Noob traps

[mowgli]

I've been riding road bikes now for almost three months and I'm getting pretty confident on my Hyo GT250R. But this week a couple of things happened (actually one thing happened twice) that made me stop to reflect on my riding.

My ride to work each morning includes this corner (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-41.246329,174.773351&spn=0.001718,0.003648&t=h&z=18) on Awarua St in Ngaio. Ninety degrees, downhill and pretty much blind. Exercising common sense and not completely comfortable cornering my approach to this corner was understandably cautious.

This week I came round that corner to find a car stopped in the road and other coming up the hill. You see folks park up for the Awarua Station leaving only space for one car to get though. As per the road code, good drivers heading downhill give way to those coming up. Anyway I had to stand the bike up and brake hard not once, but twice on separate days. Second time made me think hard about what was going on.

In simple terms I was taking the corner too fast. The reason for this was my growing comfort in cornering at speed to the ignorance of riding to the road conditions. On this very familiar corner I was more focussed on cornering (that leant over under power feeling) than I was on the road itself.

It was very silly and I'm lucky that I was able to stop without dropping or hitting anything ... twice!. It was a bit stupid of me but I felt that it was worth bringing up for the benefit of other noobs because of the insidious way this crept up on me.

I hope this helps keep other noobs right side up. It has certainly given me a wake up call.

Rob

[spookytooth]

not just a NOOB trap shit can and does happen fast on a bike no matter how many years you've been riding :)

[Okey Dokey]

Good work posting this. At least you were able to stop safely, rather than being a biker down story.

[ital916]

Good of you to realise you've reached the danger point where a noob gets more confident with their bike and thus believes that they are a good rider and can handle situations like those described. I as a noob too had to say to myself look your a noob you always will be, ride to the conditions and be alert. Good on you for realising this.

[discotex]

It has certainly given me a wake up call.

Might not have got away ignoring the signals for a third time. Bling awarded for getting the message.

[BiK3RChiK]

Awesome Post! +1 from me... Another danger is moronic drivers who don't know how to indicate correctly at round-a-bouts!

Well done on having the ability to analyse your driving habits and realise potential problems before they caused injury or worse to yourself or someone else!!

M

[HungusMaximist]

Good shit bro, nice to hear that you're taking precautions.

To be honest, you can never be too safe riding around the city and plus, those brakes on the GTR isn't the best.

If you wanna get comfortable, take it up on the quiet open road.

[TOTO]

Thanks for making me aware of a bad habit of mine. Blig awarded !:crazy:

[Trudes]

I was thinking as I was driving along today in a loser cruiser with a GN stuffed so far up my arse that I could only just see the top of his helmet, that another thing we motorcyclists need to remember is to make sure that we are seen, and this includes not following vehicles so they can't see you. Also if I had had to brake suddenly, he would have ended up sitting in the back seat with the mutt.:pinch: Rant over.

[Radar]

.In simple terms I was taking the corner too fast. The reason for this was my growing comfort in cornering at speed to the ignorance of riding to the road conditions. On this very familiar corner I was more focussed on cornering (that leant over under power feeling) than I was on the road itself.

It was very silly and I'm lucky that I was able to stop without dropping or hitting anything ... twice!. It was a bit stupid of me but I felt that it was worth bringing up for the benefit of other noobs because of the insidious way this crept up on me.

I hope this helps keep other noobs right side up. It has certainly given me a wake up call.

Rob

We all need wake up calls - no matter how many years we have been riding or driving. Thanks for posting this topic. :niceone:

[fireball]

its a good point to bring up, i myself noticed not long ago my speed and confidence increasing on the roads i would usually take on my commute to work, until one morning coming around a blind corner lean on, going faster than i should have been to find unmarked road works..... fresh seal loose gravel and a horse.... i swear it was one of those if you fuck this up..... moments.

you have to be prepared for the unexpected and it tends to happen on the roads you know the best, because thats where you let your guard down because your balls are bigger than your helmet.... well thats i what i think!:yes:

[Badjelly]

+1

A long time ago (a few decades) I read an article in Two Wheels by a woman who had been touring around Australia on a Yamaha XS650 or some such. The one thing that struck me was when she said she'd come around a blind corner and come across a lawnmower in the middle of the road (just an ordinary domestic mower, I think). She managed to avoid it. Ever since, I've tried to ride & drive as if there's a lawnmower in the middle of the road around every bend.

[motorbike.ventures]

definate +1

They say most accidents happen 5 to 10 minutes away from home, as we tend to relax when we think we are almost there.

Also when you get the feeling you are getting comfortable on the bike is another time accidents happen. Always be aware!

Thanks for posting, reminds us all :)

[mowgli]

Thanks for making me aware of a bad habit of mine. Blig awarded !:crazy:
Thanks. I've gotten heaps of good advice from KB. Nice to hear I've given a little back.


To be honest, you can never be too safe riding around the city and plus, those brakes on the GTR isn't the best.
The GT250R has dual front discs so nearly twice as much stopping power as a naked GT250 :-) I'm petty sure that's where the Hyosung bad brakes reputation comes from. I certainly have every confidence in mine.

[Jiminy]

Good one, mowgli.

I did a similarly stupid mistake last week-end. After going down the takas on a wet road and being all nervous about it (I'm the sunny cruiser style), I relaxed coming to the Hutts, and let myself drift for a few seconds too close to the car ahead and towards the center of the road. There were heavy ropes lying in a bunch in the middle of the road. When I saw it, it was too late too avoid it. I'm glad I have a nice stable cruiser and that the obstacle wasn't too high after all, but I sure was too close to the car ahead and in the wrong position in the lane.

[mowgli]

This morning on my way to work I got another wake up call. Into the city along the old Hutt Road, right into Tinakori then left onto Murphy. The lights were green crossing Tinakori so I was about to merge between 4 and 5 in a line of 6. At first 5 didn't look like he wanted to let me in but after a indicating, looking over my shoulder (#1) and moving right, he got the idea.

Then things happened very quickly. The back of 4 is all brake lights as 1 stops for pedestrians @#%!@$#. My initial reaction was perfect with a rapid counter steer to the left back into the merge lane (practice works). For some reason (probably panic and inexperience) I also stabbed the rear brake (but not the front thankfully) and locked the rear. I went a bit sideways but got it back under control after releasing the brake. Anyway nothing hit, nothing dropped, but a little red faced I completed the merge and carried on to work.

Over the next few hours I pondered the incident trying to figure out where I'd gone wrong. I decided that coming off Tinakori I must have been going a bit quick for the merge. It wasn't until the ride home that it struck me what I actually did wrong. It was basic. It was dumb. And it happened at the (#1) in my account above. I changed lanes while watching over my shoulder!!!! If I was that concerned about the guy behind then I shouldn't have been switching lanes in the first place. The safety glance should be just that. A quick look for danger then eyes front again BEFORE moving position on the road.

Fortunately I got away it and I've learned from the incident. Hopefully my red faced account will cause other noobs to watch where they're riding and not over their shoulders.

A final thought. Strangely, going sideways felt quite normal - perhaps it was the dirt from my teens.

[Subike]

downhill
urban aread
morning traffic
blind corner
mmmmmm
travel at a speed that you can stop in half the distance of what you can see in front of you.
urban areas, business districs, shopping centers all areas that offer the worst senarios for bikers at any given moment night or day.
If you are inside the city limits of any town ANY TOWN, treat it as a battle field, you WILL be confronted by obsticles that WILL try and stop you DEAD!
You are a comutor on a bike, ride as such.
100% CONCENTARATION 100% OF THE TIME

[heyjoe]

Thanks for sharing your stories with us mowgli. Keeps us in touch with the real world no matter what our experience. Keep riding safe.

[Jantar]

...My ride to work each morning includes this corner (http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-41.246329,174.773351&spn=0.001718,0.003648&t=h&z=18) on Awarua St in Ngaio. Ninety degrees, downhill and pretty much blind. Exercising common sense and not completely comfortable cornering my approach to this corner was understandably cautious.

This week I came round that corner to find a car stopped in the road and other coming up the hill. You see folks park up for the Awarua Station leaving only space for one car to get though. As per the road code, good drivers heading downhill give way to those coming up. Anyway I had to stand the bike up and brake hard not once, but twice on separate days. Second time made me think hard about what was going on.....

My first bin (37 years ago) was an almost carbon copy of your experience. Downhill, tight, off camber, blind left hand corner. I was most of the way around the bend when I discovered a truck taking up my side of the road, and coming towards me. I swung to the right hand side of the road, head on into a car, that I hadn't been able to see because of that bloody truck.

[Terminated]

I have enjoyed reading this thread this month. Rob as a newbie out there, it is good to see your posts about your experiences on the bike.

Reviewing, analysing, reading forum feedback and encouragement, identifying and reinforcing improved technique and methods: there are so many positives out there and it is good to see people replying with their support. While you are alone on your bike and at one with it, you are never truly alone because your skills and technique are improving as if someone is riding there with you.

Heads Up and Enjoy - Well Done

[Caladbolg]

I have a good one to add. This morning on the way to work i had to take a different way as the entrance to the road my work is on is closed for re-surfacing. It was slightly wet this morning so i was taking it easy. So i come into a right hander ive been round plenty of times, next second i've lowsided. I was pondering on how it happened all day. So i went back there after work and looked at the road. I played the line i took through my head and figured that as i came round on the center of the road (I could see there was nothing coming, its an unobstructed corner) in which grip was fine at the lean angle i had, then as i got toward the outside of my lane it becomes slightly off-camber (which ive never taken notice of before, silly me) and combined with the slightly moist conditions, the extra angle being used by the tyres and the slight acceleration out of the corner caused me to lose the rear end and dreadful scraping noises followed by some %$&&($#%

A NOOB TRAP... definitely caught this noob out. From this ive learned to watch for a change in surface conditions even more than i already try too.

At least the bike was fine apart from some scrapeage and a bent brake lever.
I got a sore knee and a grazed knuckle. Quasi leathers did there job :woohoo:

[quickbuck]

And it happened at the (#1) in my account above. I changed lanes while watching over my shoulder!!!! .

Heck, you're a worry.

At least you have the smarts to analyse your mistakes though Rob.
I'd expect nothing less from you though.

Anyhow, take it easy on your new VTR, and I'll catch up with you at work sometime ;)

Speaking of NOOB mistakes, I was following one of our young lads (well new to motorcycles, may not be young) to work this morning.
I know he was new, as it was really wet, and cold, and he was as stiff as a plank on his ZZR 250.

As he turned of SH1 onto Tangimoana road, he rode over every piece of paint he could.
Must have some magic tyres on the ZZR... and NO power!

He stayed upright by these facts, and a bit of luck.
I know if I touched any of it I would be looking at the sky while laying on the road. See it is less than 3km from my gate to this point.

Fact is he didn't have to ride over any paint, and cuting the corner to ride over MORE was really silly!

Hope we get to him before the plastic gets scratched.

[chubby]

Mowgli. Thanks for sharing.

You write a good thread, I enjoyed reading and yep tucked away the impotant bits (it's dangerous joing in with cages, better to stay wide and blatt past).

And yet i still live, lifes 9th mystery eh.