What are we doing wrong?
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 932
Likes: 14
From: CENTRAL IL
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
From: Fort Carson, CO
Any time you have a "vehicle only" accident you have driver error, motorcycle or car. Driving too fast, is usually the main factor, unfamiliar with road or conditions and of course, driving beyond your ability.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 7,476
Likes: 5
From: Republic of Texas
Your missing a point here. They don't scrap their floorboards because the bike spends most of it's time in the garage or parked out front of the local dealer or biker bar during bike night.
Right, but in my opinion no amount of experience can replace the value of learning good technical skills, then practicing those skills. "Experience" can include bad habits that one has been fortunate enough to survive. Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.
Assuming alcohol is not a factor, here is the scenario I envision: an inexperienced, untrained rider goes too hot into a curve, tries to correct with more lean, scrapes his footboards/pegs for the first time in his life, panics, target fixates on the barrier, grabs fistfulls of brake and the bike stands up. It has NOTHING to do with "luck" as some have offered.
I was stunned a while back bya thread in which many riders stated that they have never scraped their floorboards. "Never". How can a rider react to reaching the bike's max lean angle when he doesn't even know where that is?
-Sin'
Assuming alcohol is not a factor, here is the scenario I envision: an inexperienced, untrained rider goes too hot into a curve, tries to correct with more lean, scrapes his footboards/pegs for the first time in his life, panics, target fixates on the barrier, grabs fistfulls of brake and the bike stands up. It has NOTHING to do with "luck" as some have offered.
I was stunned a while back bya thread in which many riders stated that they have never scraped their floorboards. "Never". How can a rider react to reaching the bike's max lean angle when he doesn't even know where that is?
-Sin'
Tourer
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 469
Likes: 158
From: Alberta
Learn about delayed apex's, trail braking, on the throttle throughout the curve, proper head & eye work etc. Many good courses out there that will teach you the proper ways to take curves etc. and then you have to practice. Lots of good advise about also staying within your & the bikes capabilities.
Lots of folks question the parking lot manouvers, but if you've every watched any of the motorcycle police doing their training or in skill contests you'll be amazed at the skill level involved. And they are all done in a parking lot, mostly in 1st gear and sometimes up into 2nd briefly.
If you want to see a skilled motorcyclist watch how he handles the bike at low speeds. Next time you are out on a quiet Sunday morning, go to a mall or other vacant parking lot & practise a couple of tight turns around the light posts and do some uturns within a car parking space. Can be hard work but will really help your riding abilities.
Lots of folks question the parking lot manouvers, but if you've every watched any of the motorcycle police doing their training or in skill contests you'll be amazed at the skill level involved. And they are all done in a parking lot, mostly in 1st gear and sometimes up into 2nd briefly.
If you want to see a skilled motorcyclist watch how he handles the bike at low speeds. Next time you are out on a quiet Sunday morning, go to a mall or other vacant parking lot & practise a couple of tight turns around the light posts and do some uturns within a car parking space. Can be hard work but will really help your riding abilities.
Intermediate
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
I can't add much here as it's mostly been stated. I still get a little spooky going into left turns, I think mainly due to a previous crash in my 20s and riding rockets for many years, I've seen a lot of front bumpers in left hand turns. I still keep it safe and in my lane. I've ridden with many folks above my skill level but I try my hardest to stay within my abilities when I'm riding.
If you own a bike and "ride it", you should always remember that, "IF YOU RIDE EM, YOU SLIDE EM!"
If you own a bike and "ride it", you should always remember that, "IF YOU RIDE EM, YOU SLIDE EM!"
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,468
Likes: 4
From: South Carolina
I would rather take a course that involves turns at high speeds like some of the racing schools offer rather than dodging a cone at 15 mph. I dont think these riders are being killed by orange cones.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 374
Likes: 0
From: SE WI
Great course, BTW. Helped refine my cornering, so now a lot of those sharp corners, aren't very sharp anymore
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