If riding for forty years makes you an oldtimer, all I can say is I never paid that much attention to something so silly. I almost always put down both feet after stopping. Maybe thats what he is after. I would not drag both feet or one for that matter as I am stopping. I like to unload the weight and shift my *** around when I get a chance. My old bones start to go to sleep after a while.

 

Years ago I got stopped for not putting both feet down at a stop sign.. I told the cop who was a ***** and was pretty much stalking me every time I was in town that if he would have been paying attention he would have seen that I didnt put any feet down and by the way how did I do ? .. He handed my license back and told me just go ... He wasnt very bright as I didnt have a cycle endorsement either ..

 

...... Thanks Gary....Saved me alot of typing!!

 

"Biker Etiquette" is somewhat reminiscent of " Military Intelligence" isn't it????

 

On the one hand "old" bikers may have developed some bad habits.

On the other - if they've lived that long perhaps they're doing something right.

I have no idea what this has to do with etiquette.

My tips for what they're worth:

Assume everyone on the road is a moron and could do virtually anything you could imagine and some things you couldn't.

Keep your distance.

Do everything you can to be visible to everyone on the road and everyone that might move onto the road whether you know they're there or not (after you've been doing that for a few years or so you don't have to think too much about what that means).

Learn to use the motor to pull you out of a dangerous situation. Learn every way your bike behaves as you accelerate. Learn how your bike behaves as you brake. Brake before a turn, accelerate out of a turn. Do not brake in a turn.

Use your rear view mirrors. Know what is behind you. Get out of the way of anyone who's riding your ***. Avoid road rage.

Take a course.

Don't listen too much to old farts (how's that for etiquette?)

 

Don't drag your feet while taking off.

 

You have got to be kidding me! This has nothing to do with balking at authority ... Good grief ... Not even close!

I am not an idiot, believe it or not. I know what it's like do it both ways. Using both brakes at a level stop on dry pavement is not required. The front brake will do just fine. Therefore keeping one foot up is not really accomplishing anything...other than providing you with an opportunty to even slightly shift your weight enough to lose your balance, then find yourself scrambling to put your foot down in time before you lose it completely. It's simply a matter of common sense. Do what YOU feel is right .. one or two .. Only the rider can choose which feels right at the time...Not because this is what was learned during an instruction course. Conditions change ... even a slightly strong wind can cause you to consider one method over the other. .. COMMON SENSE, I TELL YOU ... DON'T BE AFRAID TO USE IT!

Laws vary from state to state and province to province ... Some suggest that you should have both feet planted down to accomplish a proper and legal stop ... ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT EVEN THE LAW MAKERS ARE FIGHTING THE SYSTEM???

Good grief!

 

Damn - if you do everything exactly by the same set of rules one day circumstances will get the better of you. I'm a strong believer in adaptive riding. Riding in a way that best matches the conditions - weather, traffic and so forth. So what if certified motorcycle instruction courses say to do it this way or that?! These courses are necessarily aimed at producing the best outcome on average for the wide range of bikes and riders that attend the classes. So actually - yeah - I'm not going to do absolutely everything exactly by anyone else's book. I'm going to do what makes the most sense in each and every situation.

 

Here's a few good tips:

http://www.shinnysideup.com/msf/msf2.htm


I particularly like this quote:

One lesson that the MSF class teaches that I think needs to be clarified better is their admonition to always stop with one foot on the ground. Fine, if it is a small bike, but a touring bike should be stopped placing both feet on the ground at the same time, in my opinion. A slick spot is unforgiving, and very dangerous. Your rear brake can be released if your front brake is holding at 2 MPH with no concerns whatever. (Obviously, you do not put feet down until the bike is fully stopped.) The MSF used to teach that you stop with your RIGHT foot on the ground and the other on the peg. That was changed to LEFT foot down so that you could keep your right foot on the brake. In either case, by definition, your bike is not vertical with only one foot on the ground. If you must make a fast departure (to get out of somebody's way, for example), it takes more time to do so with one foot down rather than two. This, because you must straighten the bike as you depart, you have a more erratic start, and you must first take your right foot OFF the brake - all time consuming. Finally, you can probably rather easily handle a smaller bike with one leg, but a large touring bike is another case entirely. [There are always exceptions to the rule, of course. If you are stopped at a light on a severe incline, your right foot belongs on the brake pedal. Similarly, in a panic stop situation you want to stop with your foot still on the rear brake.

 

Conroskie,

Please stop with your one line post. My wife thinks I am a slow reader due to your one liners (avatar). Never seen anything like it and if I did would probally be homeless.