blueflag Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Hi All, I'm a total newbie to trials, Never will be any good, too many years on tarmac, too old plus Zero ability, what the hell? It's great fun! Anyway, I've been trawling through this site gathering tips on balance (superb group of knowledgeable people here BTW) I've been trying in my garage, engine off and on, tyres nice and low and struggled to balance for even 2 seconds. Anyway, today I was walking up yo my Beta Evo 250 and thought I'd try it with the sidestand down to give me a bit of confidence, Guess what? Soon I was managing about 5 seconds! Feel I've made a minor breakthrough. I must clarify, the stand wasn't touching the ground, it was just there to give me confidence... Once that is mastered then only about a million other things to learn.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanorbust Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 (edited) Good, keep at it. A few minutes every day and you'll soon click with the balance thing. Holding the front brake on helps, even though you're not going anywhere. Also you'll have a favourite side - usually turning the front wheel to the left. As you get proficient try it with the tyres blown up a bit harder, and with the front wheel nearer the straight ahead position. Sometimes you don't need access to land to practice improving your trials riding, just a bit of space in your garage. Edited May 11, 2017 by cleanorbust 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ourian Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 There's one way I found that improved my balance quite i bit, you don't need a bike and you can practice anywhere, although some folk might think you are a bit weird and that is to stand on one leg, when that leg has had enough stand on the other one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueflag Posted May 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Thanks for the advice guys, I'll keep plugging away! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaser Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 Just bought a new 250 Beta and it has transformed my balance ability. Don`t get me wrong, I am still an old wobbler but I could never seem to stay on the pegs on my Ossa for more than a few seconds. The first time I got on the Beta I felt so much more confident and was soon balancing for a minute or so. Steering angles maybe ? As it turns a lot sharper than the Ossa too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike64 Posted May 13, 2017 Report Share Posted May 13, 2017 Another good way, wheel to one side, stand up without holding bars but with rear brake on .. i found it a lot easier. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueflag Posted May 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2017 Gulp! I'll give it a try...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drca Posted June 23, 2017 Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 On 5/11/2017 at 9:00 AM, blueflag said: Hi All, I'm a total newbie to trials, Never will be any good, too many years on tarmac, too old plus Zero ability, what the hell? It's great fun! Anyway, I've been trawling through this site gathering tips on balance (superb group of knowledgeable people here BTW) I've been trying in my garage, engine off and on, tyres nice and low and struggled to balance for even 2 seconds. Anyway, today I was walking up yo my Beta Evo 250 and thought I'd try it with the sidestand down to give me a bit of confidence, Guess what? Soon I was managing about 5 seconds! Feel I've made a minor breakthrough. I must clarify, the stand wasn't touching the ground, it was just there to give me confidence... Once that is mastered then only about a million other things to learn.... Here are a few tips that helped me: Look about 10 to 20 meters (30 to 60 feet) straight out, not at your front wheel. When you can balance for more than 10 seconds, start looking around, left and right. Front wheel turned almost to the stop, much much easier than with the wheel straight. And the trick is to use small movement of the wheel to keep balance. I think the reason why is that when you put some force on the bar to turn the wheel, not only it turns the front wheel, but it causes you to move your body and shift your weight. Talking about front wheel turned, ss mentioned before, everyone seems to have a "preferred" side. Start with that side. When you are comfortable and can balance on that side, work on the other side (no reason to spend time on your "unnatural" side if you can't balance on your natural side!). Move your butt from side to side to balance. This has also helped me a lot. Small movements should be sufficient to keep you on the balancing edge once you find it. Most people starting to learn balance (including me, and I still do it) give big inputs on the pegs which are hard to control and will cause to have to overcompensate with bigger input, etc... Moving just your butt from one side to the other causes you to slightly move your weight from one peg to the other in a much more controllable way. People (!) say you should use bar movement rather than shifting weight no the pegs... not easy for me! For me starting from one foot on the ground to balancing is the hardest, so I use a small stool of approximately the same height at the pegs. This way I can start with one foot on one peg and one foot on the stool and slowly shift to both feet on the bike to find the balancing point. Finally I use a small sand bag under the front wheel. That has helped me tremendously, not sure why. Hope this helps. DC 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueflag Posted June 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2017 Some good points there, slowly coming along! Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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