Triumphrat

AAustin

Spent a lot of hours on my Bonneville this weekend enjoying the Fall weather and scenery. A couple situations occurred that made me realize that, despite my ever-increasing confidence and enjoyment on the bike, I've got a lot to learn.

I'm a re-entry rider, have only been back-in-the-saddle for a couple months, took the MSF course, read Hough's Proficient riding books, etc., and have been deliberately taking my time to become a safe rider, first and foremost.

Three incidents that all happened to me yesterday within a time frame of only an hour or two:

Riding in left lane of lightly traveled divided four-line road, ~45mph, I failed to notice a car coming up behind me in the right lane until he was next to me and passed me. It startled me and rattled my nerves. This car came out of nowhere. If I had swerved around an unexpected obstacle into the right lane, I would have hit him or he would've hit me. Lesson learned: CHECK SIX, and check it often.

Riding down narrow two-lane country road with lots of broken/patched pavement, wandered close to centerline to avoid particularly rough patch and came very close to SUV going by me in opposite direction who was riding the centerline. Lesson learned: you should be aware of the road surface at all times but don't forget about on-coming traffic.

Finally, in a hurry to get to my destination, I turned right onto 4-lane divided highway but crossed over into left lane instead of staying in right lane. Excessive acceleration and insufficient lean angle. Lesson learned: being in a hurry will cause you to screw up.

Tbirdnz

You cannot get enough saddle time, the more you have the better you will be.

Observation on what is around you is essential, take a tip from wartime Spitfire pilots, 'watch out for a Hun in the sun', in other words scan everywhere !


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Ride on !

hogwylde

And besides what Tbirdnz said, when checking your mirrors, don't rely on just them - turn your head and look! Another good habit to get into is to use hand signals as well. A lot of people aren't used to keeping an eye out for small turn signals, if they even know where they are, so hand signals will bring attention to you and your intentions.

__________________
The mind is like a parachute. Works best when open.

ARC

I think that constantly critiqing your own riding is a good way to learn. I'm a new rider and I get angry at myself for doing stupid things while on the road.

I have a tendency to take turns a bit too slowly. I still get a little freaked out when leaning into a turn and have to resist the urge to grab the front brake.

But every time I do something like that, I make a mental note of what I did and remind myself to not do it next time. I think that helps develop good habits.

MES

Left lane is for passing not bimbling along at 45mph. If you're in the correct lane he could have passed you on the left.
Yes check your mirrors often. That is why they are there.

What says to me is that you were either task saturated or have a mental lapse.
OR
you focused on the obstacle and as you approached it your field of focus continued to shorten up and as a result you did not see the oncoming truck.

Bad things happen when you fixate. Be it in a corner or an object you need to avoid.
Head down, chin out, EYES UP. Look at nothing, see everything.

have fun be safe.

AAustin

Great advice. I may get a Sharpie and write this inside my visor.

Thanks.

LongRoadHome

one tip I picked up along the way...
your shadow points at the drivers that have a hard time seeing YOU.

Ken M1

My advice is to practice in an empty parking lot (much like MSF does). Practice tight turns, gradually picking up the pace. This will help speed up your fight with the #1 fear of motorcyclists: FEAR OF LACK OF TRACTION! This is the source of "fixating" on road conditions ("is there loose gravel ahead?, is that spot wet?, will that ridge disrupt me?, will my tire break loose?", etc). This is also the source of "wide turn" where you over shoot your turn and ride into other lane ("I'm afraid to lean enough because my tire may slip out from under me!"). Practice in a parking lot will help you understand how grippy your tires are. After a while your brain will understand too and start to think "hey..this is no big deal", thus allowing you to take the proper manuevers. If you practice in a large empty parking lot you can set up objects on the far side. Teach yourself that THAT is your destination and practice by ONLY looking towards THAT object. Set up s-turn, u-turn, etc and ride towards it with that object on far side being your destination. This will help train your brain how the bike GOES WHERE YOU LOOK. This helps you on the road by training your brain to NOT be distracted by anything and to FOCUS on getting to what you are looking at (this is why ONLY looking ahead is a habit you MUST practice at ALL times).
Time, itself, on a bike will NOT make you a better rider. Time, while ONLY practicing proper habits, WILL. Remember...everything you do becomes habit. That's why it's so important to ONLY practice good habits...ALL the time.

LongRoadHome

Took the Lee Parks Total Control course this past Saturday from Moto-Fun. Very good course on cornering, suspension setup and general rider awareness.



My goal is to be a rider with six years of experience, not one year of experience times six.

billybonny

Experience is a hard teacher but you seldom forget her lessons! First time I was out on my new Bonneville 4 years ago (after being bikeless for almost 30 years) I took a spill. It was just a matter of ignorance. I was stopped at a light waiting to turn left. Light changed and I started out fine. Shifted into 2nd mid turn and the bike lurched because the clutch and gas synchro were still new to me. I wasn't leaning enough and the bike was now on mild right trajectory toward the ditch. Still in a bit of a turn I hit the right (front) brake. WRONG thing to do!!!! Took me to the pavement like an electromagnet! Bonnie was barely hurt at all, nor was I, except my pride, and as they say pride goeth before a fall! Be careful when turning;it looks innocent enough but either shift well before the mid arc or wait until you are all the way through it. When turning from a dead stop I always get in 2nd as soon as I can and so far it has worked for me.