Road survival tips?

[Big Dog]

I reckon another life saver is MB riding on gravel. If you know how to recover a slide your halfway there but playaround a bit at lowspeed and see how diferently it reacts to things like putting the power on (pedaling) and braking. also good for learning countersteer.

A lot of people who lowside don't have to. A couple of times the following has worked for me at 90+kmph.

When the arse end starts to let go (the bikes not yours) point the steering wheel in the direction of the slide and accelerate (what have you got to lose if it does not work you were going down any way) gently this will "hook the back wheel up" and stand the bike up, from there its back to the ride. This will all need to happen in about 1/2 a second to a second. If you hesitate it will already be a memory. Drill it. The book that sugested the it also suggested subliminal drilling. Which in context means for a couple weeks imagine feeling a lowside start, recovery, success! No guarantees on recovering from any type of unintended slide but a chance is better than none.

[Indiana_Jones]

Watch out for my Extreme FXR150 power!

-Indy

[Motu]

I will reinforce off road and gravel road riding as essential tools for riding on the road - you have to know what happens when you get out of shape.

What about your front wheel? how many have explored it's limits? or do you back off from a front slide? To most losing the front means you come off,it's something to stay away from.Sure sliding the rear is fun,to me it's the biggest thrill of riding a bike,I'm a sliding fool....but can you slide the front? sure you can!

A good friend of mine ( a member but non poster on this site) was telling me all the intricate details of how to set my bike up for a dirt track,tyres,cutting them,pressures,suspn settings,on and on for hours - but in the end he said...aw shit,just set the bloody thing up so you are happy with a front end slide,you'll be pretty close then - oh,thanks,why didn't you say that in the first place!

This was a big eye opener for me - I've survived front tyre blow outs in corners a couple of times without crashing,but like most stayed well clear of a washy front end.Chucking the bike into the sweeper in a two wheel drift,both front and rear sliding and balancing between both was a lot of fun - going out and walking the track,following a big black line that was my front wheel for metres in a corner...yikes!

This is not for a learner to do (well,we are all learners aren't we ),but riding in gravel or dirt with your front wheel locked and still controling the bike could be something to look at.

[duckman]

Treat everone else on the road as a complete moron

If you give anyone the benfit of the doubt they f*ck you up every time.

[750Y]

I will reinforce off road and gravel road riding as essential tools for riding on the road - you have to know what happens when you get out of shape.

What about your front wheel? how many have explored it's limits? or do you back off from a front slide? To most losing the front means you come off,it's something to stay away from.Sure sliding the rear is fun,to me it's the biggest thrill of riding a bike,I'm a sliding fool....but can you slide the front? sure you can!

A good friend of mine ( a member but non poster on this site) was telling me all the intricate details of how to set my bike up for a dirt track,tyres,cutting them,pressures,suspn settings,on and on for hours - but in the end he said...aw shit,just set the bloody thing up so you are happy with a front end slide,you'll be pretty close then - oh,thanks,why didn't you say that in the first place!

This was a big eye opener for me - I've survived front tyre blow outs in corners a couple of times without crashing,but like most stayed well clear of a washy front end.Chucking the bike into the sweeper in a two wheel drift,both front and rear sliding and balancing between both was a lot of fun - going out and walking the track,following a big black line that was my front wheel for metres in a corner...yikes!

This is not for a learner to do (well,we are all learners aren't we ),but riding in gravel or dirt with your front wheel locked and still controling the bike could be something to look at.

a really valid point. any tips for how to practise controlling a front end slide?
would it have to be on the dirt? i wouldn't know exactly how to react to one so would probably just do nothing like a rear slide. do You get on the gas to pick it up again? you have some experience you could share here regarding technique.

[Hitcher]

1. Always watch out for motorists who wear hats (bowlers, little-old-ladies, boy racers...)
2. Never assume the bastards have seen you (most recently nearly got taken out on Saturday by an old grey-haired (under his hat q.v.) fart in a Mirage at Greytown)

[marty]

eye contact with other road users - can't beat it. 1 finger on the brake lever around traffic (easy on the RS - pulls up with 2 finger pressure anyway). look to where you want to go - we practice this incessantley in BMX racing, and it saves kids and adults all the time - spot the landing, then look ahead, spot the point of the turn, then look to the exit. don't fixate on the target, or you'll hit it, guaranteed. use your weight on the bike - don't muscle it, shift weight off the side of the seat, not knee dragging, just slightly, and the bike will respond. add some countersteer, and you're away! on the RS, even raising one leg on the peg will alter the line of the bike - maybe it wouldn't on a big cruiser, but it's gotta help. relax. don't hold the bars tight. 'think' the bike around the corner, and it will go.

[Motu]

a really valid point. any tips for how to practise controlling a front end slide?
would it have to be on the dirt? i wouldn't know exactly how to react to one so would probably just do nothing like a rear slide. do You get on the gas to pick it up again? you have some experience you could share here regarding technique.

You have to get on the gas to take the weight off the front - Kenny Roberts adapted the dirt track style to road racing...his words are''you'll never lose the front if you are on the gas'' or words to that effect.He's right,that's why you have to get on the gas early.In dirt track it's used to scrub off speed as you don't use the brakes,but to maintain corner speed the front is sliding all the way to the apex where you power out.But it's a hard mental block to overcome - the front is sliding because you have come into the corner too fast,the front breaks away or at least just pushes you out in the turn,the only way to stop it is to get on the gas - to practice that on the road these days would be out of my comfort zone.I would just try locking the front on grass to see how it feels to have the front wheel not doing what it should.

[Coldkiwi]

my two cents on the 'what to cover' rule.

I don't cover the clutch during normal riding. clutch is for changing gears not stopping super quick (in emergency brake the clutch comes after close throttle/brake application for me)

I od tend to cover the front brake more with the two fingers. I discovered this out at pukekohe and it doesn't need to lead to front wheel lockups in an emergency panic (unlikely for most of us anyway as we probably don't know how hard we can brake before skidding, which even then ,is not the end of the world). I have simply adjusted the span on the lever to allow me to put as much pressure as I like onto the lever with two finger but so that it won't close on my index or little fingers. I also adjust the span in the wet to further reduce my tendancy to snatch. if I REALLY want to hammer the brakes (hard ride), i put it further in so I can use the whole hand comfortably and get more power knowing that I will have the tyre hot enough to handle it.

may sound like a bit of shagging around but I can adjust it while moving and really, why not?

[Big Dog]

If you have done your braking drills why would you panic snatch?

[Motu]

Missed Marty's post cause i was typing.Duh...as a trials rider how could I forget the motorcycle discipline that teaches us how to ride the most! I guess because I do it it's just normal for me,but everythings there,except going fast.But going fast isn't about being a good rider,being a good rider is about bike control - trials riders have the best bike control.There is so,so,so much that trials has taught me about how to ride that I can't see how you lot can ride without doing it.

Amongst trials riders you'll find road racers,enduro and MX racers,speedway riders and sidecar racers - they are not stupid y'know,they know where to go to get skills.

[Hitcher]

Missed Marty's post cause i was typing.Duh...as a trials rider how could I forget the motorcycle discipline that teaches us how to ride the most! I guess because I do it it's just normal for me,but everythings there,except going fast.But going fast isn't about being a good rider,being a good rider is about bike control - trials riders have the best bike control.There is so,so,so much that trials has taught me about how to ride that I can't see how you lot can ride without doing it.

Amongst trials riders you'll find road racers,enduro and MX racers,speedway riders and sidecar racers - they are not stupid y'know,they know where to go to get skills.

I agree with you 100% Slow riding is inordinately harder than riding faster. It's where you learn the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between "turning" and "cornering" as one example; and when you should and shouldn't get your foot down, as another.