Riding Tips & Safety

There are 12 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 11:25 PM by scottrnelson I probably need too many words to explain this, but here goes:

Bicyclist riding in the hills who insist on using more of the uphill lane than they really need so that cars coming up behind them either have to slow down to 5 mph or go way over the center line to get around them. Right before a blind corner. And I'm coming the other way on my motorcycle, seeing their front bumper coming toward me half-way into my lane as I go around that blind corner.

There are 17 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 11:19 PM by scottrnelson quote:Originally posted by Daddio

Have you tried some "emergency braking" on a loose surface?Not going to do that. I think I'll wait until it starts raining to check low traction braking, and we have a few months until that happens around here.
quote:Are your brakes linked?KTM makes performance motorcycles, they would never link the brakes on their bikes. Neither would Ducati.
quote:Originally posted by Daddio

How do you find handling a very high center of gravity bike? Of course at speed you have given some impressions.The handling isn't all that different from what I'm used to, it just feels a little different. It probably looks more different to the rider than it feels, because of the narrow, vertical windshield giving cues as to the lean angle. I've already mentioned that other than feeling the need to pick a line for my tires about six inches further from the center line in left turns, I don't see the need to do anything else differently.
quote:At low speed - How would you feel being "stuck" in traffic? You know - From a stop up to 5mph back to stop. Crawling at 2 to 5 mph for a couple of miles.This is California - motorcycles don't get stuck in traffic for long distances. Getting out of my subdivision I sometimes have to start and stop half a dozen times if I manage to leave home when all of the school traffic is going through there, but to me, this bike is no different than any other bike in that circumstance.

Keep in mind that I have done a lot of riding on tall dirt bikes, and my XR650L, which I've had for more than a year and a half, is roughly the same height as the KTM.

There are 9 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 11:17 PM by CaptCrash Odd question:

Does tough love have work BEFORE the fact? And, this is an honest question--I've stood there and watched the "tough love" talk before the fact and seen the recipient tune out, turn off and drop out.

I've found that "tough love" tends to end conversations AND relationships. Personally, I've had better luck changing others behaviors by nurturing a relationship...the old "They don't care what you know, until they know you care".

If this communication in some form happened before the wreck do you think it would have made a difference?

There are 4 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 11:05 PM by scottrnelson My wife and I fooled around with the GPS today as I was driving us around in her VW Beetle on a day trip to Half Moon Bay and San Francisco. We gave it a couple of points to find, then told it to take us home. We took a detour from the first point and never did figure out where it was trying to take us, but once we came back to the route it had originally selected, it did a pretty good job.

The second point was a very difficult to find spot in San Francisco, in The Presidio. I would have been panicking at several points with just a map, especially with my wife as navigator, but with the GPS, we just followed what it said and hardly even had to think. There was one time when we were supposed to make a right turn on a road very close to another road that could also be taken as a right. That required looking at the little map and not listening to what it was saying. If I had turned right when it said "turn right", I would have turned one street too early.

So as we left there I told it to find a way home, then purposely went way out of the way to go across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito (it would have had us crossing the Bay Bridge). We heard it say "recomputing" about three dozen times. Once heading out of Sausalito it picked the correct route for us the rest of the way. One time on the freeway in Berkeley or Oakland it told us to stay right then stay left where the correct action was stay left the whole time. Other than that, it gave pretty good advice.

I noticed that on twisty roads it might be tempting to look at the magenta line to decide how much to slow down for a turn. Sharp turns in the hills look very different than the roads at any other time. Since I have a lot of practice judging appropriate speeds for corners that I've never seen (or can't remember seeing), I don't want to lose that skill while relying on an electronic device.

I'm thinking that when I start using the GPS on a motorcycle, since I won't be able to hear it, I'll mostly be looking at the distance to next turn and occasionally at the top line that names the street to turn on. The white arrow over magenta is also a good hint. Other than that, I would like to mostly ignore it and follow the route in my head, since I will have already studied it ahead of time.

I do not want the GPS to distract me while riding, only be there to help out when I need it.

There are 7 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 8:43 PM by ROOKIE Well I got good news!

I took the bike into the shop yesterday and they called me today to let me know it was fixed. They said that the previous owner, (I bought this used), had evidently left it stored for some time with fuel in the tank and the gas had crystallized and clogged the carburetor jets.

This mechanic is good! Why? That was the first question he had asked me! Was the bike stored for a period of time?

I pick it up next Tuesday.

Woo hooo!

There are 1 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 4:36 PM by Axiom2000 Since the original post some of you have stepped up and made a contribution, good on ya! Some of you have PM'ed me and let me know you would. At $2746 it looks like we need $754.00 to make the goal. I know things are tight in this economy, but I am sure any amount no matter how small will be greatly appreciated by James and will all go to help meeting this goal. Again making a contribution is easy just, go to A Plea For Your Help link at the top of the home page and follow the instructions.

Last Sunday turned out to be an exquisite day for a ride and one that was planned by way of an excuse to tour some unfamiliar back roads, including a stop for breakfast and my first trip to the 'track'. A friend / co-worker is Dad and pit crew for his son running a 1000 cc Suzuki that is older and heavier by much in the way of today's race bike standards. Still, he competes with verve due to his riding ability and strong braking skills that let him compensate for some lost ground in the straights when bikes of superior hp/weight ratio pull away. Many of those latest high tech bikes have backing by big name sponsors with big money behind them and this seems to afford them the favorable percentage of attention. It appears they are catered to with every whim and desire they might invent. and while this seems par for the course, I realize the team I root for are guys that work 70 hours a week and substitute brains, engineering, and backyard mechanical talent for gobs of money. They pay out of pocket with money that's as genuine and sincere as can be had these days and yet, they are forgotten, snubbed and ignored by the very same people who so readily take their green. It was fascinating to see the races and talk with the people that check tire temperatures, measure fuel to burn what is needed (not carrying additional weight) and learn they are toasting $18 a gallon race fuel as they burn off tires in two races.

With some promise, these guys will be there next year or the year after with a new or newer bike ... even more exciting. I'm not too sure some of the racers out there could hold up that old Zuk or keep it on the track.

I had my own fun coming back toward home that day. Had a dirt road shake loose a plug wire but first, I had to get on the paved surface to realize I had acquired a new vibe in the handlebar that was not the road surface. My right hand was getting the feedback and I started putting two and two together thinking this must be a sign the #3 or #4 plug wire was the issue.

A few days later, I decided to change out the plugs and made a vacuum tool with a straw since I do not have an air compressor and I was riled up about all the debris and tiny pebbles at the recessed shroud of each spark plug. With my seemingly unlimited talents, I went so far as to replace the air filter as well.

One hindsight though .... the socket I purchased for the plugs wasn't the correct drive size so I made this an opportunity to do the work with my wimpy Honda tool kit ... just as I'd probably be stuck doing along any roadside.

~brian

There are 27 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 5:08 AM by bachman1961 quote:Originally posted by scottrnelson
California law says 50 feet away while going past at a steady speed of 30 mph. I don't know how background noise affects their readings, though, but I would love to get sound readings on my bikes to find out how loud they actually are. I have no idea how one would go about getting the sound level properly checked.


Reference Aerostich Riderwearhouse 2010 catalog;

Page 211 has a sound level meter by EXTECH for $89. By description, it sounds as if it meets a few standardized testing parameters as per "speed of sampling and frequency weighting".

I recognize EXTECH as a brand of metering and gauge readout equipment I've seen used at my place of employment.

~brian

There are 10 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/04/2010 at 12:53 AM by Robus Nice pics. Looks like you had a fun trip!

There are 21 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/03/2010 at 10:04 PM by sporty quote:Originally posted by James R. Davis

It's curious to me that though you clearly have a mathematical and engineering perspective of physics, you would claim
quote:Given the weight of the bike(M) and the horsepower(F),
you can integrate F=MA ...
F, as I'm sure you know, stands for Force in that equation.
Torque is a force while Horsepower is not.

Of course you can rearrange and integrate formulas, and if you ignore cause and effect relationships, can conclude that work causes acceleration -- but do you believe it?

My guess is that you believe that force is what causes movement (or acceleration) of mass, and as a result, work.

HP is not a force. It does not CAUSE the movement of mass.



integrate force over time and you get horsepower...
a few substitutions in the equations and it all eventually
falls out (i.e. you can't accelerate faster with less
available horsepower). Too many seem to make the
mistake of equating engine torque and wheel torque.

As for F=MA, M(ass) is know/fixed, rear-wheel F can be
derived from the horsepower, RPM, and gear reduction,
then solve for A.

This is a two-way street. Knowing M and A you can
solve for F, integrate over time and HP pops out
(and we've just described a form of dynamometer).

When I catch up (if I ever catch up) at work, I'll
try some real-world examples and see if we can
translate from a mfg. spec sheet to 1/8 mile times.
(this'll be a simple first order approximation,
as we'll start with a coarse piece-wise
approximation). Some of the charts I've seen
Jim post have much of what you need to know
about how the gearbox affects things.


-Willy

There are 10 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/03/2010 at 8:38 PM by JMartin quote:Originally posted by rayg50

quote:Originally posted by Donryu
it's not uncommon for cars to frequently attempt lane splitting on those same roads.

[88][88] Gotta love NY.

Rarely do I see cruisers lane splitting here but sport bikes are another story.


It is illegal to ride a motorcycle between traffic or white lines while traffic is slow or stopped. I asked the local law officials what can a rider do if trapped in a traffic jam other than pull off and sit a while... Police officer said, there are no other choices within the law. No provisions for white lining, emergency lane passing, or weaving between cages...

There are 18 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/03/2010 at 8:33 PM by JMartin quote:Originally posted by capozzir

quote:Originally posted by bkikkert

. [:D]

Well, I ride an GL1800 Goldwing which I guess qualifies as a "large" touring bike. I'm definately not an olympic weight lifter at 5'5" and 125lbs.

[8D]


I'm glad you haven't experienced that feeling of dropping a bike, especially a big one like a Goldwing.
Can you plant both feet flat footed on that GW? A bike that heavy like my Ultra would seem more difficult to stabilize when stopping if your feet are not flat on the ground.
Just curious.

There are 9 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/03/2010 at 6:14 PM by Donryu From Kacinpa: quote:Also, speaking to the incapacitation due to low blood sugar. There is absolutly NO excuse for that. I am an insulin dependant diabetic. Just for the sake of common sense and self preservation I check and make sure my blood sugar is in a safe range befoe I drive, ride, use power tools etc. It only takes 5 seconds and can prevent trouble. I agree with the charges, the driver was certainly negligant in driving a vehicle during an episode of hypoglycemia. And believe me, even without checking with a meter...you KNOW when your blood sugar is low.

I couldn't agree more. I'm also an insulin dependant diabetic and I don't drive, ride or... well my wife rarely allows me to operate power tools, but that's another story, before checking my sugar levels. And as Kacinpa points out, if you're a diabetic you know if your sugars are low. There's no excuse for driving hypoglycemic.

There are 3 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 10:18 PM by bachman1961 quote:Originally posted by wyomingwapiti

I really don't know what else I could have done here. I ride very defensively and quite frankly this scared the crap out of me. Help me with this one.


As hindsight, you can only guess if a wide right turn as owning your lane would have worked or worked better. I don't see that you did anything wrong but it's just a call you have to make based on your read of the information at hand. I'd have thought the Cadillac driver reasonable and patient since he demonstrated leaving plenty of room between himself and you for those many miles.
As rkfire mentions, the driver could have problems with judging distance or spatial clearances (if not vision challenges).

In either case of a slow move to the right or 'own my lane' til I turn, I always drop speed a bit early signalling with a few taps of brake light. This should invite them to move to the adjacent lane or pass if the lane is clear. - I usually base the tactic on whether the trailing vehicle has another lane open to them to move around me and how tight they are following me.

If I feel like I cannot shake a tailgating hostile, I would probably stay wide and use both my hand signal and turn signal. It just might be the item that catches their attention and makes them feel a bit self-conscious. People often get in a rut of negative thinking and at times, just need something to slap them out of it.

Another choice is skip the turn and move off to let the driver by.There are some crazies out there and it's best not to try thinking about why they are so intense or aggressive .. just get out of their way.

~brian

There are 7 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 9:30 PM by rayg50 quote:Originally posted by Donryu

http://www.ridemss.com/


The Motorcycle Safety School has 2 locations in Brooklyn. Since you are in Queens they should not be too far. Even their location in the Bronx is just on the other side of the Triboro and Willis Avenue Bridges.

There are 6 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 7:16 PM by acidragon12 Their website said the new suit will have a whole new design with the airbags inside the jacket with a stretchy type material for teh shoulders so when it goes off it will have room to expand. Also they are going to try to make one for street riders and perhaps put sensors on the bike to signal the jacket of a crash! awesome

There are 13 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 5:44 PM by Alabusa quote:Originally posted by gymnast

Alabusa, has the cause of the loss of air in the tire been determined yet?


Gymnast-I ran over something. It was still daylight and I never saw anything in the road but have about a 3/16 diameter hole about 1" to the left of center on the rear tire. Also I checked the pressure in both as is practice before any ride. Pressure was right at 40lbs just as it was on the last ride.

There are 4 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 12:40 PM by Robus I'm having trouble understanding the point of #11 (that circular driveway suspended over the dam). Anyone?

There are 5 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/02/2010 at 10:32 AM by twc quote:Originally posted by scottrnelson

My own opinion is that you should get a dirt bike too and go ride with him.Look at this as a good opportunity for you to do more riding and to participate in an activity that your son will enjoy too.
I have to admit that I like Scott's suggestion, but...

My first reaction to this post was incredulity that a grandparent would purchase something like this for a grandchild without first speaking to the parents, even if the parents and grandparents are all bikers.

We are all aware that riding motorcycles carries with it some risk, and we each accept that risk as part of motorcycle riding. A child of ten is not yet capable of making an informed decision about those risks; the parent must be part of the process. A grandparent is not a parent and has no right to make that decision on behalf of the parents.

Yes, I am a grandparent.

There are 21 replies, with the last one, shown below, posted on 09/01/2010 at 6:46 PM by gymnast Gary, searching around the internet yields little in the way of new developments or news pertaining to "motorcycle airbag jackets". Here is a link to a search http://www.google.com/search?q=+mot...nt=firefox-a