You know when you have days where you suddenly learn an incredible amount in a very short
period. Well, yesterday was one of those days. And if yesterday was silver, well, today has
been absolute gold.
What am I talking about ? Well, OAB's thread on "Rider Safety Statistics" (of course).
Mind you, the more that I read, the more the thread seemed to drift a little off-topic.
And I'm afraid that I may have contributed to that outcome. So I've apologised to OAB
for causing some collateral damage to his thread, and started my own thread. This one.
Some of the points that I learned from a person called Cassina deserved to be put down
on paper for others to read and enjoy, and I did make a few suggestions on how his/her
material might be collated and organised (in a series of publications).
Mind you, what I did realise afterwards (re my list of suggested publications) was that
I had missed mentioning the most important - and obvious - item of all. A Dummies Guide.
But that can be the subject of another thread.
Today, my cup has virtually overflowed. More great material. And to make it even easier for
you, I have mentioned the source post # in OAB's thread, should you ever need to go back
to the original source material.
At this point, I should say that this may take at least 10 minutes to read. So if you don't
have the time, don't start reading. And if you don't start, I don't blame you.
Anyway, today's lesson starts at post #185 (page 13) in OAB's thread. Here goes. Buckle up.
[Sorry, that only applies if you're in the car. Force of habit. ]
#185 - "Your riding line can vary depending upon whether on not you can see around the bend".
So which line do I use , and when ? Luckily, NZSpokes came to my rescue later in the thread
and cleared that one up for me. Credit: NZSpokes
#186 - "Why does it take 24 months to become an Advanced Rider - when I can do it in 6 ?"
(I've paraphrased it slightly for brevity sake)
Well, I thought that one was quite straight forward to answer, but obviously not. Luckily,
Gremlin stepped in this time and cleared that one away. Credit: Gremlin.
#186 - "Riding schools never teach you about hazards and hazard avoidance" . This was
despite the fact that Cassina said that he/she had never been to one. Puzzling?
I thought they did on one of my Advanced Riding courses. Yes, in fact, I'm sure they did.
Ah, that Cassina is just pulling my chain. What a sense of humour.
#186 - "Not enough time to react to unforeseen dogs and cars" (Typo: should that be cats ?)
and
"Rider training would not have helped you react".
But how does he/she know ? He/she said that they've never attended a rider training course.
#186 (and #195 and #211) - This one was obviously very important, so please pay attention.
"That if you do manage to ride without hitting (or running into) things, your success is not
due to rider training, but just plain dumb luck".
Well, as you can imagine, I was astounded.
All that rider training (with emphasis on forward observation) and on having a riding plan. Wasted.
All that money that I had spent over the years on riding courses. Absolutely wasted.
Furthermore,
"Going to riding classes leads to disappointment and disillusion". You're telling me. By this stage,
I was getting depressed big time.
Luckily, NZSpokes came back to the rescue in post #188 and clarified it for me, and now I feel
much better. Credit : NZSpokes.
#192 - OAB chimed in here and said that "repeated exposure to Cassina can cause headaches".
Well, I've never met the person. Maybe what he means is not to read KB before going riding.
#198 - "Nub of my argument about safe cornering is excess entry speed"
Then why were they talking about riding lines yesterday, if they are irrelevant ? I'm confused.
#198 - "Only use / ride corners that have NZTA speed advisory signs on them ".
Well, that's all very well, but what do I do about the ones that don't have a sign on them ?
#198 - "Use the NZTA speed sign to select the right gear".
But all the signs I've ever seen only have a recommended speed value on them. They don't tell me
what gear I should use. And what should I do if there is no sign at all ?
This riding business is harder than it looks.
#198 - "Cornering Confidence" - Ah, goody, a new topic. I was getting bored with the Riding Courses
topic anyway.
#198 - "Corner confidence is influenced by your type of motorcycle"
God, I hope that I've got the right type.
Oh damn, looking forward to post #201, it says sports bikes are bad. I knew I should never have
bought the VFR. Mind you, it's a sports tourer. Maybe that's OK.
#198 - "And your rear tyre must be square". Presumably for more confidence.
Note to self: Reduce rear tyre pressure.
#198 - "Smart tutors at riding schools might pick you up on not having squared-off tyres"
and
"Check your tutors' ground clearance".
It appears that the not-so-smart tutors may be closer to the ground. Well, that's a handy tip.
#201 - "Slow down and watch right turning traffic into driveways".
Well, OK, but what about left turning traffic ? Well, in the absence of information, I'll just
use common sense and do the same.
I just wish people would be a bit more precise when they write, and write what they mean.
#201 - "The importance of peripheral vision" .
Well, OK. But I wear glasses. What should I do ? Is it Ok to just turn my head to the side ?
#201 - "Not tall enough"
Yes, well, I know that I'm only 5' 6" . So, what should I do ? Platform boots ?
#201 - "A woman pulled pulled out from a side street and as she pulled up close to me, she
braked instead of flooring it .... "
Think that I'll leave that one alone if you don't mind.
#201 - "Riding schools don't teach you about emergency braking" (as well as not teaching
you about hazard avoidance).
Ah, it's that humour thing again. Refer post #186 earlier.
#205 - Car Driving ! Well, I have to say that I didn't expect that topic to come up today.
I mean, 2 wheels vs 4 wheels. No need to counter-steer.
Mind you, maybe that explains why a hand brake skid works in the car, and not so well
on the motorcycle. Oh well, I'm sure all will be explained.
#205 - "A Certificate for Advanced Driving Competency".
Damn ! I never got a certificate from the Holden Advanced Driving School when I did
my courses. Mind you, I only paid for two ! Cassina says you have to do at least 6
to be any good.
Hang on. Now Cassina says you don't need a Certificate as it doesn't make you a better
driver. Thank God for that. I'll just lie when they ask me to show my certificate.
#205 - "Riding Schools make you feel bullet proof" .
What ? You mean that that new back protector that I purchased is wasted as well ?
#207 - "Don't brag - be humble".
Just remember. You might have been to a riding school and gotten some skills training,
but that doesn't make you better than the next person.
Don't brag - be humble. OK. Check!.
#211 "You'll never crash through your own fault or the fault of others" (if you've
been to a riding school course).
I'm sure they didn't say that. I mean I would have remembered.
Note to Self: 1. Check old course notes 2. Keep your new back protector in your
jacket just in case.
#211 - "It's not the riding school training that has saved you, but dumb luck"
Just to reinforce that point again. Check !
#211 - "Shit does not happen with an identical or necessarily same time delay"
Well, it does for me. I'm as regular as clockwork. Every morning, 10 minutes after
breakfast.
Note to Self: 1. Check frequency of bowel movements. 2. Check old course notes,
because they may revoke your course certificate if you can't shit on demand.
Sorry, I just made that one, just like Cassina seems to (now and then). I apologise.
#214 - "Name of your course instructor".
If asked, pretend you can't remember their name. Puzzling !
Maybe it's because if you're a poor student, they don't want to be associated
with you. Probably !
#218 - Your riding faults " . Ah yes, now we're into the meaty stuff.
What ? Only one ? Oh, you're too modest. Surely not !
"Being conscious of speed in bends". I thought that would be a good thing (and not
a fault). This English language is so confusing at times.
#218 - "More conscious of speed than riding lines through bends"
Maybe Cassina means you can ride any line you like, as long as you go slow enough?
#218 - "Motorcyclists riding under pressure".
Now Cassina mentioned this one yesterday, so it must be important.
Now, how the hell do I measure my blood pressure before going on a group ride?
And what is a "safe pressure" ?
Maybe Cassina meant just check your pulse. Well, that's easy. I can do that.
Hang on. No, Cassina probably meant tyre pressure. Yes, that'll be it. You wouldn't
want to be going fast through the twisties (left - right - left - right) if your front
tyre pressure was low.
#218 - "Not losing sight of the ride group leader"
But I always ride at the back of the pack when we go on group rides. What do I
do now ?
Just as well (on our group rides) the rider just behind the ride leader always
drops off and marks the important turns.
#219 - "Slowing down due to old age"
Oh man, that was a cheap shot. I know that I'm turning 60 this year, but even so.
Well, I try not to slow down too much, but to keep an even throttle when riding
(and always within the speed limits, your honour).
And not too fast into corners (unlike certain other people I could mention).
But since you bring 'age' up:
Just as a concession to us older folk, Cassina. Could you just add in the occasional
full stop in your sentences, and maybe the occasional comma as well. It's just that
by the time I get to the end of one of your sentences, I have sometimes forgotten
what the start of the sentence was all about. Old age is such a b@#$%*
I can handle the font size OK. Can enlarge the font on the screen no problem.
Thanks in advance.
#219 - "ACC premiums"
What is Cassina on about ? I mean, I get a discounted insurance premium as it is,
because I've done some rider training courses.
You mean you can get some ACC discount as well ? Woo hoo ! Better look into that.
#219 - "Don't be over-confident - be humble"
Refer post #207 earlier. Check !
#221 - "Cassina is going on a rider training course"
No, it's that humour thing again. Catch me once, maybe.
#221 - "Hugging the white lines on bends"
Oh, it's only dangerous if you do it in the wet. So it's OK to do it in the dry,
even if there is oncoming traffic. Well, that clarifies that point.
#222 - "Four crashes over 35 years"
Oh, that's not so bad. I mean, it's obviously OK to crash, as long as you don't
do it very often.
Makes my one crash (on black ice) in 45 years look positively minuscule. Cassina
is obviously a professional.
#225 - "Menopause" [raised by Swoop]
Gosh, I'd never thought about that. Wonder if he meant male or female ?
Maybe that was what Cassina was alluding to in post #219 (slowing down due to old
age), but was trying to do so in a polite manner?
I had heard that men do go through a male menopause, but that it strikes them much
earlier in life - and it's a lot more expensive. Well, that's what my wife says, and who
am I to argue with her.
Well, that's all I have time for today. Hope that you've found it useful. I might be
off the air over the week-end, because today's session covered quite a few topics
and I'll need some time to do some more reading.
Hope you all have a good week-end, and safe riding to you all.
And look out for those damn dogs ....
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Originally Posted by Viking01
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