Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Just to further hijack the thread...

On the Road King, I actually have to anticipate and decide which foot to put down. There's one stoplight where the whole road angles up to the right. If I try to stop on my left foot, I actually lean the bike past the "point of no return" and have almost dumped the bike (I very quickly scooted my butt to the right). So, to add to Lion_Lady's advice, practice stopping on one foot, but practice stopping on the left foot and stopping on the right foot.

Just my $0.02

As for the woman that had a problem with her V Star 650, they make a whole series of aftermarket seats and stuff to fix this problem. But I would also get on a V Star 650 forum or two for they should know how and what works best for you're not the only one with a problem with this. The bike is basically designed with this problem from the start.

As which is more stabler, 3 or 4 points, I don't know scientifically. However, a large group of people, when they first start riding, put their feet on the ground, flat footed, and stand up a bit. This causes them to lose control of their bikes because their legs just aren't holding onto the bike anymore.

As for the woman who started this post in the first place, take your seat to an upolsterer if you feel uncomfortable doing the work. Most shops will fix that in a jiffy and it should be fairly cheap. But check first.

Given the SAME condition, four points is going to be more stable than three. This is an irrefutable fact. I don't know how anyone can argue this.

Regardless, my original statement was I usually plant my left foot down at stops. However, in the case of a very strong wind coming from random directions, I put both my feet down to protect myself and the bike from being blown down from both directions. If you only have your left leg down, you have good stabilty if the wind blows from your right side, however you are quite vulnerable if the wind blows strong from the left side.