What's the deal with ridding with one hand on your hip?

As I ride around my area, lots and lots of riders I see are ridding with one hand on the throttle, and one on their hip.

So much so, I tried it. I just don't get it. I feel very uncomfortable.

Even if I'm tiered, it's way more comfortable with my hand on the bar, then on my hip.

Is there more to it then this? Is so many just in my area, or do other see this in your area? Do you ride like this?

What's the deal with the hand on the hip?

Chris.

 

it is the new "Sassy" look everyone is going for

 

i have my hand on my thigh most of the time or on the side of my tank. it's just what feels comfortable to me. i may have had it on my hip at some point lol

 

Usually on my knee when I start to get tingley. Bit harder to do on the right side. Not style but necessary. Don't like numb hands.

 

I keep both hands on the bars.

If someone pulls out in front of you you have no chance if you have one hand on the bar.

 

I use to ride with my feet on the highway pegs quite often. Until the day a deer crossed the road a couple hundred yards ahead of me. I was thinking "my feet are up here and the brake is down there."
Now the highway pegs are for interstates with light traffic.

 

Just a change of position for me. Hip, leg, tank, etc. Sometimes it feels more comfortable, but usually for short bits of time, then back on the bar.

Agree with bmarzka, not when traffic, tighter roads, etc. Only in light (or no) traffic, with lots of visibility ( lots of deer around here ).

 

Rest your right hand with a free throttle-lock.

Tie a foot of shoe-string to your right mirror and stuff a bit between your grip and control pod. Just enough to keep the throttle from returning.

(isn't "ridding" when you SELL the bike ?? jk)

 

I usually just lean forward with my left elbow in my knee, and my arm across the tank. This bike is too small for my legs.

 

i was just saying this to someone. i dont get it either.

 

Ever stand up on the pegs to stretch your legs. Or put in neutral and stand on the ground at a red light?

 

Nothing new, I was doing it as far as 32 years ago. I think you will mainly see this with people on sport bikes. For myself, on long rides away from traffic, it helps give my back quick rest instead of leaning forward. Gives me a vertical sitting position for a brief period. My bikes were never crotch rockets, but naked bikes with superbike or Euro handle bars. These days, I only do it while stopped waiting for a light.

 

Yup, have done that too

 

I have gone so far as to sit on my back seat with my feet on the passenger pegs, just to have a different riding position. Three hour trips get old.

 

I have stood up but I would never consider being in neutral at a stop light.

 

well sometimes you need to when you reach over and hit your buddies kill switch as the light turns green

 

Hahahahaha!!!! I never thought of doing that!!

 

I wear carpenter pants most of the time when riding so i can keep up with my personal items without having my front pockets bunched. I occasionally remove my left hand to make sure i don't lose my cellphone, to wave at other riders and to switch the petcock from on to reserve. Other than that i try to keep both hands on the grips. When things start to go numb i pull over, get off and stretch out.

Gary

 

i put it in neutral at most stop lights.

 

You've obviously never lived in Virginia - red lights here can last a good 5 to 10 minutes... If you're unlucky enough to hit one at a junction that has multiple ingresses you better hope you have a good book in your pocket..

 

You know you're allowed to run a red-light if the system "skips" you and cycles thru. Some places the law is 3 minutes, but who's counting ??

 

Good to know but I'm not sure how you would prove that to a cop. Anywho, these junctions I'm talking about aren't skipping, they just stay red for a very very long time.

There are a couple of junctions near me where there are 4 roads coming to one set of lights - each of these has a left turn lane and it's own left turn green arrow... this is what a round-about ( or traffic circle / magical unicorn for you Americans) is designed for, but you guys just refuse to use them - I don't understand it...

 

I prefer to be able to make an emergency launch if needed.

I was stopped at a red light and a girl blew through the red light while texting of course I was in 1st and was able to see behind me that she wasnt slowing down and get out of her way.

Had I been in neutral I would be hamburger.

 

I'd rather be hamburger than keep holding the clutch for 5 mins with my RSI

In all seriousness, don't get me wrong - I've always got one eye on the mirror, my ears open, hands on the bars covering the clutch and my foot on the shifter and the bike positioned with enough room in front to move it quickly.

The amount of people I see stopping 1 foot away from the car infront amazes me. I don't want to be the meat in a car sandwich if someone 3 cars back forgets to stop. I leave just shy of a cars length and point it at the gap to the side a little. That way you don't get other cars trying to sneak in - plus I look really mean so no one f***s with me, even though I'm really a loveable puppy dog..

 

Just trying to break that bad habit myself (not leaving a big enough gap), after doing in while driving car for years. Still working on the looking mean part

 

Everything is situational for me; there are no absolutes (see what I did there?). Normally when stopped I stay in first. If there's a car stopped behind me and it's a long light, I may go into Neutral.

 

They are putting some in near me - subdivision entrances.
Clearwater has an awful 4-laner "T" intersection,
I think it has to do with "reversing" right-of-way.
We're expected to yield to everything to our LEFT while trying to fight our way onto the circle, then, we magically and temporarily have right-of-way when we want to leave the circle. 37% of drivers think they have right-of-way getting on, 19% suddenly slam their brakes thinking somebody might jump out, 14% miss their desired exit, clogging the circle, 23% have to stop texting while in the circle, and 4% negotiate the meelee by laying on the horn and driving real fast.

These stats vary by State. 8)

 

These percentages drop rapidly in the first 3 months and during which time we get rid of a whole lot of idiots and generate revenue for the city. I would just avoid any new one in my area for 3 months and let the learning commence..

 

Just to jump in...

We have plenty of the "Selfie" riders (they look like they are getting ready to take one)...but we also have the yawners, phone-in-pocket-checkers, the let-me-fix-my-clothes crowd, and my favorite...the I-need-to-skip-this-song ones. I saw a guy riding a bagger nearly become roadkill because he was looking down at his phone/mp3 player while the lady driving an SUV next to him was look down at her phone.

Part of me hoped they were texting each other...

We have tons of the round-about type intersections...they're not horrible, but they can be treacherous if you're around someone who just got a text from their BFF. Oy.

 

when I feel like stretching my quads while on the highway ill flip down the passenger foot pegs with my feet and use them. only for short periods of course.

i do the hand on the hip/ tank/knee whenever i need to just relax and slow down (mainly in town) cause i have a bad habit of getting overly aggressive when around slow vehicles, or people driving like idiots.....I do the hip thing alot

 

When it's hot - hand on hip can help cool down the underarm area. I do it sometimes.

 

My skeleton is not exactly symetric, and after more than two hours on the bike, it's a relief for my left shoulder and my upper back when I put my left hand on my hip.

 

I also often find myself singing "I'm a little teapot" when riding..