Quick Stops

[DangerDwarf]

Hello All,

   Great site you have here. I have been lurking on and off for about a year. The community is fantastic.

   In October, I am taking the local MSF and debating what bike to get. I have a question about the best way to perform quick stops that may play into my decision. What are the most important things when stopping quickly if you have no other choice? Here is some background on the question.

  Last fall, a friend of mine who owns a GS500F started giving me a few lessons in a large empty parking lot to convince me to start riding. The bike handled extremely well and seemed pretty forgiving to me. The instruction was pretty good and I practiced "walking" drills, finding the friction point, gear changes up to 3rd, simple turning, and stopping at a target. All in all it went well, until I tried learning quick stops. I am 5ft 3in tall guy with between a 27 and 28 inch inseam. I could barely get the balls of both feet on the ground on the stock GS, but could flat one leg with a bit of seat sliding. I generally felt comfortable on one leg or pushing about on my toes. The weight of the bike was easy to manage even if I had to get a bit closer to the tank than I would like.

  But... Out of 5 times, when breaking somewhat hard from a slow speed, I dropped his bike 3 times. I should say I lightly dropped it once and lowered it to the ground twice. Although, I easily picked it up each time and didn't really damage anything, I felt like such an ass I never ask to ride it again. I just felt too bad. He was good about it, and since I kept the front wheel straight and didn't hammer the breaks like a maniac, we just chalked it up to my shortness. I haven't sat a bike since then. Recently, I've had the time, money, and inclination to think about riding again.

  Is the problem likely my height or lousy breaking technique? I've seen all the posts on lowering links and seat shaving, so I know I can alter the bike a bit. I mainly wanted some opinions on the proper technique for those sorts of stops? Should I keep a GS in mind when I look for a bike or look for a shorter option? I would love to own a GS500 in BLUE, but need some confidence about not dropping the thing. Any feedback would be appreciated.

dd

[TragicImage]

well, I try to remember 2 things when stopping quickly.


Downshift, and Slowly let off the brakes the closer I come to my "Stop Point".  Not so much as to noticably increase my braking distance, but just so that it isn't a "Sudden Jerk" of a stop.


The second thing

Is know where you are going to stop, don't just stop without knowing WHERE you want to stop.... know where you are going.  Don't fixate on that spot either, as something may be changing around you that requires you to shorten up your stop... and you need to be aware of your surroundings.

[plusultra]

Pick up the book Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling.  They teach u lots of stuff and make u a lot more confident on the bike.  Also, practice, practice, practice. Cheers!

[GeeP]

It's technique.  There are a number of GS riders around 5' 3", including me.

You need to learn to be smooth on the controls to give the suspension time to respond.  Clamping down hard on the front brake until it stops will cause the forks to dive, then spring up rapidly when the bike comes to a halt.  Not only will that make the bike taller than normal, but it will make it hard to keep your balance.

You should squeeze progressively, not grab.  It can be helpful to release the brake pressure slightly just before coming to a halt to begin unloading the suspension slowly.  Proper use of the rear brake will also help.