How to stand when riding offroad

[@RallyeX]

As someone who recently had a significant accident while on an easy Sunday morning ride, I’d say this. Stand when necessary, and while standing don’t switch off and look at the scenery. I was just poking along enjoying the morning standing on the pegs on my 1200GS. I hit a pothole, lost my balance, grabbed a handful of throttle as I fell backwards, found myself needing to jump a 3x3’ gully to avoid being thrown over the bars and into a fence, only to be hit by the bike underneath me, brake a vertebrae, and get thrown 15m across the road. The safest position is seated until you need to stand and control the bike.

[@laingdonschmitt2237]

Even for folks who already stand when things get difficult, a great summation of key posture points!

[@Michael_Shay]

I've been riding for just over 2 years, I've had to train the sit down out of fear thing out. I got better about it but wasnt perfect. About 7 months ago, i was sitting very lazily with awful foot position on a very easy section of trail, i wasnt paying attention and my front wheel caught a rut and i fell over at like 10mph. Super embarrassing drop, normally wouldnt have been anymore damage beyond my ego. However the bike landed on my foot and i ended up tearing a ligament in it and needing surgery. 4ish months later, I get back on the bike, and i noticed something interesting. When I get scared I instinctively stand up, its not even a question. It's almost like a positive trauma, I'm standing up to get more of my body out of harms way. So, if you're struggling with sitting down when you're scared, just dump your bike while sitting and tear a ligament in your foot and you'll be able to skip the process of training away that instinct haha

[@paulkenyon8950]

Thanks Bret. Great tutorial. Spot on. This is essential...it's also where the fun is, the ability to float with the motorcycle and the opportunities offered by the track being ridden. It's dynamics in place of statics. It's how surfers surf waves and skiers ski deep powder down a mountainside.

[@sspmoto]

What Brett says is gospel. 100% correct and well explained. So many riders seem to misunderstand riding in the standing position (hence popularity of bar risers). Standing bolt upright when there's no need like they're riding one of those "Segway" scooters..

[@bretthawton]

Love the "you always look better standing for video" tip😆

[@danmanthe9335]

I get through tough rocky sections by laying down

[@JacobOBanion]

Thank you for the great information Brett. I look forward to seeing you at the Washington class this summer.

[@TN.70]

Thank you very much for your videos. I don't know English, I'm posting subtitles in Polish. Thanks to your videos it's easier for me to master my Tiger 1200 GT Explorer 2023.

[@ShadowVonChadwick]

All good stuff. I remember my first group ride after a few decades not riding, all these big money, big bike riders were standing while we were on smooth sweeping hard packed dirt roads. I thought am I missing some new wisdom, I being older and with health problems, was just conserving energy. When we got to some rough tight tracks I spent that energy blowing past as I was just having fun. Must admit, I have had to work at getting technique & muscle memory back, but I scratched my head for a while. This is my fourth year back riding, went from 250 to a sorted 300cc & now an older low k KLX400r & a new RE Himmy450 for the long trips, don't need much bigger for now, it rides well with good suspension (for me that's important) & carries a full load with great Km/Lt, mpg (not the KLX400r, but it hoots). Cheers from Downunder 🖖

[@donarmstrong4166]

Thanks for everything you and your team do for the motorcycling community!

[@BretTkacs]

Glad to support riders!

[@darmah1959]

IMHO one of the biggest advantages of standing is it moves the center of effort to your legs/feet and hence much lower. Your legs are much stronger than your arms and you can use this to change the balance and direction a lot easier.

[@NickPalmer-ADV]

Third reason to stand is definitely the most important

[@Skiamakhos]

This is a good skill to have even if you don't go off-road. Where I'm from the roads are very potholey, but also I find if I ride 100 miles or so seated by knees will seize, I won't be able to put my foot down when I want to stop, so if I can stand up occasionally & flex my legs, I'm avoiding that happening.

[@rider65]

Yup, standing slightly or upright creates body-bike separation. Critical for control when the going gets rough...👍

[@johngvca]

As usual, great message and clear presentation. Looks like you filmed in the area around the Boise Valley area. Thanks for being an advocate for us guys on 600 lb "Dirt Bikes" and lovin it!

[@thetessellater9163]

Arms and legs like omni directional shock absorbers so the body is the sprung weight. Nice.

[@baxabuxa17]

Bret, you are super ❤❤. Thanks 👍👍

[@onemilemore541]

Another great video! Perfect one to send to my buddies that get scared standing up. Thanks Bret!

[@BretTkacs]

Please do!

[@therealturbofanisme]

Biggest reason to stand in rough situations is to preserve your own balance/separate your movement from the bike's. If you're sitting down and the bike hits a rock or rut and scoots sideways, that movement will also throw YOU sideways and knock you off course/off balance. If you stand the bike can move around under you without throwing you off. You talk about this a bit at the end but i feel it deserves more emphasis.

[@kobi-kobsen]

For me, it's mainly the queasy feeling when all the wheels underneath you lose grip. When I'm sitting down, I get a tingling sensation in my stomach, but when I'm standing up, I only notice it from a spectator's perspective. I stay much cooler this way and ride more safely and relaxed.

[@PeterBaumgart1a]

Standing is also about leverage, or torque exerted, especially sideways. The moving (rider) mass is larger if you move your whole body, as opposed to just torso when sitting, also with more range (as Bret demonstrated), but your lever now starts at the pegs. And as we know, torque is force times lever length, with the force being the gravity force (component) that your repositioned body creates.

[@neilsmith3258]

Awesome info as always thanks Bret

[@BretTkacs]

It's what I do. 😁👍

[@jamescarroll5441]

Great, informative video.

[@matiassanmartin2830]

Hola bret, saludos desde chile. Estoy recien empezando en el mundo de las motos y tu contenido es realmente extraordinario. Espero poder viajar a usa y realizar un entrenamiento. Saludos.

[@morley3810]

Thanks Bret, I always enjoy trying to learn from your experience and excellent explanations. I have a question though. I come from a motocross/single track/XC race background . One of the key points of instruction from basically ANY high level MX coach is to hinge at the hips, keep your knees behind your toes, and squeeze the bike with your legs. Like SQUEEZE. Why the difference here? Is it the relative weight of a big ADV bike (which I now have and have been spending a bit of time off-road on), or the slower speed of ADV riding on technical terrain vs a lighter MX or hard XC style (Like YZ250X for example) bike? Or??? What am I missing? Why the radical difference in this one area of technique? Thanks!

[@GrumpyGoat]

Great video. Makes sense. Thanks.

[@BretTkacs]

It's what I do! 😁

[@artwebb6939]

Sometimes I stand on the bike because it's a dual sport and the seat hurts my butt after a while 😂

[@michagolonko9633]

I love this guy!

[@C_R_O_M________]

Legs should be looser and not always in grip with the motorcycle. Even in your footage on the Desert X, you seem to let the bike move underneath you, independently of your legs, as you should. There are situations in which gripping the bike is the right thing to do and others when letting it move underneath you (without gripping) similarly so. Moreover, positioning of the body while standing is essential and depended on what you are trying to accomplish. Accelerating hard needs you to be leaning forward, decelerating or going down a steep downhill, get your body further to the back to counterbalance the tipping over forces. Neutral positions (straight up) I personally use to stretch from a long day's ride. Everything has a purpose aside from bad technique which makes everything more difficult, tiring and dangerous. Nice clip.

[@PurpleFenderMan]

I suppose it comes with experience, being able to 'get ahead' of what the bike will do in a given situation? I find myself getting tense on loose gravel especially when a turn is coming because I'm always expecting the front end to wash out, and I end up puttering around the corner pretty much bolt upright. Guess I'm still scared of the thing...

[@perrysteed4069]

Thanks for the refresher, Bret. Was looking for your wheel video from a couple years ago as I'm trying to decide what size front and rear to have built. What do you run on this bike?

[@BretTkacs]

21x2.15 (still fits the tire pressure sensor). The rear is a 17x4 however you can probably fit a 150/70-17 sized tire on your factory 17x4.25 rim. The 4.25 is proper for a 150-170 tire. The 4" is just weighs less and I now I can run a 140 if I want to.

[@perrysteed4069]

@BretTkacs thank you. I'm assuming Woody's are still the way to go

[@pappaclutch3266]

Can you do a video how to check sag when your solo. On your BMW with the bags.

[@therealturbofanisme]

Get a sag setting tool. Otherwise you need help.

[@mntbighker]

My problem is that on the mountain bike my instincts are EXACTLY what you describe. But on the motorcycle it feels entirely foreign to stand. I feel exposed and of balance. I can't work out the psychology involved in this conflicted situation. I actually wish the throttle was a lever like on an ATV, and the levers were both brakes like on the mnt bike.

[@therealturbofanisme]

Just need more seat time, you'll get used to it.

[@smarter_solutions]

Does it makes sense to stand on a sports tourer? (S1000XR)

[@SmokinZen]

My problem was I kept squeezing my knees which was not a good thing

[@UHDStudio]

Best On YT for tutorials. Period. L.B.

[@BretTkacs]

Thank you so much. I try to share what matters. Given this is what I do for a living but I still give away all my knowledge for free in these lessons to help make our hobby more fun for all.

[@dmitriygrishin2865]

Hi Coach, again center of mass not changes - bike's or rider's when u taking about rider's position

[@cannistershot2277]

2:20 - what an amazing skyline/backdrop! Brett, what windscreen is on your bike in this video?

[@BretTkacs]

Oem BMW screen with blackout paint on the backside

[@nderezic]

I through the opposite was true: people stand up naturally whenever they feel unsafe. Well that's maybe because I know many bicycle riders and just a few motorcycle riders 🤷

[@HowardHunt-s7z]

Center of gravity vs. Point of influence.

[@michagolonko9633]

Very well said.

[@rometpott1267]

Great, thanks ;) Which handlebar muffles do you have there ?

[@BretTkacs]

Hippo hands

[@SimonBrisbane]

I usually use my legs.

[@baxabuxa17]

Very beautiful mountains and nature. Where was this filmed?...

[@BretTkacs]

This was shot in Idaho with a few b-roll clips from Moab

[@baxabuxa17]

@BretTkacs Arches national park ... Super, thanks Bret.

[@GrumpyGoat]

BUT ... standing looks cool and makes us look like we know what we're doing ... 😁🙄

[@MrRplo]

Excellent. Just have to disagree with looking better standing up -- too many meerkats in ADV suits cruising through town.

[@srmtravelstories]

On my KTM 390 Adv 2021 model, I need to bend forward to much to hold handlbar. My height is 5.10. This adds stress to my knees and back. So in off-road I hardly stand. Just go through it slowly. 😂

[@therealturbofanisme]

This is one motorcycle where a full size human does need bar risers. It's physically smaller, so add some risers. Don't go too crazy, maybe compare to a full size bike and try to replicate those ergos.

[@mosa4688]

You are gonna get kicked out of the BMW club with this message.

[@gasdive]

I can't sit for long anymore...

[@DansADV]

I was going to make this video. No need now :) Well said... Beginners stand when it's easy, sit when it's hard... experienced riders do the opposite.

[@BretTkacs]

Every so often I have to revisit topics I've covered before or they get lost and buried on KZbin

[@olliechristopher467]

I sometimes stand when it's easy just to stretch during long rides. Something very rarely mentioned in these videos is motorcycle mass. Even at pro level you cannot get away with a 600lb bike that you can on a 275lb one.

[@dvargdamnit]

@@BretTkacs Consistent and right as always. Ive gone from complete novice to predicting what you're about to say in a few years. Great Teacher!

[@scottbayles3407]

I’ve Bennion enjoying Bret’s content for years even though I never leave the pavement on my BMW K75S. A lot of what he shares here helped me a few months ago back when I was out on a group ride. We we out in some rural twisties and I fell a little behind. Trying to catch up I took a hard left a bit too hot and high-sided off into the weeds. Rather than staying in the saddle and hitting the brakes, I quickly stood up, stayed on the throttle and rode it back into the road. Learning to ride is a smorgasbord of inputs regardless of how or where you ride.

[@heremansmarc]

Dommage que je n'ai pas un meilleur niveau car le voyage au Maroc m'aurait vraiment plu. Mon anglais, ça va, en tout cas pour comprendre les vidéos.

[@justusgronts3882]

Found no faults in what you said , , , problem arises ; most riders (that need this) after about ten words are only hearing BLAH BLAH BLAH blah! , , , , readers digest version, , The moment you stick your foot out to dab against the front wheel pushing, you have moved your moment of inertia from about the seat weight contact point to the inside direction of the turn (effectively turning into the skid) Standing puts your body weight "moment of inertia" up high. Allowing you to USE it to leverage (inside knee, outside foot ,and hands) against the weight of the bike thats to far over to stop the front from pushing. All leveraging points depend on the only two in contact with the ground. Any time you take a foot off of the pegs to touch the ground you DECRESE the amount of traction of the wheels. Not hating on your gig tis much needed, what is also needed are less dumbass riders going faster than they can handle. IMHO from a rider since 1962, who has never crashed on public roads but broken more than a few bones while racing/riding in those years since. 10👍/10👍

[@chaseweeks2708]

I'm standing up most of the time I'm doing less than 60, paved or unpaved. Helps see further over the cars ahead of me, better air flow in the heat of Hawai'i, I feel like I can balance a lot better at snail's pace and I can even track-stand a bit. But, most of all, it's more fun. Also results in some funny interactions with other random riders on sport/naked bikes occasionally.

[@DonHavjuan]

Hahahaha

[@stevemartinez4180]

;-)

[@DonHavjuan]

As usual you don't understand center of gravity. When you can let the bike moves under you, the mass you contribute to the center of gravity reduces. Thus, the center is lowered.

[@BretTkacs]

That is incorrect.... That argument take me back to my point regarding sprung weight