Serious "no hands" question

[lotusexcelle]

So I'm not looking for a flame war. I just have a question: What are your thoughts on brief no-hands riding? Specifically 15-30 seconds at highway speeds (60mph) on a Buell XB12XT.

 

[dinosaurs]

probably a bad habit, but i do it all the time. i also take may hands off when rolling to a red light. i ride an XB though.

 

[victormonopoly]

You slow down considerably.

 

[Macdoodles]

It can be done. I have done and continue to do it.

That being said, 60mph = 88 feet per second. That's covering a lot of ground very quickly. A lot could happen.

 

[lotusexcelle]

Consider a throttle lock is also in place = no decel.

 

[xtreme]

Not good if you hit a part of the road that's not flat. I do every once on a while for a quick stretch bu very brieflY

 

[konarider94]

no big deal, i do down hills all the time

 

[lotusexcelle]

Can anyone cite a link stating one way or another that its okay/not?

 

[Oakes_86]

I do this quite a bit..also one handed more than no hands

 

[konarider94]

Can anyone cite a link stating one way or another that its okay/not?

from what kind of source, how would it be different than what people say here? anything that you would find is written by a person. there are several people on here that do this including myself with no big issues. ive taken my hands off going over railroad crossings. its probably not a good idea to not be holding on to the controls. there is a risk associated with it. are you expecting a link from the MSF stating that its okay? because that is obviously not going to happen.

in some states you can get a ticket for taking both hands off though.

 

[lotusexcelle]

So let me explain why I ask - recently during a lunch conversation at work I mentioned how I've taken my hands off of my handlebars on a local highway. It is particularly flat, there were no other vehicles visible, and as it has been repaved recently there were little to no frost cracks or heaves. I also have a throttle lock.

One of my coworkers berated my until the veins were popping out on his head, citing examples of people doing this and the front end instantly becoming unstable, wobbling, and crashing. I could not understand what he was talking about - my bike is insanely stable and non-wobbly at 60mph, the speed I was going.

I *can* picture how sudden decel without your hands on the bars could cause some instability. I could also see how a bent rim or damaged tire could cause issues. But on a healthy bike that is not decelerating I can't see any reason for the front end to wobble.

Granted I would not do this for very long and certainly not make a habit of it - but I really don't see why this guy reacted in such way.

 

[anrkizm95]

real bad idea no matter how you look at it.4/10 of second for your average person to mentally react another 5/10 or better to physically react and you have covered about 80 feet.

i do it quite often though.

 

[wolfo68]

yes, a bike can become unstable. however, if you have a bike like ours it should be stable. If you're worried about the stability you can invest in a steering dampener.

Some people like to look at the bad things that can happen. If you live like that you might as well stay in your house all day in fear. Crazy things can and will happen, and you should be prepared for them. But they don't happen every single time, or with every bike.

And for dinosaurs

i ride an XB though.

An XT is an XB.

 

[netty2424]

Not for me. I don't get it. Too much can go wrong too quickly, but different strokes.......

 

[Loki]

Throttle lock AND stabilizer. What now.

 

[djohnk]

To take a little break on long trips I occasionally go one-handed and sometimes no-handed (with the throttle locked). I steer with my knees and leaning a little.

I also stand up on the foot pegs to give the butt a rest, sometimes as long as a minute or two.

 

[1SWAT]

If you live like that you might as well stay in your house all day in fear.

But there could be a house fire, earthquake, tornado...et al. So the house really isn't safe

 

[snrusnak]

I wouldn't do it at that speed, too risky for me. I often ride with just one hand though. And occasionally when coasting to a stop I'll stretch with both hands free for a couple seconds, maybe around 25mph or less.

I agree it's a bad habit.

 

[dinosaurs]

Brain fart. I ride an XB12R, he rides an XB12XT. Not sure what the diff is. Either way there are risks when ever riding your bike, taking you hands off for a break is no more dangerous than any other time. What ifs are a part of life. Your friend may have his personal reasons but most everyone here can tell you it's perfectly safe.

 

[BuellyBagger]

i do it all the time to adjust my jacket, helmet, cloths etc. (much harder with the stabilizer turned up though)