130 mph Race Lap

I dare you not to tilt your head or lean your body into the turns...

A Lesson Pilots Can Teach Us About Riding

It is striking how many similarities there are between flying and riding. That's probably why there are so many pilots who ride motorcycles, and vice versa.

There is one rule for pilots that I think transfers extremely well to motorcyclists: Fly the Airplane. In other words, as a pilot, your primary focus is always controlling the airplane, no matter what's going on around you. Door blew open? Fly the airplane. Your passenger is extremely sick? Fly the airplane. Airborne Zombies? Fly the airplane. Do not panic, do not get distracted, just fly the airplane until it's back on the ground and stopped.

In our case, the rule would be "Ride the Motorcycle." Ride it until it's stopped.

Without a doubt, you've heard some idiot explain a crash by saying, "I had to lay it down." It's possible at some point in your riding career, you've uttered those words. I have, when I was younger and dumber. Luckily, I'm now older and better trained, if not any smarter.

Here's the thing: There is no situation I can think of where "lay it down" is the right decision. Bailing is the wrong choice, as is freezing up and just passively sitting on the bike as it rolls toward a tree. Ride the motorcycle! You can stop in far less distance by judicious application of the brakes than by sliding across the pavement. You can swerve. You can think ahead and figure out an escape plan, though we all know some things are tough to predict, and some situations you just can't escape.

Apart from those situations, there are plenty of things that happen while riding that can be pretty distracting. Catching a big rock in the shin, for example. Discovering a bee has made it's way into your goggles. A vengeful lunch. An attractive person you'd like to impress. Distraction in any vehicle is a bad thing, but as motorcyclists we just can't afford to be distracted while rolling.

Or you could go into a turn too fast and panic. Do you give up control and go careening across all the lanes, or grit your teeth and ride the motorcycle through the turn? Maybe you lost your grip on the clutch and popped an epic, unintended, wheelie. Do you hope for the best, or control the bike?

So whatever happens on the road, remember, your job is to ride the motorcycle. Ten car pile-up right ahead of you? Ride the motorcycle. Bee sting on the forehead? Ride the motorcycle. Ride it until it's stopped, whether that's upright or on it's side.

Emergency Braking: Clutch or De-clutch?

What is meant by clutch and de-clutch?

Clutch = engaged (rear wheel is coupled mechanically to engine)

De-clutch = disengaged (rear wheel no longer coupled to engine)

Squeeze clutch lever and engine operates without power being delivered to the rear wheel (de-clutch). Release clutch lever and engine engages rear wheel (clutch).

Two Schools of Thought (there may be more I’m not really sure)

1. Disengage the clutch with the first instance of braking (rear wheel is disengaged from the engine).
2. Leave clutch engaged as long as possible for shorter stopping distance by effectively using front rear and engine braking.

Use of the Clutch

Some riders clutch during emergency braking some riders declutch. It depends on how you were taught. During our basic police motorcycle training, we were taught de-clutch (rear wheel no longer coupled to engine) during braking.

Keep in mind, not every rider using the same technique is going to produce the same stopping distances. I was producing some great stopping distances because I was testing the limits of how much pressure to apply to the front brake. I was the only rider to produce the shortest stopping distances. I was also the only rider to low-side from locking the front wheel (not recommended).

In 2004, the Promocycle Foundation published “Task analysis for intensive braking for a motorcycle in a straight line.” On page 9, the very subject was tested. The thought there was a rear wheel remaining coupled to the engine is less susceptible to lock.

The mean (average) braking distance recorded over 35 passes with the clutch engaged was 41.51 metres (136 feet).

In the 11 passes for which the rider was instructed to declutch, that is to pull the clutch lever and disengage the rear wheel from the engine, the mean (average) stopping distance was 39.95 metres (131 feet).

The rest of the report is an interesting read if you want to look at it click on the link above.

Conclusion

As part of our investigations we often take plenty of photographs (thanks to digital cameras). People want to know what kind of camera we use or what is the best camera to use. My response is always the same, the best camera in the world is the one you have with you.

When you need to take a photo, like right now, the $5,000 Nikon back at the office is of no value. In that situation my iphone camera is the best camera in the world.

Emergency braking is similar. What is the best technique in the world? The one you have with you, or rather, the one you are familiar with. The one you have practiced is going to yield the better stopping distance for you.

Whatever you choose or feel comfortable with is the right technique for you. Practice, practice and then practice some more.

MC Safety Tips

Here are five easy suggestions to keep you moderately safe while riding! 

Be visible and dress for the weather.

No one wants to fall ever, but if you use that mantra you can considerably raise your changes of survival and lessen injury in a motorcycle accident. Nothing will keep you completely safe but wearing proper gear will help. Choose a full face helmet, and a white helmet is statistically the easiest seen, a good jacket and pants with armor, gloves and boots. Bright colors like hi-viz orange or green are wonderful, but if you can’t bring yourself to wear that, try good reflective tape or gear that has lots of reflective seams or patches.

Look Ahead

Keep yourself alert to other drivers/riders, especially those distracted by cell phone use, texting or driving erratically. Always plan an escape route. You can increase your chances of avoiding trouble by switching lanes, changing your position within a lane, slowing down or even speeding up.

Look Behind

When changing lanes or turning always give that quick look over your shoulder to make sure the area you want to move into is clear. Always avoid vehicle blind spots. At a light or stop sign always check your mirrors for approaching vehicles, choose lane placement either to the left or right with an open path ahead and keep your machine in gear for a quick escape if necessary.

Be alert

Riding requires focus and concentration so if you are having an off day, it’s best to stay home or use another form of transportation. Make sure you keep hydrated and carry a snack for quick energy pick up. If you are tired, stop and rest! 

Ride vigilantly

Always ride knowing you are rarely seen or respected.

It ain’t no joke - U Turns...

Lifted from Demenshea's Ride Like A Girl travelblog.

We’ve all been there and joked about the 3 point, 5 point or 7 point U-turn, but it’s no longer funny. Time to perfect the U-turn.

A true pleasure is watching my friend Dona flip a quick U-turn on her big ol’ BMW RT. She is absolutely awesome to watch doing this maneuver and I see just how painless she makes it. She has perfect control, feathering her rear brake, using the friction zone and keeping her bike’s RPMs up high enough. She just simply zips right around in any given space. I watch her snap her neck around like something outa the Exorcist as she looks where she needs to go. Her riding is an art form and her friendship is a treat!

Well, we can all do those types of U-turns. We need only PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE and follow a few basic rules.

Head and Eyes Up!

You look where you want to go. Physically turn your head and eyes to the spot you want to go and the bike will follow seamlessly, if done correctly. You must turn your head along with your eyes like out of the Exorcist or the technique will not work.

Use the Force–otherwise known as the friction zone ; ) and feather that rear brake!  The friction zone is that sweet spot on the clutch between fully open and fully closed. Add that to keeping up your Rpm between 1500 and 2000 since at low speeds, higher revs mean more stability. And staying in the friction zone means managing the power efficiently. A good explanation of this is from a forum friend who said, “When you first turn in, you lose speed because as you roll onto the side of your tire, the diameter gets smaller and you slow down. FAST. As you start to turn-in, you need to increase throttle to keep the speed constant. Without engine RPM up using the friction zone, many bikes at such a slow speed won’t have enough throttle response with a fully engaged clutch to keep stability up. The higher RPM of the engine also acts as sort of a gyroscope to help stabilized the bike. Also, keep your weight on your pegs and not the seat to force the center of gravity down to the bottom of the bike.” What an awesome explanation, see it’s all beginning to make sense.

REMEMBER…Keep your head and eyes fixed where you want to go. Even a quick glance forward, will widen your turn angle. And never TOUCH that front brake…it’s a magnet to the ground. Keep the clutch engaged, disengaging will cut the power another magnet down. And smile. That always helps me, to remember that I LOVE what I am doing, riding my motorbike!

Practice your U-turns and nothing will impress your friends more than skillfully maneuvering your bike at extremely slow speeds.

No one maneuvers better than a moto-cop!

You can find additional info in this post over on Bolty.net where Stacy not only espouses the value of a good u-turn but also of parking ones bike skillfully and how to effectively balance your bike at a stop sign.

A Guide to Precise and Efficient Machine Control

Norse Motorcycle Union–Full Control

All the way from Norway comes a wonderful downloadable book on motorcycle riding techniques or as they say, “A guide for precise and efficient machine control”. The book is produced by the Norse Motorcycle Union. Wonderful find, enjoy!!