Modern Vespa

So last year, I went to Amerivespa in Richmond. It was a super fun trip, about 300 miles each way. While I was there I watched a few races that were being done on a dirt track (it was under a pavilion for horse barrel runs and similar events) and I think I picked up a bad, good habit. Because of the bad traction, a lot of the turns were done with a foot down on the leaning side (I imagine there is a term for this, but I couldn't come across anything beyond Flat Track Turns). I started toying around with this and have begun doing it quite frequently.

I live in WV and the roads are atrocious, lots of dirt and gravel on the main roads, so picking up this technique has been really useful, but out of habit now, I find myself putting my leg down in most any turn that is nearing or beyond 90 degrees.Most of the time I just give it a bit of light pressure to the road and let my foot slide with my toe up. I have occasionally "walked" while going very slowly across especially, rough sharp turns.

When I took the MSF class years ago, I got yelled at a few times for standing on one leg while stopped since I was used to my PX 150 at the time. I have upgraded to a GTS 300. Still not a particularly heavy bike at all, but the "you are going to break your leg when you start riding on a bigger bike" quote sounds out in my head often.

I guess I want to know how bad this is that Im sticking my leg down so often or if its more common in practice. Im not really around other cyclists, especially people riding scooters (which I think is a bit funny since the town I live in is predominately of Italian descent). Im smart about where I use it. Im not placing my foot down around potholes and dont think I have ever really felt it catch on the ground unless its on purpose, just sliding along with slight pressure for a bit of extra stability. At this point I think the only thing that has suffered from me doing this is the soles of my shoes.

My view - that's a bad new habit for public road use. I've no opinion for off-road use, up to you. However, if your public roads are 'off-road' in all but name, I'd be asking why...

It's your ankle to break I guess.
Oh, and the rest of the parts to follow after the first bit.

All to say, IMHO, bad idea.

When the race guys do it, they have a steel "shoe" attached to their boot and the dirt track is very smooth. If you really want to keep "flat tracking" get something like this and only do it on smooth dirt roads. If you do it on pavement you should get the leather suit complete with knee and elbow sliders. Then you can really show off!!!
Tony in Tn

Those are the type of responses I was expecting, haha.

I'm trying to curb the habit. Our local roads aren't terrible, but there does tend to be a few places that are especially bad around town. Turning into my neighborhood from the main road, for an example, can be pretty treacherous from time to time. There tends to be a several feet wide strip of lose gravel that spans the width of the road and is relatively deep. We have a decent amount of gravel trucks and pipeliners that drive past the turn off and there's a lot of debris that falls to the roads, not to mention that rains wash even more into this spot. The street sweepers clean through the area, but never tend to get it all. At some points, it makes these gravel piles even worse. When it does actually get cleared out, it isn't long before the pile accumulates again.

Thanks

I agree with the idea that it's used by flat track racers,using a steel shoe. Place and time for everything. The public road is not one of them.

I took a Ride Like a Pro course when I lived in Fl. It's taught by a retired motor officer , I learned more about slow speed control than I would have ever imagined.

The subject came up about riders dragging a foot on the ground , or sort of duck walking their bikes at low speeds.

What the instructor said was all it showed was a rider with poor skills, just looking for a busted ankle and a tipped over machine.

IMHO , keep your feet up and save yourself the aggravation and pain.

You may think you look cool , but you are not a flat track racer .
Let's be careful out there.

Road dirt bikes for years, really bad habit to get in on the street. Good way to break an ankle too. And it makes it look like you don't know how to ride to others around you while you do it

Younger son did all the time, I can attribute at least 3 of his 'offs' to that 'practice' .... How I 'broke' him of doing to? We rode together one day and I kept a count of how many times he did it during our 50 miles together. For each time I spotted him putting his foot down, he owed me a beer.
Let's just say, I didn't need to buy myself any beer for several weeks.....

Definitely on a bike, and usually on a scooter, you have better control of the machine when both feet are in place on the vehicle.

The real problem with the habit is if you catch the foot on a hole or other obstruction and it yanks you off the bike. Really suck to get run over after that happens.

But if you decide to continue doing it, I'd recommnd getting titanium sliders on the steel shoe, so it throws off a nice shower of sparks when you drag it. Please send pictures.