I’ve got a 26” inseam. This video was incredibly enlightening! The scene where you’re dragging your foot across the seat has been me, especially when I’ve got gear strapped to the rear seat. Thanks for showing me a better way.
Greetings from Poland (this is somewhere in the middle of Europe ;-) ) Thank you, your channel is for me one of the most important places for motorcycle education.
Thanks for these tips. I”m a 5’6” female with regular length legs. My f800gsa is still tall, even after lowering it 2” and a lower seat. I’m gonna practice some of these techniques because stopping for me has been a real challenge🤪. (Let’s just say - thank goodness for crash bars😂)
@Nombre Apellido Thanks for that🙏🏼. My only problem with the Captain Morgan’s stance is that, because my bike’s center of gravity is high, when I lean it to one side a tiny bit with the leg/butt off the seat, the tipping point is borderline. I’ll never give up. Just gotta keep practice stopping. I have no problem moving, hahahaha😂
I am 5'10", but with a 30" inseam (don't try the math there. Long torso.) This video has opened up a new world that I had assumed I wasn't allowed jnto.
What really destroyed my confidence was the thought I wouldn’t be able to pick up the bike after the balance test. Comparing me to your cramped version of walking around the bike , you were a ballerina. So, I got a large carpet out, removed the plastics of the bike, got my partner with me and started practicing picking up my bike. The difference between knowing the theory and actually doing it...
Absolutely excellent video. Love the advice: “don’t fight the bike…” I have been struggling with getting comfortable with my bike, so will definitely work on the balancing exercise. Also, addressing the fear of dropping the bike: “…if the bike falls, well, that’s ok… just do it with class.”
Motor officers are always taught to get off on the high side as you are not stepping off into traffic when stopped on the side of the road - at least in North America! Love your site.
Thanks for the tips. I plan to create exercises over the winter with my 2nd bike. A honda shadow VLX600 to a VTX1300. I am 5'6" and very new to riding motorcycle. A late start is better than no start at 50 years old.
Man you are a motorcycle Acrobat! I always learn several things from your videos and sometimes have to watch them twice to feel like I got everything thanks for the tips! Hope I can take one of your classes someday!
To help with the math of the 5” curb…the technique you showed is more effective than you indicated. That 5” curb represented a 5” change in leg length. The body is roughly 50/50 divided at the waste so a 5” delta in leg length is more like a 10” change in height. That trick made you 5’2” -ish. In other words - damn good advice for us shorter guys and gals.
Hi, I’m a short guy with 5 feet 2 inch and I’m now riding a metal heavy ZXR 750 J2 and a light F800R. Both have different ways of riding and most ideas in this videos is very useful and I also learn new things as well here. For a short person out there don’t stop riding....keep on riding to gain your confidence and understand your bike. I ride everyday to my workplace n any weather conditions. Believe yourself, you and your bike will be as one.
Even being 6'3" many of the tips were still helpful. Especially tips for mounting the motorcycle as I have never used the footpegs as a step for mounting, going to try that tomorrow.
I love this. Instead of convincing someone to get a bike that just too big and heavy for them, you are giving practical solutions and work arounds that can be used in the real world!
Great tips, I ride a GS 850 Adventure, being only 5' 6" I always learn the bike over left or right so I can be one foot down . I always look for the high ground when stopping . The GS's are well balanced bikes and have never felt that the bike is going tip over.
This was an awesome video, I've been riding for years, and I am a short rider, always scared about dropping my bike, but this video not only was hilarious but helpful, I will definitely put into practice all these tips.... thanks a lot, well done
I love the confidence Bret has around the bike. Sound and simple tips to help. I'm a short rider on a R1250GS and already know to plan ahead and slide off the seat - the advice to do it all the time is great and I'll definitely now do that as I was caught out this week by a missing road (it was further away than I thought). No issues other than a minor panic as my foot kept travelling down. Had I used Bret's advice it would have a non-issue. Made me laugh about climbing on and off the bike from front and back - just goes to show what confidence can do. Dismounting high side and other tips are all going to be tried. Now, I am sure there is a back catalogue of videos to watch...
This walking around the bike was not as easy as I thought. Good idea to put the bike on a soft grass :) Great videos, Bret. You really help in getting a better rider.
Wow been riding 40 years plus on the short side myself you taught me something matter of fact I'm going to turn around watch it one more time thanks so much
Great video. I'm about 5' 8" and my torso is long relative to my legs, so it's nearly impossible to get both feet on the ground while sitting on my bike. I'm also 70 years old and have had multiple surgeries and broken bones in my arms and shoulders, which leave me with very little arm strength. If I let my bike lean much at all while stopped, I find it nearly impossible to hold it up. My worst experience was having to stop along a freeway in Virginia to change out of my rain gear (it had rained but was hotter than hell once it stopped). The shoulder was covered with gravel and sloped down from the road quite a bit. My bike was on the verge of tipping over when the kickstand was down. After changing gear, I mounted and prepared to drive off, but in order to bring the kickstand back up, I had to lean the bike past its point of balance so far that I couldn't hold it (the gravel under my right foot didn't help). The bike went down, and I couldn't get it back up by myself given the angles and the lack of traction and strength. Fortunately, a motorist stopped and helped me get it going again. I now pay a great deal of attention and stop only where I know I can do so safely.
AMAZING! Bret is so good he can't even fake being awkward with the weight of the bike. I love this guy! And this video was super helpful for this 29" inseam rider.
5'4" and really grateful for this advice, Bret. I have a new (to me) Versys-X that I plan to spend this weekend getting to know using your tips. I can wholeheartedly confirm that when you don't have a lot of upper body strength or height, you look at pretty much every bike and think "I can't handle that weight if it's not moving". In turn, that damages your confidence, and you find yourself getting wary when it's time to move it around the garage, or when you come to a stop on uneven terrain. I can do this. Thank you. Ever thought about running training courses in Canada? We have poutine and bears, if that helps...
Hey Laura, I just wrote this in another comment, so just copy it here in case it is useful. Finding high heel boots was of great help to me! My inseam is 30" and I love adv bikes and struggle with height too. Maybe you have already looked into it, but there are boots with heels that can add 2 inches and I find them really helpful. Even with the heels I cannot flatfoot my bike but it definitely helps me to feel more secure when stopping. I have invested in Daytona boots, they are a German brand and in the States you can get them at Revzilla. I really wanted the Lady Star GTX boots but my feet are gigantic, so had to get the men's version, the M-Star GTX. They have other styles if you prefer them more feminine, I believe all the ladies' styles have 2" heels and some of the men's do too. They also let you adjust the calf width, which for me is a godsend! A couple of the TCX brand boots have heels too, I have the Street Ace Lady for summer, they look great for city riding. Both of these size quite big, I got one size less than I need for the Italian brands. The Daytona are expensive, but so worth it for me!
@@SiriKaktiki - This is just miss-information. This can make it even harder to handle the bike, fall over more often and even crash. And the bigger size of the boots, is so you can have ticker wool socks on. If you use thin socks in your boots. You are doing it wrong. Boots you wear for a long time, you always have ticker wool socks on. And even 2 layers or more, if you have to. That is to protect your feet against cold and warm weather. The same is with rest of the gear.
Love the idea of getting off the high side using the pegs. At 5'8" I'm not short and with a 31.5" seat height my bike isn't exactly tall either but when I've got roll bags / duffle bags on the back I always worry about fuel stops and trying not to get my leg caught on the bag and hitting the deck on the petrol forecourt as a result. My neighbours are in for a treat later when I go out on the driveway to practice. It is going to be comedy gold as probably won't be as slick as Bret.
So what I'm hearing you say is.....Go practice...practice...practice and when you feel comfortable get out there and practice more :-) Love the content.
I’d be interested to see a video on riding in the wind. I rode I-90 from Idaho to Western WA, and had some periods of crazy crosswinds. As a new rider, it was horrifying.
Coming out of yakima is terrifying. The hot desert air is fighting the cold mountain air trying to trade places. Just slow down. Dont be in a hurry. I rode my drz400 over 90 last month it's about 550lb with me and my gear and very tall. It was like being a sail. I slowed to 55ish and it got way easier
@@johnboy2251 Try Vantage highway out of Ellensburg towards the Tri Cities, I ended up in the oncoming lane before I knew what was happening. Slowing down is great advice. I've also moved my knee out away from the motorcycle on the upwind side, it kind of acts like a sail to pull you into the wind. Gotta be careful and try to anticipate where the wind will gust into you at.
Smile while you ride, you are absolutely correct. I just found this after buying a much bigger bike than I am used to. The cowboy step up and over from the high side was something I never considered. RU-vid is amazing.
Many thanks for this Brett.. Re Rolling dismount.. I've owned and operated a motorcycle tour guiding company in New Zealand for the past 25 years. One of my Guided tour clients (an experienced US rider, well over 6 feet tall) had his rolling dismount go spectacularly wrong one day, and suffered serious injuries. He extended the sidestand while still rolling but it caught an object before he'd come to a stop at a gas station. He didn't notice that it had been knocked back up into the retracted position. As he dismounted, the bike (A Triumph Tiger 955i) fell on his hip, which caused him to panic and he shoved it off of his hip (the other way) too vigorously. When he saw the bike falling away from him, he tried to save it by grabbing at the far side handlebar. He learned that you can't fight the laws of physics - the weight of the bike and the leverage from length of the handlebar applied a perfect Aikido throw. He was hurled over the top of the bike, did a somersault and then ran straight through a plate glass window as he came up from his rolling somersault. I far prefer Jocelin Snow's "short-ass dismount" where she actually steps off the bike to the left as it comes to stop, in a cowboy moving dismount, WITHOUT deploying the sidestand. She then lowers the sidestand while stopped, with the bike sitting on her hip, and in full control. The rolling dismount deploying the sidestand while rolling IS flashy.. but it has the capacity to go badly wrong.
Ohhh man. This vídeo was perfect to me. I own a bmw exactly like this one of the video and I've feeling some difficults to ride then. This tips give me more confidence with the bike.
Man that GS is stable on that side stand. My Duke once fell over even when no one was on it. Thank you for the useful info. Loved all the tips specially the first one.
*This video has astounded me.* I have stocky short 'Rugby Legs' and have been riding bikes on and off since 16yrs old. I am now 50 and I wish I knew the lessons you covered from the start. The last bike was a HD FXDB Street Bob with a 1600cc engine. I had to lower the shocks to just reach the ground and then I never felt confident stopping on it (or the Honda CB750k7 I had at 30yrs old, or any bike for that matter! ), to which you have now made me realise, fighting the bike and getting stationary and on and off the bike, can be overcome. YOU ROCK(guitar solo)!!! Thanks :) Subscribed ;)
Thank you so much. After watching this video I am completely convinced that I can also own a BMW R1250gsa with my height of 5 feet 7 inch. You got a subscriber.
Thank you very much, Sir. My height is 5 feet 3 inches, your tips gave me a new perspective and confidence to look at the huge bikes. I am for sure following your tips.
Bret, dunno if if know AdrRider website. But one of the most important rule is: "if you've nothing nice to say, STFU". That's a rule I'm following. always. and not only on the web. As you said, made the world smile. And you're doing a pretty good job so far, mate.
Jesus, scaring the crap outta me. I so need to master the balance thing. You are spot on that it all starts there no matter what your size is. Thx. Plan on watching all your vids. I ride a r1250r.
Great information Bret. At a height of 5’6”, my KLR650 was always a challenge when stopped. Learned to mount on the right side and only put one foot down when stopped.
Giving lectures is way easier than real world facing. Only he can understand the feeling with a shorter height to handle such huge metal-nothing-for-anything-motorcycle.
Thanks, Bret!...being a shorter rider myself, I've had to learn many of these tricks and techniques, mostly the hard way!...as always, presented in a fun and informative manner...cheers!
I have reflective black tape on my crash bars now. For added visibility. Not because I dropped my bike when practicing the mounting from the different side and am hiding scratches.
A ton of my friends ask me about tips for riding (especially shorter friends) and I've always said just go somewhere safe and push the bike around, move it around, hold it, stand by it, just understand the bike.
The drone will help you. Anyhow for those we follow you since time ago you have a lot of things pending to show us ( mud, tools, turn around, winch on the bike or even hoy to fall down with style) . GREAT.
Hi Bret! This is one of your best videos yet. You are really starting to hit your stride. The limited but tasteful use of music in the beginning was great. Your creative camera angles added a lot. Your sense of humor is coming through better now and it's showing in your production. The only weak part of the video was the picture quality. I could only watch it in 480P. Are you recording in 4K or at least in 2K? When you are producing the movie in your editing software, are you choosing the highest quality rendering? (Even if you, say, record in 2K, you should render the movie in 4K) Sometimes it takes a while for RU-vid to fully render your upload and when people watch it early after you have released it, they can only watch it in low def. So what you can do is initially upload it as "unlisted" and then wait 24 hours before you list it publicly. That gives RU-vid time to completely render it and allow it to be viewed in the highest possible definition. I really liked your content here. You definitely have a unique perspective on motorcycling that isn't cookie cutter boring content like most of RU-vid. Thanks again for all you do for the motorcycling community. MUCH appreciated!
I am not vertically challenged and I (unfortunately) don’t own a GS - but I have watched this clip dozens of times and try and practice every tip in it (except the climbing on over the front and off over the rear). VERY helpful for every rider! Thanks!
There is no best of both, there is the metric system wich is good and the imperial wich is pure dog shit. Mixing both is completely autistic, at least US got that part right.
