Advice for short riders please

[Ming]

Have to agree with Scotty - I have a 790 Duke now and feel much more confident holding that up than the 790Adv and 1190Adv that went before it.
I know I've cursed it now and will end up in a heap on the floor first time I take it out......

[Niccihallas]

Wow, thanks Scott for taking the time for such a comprehensive response. I do love my Sv sooooo much. I have had thicker soles put on my boots, but, if and when I feel it's time for a change, I am definitely going to try the suggested boots and if and when I get the chance, I shall see if I can try the KTM you mentioned. Thank you!

[Niccihallas]

Oh no Ming, don't think like that. I was hell-bent on riding this morning so I can shake the whoopsie off, but my dad has said he wants to loosen the chain before I ride it again - booooooo! Hopefully, get out tomorrow morning - weather allowing! But honestly, I've ridden big, highly strung horses my entire life, and I live by the rule that when you have a shit ride, you need to get out there again asap and replace it with a good ride. I suspect the same applies to bikes. I dropped a bike when I was 19, a gorgeous VFR400 which had just been bought up to showroom condition. It haunted me and is probably why Ive left it so long to get back riding. Now, I think, stuff it and have turned it around from OMG I've dropped a bike, to oh well I've dropped it again! Thank god for crash bungs!!!!!

[Dorset_Dumpling]

This is something I have had to learn to deal with over the years. I am 5'6" with a 27" inside leg. For me, it was all about practice. One trick I have learned is how to balance the bike at a stop so If I am only stopping for a couple of seconds I don't need to put my foot down. If I do have to stop and put my foot down, as I come to a stop I have a quick look at the road and check the road surface and camber and If I have to move to one side of the lane or the other to get good footing, then that is what I do, also, if I have to put my right foot down instead of covering the brake then I do it. The other thing I noticed that made a big difference is how I stop. When coming to a stop, just before I come to a complete stop, I release the front brake and stop using the back brake. I find that stopping with the front forks unloaded makes the bike more stable and steady. I also wait until the bike has stopped completely for a second before putting my foot down. Rather than leaning the bike, I slide myself across the seat and hold the bike upright, sometimes with only one cheek on the seat.
Having said that, I have dropped bikes numerous times. The most embarrassing was when I was a motorcycle Paramedic. I was attending an RTA and pulled up at the scene. Unfortunately I didn't notice the spilled fluid on the road and put my foot down right on it. My foot slipped and down I went with my leg under the bike. There was no way I could lift over 370kgs of Pan-European off of myself so I had to wait until a couple of large firemen lifted the bike off me, much to the amusement of everyone there, especially my box-driving colleagues. Although the motorcycle traffic cop did say that everyone of his colleagues has done that before.

[billinom8s]

https://youtube.com/shorts/sHm_wizutuA

[menzies3032]

https://youtube.com/shorts/sHm_wizutuA

What he looses in hight he clearly make up in nimbleness.

[Niccihallas]

Hi Dorset Dumpling. Thanks for sharing that with us. I'm 5ft 3ish but have a 30" leg. Its so good to hear of someone else having the same issues and yet still riding. So practice, practice, practice for me then. Hopefully, we'll catch up face to face one day, be nice. x

[Kata]

https://youtube.com/shorts/sHm_wizutuA

What gets me is that he has the pillion pegs down.

[Streetmann]

Hi Dorset Dumpling. Thanks for sharing that with us. I'm 5ft 3ish but have a 30" leg. Its so good to hear of someone else having the same issues and yet still riding. So practice, practice, practice for me then. Hopefully, we'll catch up face to face one day, be nice. x

That's some leg for 5ft3 I'm 5.6ish with a 29" leg and as everyone is saying after practice it really wont matter I am no pro and I dont struggle you just learn what works for you

[Niccihallas]

Thank you. Cant wait to get out and met you and everyone else.

[Chicky]

I actually think my KTM is sightly taller than my SV but so much lighter it gives me much more confidence in slow speed handling. Can you get both tippy toes down? If so, I’d recommend that rather than one foot flat. That way you can keep the bike upright and balanced. Much easier than fighting with gravity!