[CETME]

Are you supposed to put your left foot down... that way you can have your right foot on the rear brake... or should you keep your right foot down... so your gear shift foot is ready?

What do you guys do?

 

[test-reg]

it's supposed to be left foot first with your right foot on the brake. you should have downshifted to first before the end of your stop.

i land on whichever foot soots my fancy at the time.

 

[Andrew_Cornett]

It all depends on which class you are from. Old school use to teach left foot down and right foot on brake just incase. New school teaches to do what ever you want. I am personally from the old school and put left down. The only way I put both down is when I am in neutral.

 

[mdark750]

My left foot is sexier so i put it down...
I dont make any sense today, It's crazy Sunday ;D

 

[Guest]

I was old school and thats what they teach at the safety schools here. I now do right foot because It's my understanding that dry clutches don't like prolonged disengagement. Something to do with heating up the plates, so I always hit neutral when I stop. Don't know this for sure but it can't hurt.

 

[iamic]

Don't know about the dry clutch thing, but I personally think it is safer to keep your bike in gear until you know that the car behind you has seen you and has come to a stop (gotta be ready to move out of the way quick, ya know?). If there's no car behind me then yeah, I'll pop it in neutral - but as soon as I see a car approaching, I put it back in first. I think this is particularly important at night.

I usually put my left down first or sometimes both (I don't use that rear brake all that much anyway)

 

[infoage1]

When I was going for my formal motorcycle license at sixteen (you could ride solo on a learner's permit from 15 1/2), I had a similar question on the DMV test. Something like:

At a stop, do you put down:

A) Your left foot
B) Your right foot
C) Both feet

As I was riding a pretty big bike for the time (H0nda 750 Four), and had not yet started my growth cycle (maybe 5'3"), I knew the "correct" answer couldn't possibly be "C"....I think I got the rest of the questions right.

I mostly put just left

 

[Clutzoid]

I was taught left foot down, right on the brake, don't put the bike in neutral (as per iamic) so you can make a quick getaway.

In Australia, we drive/ride on the left, in order to allow rain/crap run-off the roads slope from the centre out. Australian engineering as is it means that you cannot guarentee the slope will be consistant therefore always putting your left foot down could be a big mistake.

 

[TX907]

Left. This allows me to keep my right on the brake. Especially after riding a ways, then I can take my right hand off the bars/brake/throttle and stretch it.

I don't put the bike in neutral unless there is a LONG light and all the traffic around me (behind me) has been stopped for a while.

 

[Stu Pedaso]

left definitely. no wait, I did use my right once today..

 

[KrazyKat]

My .02 cents:

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches:
Left foot down, right on the brake.
Then put both feet down when taking off from the stop.

 

[900Steve]

i always endup dropping the left foot down first. just as i come to a full stop both feet go down. like clutzoid said, you may not know which way the road is going to slope. i dont want to be caught off guard.

 

[Darkmonster]

:Re: Which foot do you put down at a stop?

Left....always, right foot on rear brake, one eye on rear view watching for non seeing cage drivers....Just in case :

 

[Guest]

My .02 cents:

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches:
Left foot down, right on the brake.
Then put both feet down when taking off from the stop.

Actually they teach "left foot to the ground first" but once at complete stop both feet down. This is for that last braking and then to balance your bike better at a standstill.

 

[Lee]

My .02 cents:

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation teaches:
Left foot down, right on the brake.
Then put both feet down when taking off from the stop.

I think KrazyKat has it right. It seems the most reasonable.

 

[scrappy]

I'm usually a left foot down kind of guy; unless of course I put the right down. Sometimes I try and put niether down; just roll through and try and balance without falling over.

I like to hold tight with the rear brake at stops if there is an incline and keep the clutch in- just in case some moron trys to run into me!

scooby ;D

 

[CETME]

Scooby,

I do the same thing, I try to balance as long as I can...... Seeing as I've ridden Flatland BMX bikes for several years now, I have pretty good balance on two wheeled contraptions...


I've been putting my right foot down, but it seems a bit more logical to use my left foot, for those slopes

 

[KrazyKat]

Actually they teach "left foot to the ground first" but once at complete stop both feet down.

 

[Guest]

I went to the Honda Riders course back in August, jeez it was hotter than.. well it was hot.

They DRILLED in the "proper" procedure for stopping

1) apply front AND rear brake gently
2) downshift while slowing down
3) come to a stop
4) left foot out - bike in 1st gear & clutch in
5) right foot out
6) check mirrors!

If you put your right foot down first you probably didnt use all your breaking power was their reason.
I do this almost everytime but I find once stopped I'm more comfortable to picking up my left foot for quicker launches/shifting. On almost any good hill I bring my right foot back up after a stop to hold the bike if I need too.

thats just me though. ;D

I think the MOST important thing is you dont tip over, how you do that is up to you.

 

[Guest]

Left foot for me. I was taught left and the right feels awkward. I'll generally throw the bike in neutral and sit up once the car behind me has stopped, but always leave my right foot on the brake to keep the light on. When I'm riding 2 up, I keep both feet down with my hand on the brake for better stability.