Can you balance without touching?

I can get "Close". Police officers would probably call it a California Stop but I think my wheels come to a complete stop for a split second. Any longer and the feet go down, but for just a split second I can do it.

Normally for a quick stop I drop the left foot only. I'm already in first and the right foot is on the brake.

 

almost for a "one one thousand"
I do this at stopsigns as well, not sure it's an actual stop or not...

most times I do a 2 foot stop, seldom one foot

 

I can do it on a relatively flat road for about a second.

Has anyone been hassled by the cops for not using both feet at a stop? I haven't, but I've heard stories about getting harassed for it (no ticket, just a hard time and a warning).

I usually only use one foot (left so the rear brake is handy) unless I see an officer nearby.

Edit:
Like SCraig, I put my left foot down as my right usually covers the rear brake.
I think they taught that in the msf class I took, but that was over 10 years ago :unsure:

 

I can keep both feet on the pegs even after the bike falls over. Kinda hurts, though...

I use the left foot on flat ground, and the right foot on hills.

And somewhere in the dim recesses of the remainder of my memory, it seems to me that California requires one foot down to be considered a complete stop. I think I've counted off about three to four seconds with both feet up, when I have planned it in advance.

 

I too do this little game (if you want to call it that!) and I think I have been able to do about a second or so, but I do like to try and see how slow I can have the bike rolling with bith feet up. So far I've been able to keep it at a steady 2MPH for about 100 feet before I had to stop. I call that the "Stop & go Traffic Game"! When I do come to a stop I always leave my right foot on the rear brake unless the wind kicks up really bad.:mullet:

 

I gotcha one better. a long time ago in a land far, far away, I rolled up to a stop sign and used the brakes just a tad bit too long. so i came to a stop, compressing the suspension. and when the suspension decompressed it rolled me back ward 2 inches, and then I accelerated away. My feet never touched the ground. I was in auto pilot mode going home, and to this day haven't replicated that "stop". I didn't realize what I had done until i was through the intersection, and then I was super jazzed. it's amazing what you as a person can do when your relaxed and not "over controlling" your brain- it can do so much more than what you want it to do.

 

I was once pulled over by a LEO for running a stop sign while riding my XR250L (dual sport). I told him I DID stop. He said "No way...you didn't put your foot down." I then demonstrated how well balanced the XR was by balancing it for about 5 seconds while stopped. He then said that LEOs look for the down foot to determine if the rider had actually stopped. I don't try it with the VFR. It's a little heavy and the price is a little high if I have a tip-over. Yeah, I know...dirt bikes don't count.

 

I can do it for 14.3 seconds, I did it just today, and the only reason I knew it was 14.3...........I had a stopwatch! Also, it was on a dirt road in front of my Uncles house. I had to do it, he said "My Harley, is the best balanced moto in the world"...............So I did it.

 

Longest I've ever done it is about 5 seconds. If you manage to find the balance point while still, the offset tolerance is minimal at best; engine vibration, oil flying, gasoline sloshing, etc. all add up to make to pick a side.

Now, I've never tried it with the engine off..... but it would be a nice experiment!

As for one or two feet, I'm a one footer. I found that after I got used to it, starting and stopping on one foot is a lot smoother for me then bringing up two clunky boots and setting them on the pegs.

 

Okay, First of all I have to say, I was not expecting this kind of response at. I almost spit all over my computer screen laughing. Funny Stuff!

I am still pretty new to riding, less than a year I guess. I took the MSF course last fall just after I bought my first bike. That was pretty much my first motorcycling experience (unless you count the dirtbike up the tree at age 7). So I guess I usually do 2 feet, although I have to say the VFR sits a lot taller than my old Shadow VLX did. I will probably transition to doing one foot most of the time.

As far as the split second no-footer... I guess I have done it some. It usually results a rather squirrelly take off afterwards where I am turning the handlebars to try and maintain balance. I am not sure if I come to a full and complete stop on those.

 

I know exactly what you mean, & I do this pretty much any day or time I'm on a M/C or bike .

I've got pretty good balance (have & ride a trials bike for fun & not to mention I've been riding for 40 plus years) & sit timeless all the time with out my feet down @ intersections stop sign or red lights until time to go, kinda like a game to me as well.

Even got a ticket on my bicycle for doing the hard stop @ a stop sign & going backwards about a foot, then going forward.
Fought the running a stop sign ticket with a video I showed the judge that not only that I stopped completely (Reinactment), but reversed my momentum B-4 going forward with out ground contact with my feet.
Judge dismissed the ticket :tongue: (officer statement was based on I didn't put my feet down).


It's all about control, balance & experiance, ride a dirt bike for a while & you will see how easy it is to learn & master standing still (& balance, sliding, 2 wheel drifting, backing it in, ect, ect, ect) :wink:

 

Here's a youtube vid showing just how slow you can go.
YouTube - Police Motorcycle Competiton Slow Ride

 

I can balance for probably a few seconds. On my road bike I can track stand just about indefinitely, and on the mountainbike, but the motorcycle doesnt allow the backward rolling necessary for a true trackstand.
I use this stop method often, if you just concentrate on something ahead of you, you can usually stay up for a little bit. It is a fun game!

The team I used to race mountainbikes with would run drills teaching you to maintain control of your bike at low speeds, especially climbing hills, to the point where you can just stop and balance. The line of riders would be climbing a hill, and the first guy would slow waaaay down almost to a stop, forcing everyone behind him to do so, then he would go when he saw fit, and each person behind him would begin moving again when they wanted. The last guy in the line has to balance VERY well not to fall. The first person to unclip or fall over loses (and usually causes everyone behind them at that point to unclip or fall over, and gets heckled).

 

Even at stoplights sometimes just for the hell of it I like to see how long I can keep the feet off. I've done up to almost 2 seconds. But I check first for :mod: before trying to beat my no-feet record :lol:

VIff has a good point about the bike having better balance when it's running compared to off. That makes me wonder if you could get even better balance by reving up the engine while stopped? A while ago I was doing an engine test and I had my bike on the sidestand. I got the bike up to near the redline and the bike actually started moving backwards even with the sidestand on!

I'll have to try an experiment sometime revving up the engine while keeping the feet off and see if that makes a difference!

 

I've no problem with the no foot stop. It's a fun thing to do, and I use it for ultra-slow or stop and go traffic. Why place your foot down? You lose your balance and then have to reset. With traffic I've found it better to not have my leg going from peg to ground over and over.

As for one or two feet for other stops it honestly depends on the stop and how long it's going to be. For a few seconds - like 4 way stop signs - one. For lights usually both.

 

I play the same game. There are long lines to get on base some mornings and they move very slowly. I'll try and judge it so I only have to come to a complete stop for a few seconds and keep my feet up. Gives you something to do while you are stuck in line.

Action

 

I'm really bad about the "California Stop", especially if I have my wife on the back. I just find it easier to roll through stop signs/intersections (when it's 100% safe, of course) than to stop and put a foot down. Easier on the bike, too (clutch, especially).

As far as the game of balance is concerned, I have tried it before, and I imagine I am in the 2-3 second ability range.

But the VFR is a (relatively) heavy bike. I had to work on my brother's '05 GSX-R 750 last night, and that bike was like pushing around a tricycle compared to the VFR!!! 357 lbs dry + 129 rwhp = fast and easy to maneuver... Wow!

 

Stop sign?
j/k though I am bad for rolling stops...does it count if you put your foot down and don't stop?

Anyways
Play that all the time.

I also do the how slow can i go game.

I can only do it for about a second.