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Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

Dave Modisette

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That seems to be me at take off. There's always a slight bit of a wobble or a balance check as I start off from a dead stop - may be a couple of inches drift total. To deal with this, I usually keep both feet down, spread enough to be outside of the range of the foot pegs assuming that the sole of my boot may hit something that would stop my feet as they slide and make contact with a peg. As I posted in another thread, I had 37 years away from riding and I never had bikes as tall with the weight that this one has, so this could simply a matter of time till I build up confidence in my riding skills. Once I'm moving, I'm good.

Any tips? I'm thinking of going to a vacant parking lot and doing sessions of starts and stops and starting with an immediate right or left turn, as well.

This is probably more of a pride thing than a safety issue so I'll sacrifice pride.
 
It seems like I start out this way each spring because I don't get a chance to ride very much during the winter. I also started out that way with the NC700 when I purchased it this past summer. I think it has to do with getting used to a new bike or getting back into the swing of riding. I was very comfortable after a couple thousand miles.

As for hi/low center of gravity… I don't have any math or statistics to back me up, but the NC *feels* like it's got a much, much lower CG than my prior two bikes… a Vstrom 1000 and a BMW K1100LT. The BMW, in particular, seemed to be really top heavy.

I think the only bike I've ever ridden that seemed even easier than the NC is a BMW F650GS. If I was going to buy a bike to have on hand for friends and guests to ride on a whim, I'd own a F650. I saw one come up Craigslist a few weeks ago that I probably should've purchased.
 
Ride and ride a lot. Don't over think it. Parking lot practice is good.

Get your feet on the pegs as quickly as practical. Leaving them down after you start rolling destabilizes the combined CG of bike and a rider with his feet and legs dangling uselessly. Plus if you need to brake the right foot is a long way from being of any help. As soon as the clutch takes up the feet should be on the pegs.
 
Moving, I try to never, ever, have both feet down at the same time, but more specifically my right foot in any kind of slow speed maneuver, be it a take off or coming to a stop. My right foot is always on the peg, so I can use the rear brake as needed. Doing wheelies, you have to have your rear brake at the ready for balance control and preventing looping, so it just is something burned into my personal motorcycling data base.

The vast majority of slow speed spills I see with returning riders or brand new ones, is the panicked front brake use, with both feet splayed out scuffing at the ground like landing gear and no hand on the clutch able to kill power, which inevitably results in a locked front tire and a dump. At take off speed, you are more likely to be either turning, or in that not-quite-balanced-via-momentum state, and any front brake at this point with the bars turned even a wee bit, is very difficult to use without causing a loss of control and a spill.


I always try to bias my slower speed stuff with a bit of left side body tilt, kinda "preloading" so to speak, thus being prepared for a potential weight shift of the bike, and my left leg is ready for, and expecting it. With both feet out and bolt upright, it's almost as if I am mentally allowing myself to let the bike possibly flop either way, not knowing which, and that just seems too out of my hands for my control freak nature, ha ha


Not saying how I ride, or what I do is the right way by any stretch, just speaking out loud with how I approach it. :)
 
Like Dave said. Commit to moving out. Don't dally. Feet up on the pegs as soon as the clutch lever goes out.

My wife dropped her Reflex one time, shortly after she started riding it. It was during a takeoff. The takeoff was too slow and the machine was not yet stable. I see now she commits firmly when it's time to move out, she gives it good throttle, and her feet go up immediately.

I see people do this dangle feet thing all the time, but the feet never do anything but dangle. It's not like they're stabbing the ground and stabilizing the machine; they're just hanging there to form some kind of false confidence boost.

Fortunately the NC is extremely stable at low speed due to the low CofG. I like to play a game at stops to see how long I can hold the bike vertical or how slow I can go without putting my foot down.

In summary: commit to go, give it some gas, and pick your feet up immediately.
 
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Conversely, something I see with curiousity from time to time, is an obviously brand new rider, who insists upon trying to get their feet up *too* quickly, and spending more concentration on trying to do that, than actually smoothly moving forward lol.

It's very odd to watch someone to try and get their boots on the pegs before the bike is even moving, and then proceed to almost fall over because they are off balance, with zero forward momentum. If you are practiced and good at it, it looks awesome, but when you haven't had the practice, ya, not so much hee hee.

The attempted feet up instantly crowd is a very small minority that I have observed, though.
 
Don't look down at your feet when starting off, look, straight ahead, look where you want to go and you will go straight without weaving.
 
Head and eyes control more than most think. You should be looking a minimum of 4 seconds in the direction you intend to go. If you need a step or two prior to putting your feet up, it's ok. If your not making a tight turn from a stop, it is easier to take off and stop like you mean it. Your right to take off with both feet down if the plan is to go straight. To make a tight right turn from a stop, right foot down and left foot up. When turning left from a stop, left foot down and right foot up. The inside foot down gives you minimal lean in the direction of the turn. Back to head and eyes, 4 seconds ahead in the direction you want to go. If you look down as you take off you will wobble. And PEE on pride. I've ridden 50 years and owned a MSF course for almost 15 years. I go to a parking lot and practice at least monthly if not more. I recommend the MSF course even for an experienced rider. The BRC is considered a beginners course, but if you haven't had it, I bet you will learn a lots, and will bring back things your have forgotten.
 
Commit to moving out. Don't dally. Feet up on the pegs as soon as the clutch lever goes out.

I like the comment above. I felt it was a little "wobbly" from the first moment I rode this bike. At first I thought it was the fact that I came from a long line of CBRs. Then I thought it might be my height disadvantage. I've ridden this bike over two years now and still have a wobbly moment now and again. In my opinion, speed (or lack thereof) is the big factor. The wobbliness only happens at very low speeds. It's that spot between being balanced and not.

Like the others have said. Take off, when you take off. And, of course, Ride. Whether it is riding straight forward or practicing turns. Just ride. You'll get used to this bike eventually.
 
I like to practice coming to a stop and seeing how long I can keep my feet on the pegs. I think it helps me learn the balance of the bike. I nearly always stop with my right foot on the peg and rear brake. I use the rear brake as much or more that the front brake. Get you some tennis balls and cut them in half and setup and cone course in a parking lot. That'll fix those balance issues :)
 
I like to practice coming to a stop and seeing how long I can keep my feet on the pegs. I think it helps me learn the balance of the bike. I nearly always stop with my right foot on the peg and rear brake. I use the rear brake as much or more that the front brake. Get you some tennis balls and cut them in half and setup and cone course in a parking lot. That'll fix those balance issues :)
Pretty much agree except with front brake / rear brake division of use. I use almost only rear brake just the last few feet or mph to zero having started braking with front but trailed off of it as speed approaches zero. I use the together but never initiate braking with the rear brake. The front brake is for stopping, the rear brake is for control and finesse. YMMV of course.
 
I like to practice coming to a stop and seeing how long I can keep my feet on the pegs. I think it helps me learn the balance of the bike. I nearly always stop with my right foot on the peg and rear brake. I use the rear brake as much or more that the front brake. Get you some tennis balls and cut them in half and setup and cone course in a parking lot. That'll fix those balance issues :)

At my age, I've done good when I just remember to put my feet down, and don't fall over.
 
"Like the others have said. Take off, when you take off. "

Agreed... One other thing to think about is... Don't be over-anxious to get going if there's a car in front of you. Give that vehicle just a moment to accelerate away from you and then you will have plenty of space to "take off when you take off" .
 
Figure 8s in a parking lot slowly getting them tighter and tighter will help get the feel for balance back.

I agree with this practice maneuver, it will get you the experience of balancing the bike.

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Using the diagram above, I would use something like two light post in the middle of the lot. Start from the coming in from the right of the first one and make several loops and then exit. Then enter from the left doing the same maneuver in reverse.
 
Any parking lot that has standard parking spaces of 9' x 18' provides a great place to practice. Figure 8s, U turns, circles, straight lines are laid out for us. The old BMW rider's course outlined a rectangle 18' x 42' that was called The Eliminator. If you can figure 8 in a space 18' by 36, or 42, or even 50' long you have a skill that most riders never possess and you won't be anxious when facing a tight parking lot situation or a U turn on a country road. Make the Eliminator your friend. Anyone can pin the throttle and go 100 mph but the really good confident rider can be spotted calmly handling his iron pony at a walker's pace.... feet on the pegs, looking at where he wants to go.

95% of the time I gas up at the same station just before I head home and next to the station is a huge parking lot and almost every ride I practice either a few threshold braking emergency stops from 30 mph or a few figure 8s and circles or both before going home. It's a big lot and one of the big retail stores closed so one end is almost always empty.

Keep your head up and look where you want to go. Throttle against rear brake. Never use the front brake when the handlebars are turned more than a few degrees from straight ahead! The bike goes where the eyes are looking - "look down, go down" - so don't look down!

 
Yeah, figure 8s was the only test where I had points taken off in my motorcycle competency course. I didn't put a foot down but I strayed outside the perimeter. That was on a Suzuki 250 so I really need to start working with the heavier bikes (both the NC and my T-bird) to overcome this deficiency in my skills.
 
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