Dual Sport Motorcycle Skills - Standing on the Pegs

Many riding skills can be learned well in a parking lot, before they are needed on the trail. Information on such skills is to be found in Skills documents like this one. These articles present more detailed breakdowns of specific skills mentioned in the Challenges document, along with thoughts on how to teach yourself those skills. For more information on why / when this skill is required, see the Challenges post.

Remember to check the "Links: Riding Technique" section in the sidebar for more thoughts on how to handle your motorcycle off pavement. As I find pertinent links or they are sent to me, I will add them there.

Keep in mind that however definitive the text may come across, this is just some blog and I am just some guy. Neither of us knows all there is to know about riding motorcycles, and some or all of what we know may be dangerously wrong.

Last Update: 10/25/06

Listen pal, you’ve got to get rid of the preposterous notion that the handlebars are there so you can steer the bike. They are there to give the controls and mirrors some place to attach. The more you and your body get that, the more comfortable and sensible you will feel standing on the pegs.

For now, just try it. Go somewhere flat and straight and traffic-free and stand up. Go through a gear or two, slow down and speed up. You should stand with the balls of your feet on or just in front of the pegs, your knees slightly bent, hands resting on the bars. You should be putting almost no force on the bars in any direction; you don’t want to have to lean on them or hang back off them. Your legs should hold you upright; you hold the bars mainly to keep the front tire from doing anything incredibly stupid, and to keep your hands in proximity to the controls. If you find it difficult to stand without putting a lot of force on the bars, you may need to raise the bars / lower the pegs, or to move them forward / backward. Your elbows should be out. If your hands on the grips feel a little like they are grasping doorknobs, about to open a door, your elbows may be out enough.

Hey, I can see my front tire from here!

You will find that as long as you keep your weight even on the pegs, you travel in a straight line. You will also notice that if you lift up a foot, say to shift its position on the peg, you have to apply opposing pressure on the bars in order to maintain a straight line. You have had your first experience with the Dark Arts of steering while standing... There should be a post about that...

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