Helpful Rider Hints and Tips

[The Grim Reaper]

Crew: Maybe this should be in the Pit Lane or Useful Info , I dunno. This is a serious post though, I know that I still have stuff to learn on the road, maybe you lot can teach me a thing or two.

Right, instead of winding each other up (I blame the humidity, it always drives me a little nuts), how about we use some of our many years of biking experience to help one another.

I'll start off with Risk Contours (apologies if I'm boring people but I find this useful):

Riding to Risk Contours has a few useful parts to it, not least of which is keeping the distance between you and danger to a maximum.

Imagine you are riding down a busy-ish 30 limit in your local town, you notice a car emerging from a junction to your left. This is a hazard, the person in the car may or may not have seen you and may pull out into your path. Now imagine this hazard is a mountain (hang on, bear with me), in the way that you see contour lines on a map. You want to keep your altitude to a minimum (imagine riding along a valley with slopes either side of you) to stay away from the danger so you move out to your right (having checked it is safe to do so). Then, to your right, you see a little kid chasing a ball towards the road, he obviously isn't looking so he now becomes the mountain you want to avoid, so you move to your left.

This may all sound a little convoluted but try it, it really is easy and helps me to concentrate on hazards as I see them and to keep away from them as much as possible (within reason). This works for any speed of riding, if you're 'making progress' down a country road and see a sign warning you of an impending side road, that becomes the mountain to avoid.

Anyone got any other riding tips they use?

Cheers

Grim

[Badger]

I agree , this could be a useful post , so lets keep it semi-serious.
What I have learnt is to ride for myself , followng the lines of the person in front CAN get you into trouble , especially if they get it wrong. I always give myself plenty of room if riding in a group between me and the guy/gall in front and I always try to make sure any manouver I make can be done safely and in time.
I am the first to admit that I am not the fastest or best rider on this site , but I do consider myself to be safe (ish).
the other concept that I will throw in is this......
If you ride every day are you more/less likely to have an off than someone who rides (like myself) only occasionally, or are you less likely because you are gaining more experience.


and on the silly side ...... dont wipe your ass with sandpaper

[aj]

Like my farther… don’t like others to get too close… just summat else to think about…
don’t need it when main focus is road conditions, contour and traffic.


Suppose like most of us I always expect the worst case scenario ..i.e.…
if the road is wet I expect grease/diesel to be floating around.
If its been dry for a while I expect to come across loose gravel on every bend.

And always expect everyone else to do the unexpected.

Do like to ride all year round ..8/10k pa and in so doing have gained a lot of experience and confidence..( but not complacency)

Ratio between experience gain over ride frequency divided by accident potentiality
is an equation I don’t think anyone has calculated with accuracy yet… so have a go someone


Regards
aj

[Ladybird]

Badger said

If you ride every day are you more/less likely to have an off than someone who rides (like myself) only occasionally, or are you less likely because you are gaining more experience

I think if you read the Roadcraft book (which I know you have - cos' I saw it)....in the first few pages, although ridiculous as it sounds....it gives you the percentage breakdown of your likelyhood to have an off....and if I remember rightly the more miles you do....the more likely you are to have an off....if I find my copy I will edit this post

[REEFER]

i think its every 10 years the average rider can expect to come a cropper
so wait till its about nine and a half and take a years break

[the pc doctor]

Riding to Risk Contours has a few useful parts to it, not least of which is keeping the distance between you and danger to a maximum.

Great advice....

I try to be as smooth as I can, no hard acceleration or breaking. Some may say this is all part of forward planning, I think I would agree.

Anyway works for me........

[Tim]

I allus think....what if there's a cow ( not Tigs') around that bend, that at this moment I cannot see.....when it comes into view will I be able to stop safely? And I am serious

Plenty plenty distance between him/her up front...gives you time to enjoy it as well

...and as said..Roadcraft is THE book.

[TazCBR1100XX]

I give my a lot of stick - in the right places though And I'm usually on my own when I do it because I don't want to be held responsible for someone else trying to do what I do when I do it!

Regardless of how well I know a road, if I can't see over the hill, or around the bend, then I step on the brakes or kill the speed Speed and stupidity are much less a priority for me than a life without pain or a wife without a husband and kids without a father

Whenever I travel in company with other riders I try to give them room and leave enough space for me to avoid them or stop should they have a spill on a bend in front of me - with the exception of Shuggie when I tailed him on his local roads cuz I knew he knew what he was doing and I was enjoying it But those of you who have ridden behind me (that's most of you cuz I ride a Superior Sexy Silver ) will have noticed that when I'm on unfamilar turf I take it easy cuz I want to try and expect the unexpected I DO try to keep my face in their mirror when they're in front though - if you can see the face of the rider in front in his/her mirrors it gives them a better chance of taking you into consideration when they slow down/turn/stop

Look ahead of you as far as possible because the world doesn't end at your front wheel - that's just the beginning If you THINK you've got room to overtake, then DON'T - wait until you KNOW you've got room And just because the guy on the R1 in front of you can do it, it doesn't mean you can - so NEVER ride beyond your abilities and stay well WITHIN your comfort zone - nobody with any sense will ever criticise you for doing that

Some of this is childs play to many folk but we aren't all experts are we

[The Grim Reaper]

OK, today's thoughts are:

Right about the cow but we call it 'fridge theory'. Just out of sight, around the bend is a fridge. It ain't moving so you have to be able stop before you hit it. This doesn't work in skinny country lanes though, remember that the vehicle coming towards you ALSO has to stop, so you should be able to stop in HALF the distance you can see to be clear.

Another top, if obvious, tip is the vanishing point. Roadcraft will teach you all about the vanishing point, it's the point at which the hedges, walls or just perspective make the road ahead disappear. If the vanishing point is coming towards you (and you're doing a constant speed) then the corner is tightening, if it's going away from you the corner is opening up (but could still tighten later). This also give the advantage of keeping your head up and you looking where you are going.

My last top tip for today is to remember, when you are cresting the brow of a hill (in this country), move over to the left (if it's safe to do so), that way, if an idiot coming the other way is overtaking, you're not in the way. If you are in France, move to the right

Cheers

Grim

[1137cc]

I would agree with riding within your limits, last sundaysride i was way beyond mine and wasn't comfortable at all, maybe it was a factor in my accident in as much that i had almost used up all my concentration the hour and a half before. Sounds daft i know but it may well be true.

Ride to your own pace and enjoy it, i know there are people that can run rings round me but let em get on with it, riding in a group can sometimes suck you into things you wouldn't do normally. The PnP was the first time i had ridden in a group like this and i enjoyed very minute of it but then i was comforatble with the pace of the ride.


iain

[scuzzbucket]

I once witnessed two sports bikes travelling exremely fast down the centre of the road passing slow traffic, too fast to stop for a wagon that turned right.
They both went under the wagon and one of them was killed.
This lunchtime on the way to Sherburn, I was following my mate who has a Z9R, we left a set of lights, the road was clear of oncoming traffic, so we accelerated past the line of cars in front of us, There were no T junctions left or right, but some idiot in an Astra decided to indicate at the last second and turn right into what can only be described as a field entrance to perform a bit of a U turn.
My mate locked up and did really well just to avoid the car, I always give the person in front plenty of distance so no big deal for me.
We all overtake lonq queues of cars down the middle, but potentially it's one of the most dangerous manouvres we make.
Go careful guys! and always look ahead for the idiot that makes a turn at the last second.
Oh, and watch out for the car doors opening in long queues of slow moving traffic...why do people do that???

[Tim]

OK, today's thoughts are:

Right about the cow but we call it 'fridge theory'.

Cheers

Grim

Ooooo the fercooks ever heard of a 'fridge being left on the road, any road ne'er mind aroung akefciking bend .....BUT a cow...well that's different......ask Tig

[The Grim Reaper]

OK, today's thoughts are:

Right about the cow but we call it 'fridge theory'.

Cheers

Grim

Ooooo the fercooks ever heard of a 'fridge being left on the road, any road ne'er mind aroung akefciking bend .....BUT a cow...well that's different......ask Tig

You may laugh but I've had to swerve to avoid a dining room table before now. Sat bolt upright in the middle of the road in some lanes near my house. A hundred yards further up the road were two blokes running back down the road to get it and anotrher hundred yards on was a flatbed truck, piled high with furniture

Cheers

Grim

[Tim]

OK, today's thoughts are:

Right about the cow but we call it 'fridge theory'.

Cheers

Grim

Ooooo the fercooks ever heard of a 'fridge being left on the road, any road ne'er mind aroung akefciking bend .....BUT a cow...well that's different......ask Tig

You may laugh but I've had to swerve to avoid a dining room table before now. Sat bolt upright in the middle of the road in some lanes near my house. A hundred yards further up the road were two blokes running back down the road to get it and another hundred yards on was a flatbed truck, piled high with furniture

Cheers

Grim

....so...we should also consider the " Dining Table Theory" then shouldn't we

[Chrixx]

Out here in Saudi Arabia, we have similar hazards.
For Fridges, read Air Conditioners, usually fallen off the back of a Toyota Pick Up.
For Cows, read camels, sometime fallen off the back of a Pick Up but usually straying off the desert.
Add to these a big patch of squashed water melons, usually fallen off the back.....etc.
Sand "slicks" caused by the wind.
Overturned diesel tanker/trailers where the driver has run away scared.
Sudden road closures where the only warning is a little guy standing at the barrier, waving a red flag.
It's not all that bad really as many of the roads are faily straight and there are no or very few hedges.
The big problem is if there should be rain, the roads are like black ice. You see cars smashed up all over the place (even more than usual) and it is not a time to be on a bike.

Just remembered, I will have to get up very early one morning soon and put the in for its "MOT" test (MVPI here) Better check my tyre pressures Sorry, wrong thread.

[Tigger]

heres a good one. on my way home one morn, about 3 am. usual fave road near home, few good bends on it and always tackle it differently, but obv know just about every pot hole and bump as done it so many times. the other night turned off the a5 and gentle left, stright, gentle right, just flicking over to left as going into first hard left, oooooh, fresh skid marks, some car has been off rambling today. dead stright through the hedge.

where am i going, where i am looking, nearly got the left knee down to correct my line...

moral is (i learned) dont be complacent, an look (ffs) where you want to go.

[The Grim Reaper]

That is a good point Tigger. It's called Target Fixation and cna strije even the most experienced rider. If you are riding down a road and see something in the road that you want to avoid, don't look at the obstacle or you will hit it. This is the reason a lot of racers follow each other off track, if the first rider runs off and the second rider is watching them, they tend to follow them off track. Your brain wants to steer you in the direction you are looking, keep your head up and look where you want to go and you should go there. Slowly if you're on a red of course

Cheers

Grim

[Chrixx]

About four years ago, I was riding motocross at a new desert track.
During the pre-race rider's briefing we were warned of some big rocks buried in the track and in particular a big light coloured one in the middle of a left hand bend.
The practice sessions sorted out our prefered lines and the races stated.
During the second race, I had a bad start and most had got away from me so I was pushing a bid harder. Came to the particular corner all screwed up on the wrong line and thought "Oh dear" (or words to that effect) "there's that big rock!"

Two cracked ribs, one pulled where it joins the sternum and one wrenched collar bone.

Unable to load my bike on the trailer unaided and an agonising 265 mile journey home, having to change gear with the wrong hand.

Six weeks later, I was back again but that's another story.

We called it "Focusing" for when you see something hazardous in your path.

[1137cc]

Don't fall off it hurts


Iain

[The Grim Reaper]

Thanks for that enlightening comment there Tim

My top tip for the day is to always be extra careful when passing slow moving or stationary traffic and keep an eye on the front wheels. Car drivers will always try to gain a second or two and will quite often pull out of a queue to do so, nine times out of ten without looking. A slow moving car will have to turn it's wheels a long way to turn so keeping an eye on cars wheels can be a useful hint to a driver's intentions.

Cheers

Grim

[1137cc]

Also drivers waiting at side junctions, which way is their head turned toward you or away from you???? Away from you have they seen you??? Toward you have they definately seen you???


Iain

[Tigger]

Complacancy and route blindness.

never be complacent and even if you know the road very well always be ready for that brown cow.

[duncan]

I was told by my driving instructor (ex police) always, drive for the three cars in front of you and three cars behind you ,works for bikes aswell

[TazCBR1100XX]

Dunno about that Dunc - I struggle to get my leg over ONE fookin bike never mind 6 of the fookers

And my tip of the day is.................

In September when it's still reasonably warm and you're only wearing thin summer leathers and the heavens open on the M11 and it's raining so hard that you can't see where you're going cuz the rain is bouncing so high off the road - or was it a lake , and the rain hurts and you feel like a bloody pin cushion, and you feel your boots filling up with water and your gloves too - just before the rain starts seeping into your armpits, down your neck, and into your groin - remember to put your waterproofs on after it's stopped raining - it won't keep you dry but it might stop your dick from shrivelling up and hypothermia setting in

[Brizzie]

Can't fault any of these riding tips

Rules of Riding a Motorcycle

1. Owning a motorcycle is mandatory. It’s a man thing.

2. Having legs long enough to touch the ground is optional. For those that can’t a centre stand is mandatory.

3. . Always try to keep the number of arrivals you make equal to the number of departures you've made

4. When you wind the throttle on the corners come up quicker and the probability of survival is inversely proportional to the speed of arrival. High speed of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.

5. The use of curbs in cornering is not recommended.

6. After cornering too fast try to low side the bike even though high siding has a better view and being somewhere the bike isn’t is a good idea.

7. Informing your pillion you are about to pop a wheelie is optional unless of course you wish to live with them, in which case it’s mandatory.

8. It’s always a good idea to keep the front wheel in front of the back when moving forwards.

9. If all you can see is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is screaming from your pillion, things are not at all as they should be.

10. The only time you have too much fuel is when your bike is on fire.

11. Riding isn’t dangerous, crashing is.

12. A good ride is one that you walk away from.

13. A great ride is one where you can use the bike again.

14. Shorts, t-shirt, thongs and cool sunnies are mandatory riding equipment.

15. Leathers and a helmet are for girls so therefore optional however they conviently hold all the pieces together after crashing.

16. Trees, lightpoles and other imovable objects are to be avoided at all times.

17. Cage drivers don’t hate you, they just love to run over you.

18. Wear bright clothing at all times so that the cages can see what they are hitting.



19. . In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going a 180 miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.

20. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself

21. Never let a motorcycle take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.

22. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck

23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to repeal.

24. The three most useless things to a motorcyclist are the distance you’ve come, the road behind you, and a tenth of a second ago.