the floor at any time. If I had to stop on a road with a it of a camber it was a nightmare and i felt unstable. I fell over on it a couple of times. You need to make sure you can get both feet on the ground with the bike upright. There are lowering kits available i think.

[plugger147]

[metalangel]

[L-Jam]

Six foot five.

What? You want to know how I get along with bikes?

Fine.


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Journalist, student, egotist.
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[chris-red]