Cats-eyes and corners

[avgas]

This thread is about clipping things that are there on EVERY corner. I am expressing my surprise, that a common(!) thing on the road could kill a rider. Clipping a catseye leaned over on a wet road on a left-hander with a truck coming the other way is an instant FATAL. I didn't know this. I bet lots of

If you don't like being dead i suggest you drop this hobby of riding a bike.
Fact of the matter is that everything can kill you in correct amounts.
Whether it be inanimate objects like cats-eyes or moving stuff such as dogs, cars and other motorcyclist.

Having a little cry about losing your ability of being 100% in control of your vehicle just goes to show that your rather naive about who rules the road. (FYI is not me - I'm just road kill waiting to happen)

[gatch]

In other news, partway through a urban cornering maneuver I hit a cats eye..

I bet little Jimmy was pretty unhappy at finding moggy limp in front of his house with a 150 section pirelli mark across the top of its head.. I didn't try to avoid it, given the surroundings it was me or the cat..

I've never hit a reflector though, that's just retarded..

[jonbuoy]

The more you write the harder I laugh at your ignorance...

& yes there is FAAAARRRR more to riding than that VERY basic description I gave..

I suggest you do some research & find out just what is involved in getting an "I endorsement" from NZTA.. coz you're blowing out your arse.. again...

No-one likes a know it all, especially one who just got their advanced riding instructor badge. I'll take my training from a police biker if its all the same thanks.

[Bonez]

No I didn't. I hit a catseye because I didnt know it was dangerous. I was lazily riding around the corner because I did not perceive any danger. I was wrong. If there was danger - I would have avoided it.

So you've learnt a leason, well done. For goodness sake take up a safer hobby. Like knitting or some such. No forget that, it involves needles.

[surfchick]

never run over em whilst leaned over and never ever run over them leaned over in the wet,,

I second this!
I hit a 2.5 inch lump of raised tarseal in the centre of some tight turns while connecting back to ak from sh16 two weekends ago - i hit the bump banked over going quite quick and the bike launched sizeways a foot and caught traction again in the same leaning position but almost on the centre line. At the same moment a car was coming on the other side right where I felt like I was going to bin into - but somehow the bike caught and I rode out of it...

[crazyhorse]

Phew!!!! Nothing like a fright is there

[CookMySock]

Why are we not concentrating on the message of not running wide on corners. Mistakes are made, lets look back upon this incident and figure out where along the chain the mistake was made leading to running wide.

Ok here it is;

When I had the bike in the right half lane, in a tight left turn, wheels are very close to the centreline.

Where am I supposed to be looking? At the corner vanishing point right?

Where is my head position - to the left of the windscreen right?

Now answer me this - what are my chances of looking down at my front wheel and judging the distance between it and the catseyes, and when should I ever be doing such a thing? The answer to that should be "zero", and "never." Neither of those two things are remotely appropriate in those circumstances.

So how the hell do I know how close I am to the centerline?

It's not about running wide because I can't steer - its about managing the bike in an extremely tight area while looking in the opposite direction. Infeasible!

And lets not forget the first thing - I had no idea that catseyes were a really bad thing to hit while cornering. This has happened one time before, but I thought I must have hit a rock or something, so now it is all very clear.

The two morals to the story are a.) if you are riding in the left or the right half lane, leave the TYRES there and move the bike around, not the other way around, and b.) don't fucking hit ANYTHING while you are cornering or pay the price.

Steve

[Katman]

Now answer me this.........

It's easy - stop treating the road like a fucking racetrack.

[ital916]

Ok here it is;

When I had the bike in the right half lane, in a tight left turn, wheels are very close to the centreline.

Where am I supposed to be looking? At the corner vanishing point right?

Where is my head position - to the left of the windscreen right?

Now answer me this - what are my chances of looking down at my front wheel and judging the distance between it and the catseyes, and when should I ever be doing such a thing? The answer to that should be "zero", and "never." Neither of those two things are remotely appropriate in those circumstances.

So how the hell do I know how close I am to the centerline?

It's not about running wide because I can't steer - its about managing the bike in an extremely tight area while looking in the opposite direction. Infeasible!

And lets not forget the first thing - I had no idea that catseyes were a really bad thing to hit while cornering. This has happened one time before, but I thought I must have hit a rock or something, so now it is all very clear.

The two morals to the story are a.) if you are riding in the left or the right half lane, leave the TYRES there and move the bike around, not the other way around, and b.) don't fucking hit ANYTHING while you are cornering or pay the price.

Steve

A wise man once told me that you should be able to put the bike anywhere in the lane during a manouver, that a rider should know what the bike is doing and where the tyres are contacting the road. I dont want to come accross as sounding silly but what you just wrote was silly. Yes it is good to look well ahead but you have to be aware of what the bike is doing and where it is at. You've basically just stated that when exiting a corner you know and see only what is in front of you. If that is the case then there is trouble approaching quickly. Or, it could be just me, that enters corners at a speed where I can digest everything happening with the bike. God forbid whilst looking into the distance you are unable to tell that your bike is in the other bloody lane of the road.

[gatch]

Ok here it is

Its called spacial awareness, if you don't know where your tires are tracking without looking, how do you even know that you are in the right lane ?

No I'm not taking the piss.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

God forbid whilst looking into the distance you are unable to tell that your bike is in the other bloody lane of the road.

Sounds like he braked and turned into the corner a too early...

[ital916]

Its called spacial awareness, if you don't know where your tires are tracking without looking, how do you even know that you are in the right lane ?

No I'm not taking the piss.

yeah, that was what I meant haha, only I took a paragraph.

[gatch]

yeah, that was what I meant haha, only I took a paragraph.

We all love tales about wise men haha, plenty on kb hahaha

[sleemanj]

To me.

Sounds like.

(Don's flame retarding vest).

Going too fast, trying too hard.

Simple as that.

We're all guilty of it at some point in time.

The faster any body goes, the wider they get until they exceed their bravery or ability and end up on or over the center.

Road not a racetrack.

Don't hit nuthin on the road, including paint, oil, shiny lookin bits of seal, grit, cats eyes, lumpy bits, small children... they all mean trouble.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Going too fast, trying too hard.

Simple as that.

then there is that... yup... Simple as that