Philip's Ravings

I've come to realise if you ask this question then your approaching the problem from the wrong angle.

There is something known as the man-machine interface. The basic concept is that your sensory experiences can be extended by tools.

For example, while operating a hammer your senses can extend to where the face of the hammer strikes the nail. You don't think of how you operate your hand, but instead of how the hammer will strike. Once your interface has extended ...

I regularly attend NASS, and one of the things I have been poor at is slow full lock turns. Recently it felt like I have been getting worse, not better.

At a recent session I noticed I can do left full lock turns much better than I can do right full lock turns. Which got me wondering if it might not just be me.

So for an experiment, while the bike was stationery, I tried holding the throttle open a little bit against the bar end, so that I was confident that the throttle ...

You often hear new riders who are experienced car drivers complaining that they have to go through the full licence process to get a motorcycle licence. Their primary argument is that their years of car driving experience transfers across to riding a motorcycle, so they should be able to get to a full licence in a shorter period of time.

My personal opinion is that riding a motorcycle requires a different set of skills to driving a car, and that the dangers experienced riding a motorcycle ...

The topic of L Plates comes up frequently, predominately about weather complying with the learner licence conditions and using the L plate increase the danger of the rider on the road.

The best place to start is by considering why we have L plates, and what they aim to do.

When the majority of people first start riding a motorcycle they will have little or no machine handling skills. This includes basic but critical abilities such as counter-steering, emergency braking, ...

Overview

Rather like emergency braking, a discussion on helmets can be like a discussion on religion. People often take polarised views. Unlike emergency braking you don't really want to practice coming off your bike and having head impacts to test which is the best kind of helmet for you.

So short of repeated practical experience you have to learn a little bit about helmets to help you make a choice that is only like to be tested once.

One thing you'll notice ...

With another winter approaching and my woman complaining of my freezing cold hands after each ride (which I was sure to rush in when finished riding, rip my gloves off, and promptly place on her nice warm stomach) I decided it was time to look at the options available.

I have very limited mechanical abilities myself (to help you place your skills alongside mine if you’re going to do this yourself). But I have a lot of patience and perseverance and I try not to let the fear ...

Emergency Braking is a contentious discussion topic. Many people have different views - and often they are all right - in certain circumstances. Often views vary from country to country as different methods are taught, and people like to (rightly or wrongly) defend what they have learnt and practised over the years.

What is emergency braking?
Emergency braking is the act of bringing a motorbike to a complete halt in the minimum amount of distance.

Overview
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I had my eyes lasered yesterday (3/12/2009) to correct my short sighted vision (myopia). I had an astigmatism and both my eyes were around -4.

I decided to get it done mostly because of my motorcycling. I can't wear contact lenses on a track, because the forces keep pulling them off the centre of my eyeballs, leaving me blinded for 30 to 45 second or so. Have you tried approaching a corner, braking hard, and then almost loosing all vision? You have to do the rest of the corner ...