Newbie needing riding input

[sanec1]

Use both brakes to slow down as you were taught. When coming to the end of your stop gently use the front brake only(IMHO) so your body is balanced and still. Then put both feet down. Look ahead to plan where you are going to stop and plant your feet. Look for loose gravel, painted lines etc. that can be slippery. You will become more deliberate and confident in time.

 

[pynki]

Hi, pynki here.
I want to thank each and every one of you. Your knowledge and suggestions have been invaluable in helping me solve my issues (and possibly save my marriage, LOL)
Due to all your input and looking at my stopping from a different perspective we have figured out that a contributing factor to my poor stopping and sometimes oversteering of corners is the fact that my handle bars don't fit me. They are too far forward and don't allow me to have my arms relaxed. I spend half my time fighting my bike instead of going with it's natural flow because I don't have the reach. Due to this when I go to stop and am pulling in the front break I am also pulling the right side of the handlebars toward me causing the bike to be off center to the right.
Does this make as much sense to everyone else as I think it is making to me?
I will do a new post for my question for opinions on mini ape handlebars (don't really like the look) vs angled risers to bring them up and toward me.

Thankl you all, again, so much!!!!
:breakdance

 

[HarleyHarry]

Hi Pinki
Glad you have found our rambling useful. Any more marriage guidance will have to be posted in the correct place or glider will have to much work.
But seriously. It does sound indeed that you would benefit from different handlebars.
You might also, as I guess you have small hands, want to look at different brake and clutch handle set up. Key to using both I find is to be able to keep your hands on the grips and only using a few fingers to operate the handles.
Without doing this it will be very difficult to controll the bike.

 

[pynki]

HarleyHarry
As a matter of fact I do have small hands. I am finding that my throttle hand starts going numb beginning with the thumb and working it's way in. I think it might be related to the reach and me hanging onto the trottle to tight.
I didn't realize there was so many things that could be or need to be adjusted. This has been a real education.
I'll have to mortgage the house but darn there will be no holding me back then!. LOL :bigsmiley8:

Thanks

 

[HarleyHarry]

Hi again Pynki
Thinking about it a little more and combining all, I think your pulling to the right when braking and the fact that your hands are a little small might be connected.
Think about it. If your hands are not large enough to grip the handlebar whilst braking you will inevitably pull the whole handlebar towards you when you pull just the lever. If you'd have larger hands you would squeeze the lever and the handlebar together.
If I'm correct (the wife always tell me I'm not but, what if I am this time) this would make you steer to the right as right is where the front brake lever sits.

By the way, why re-morgage the house. You could have hubby take up a couple of paper rounds.

 

[speedyron]

Just go to an empty parking lot and practice taking off and stoping. They are the hardest things to do when learning to ride. After your already moving its pretty easy manuver. You will be surprised at how soon it becomes second nature. It will just happen and you wont even have to think about it. You dont think about stopping when you drive a car. you just do it. It will become the same. Also which I havent srrn mentioned yet. Just putting pressure down on your footpegs can make you turn a little in that direction. So when your braking your back brake with your foot it could make you turn toward the right. Just practicing will make the corrections second nature tho. I dont think about balance anymore, it just happens automatic. It will be the same with you. You can read all the advice you can, but in time it will just happen.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Hi Pynki...if you have small hands, try EZ clutch, which goes in the "business end" behind the clutch cover replacing the ball/ramp mechanism with a different action that reduces the pull by 30%.

Also, comfort and control should be a priority over looks so mini-apes may put your hands in the wrong position for good leverage, although most conventional bars and risers should allow you to roll back the bars to suit whatever you choose.

Look in the HD Parts & Accessory catalog...it should give you plenty of options, and some may be in stock so dealer may offer "try & buy" if they are worth their salt.

 

[dangerdan]

I had a friend with the same problem. It turns out when she came to a stop, she turned the handle bars slight to the right, just before coming to a complete stop. This was enough to make the bike lean and almost loose control because of the weight transfere.


I would find a large empty parking lot and practice, practice and practice.


There is very good advise about counter steering , but it means little if you dont understand the concept. It still does not make sense to me.

Turning at high speeds should come naturally, Thinking causes accidents. When turning look, at where you want to go and the bike should follow naturally.


Practice , practice , practice

 

[TXMikey]

Hey Pynki!

My wife was having some similar problems with her bike, and we decided the bars were too far forward. We put on some risers that raised the handlebars 2" and set them back 3". We used the stock handlebar, but it looks a bit like mini-apes. She's much more comfortable on the bike now, and feels she has better control.

Biggest downside to risers that tall is you may have to put on longer cables.

 

[Lucy]

Springer, I think your method could be confusing to new riders.

Easiest and simplest way....push the bars the way you want to turn (right push - right turn, left push - left turn) and the best advice for turn is you go where you look.

Altho in evasive manuevers, I do the opposite thing. I pull left to go right and pull right to go left. For some reason I think I get more control and a quicker manuever this way.

I pull instead of push too when going into a curve. It confuses my husband but makes more sense in my mind. The net effect is the same, the bike leans in the right direction.

As for controlled stops, I too am relatively new back to riding and stopping is my biggest stress. The MSF course teaches you that the left foot should come down first in a stop because the right is working the rear brake. I got over my issue with that by using the rear and front brakes leading to the stop and then moving strictly to front when I was almost stopped so both feet are available for the ground. Made a big difference in how my mind played tricks on me. Best of luck to you!