I am a old bloke. On the wrong side of 70. I remember when the English and Euro guys came out here to race Motocross/Scrambles in the 70's. Guess what, they all rode standing. I remember not that long ago, I learned to ride in the sand by steering with my feet, by weighting the footpegs and steering by throttle. I was totally amazed at the difference it made. This was on an XR400 fully loaded with kit and a 30lt tank. Later on an 1150BMW Adventurer. Same thing. Mind you, I wouldn't feel the need if my front wheel wasn't pushing sand or gravel.
As a relative newbie to adv riding I found standing, knees tight on the tank, arms up and elbows bent, head forward provided me with much better vision and control on my 1200GSA and with that came more confidence to extend myself. Touch wood, I am yet to have a significant off and can push it (almost) as well as the next guy. Cornering in sand and on deep gravel was soooo much more controlled and standing meant I could see much farther ahead and adjust my body position accordingly because cornering techniques on an tall adv bike in rough or soft terrain are so different to that on the road where I spent the first thirty years riding. For longish straight sections on graded gravel or smooth dirt, sitting is fine but I always stand for fast corners and when the going gets rough, there are so many more inputs than road riding which be managed better by standing in my view, it is not simply a vertical centre of gravity issue. So while science and maths may be saying I'm wrong, experience says I'm right. Won't be changing a thing.
"Sit when you can, stand when you have to" is the motto I live by and I would agree most ADV riders think they have to stand all the time. But, in a lot of ways here, you are incorrect. ADV bikes are easier to control in difficult terrain when standing, especially at speed. MX racers stand more than you think, trials riders all the time and in Rally a hell of a lot, especially when the pace is hot over rough terrain. Your "science' only takes into consideration centre of mass, not how inputs at various locations effect the machine, of the stability and connection of the rider to the bike.
I did Moto X for a bit and the only time I sat down was in the corners. Weight forward and foot out through the corner then stand as soon as you are out. You let the bike do the work and your weight is low on the pegs. So in rough and sandy conditions it's better to stand.
When seated, the point at which the bike is taking all your body weight is at the seat, i.e. a high point. When standing, this point is at the foot pegs, a lot lower, more stable position. Of course, This comes down to if the rider adopts correct leaning/counter leaning techniques.
That's another fallacy. You weigh the same Wether sitting or standing. The bike carries the weight at the tyres contact point. Moving forward and back may vary weight distribution if seated but won't change a thing if you are standing. Standing on pegs makes bike less stable in all directions.
There's a time to stand AND a time to sit !!! A rider will stand to soak up impact with the knees, and standing allows large, quick, body movements to rebalance the bike. But there is a world of difference when gee'ing out or rebalancing a large loaded offload touring bike - if the body movement can make the difference when you have 500kg of loaded offload touring bike going in a direction you don't want it to? Most riders would be better off staying seated and slowing down for impact - and riding within their skill level. The technical benefits of standing come when standing in the 'attack posture' - knees squeezing the tank, knees bent, torso forward, head over bars, elbow bent and raised (ready for action - ready for large and rapid body movement. muscles tensed and positioned ready for action). Most newbie adv riders I see have straight arms, straight back and straight legs. I think there is a fair amount of newbie adv riders who are using adv riding to counter a mid-life crisis, a display of wealth, or other such mindless, unthinking, ego driven wankery. Standing while riding has become more of a fashion statement rather than a required technique (for the speed and conditions they are in).
Wow brace for impact. think you may have opened up a can of worms here. You obviously dont understand ADV bike riding. However good work on the scientific approach and the effort you put into this Vid. Good luck.
It certainly has people talking. There are times for both but the amount of standing now seems ridiculous. I have seen them stand for speed humps on bitumen and even when leaving the fuel bowser. I'm enjoying the flack at the moment.
