Road-craft 'skills'.

[swbarnett]

And that's the reality of riding on the roads. It isn't that great a problem for people who put a higher priority in their safety and take their riding a bit more seriously over having "fun".

I take my riding very seriously. It's part of what makes life worth living. If it wasn't a fun AND enjoyable thing to do I wouldn't do it. This is why I rarely drive a car.

Being the fastest. Pulling the biggest wheelie. Having the most tortured looking tyres. Having the biggest set of balls in the eyes of your mates in some bullshit macho pissing match, mean jack-shit for road-craft skills.

You don't have to do any of this to have fun on a bike. This kind of posturing is not about fun, it's about young males competing for females.

[Badjelly]

Several people on this site have told me I can't possibly have fun riding such a boring bike as my Scorpio. I just .

[MSTRS:Me]

Several people on this site have told me I can't possibly have fun riding such a boring bike as my Scorpio. I just .

A Scorpio? Have you no standards? And to actually seem to be proud of that ignominious fact...Gads, how can you look at yourself in the mirror?

[Badjelly]

Several people on this site have told me I can't possibly have fun riding such a boring bike as my Scorpio. I just .

A Scorpio? Have you no standards? And to actually seem to be proud of that ignominious fact...Gads, how can you look at yourself in the mirror?

[MSTRS:Me]

[meh]Oh FFS how do you do that invisible 10-character thing again?[/meh]

Like this ...

[OutForADuck]

Always indicate your intentions. Indicate for those you do see, but especially for those you don't see.

But treat others indications as just that.. an indication of what they will do. The only thing it actually proves is that the bulb works

[OutForADuck]

Try to enter corners from the widest safe line and look to exit on the narrowest safe line. So for a right hander enter from the road side and exist near the centre line.

Doing this will mean that your exit from one corner will run you into the correct entry for the next except in the case of a corner of the same direction, in which case all you need to do is let the bike drift wide.

We all know that letting a bike drift wide on corners is ALOT easier than trying to tighten the line, just ask everyone that has ever ended up on the wrong side of the road on exit.

90% of the time each corner will flow into the next.

[MSTRS:Me]

That is correct info OutForADuck
What you are referring to, is the late apex style of cornering. It gives you increased vision through the corner to be fore-warned of otherwise unseen hazards. Like SUVs taking a lane and a half.
If a rider approaches a corner from the 'wrong' part of his lane, he will be almost forced to apex early. This can result in being sling-shotted wide at the natural apex. Not good.

[XP@]

1. Know how to stop.
2. Plan ahead.
3. Relax.

If your body doesn't know how to stop your bike (they are all different) then practice. Knowing the theory is not enough you need to drill it in until it is instinct.

Plan ahead, plan lines through corners and not just the corner you are approaching on a twisty road you may need to consider 2+ bends in advance. Build in flexibility to your line, allow for surprises - they will happen. You should be looking 12 seconds down the road, further if possible.

Chill, if you are tense you won't be able to perform well, it becomes an effort to get the bike round a corner. Relax the death grip on the bars, keep your head moving, lean in to the corners. By keeping your self calm more attention can be paid to riding.

[OutForADuck]

That is correct info OutForADuck
What you are referring to, is the late apex style of cornering. It gives you increased vision through the corner to be fore-warned of otherwise unseen hazards. Like SUVs taking a lane and a half.
If a rider approaches a corner from the 'wrong' part of his lane, he will be almost forced to apex early. This can result in being sling-shotted wide at the natural apex. Not good.

Exactly.. although I try to get newer riders to forget about the apex as it is just a natural consequence of getting the exit and turn point correct rather than the other way around. All hooked together with that vanishing point rapidly moving away from you indicating the corner is about to end.

[OutForADuck]

Relax the death grip on the bars, keep your head moving, lean in to the corners. By keeping your self calm more attention can be paid to riding.

Now thats a state we all need to work toward the "zone" where we are working naturally rather than trying to force out the good stuff... if you can relax into your riding you 80% there.

One of the fastest riders/races I have ever known would visibly switch from riding stiff to complete relaxation as soon as he turned up the wick and would suddenly brake less and seem to move slower... but when he did that.. you knew it was going to be impossible to keep up

[MSTRS:Me]

One of the fastest riders/races I have ever known would visibly switch from riding stiff to complete relaxation as soon as he turned up the wick and would suddenly brake less and seem to move slower... but when he did that.. you knew it was going to be impossible to keep up

Now that is pace riding. And it doesn't have to be overly 'fast'...just smooth and consistent.

[OutForADuck]

This same guy was also a fantastic example of how 90% of it is up to us and not the bike, most limits, be it with smooth attentive riding or speed round a circuit are the property of our skills and mindset.

He was the same (admittedly impressive speed) on his Bears cup Buell or his superbike prepped Gixxer 1000...... he just reached his own personal limits and one bike he dragged up to them and the other waited for the day he would reach its.

Go out and practice being perfect guys... the faster better smarter bike costs more and returns less than investment in your own skills.

[Pascal]

Alright, I've read through this and there is one thing missing. Well, the thing I was looking for ... it isn't here.

Wet roads, windy days and cagers on their way to work.

I was riding in this morning, still a newbie and with my L plate clearly affixed to my pannier bag. And a cager was tailgating me down Gillies avenue with the wind and the weather as it was. I was doing about 50km/h, so within the speed limit and hunkered down against the wind.

Did he think?

He was about a yard or two off my back bumper and clearly impatient. Coming up to the lights he essentially pushed me off the road and raced off, by the speed he was going I'm guessing around 70km/h.

What would have happened if I'd slipped on the wet roads? He'd have gone right over me. If I'd have to stop suddenly? He'd have flattened me.

What do you do in that type of situation? My first instinct was to pull over, but with the wind and the weather the way it was (is) today that didn't feel entirely safe - not with the way people turn a single lane into a two-lane going down Gillies.

And I forgot the fuckers plates, because I was >< this close to filing a report for dangerous driving on him.

[Katman]

What do you do in that type of situation? My first instinct was to pull over, but with the wind and the weather the way it was (is) today that didn't feel entirely safe - not with the way people turn a single lane into a two-lane going down Gillies.

Quite frankly, that's exactly what you should have done. Your argument that it didn't feel safe to doesn't make any sense. (What if your destination had dictated that that was where you were to pull over).

Riding in those conditions while preoccupied by someone tail gating you was a far riskier situation. As one of the more vulnerable forms of transport, motorcyclists need to take whatever steps necessary to minimise that risk.