When I was first learning to ride I had problems coming to a smooth stop. The problem was that as I stopped at an intersection I was looking right and left for traffic before fully stopping, as I can do in a car. Now when riding the bike I keep my head up and look straight ahead until fully stopped and my foot is down.
looking ahead, is the beginning and basis for extended front
and side or peripheral vision, the skill and reality and its training..
simply, looking ahead.. not down at your feet changing gears,
or hands holding levers or throttle, or at the gauges except for
specific reasons and then only glancing momentarily, again,
for self evident reasons and, for training that skills aspect..
as you approach a stop, firstly, you are going to slow to stop..
thus no need to be looking anywhere other than straight ahead
to where you will be coming to your stop..
as you approach the stopping area, your forward vision can take in
things like oil stains, thus steer slightly away from them and to
clear road surface, no gravel or oil or road kill or whatever..
again, you are developing this habit every time you repeat it..
[this knowing where oil is and is likely is handy in the wet etc]
as you come to a smooth stop, after mastering simply that
manoever, begin to increase your stopping distance,
by anticipating the stop progressively further out,
giving yourself more time to go thru your responses..
as this becomes easier with repetition, and for training
of balance and smooth responses etc, think of not putting
your feet down,, ie, put them down when necessary,
but practice slowing down far enough out so as to
be able to stay moving forward slowly, without acutally
stopping to a standstill [foot down]..
this is a good habit to develop, making you less dependent
on coming to actual stops during everyday riding esp
thru traffic and shopping and other busy roads etc..
you can also practice very slow riding anywhere quiet,
just, riding as slowly as possible while maintaining balance..
think walking pace.. doesnt take long before you will
be able to ride slowly with good balance..
this will make your stopping and starting easier and better
as you will have anticipated them earlier, eased into
the stop more progressively and gently, without
using much if any braking or heavy engine braking,
and of course your take off will be smoother
esp when you dont actually come to a dead stop
but continue rolling and accellerate from that
rolling start...
think of that sort of practice as basic riding skill,
then translate that to other areas of riding,
cornering, merging with traffic, passing,
phasing with moving and slow moving vehicles,
and any other part of riding you can identify
by observing your mind thinking of it
while riding...
this is a lot of text for fairly simple realities,
which will, without doubt, benefit from
rational practice and repetition..
just like any skill suite, from playing piano
to hammering in a nail, to [?] the more you
understand it, the more you practiced it
slowly at first, the more repetitions you get in
[just like pushups, benefits come from
regular repetitions, not a few now and then]
read between the lines any hints in such
as this forum and other such advice..
everyone, even casey stoner
had to start somewhere...
Learn to trust the bike. Most of the time the bike knows the right thing to do, fighting the bike is counter productive. Relax and try to become one with the bike by working together.
Don't believe anything you read on the internet, including this. Take the course. Practice what you learned. Ride. A lot. Ride with others. Ride alone. Don't try to keep up. Ride your own pace. If you are not dragging your footpegs in a turn, you still have more lean angle available.
If you do decide to use the brakes in a turn (OH CRAP! I'm going too fast!), countersteer MORE! That means in a right turn, PUSH the RIGHT handlebar. If you don't, you will be in the opposite lane or off the road.
The Following User Says Thank You to olhogrider For This Useful Post:
I'm sorry, I haven't read through this thread, so I will apologise now if I'm repeating advice already given, but the best advice I can give to new riders is this. Keep your distance from the vehicle in front. Get all your braking and gear changing done BEFORE you enter a corner. Try and avoid manhole covers, white lines, leaves, diesel etc. on corners. If you find yourself running wide on a corner, DO NOT BRAKE, countersteer instead. Do not ride next to other vehicles in other lanes. Never ride in a hurry, leave plenty of time for your journey, and enjoy it. Observation is paramount, NEVER change your position on the road without looking over your shoulder. Make yourself as visible as possible, Hi Viz clothing does help. Relax, and enjoy your ride.
__________________
You meet the nicest people on a Honda.
