hands free?

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VermilionX · #1 Post by **VermilionX** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:16 am

i never got to a point when i was riding bicycles as a kid to let go of the bars and just pedal. so i never tried it on a my motorbike.

i know bikes are supposed to be actually very stable and will go straight on its own as long as the road is flat but how should your seating position be when you let go of the bars?

i asked some people about this too but i wanna ask for more info.

on the sport riding techniques book, this was brought up to prove that body steering isn't enough and you need to counter-steer to turn a bike.

anybody wanna shed some light on this topic?

NorthernPete · #2 Post by **NorthernPete** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:18 am

wouldnt that ummm...make you slow down? with the throtle being on the handle bars and all....and you wouldnt be able to access your clutch if needed...or front brakes....

I would not try that.......

CNF2002 · #3 Post by **CNF2002** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:56 am

Are you kidding??

I let go of the bars when I was a kid on my bike too. My bicycle didn't weigh 400 lbs and I wasn't travelling 75mph. As I recall, the act also involved pedaling to keep up speed and shifting weight back and forth to maintain balance. None of which you can do on a motorcycle.

Sorry but I think this is a crazy idea!

#4 Post by **Jamers!** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:07 am

if you had a high speed going, and were travling straight on a flat road at a high rate of speed, you could take your hands off the bar for a little bit, not long but a little bit, i wouldnt advise it at all and i dont see the point, but you could.

JWF

BigChickenStrips · Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:08 am

engine brakeing.

#6 Post by **bok** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:10 am

you could put a throttle lock on and get going in a straight line and then stand up on your seat in a Jesus Christ pose ...you could hit a rock or pothole and go pitching off your bike too. but it can all be done.

#7 Post by **Big B** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:18 am

yeah, go ask indian larry how it worked out for him

flynrider · #8 Post by **flynrider** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:23 am

I've never tried it on a sportbike. With the forward leaning seating postion and the rearset pegs, it doesn't sound easy.

I've tried the "Look 'ma, no hands" trick on a standard and you just sit straight up. If you don't have some sort of throttle lock or cruise control it's going to be difficult. The bike will be decellerating and your body will want to lean forward.

It's possible to slowly change lanes on a long straight road by shifting your weight, but I wouldn't call it an effective way of steering.

The Grinch · #9 Post by **The Grinch** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:48 am

Gee, I think my estimate of your new bike lasting 2-3 months might have been a wee bit liberal.

sharpmagna · #10 Post by **sharpmagna** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 12:05 pm

I've done it and the bike keeps going straight. Of course the bike slows down but I only did it for about two seconds. The idea is the same as if you did it on a bicycle.

Straight wide open road with no other cars so I didn't feel that it was dangerous to anyone but myself. You guys need to get off your soap boxes. Riding a motorcycle is controlled danger...