• A few people have been scammed on the site, Only use paypal to pay for items for sale by other members. If they will not use paypal, its likely a scam NEVER SEND E-TRANSFERS OF ANY KIND.

Maybe Done With My NC700x

If one doesn't have to flat foot to be confident it opens up all kinds of possibilities.
A few years ago I saw a very short fella with a tall Honda street-and-trail-something-or-other in a McDonald's parking lot. He had to pull the "stand beside the bike and hop on while it was on the roll" trick since he couldn't reach the ground AT ALL from the saddle. The dismounting to stand beside the bike at every stop is a bit too extreme for me, but this guy was making it work.
 
and now you know why an old 5'6" munchkin like me with a 27" inseam celebrated when the 2021's came out with the lowered seat height. But flat footing even a 2021 is not an option for me. I can get 1 foot flat on 1 side, or both feet on balls of foot on both sides.

(see the foot)

csfGJi3.jpg


One thing I can tell you helps is not wearing a slick flat soled traditional motorcycle boot, but wearing a Tactical style or logger style boot with a large sticky Vibram style sole.

Like this


I still can't flat foot, but my toes don't slide out and are about 1/2"-3/4" closer to the ground than with a standard motorcycle type boot.
 
and now you know why an old 5'6" munchkin like me with a 27" inseam celebrated when the 2021's came out with the lowered seat height. But flat footing even a 2021 is not an option for me. I can get 1 foot flat on 1 side, or both feet on balls of foot on both sides.

(see the foot)

csfGJi3.jpg


One thing I can tell you helps is not wearing a slick flat soled traditional motorcycle boot, but wearing a Tactical style or logger style boot with a large sticky Vibram style sole.

Like this


I still can't flat foot, but my toes don't slide out and are about 1/2"-3/4" closer to the ground than with a standard motorcycle type boot.
I don't think I've ever seen a slick flat soled MC boot. By design they usually have a siped or lugged sole at least the ones I wear. Occasionally I used to wear ankle high hiking boots instead of calf height MC boots but once I caught the laces on the foot peg and dropped the bike at a stop. Trying to pull my foot free, the metal lace hooks scratched the gas tank.
 
I sold my NC and am currently riding a Royal Enfield Himalayan. It's one of the shorter ADV style bikes and I have lowering links I may try. I have a 28" inseam. When I started riding again back in 2010 after a 35 year absence I had a '95 Nighthawk 750. Great bike for me. If it had antilock brakes I would still be riding it. I also tried a lowered DR 650. I liked that bike, but I still got tired of climbing up on that booger.
Himalayan is a darn nice bike. I got within a hair of buying one last fall. Still look at them regularly.
 
I may rent a cruiser or two on RidersShare after winter. Not sure yet how I'll like the feet forward thing. I did have a tiny cruiser once (Suzuki S40) & it was horribly uncomfortable but it was really meant for tiny people. Friends said I looked like an ape on it. For my height I've got stubby legs. There's a woman rider on Youtube who's 5'3 3/4" & has the same inseam as I do. 31". There is one option remaining with the NC700X. Remove the lowering links, heat them to loosen the red thread lock & raise the bike one inch, halfway back to stock. Then put 1" lifts in the heels of my boots. Put the stock side stand on & see if the center stand might work. I got the lowering links used & someone put red thread lock on them. That sheep skin on my Seat Concepts cover is super comfortable but I may need to remove it. Might begin this project tomorrow, we'll see. Tired of the fight but tired of waiting.
Had you considered the CTX? Much lower seat, & similar engine.
 
If one doesn't have to flat foot to be confident it opens up all kinds of possibilities of motorcycles. Lowering bikes with suspension and seating modifications just seems to bring all sorts of problems and limits the type and style of motorcycle one chooses and even the places riders feel comfortable stopping. When I see someone coming to a stop looking like a duck busily paddling with both feet I judge ( perhaps incorrectly of course ) a rider that hasn't been taught how to stop a motorcycle with a firm hand on the reins. The bike has mastered the rider when it should be other other way 'round.

Try attacking it from the other direction and put in the work and practice to gain confidence in one's abilities to start and stop on motorcycles without having both feet flat on the ground. For example, you can choose beforehand what direction the bike will fall when it stops so plan on a flat foot that side. Just before the wheels stop turning, a tiny push on the left grip will make the bike favor the left side. It's counter steering at perhaps 1 to 0 mph. Reach down to stop with that leg down while the right foot remains on the brake. A tripod of two wheels and one foot is all the stability a motorcycle rider needs and the brake holds the bike from rolling and becoming unstable. Gain confidence in stopping with the bars squared up and very very gently using the front brake. The counter steering trick works the same both ways if you want to stop with the right foot down perhaps due to terrain or ground slope that favors the right foot down you must use the front brake to stop. A countersteering push on the right grip will make the bike favor the right side when the wheels stop. Hold the bike steady with the hand brake so it cannot start rolling and upset the tripod.

To push a bike backwards when only the toes of each foot can touch a useful trick is to sharply compress the forks with the front brake on then quickly release the brake so the bike begins to move backwards as the forks rebound. It takes more effort to start the bike moving than it does to keep it moving so then push backwards only with the one foot that has the best footing while the toes of the other foot are only needed to balance, not push so it's a sort of one leg doing the work.

As I age into my 51st year of riding I'm loosing inseam which never was more than 29". It's now 28 or less.
Great tips! Thanks Dave
 
I don't think I've ever seen a slick flat soled MC boot. By design they usually have a siped or lugged sole at least the ones I wear. Occasionally I used to wear ankle high hiking boots instead of calf height MC boots but once I caught the laces on the foot peg and dropped the bike at a stop. Trying to pull my foot free, the metal lace hooks scratched the gas tank.
Timberland boots on left Alpinestar MC boots on right

p6rYYzMh.jpg
 
Ok I just read something that could change my plan. Someone said their center stand (S model) is 17 cm/ 6.9 inches from foot to center of hole, meaning Amazon sent me the wrong center stand. Mine is 9.5 inches. Amazon sent me an X model stand which is useless. My bike is lowered 2". I will contact the seller. Now to spend even more money. I also decided to cut down the original side stand & put it back on. I'm old & have bad ankles & don't have the patience to ride something that doesn't fit in my last years. I put up with that when I had my Vstrom but I'm not young & strong anymore. Yes, most 6'1" people have longer legs, like 32-35". A Youtube rider who is 5'3 3/4" has a 31 inseam like me. I fit on a bike like I'm 5'7".
 
Roadrace boots and MX boots typically have 'slick' soles. That doesn't mean actually devoid of any form of height variation at all, but it does mean that there are either only extremely shallow nubs in a couple places, or frequently nothing on the soles at all other than the heel (if there is one) to 'catch' soil or anything else if the boot is sliding forward. They will 'catch' such soil or obstructions only if they're sliding backward. I think it's not unreasonable to characterize them as 'slick.'
 
Uncomfortable...
I put 30,000 miles on a Honda reflex ( Bought it when gas was $4.50 a gallon for the 1st time)
Around town and to work were fine , but long rides , its almost like sitting in a bathtub.
i would get a "charlie horse" under my rib cage while going 65 lol
 
Timberland boots on left Alpinestar MC boots on right

p6rYYzMh.jpg
I don’t know if you’re married to a woman, but if so, she is most understanding to allow boots on a light colored bedspread. Or, maybe she doesn’t know about it (yet). That photo is now in the public domain!
 
Last edited:
  • Haha
Reactions: MZ5
Yea that isn't much of a sole compared to the Timberlands. (IMO)
No it isn't but then it isn't made for hiking across soft unpaved terrain. It's made for smooth concrete and asphalt pavement that might have water or oily buildup.

I've worked for years in and around at trucking terminals and warehouses and working conditions include wet concrete and wooden floored cargo trailers that can be very slick. Boot soles for these surfaces look more like the Alpinestar than the Timberline.

I think the description of slick soled MC boots doesn't really reflect their characteristic sole, unless they are worn to the point of being slick. That's all.
 
I don’t know if you’re married to a woman, but if so, she is most understanding to allow boots on a light colored bedspread. Or, maybe she doesn’t know about it (yet). That photo is now in the public domain!
Yea she did complain about that lol
 
As the guys have noted, you really don’t have to have both feet down flat on the deck to be “safe”.Most guys that ride are pretty comfy with one foot down solid (or even just “toes down” ) and seldom if ever put both flat down on the deck. Suggest you try it on a nice flat surface (large parking lot) until YOU get comfy doing it. It may just be a thing you need to learn (if you’re a somewhat new rider). I Can probably count the times in the last couple hundred thousand miles that I’ve used (or even felt the need for) two feet of the fingers of one hand. With that said, I’ve been riding since ‘67. Right foot is on the brake and left is used as “landing gear“. The NC is so well balanced that I can bring her to a stop and use no feet for a few seconds. I used to ride a BMW Dakar that had like a 35” seat height. On it I had to lean a good bit for one foot to touch.. Don’t give upon the NC too quickly.
 
Last edited:
As the guys have noted, you really don’t have to have both feet down flat on the deck to be “safe”.Most guys that ride are pretty comfy with one foot down solid (or even just “toes down” ) and seldom if ever put both flat down on the deck. Suggest you try it on a nice flat surface (large parking lot) until YOU get comfy doing it. It may just be a thing you need to learn (if you’re a somewhat new rider). I Can probably count the times in the last couple hundred thousand miles that I’ve used (or even felt the need for) two feet of the fingers of one hand. With that said, I’ve been riding since ‘67. Right foot is on the brake and left is used as “landing gear“. The NC is so well balanced that I can bring her to a stop and use no feet for a few seconds. I used to ride a BMW Dakar that had like a 35” seat height. On it I had to lean a good bit for one foot to touch.. Don’t give upon the NC too quickly.
MSF teaches putting the left foot down first in the BRC so your right foot can be on the brake.
 
Well turns out my center stand is actually for an S model so shorter ones are not made but I will still see how far up I can raise the bike this weekend. Not finding a cruiser I want. Looking at middleweights 750/800/900 & owners say they aren't for cruising at 80 all day like the NC700X. Too buzzy. All 5 speeds & geared low. Most have drum rear brakes that are marginal for 500-600+ pound bikes. I don't want a 750 pound cruiser just to do highways. So I'm reconsidering my NC & might find a compromise on ride height & having useable stands. I didn't always need to flat foot. I'm old enough my ankles are weak & wobbly now & I don't want to stop & drop the bike when my ankle buckles. I've been riding since 1973.
 
Back
Top