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Peer pressure is very real and doesn’t just happen to young kids in school. In any other setting, adults that would be unlikely to fall into the grips of peer pressure can easily become sheep following the others when around motorcycles. Excessive speeds, showing off, riding beyond your skill level, pushing your motorcycle beyond its design capabilities, or riding impaired are all traps peer pressure can push us into.
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Safety
Get a group of motorcyclists together and the conversation will usually quickly turn to the “Other Guy”. You know who I mean, that car driver that is out to kill you. The guy that is responsible for all the risks we face out there on the road.
Braking
First of all, you do have good brakes, don’t you? Periodically check the pads and rotors. Replace them before they become a problem. Brake fluid doesn’t last forever, change it as your manual recommends. You don’t have an owner’s manual? Get one. While you are at it get a service manual for your motorcycle as well. Even if you don’t do your own maintenance and repairs it will help you know your motorcycle better and have a better understanding of the discussion when speaking with the folks that you are trusting to repair/maintain your motorcycle. Do your brake lights work properly, both front and rear brake?
The foot dragging method of stopping may have been adequate for Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble but it has no place on a motorcycle. Understand how to use your brakes (both front and rear). Use your front brake along with the rear. A lot of riders will caution you against using the front brake but THEY ARE WRONG! Your front brake gives you 70% of your braking power. Do you really want to rely on just 30% of your braking power to stop you?
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Passengers
When a rider carries a passenger, he is taking that person’s life into his hands. There are few times most civilians will have this huge of a responsibility for another person’s life. I feel thisresponsibility ranks up there with the responsibility a soldier in combat has for the lives of his fellow soldiers. When carrying a passenger, your every act impacts on the safety of the person that trusted you enough to get on the back of your motorcycle – don’t let her (most passengers are female) down.
When a rider carries a passenger, he is taking that person’s life into his hands. There are few times most civilians will have this huge of a responsibility for another person’s life. I feel thisresponsibility ranks up there with the responsibility a soldier in combat has for the lives of his fellow soldiers. When carrying a passenger, your every act impacts on the safety of the person that trusted you enough to get on the back of your motorcycle – don’t let her (most passengers are female) down.
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Curves
The joy and feeling of freedom I experience as I roll through a series of sweeping curves can hardly be described to those that are doomed to ride in their cages with seat belts and air bags. I’m certainly not alone in this, curves are why many riders ride.
However, we must keep in mind that curves are where numerous single vehicle motorcycle crashes occur.
Primary causes of crashes in curves:
Intersections
Intersections are pretty much the most dangerous place for riders.
How do you get through intersections without getting hit? The most important thing is to PAY ATTENTION. Don’t allow yourself to get distracted. What are the drivers around the intersection doing? Turn signals aren’t very reliable indications of what the drivers are actually going to do.
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Training
We had the first Mt. Cheaha HD HDRA class for the 2020 training season this past weekend.
Excellent weather and a great group of riders.
A rider with 15 years experience stated at the end of the course “I didn’t think I would get anything out of the class. Anyone can ride around in a parking lot. By the end of the fourth exercise I found I was getting a lot of good things from the class. I learned a lot.” Thanks Pop, you added a lot to our class. I’m glad you joined us.
General
I know that right now it is a massive wall of text but I’ll be working on that.
If you can draw or take good photos, drawings or photos supporting a topic would be welcome.
Suggestions for new topics, corrections for existing topics, and any other improvements are welcome.
If you would like to take one of the topics listed in the “Topics to Come” at the end of the wall of text and flesh it out, your contribution would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for visiting. Come back soon!
mdm