[eon]

Agree we do not want to see RIP threads here. As one of those who fell off this weekend I can attest to the fact it sucks. I certainly have not been smiling this weekend.

BUT, I think it’s important to learn from the mistakes we and others make. I read the Face Plant section over advrider.com a lot and while it is often sobering there are many good lessons to be learned there. I found it painful to post about my fall here but I felt I had to. I learned not to underestimate how slippy roads can be after a dry spell and some light rain. I learned not to assume that because the ground was soaking wet it had been raining heavily and that the crap would have been washed away. I learned to take the advice of pulling over for an hour seriously. I was taking it slow and careful when I fell. I had only just started to lean for the corner when the front slid out. Two hours afterward it was blue skies and perfect riding conditions for the rest of the weekend. If only I had waited.

On the plus side I learned how well gear can protect you. I honestly feel my fall was no more severe than falling off your kitchen chair but upon closer inspection of my gear I can tell it was fast enough to do some serious damage. The palm of my right glove and the pinky finger show signs of wear. And there is some nice scraping along the outside of both my boots. I could easily have broken a bone in my ankle if not for proper boots. I cannot emphasize enough how important good boots are. There are plenty of fragile bones in your ankle (as Elias found out) so please protect them.

[eon]

Thanks for the vote of confidence but I’m still just a rookie. I have a few thousand miles under my belt now but still learning. If anything is to be learned from this particular fall it is to not underestimate how slippy roads can be after a dry spell and then some rain. I know I will not make that mistake again and if I can help someone else from doing so then so much the better.

[eon]

As far as the stoppies go, I ain’t no expert but it seems to me you have reduced your available traction (and therefore stopping power) by being on one wheel only. I would guess easing up on the front a little would keep the back on the ground. Even if you are not on the rear brake that wheel has to turn and fight against the engine. Not sure how much difference all this would make but even if it is only a few feet that could be the difference between hitting that truck and stopping in time.

[eon]

Your story reminded me of myself when I started driving (cars). I was fine until someone came up behind and then I felt the need to go faster because I must have been going too slow and did not want to look like a complete noob. Luckily I never crashed but that was down to luck, not skill. If this is what’s happening with you, you need to recognize when it is happening and fight it. Keep reminding yourself that a fall will mess up your bike, cost lots of money and you may end up in hospital. None of these things are pleasant so weigh up the cost of that versus a stranger MAYBE thinking you are going too slow. As they say, ride your own ride. If you only ever follow one piece of advice, that would be the one to follow.

I would forget about the WHY’s of countersteering. You know what you need to do and you know that it works. Why does it work? I honestly don’t care. If you need an explanation Elwoods Marine instructors had the best one yet, FM (last word is magic, first word I’m sure you can figure out).

Learning how to read a corner takes time and it’s something I am still getting better at. I mentioned on another post that up till a few months ago I concentrated on taking corners as fast as I could. After a mild scare I changed my focus to my technique. Slow in, fast out, roll on the throttle the whole way through, delayed apex, look through the corner etc etc. I can honestly say I have improved a lot in these few months, I have less scares and my rides are more enjoyable. I might even be taking corners faster than I was before but now it does not feel that fast. Before I was riding on the edge but now I am well within my abilities.

I am sure you are coming along very well. You sound like you have been doing a lot of learning. So just relax, ride your own ride, and let those theories become ingrained habits

[eon]

I could swear in one of the Proficient Motorcycling books it talks about cruisers sometimes turning hairpins into V corners. Something to do with the limited lean angles available on some bikes. That might be what you are doing. I will have a look through the books tomorrow night see if I can find that article I’m thinking about.

EDIT: couldn’t wait, had to go look it up
on page 159 of More PM he mentions that if you are riding a cruiser with limited clearance “you may prefer more of a V shaped line in which you brake toward the point of the V, make a tight slow speed turn, and accelerate away from it ….. A V line really has two apexes, one early and one late. ”

[eon]

No shortage of those assholes around these parts. Probably the same across the whole country. It always makes me laugh to see them wearing a $500 helmet and t-shirt/sneakers. Got passed by one just last night but he gave me just enough room where I did not get mad.

Hi-jack your thread here but it reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to ask. I’ve recently noticed I’ve been getting REALLY angry at folks who cut me up when I’m on the bike. It’s never bothered me when I’m in a car, just shake my head and mutter some cuss words. But when I’m on the bike I’ve been getting these (almost) uncontrollable rages when someone cuts me up. I’ve had visions of kicking their cars, reaching in and strangling them etc etc. Somehow it seems more personal when my life is being put in danger by someones thoughtlessness. Got to get these feelings under control before I act on them. There will only be one loser if I ever do.

[eon]

Don’t sweat it, it will come with practice. I was the exact same way. I used to get really mad at myself for rolling off the throttle mid corner as I knew that was completely the wrong thing to do. Then I would get really mad as I was going so slow I could do the wrong thing and there was no consequences. I’m glad I never crashed but it meant I was losing my bottle at very slow speeds ()

I gradually got better and pushed myself faster into corners until one day I gave myself a scare which made me stop and think. Since then I’ve lost that urge to take corners faster and faster. Instead I focus on taking them smoothly, rolling on the throttle all the way through and picking the perfect line. As well as being safer it is actually more satisfying. This revelation only came to me a few months ago so maybe you can save your 10 months of frights and get on the right track sooner than I did.

As briderdt says, the correct way is to press harder and even give it more throttle. That takes a lot of belief and goes against all instincts. I still have to fight the urge to chop the throttle when I misjudge but leaning more really does work. Just scares the crap out of you :>

[eon]

Your parents are concerned about the horrors of motorcycling but you don’t think a well respected book that covers how to ride safely worth $20? Instead you think the ‘testimonies’ of 3 of your friends will convince them? Good luck with that.

[eon]

I’m not exactly sure how cold it got during the night but at 9am, when it had warmed up considerably the temp gauge on my bike said 48′. The camp ground is at 4000ft and there is a glacier at the end of the valley so I’m sure a lot of cold air came flowing down from that. I just know once the sun went down it got cold pretty quickly. It’s still warm here (at least for me) during the day. Temps in the 70s, maybe 80s still but it gets cold once you start gaining altitude.

I’m not sure if Seattle gets any snowbirds. It has a reputation for being gray and overcast all the time which is just not true but if it keeps the crowds away, that’s fine by me

This area is absolutely stunning and is hard to beat for motorcycling in my opinion. I lived here for a few years before moving to Atlanta but never really got out and experienced it. Living in the concrete jungle of Atlanta made me realize what I had been missing and once I moved back here, I was determined to get out and explore this country a lot more. That was a major factor in me taking up motorcycling in the first place. No better way to sight see IMO.

[eon]

I will add that the BRC is the place to start but it just that, the place to start. There are plenty of other ways to continue your education and you don’t even need a bike to do it. Get yourself a copy of Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, that will teach you what you need to know to survive on the streets. Others recommend the Ride Like a Pro DVDs (haven’t seen them myself). I think they focus more on how to handle the bike but maybe someone else fill me in on that. And there is also the MSF website. You can download the course manual for the BRC as well as take some nifty online perception tests.

[eon]

Hah, I have to admit I really struggle to understand that guy. Even some of the others I had to concentrate to understand. Made me think I’ve been away from the homeland too long. That and the fact I notice everyone has bad teeth.

[eon]

I had the same thought as Owlie when I saw the antler. Never paid it too much more attention as there was so much else to see, but here is the original pic which may help you see the fine detail.
Bike With Antlers

[eon]

Congratulations, both on passing and on your resolve in waiting. Where is it you live again? I thought you were in Sequim, WA or was that someone else? I think in WA we have a year round riding climate so I would not wait. I bought my bike at this time last year.

[eon]

I have heard both sides of the argument for the F650GS. Some say it is too much and some have started on it and love it. I guess it comes down to the rider being able to exercise self restraint AND being a quick learner.

On the scooter forum I read a long term biker was thinking of swapping out his MP3 for a Mana. He was all set to do it when he got cold feet. Nothing to do with the bike but the fact the dealers were falling over themselves to give him the bike at cost. Seems it has not really caught on in America. Worth thinking about if resale values are of concern to you (if not it is a killer deal). As far as performance he posted some comments about that. I will look them up later but off the top of my head I think he said that even though on paper it has less performance than a Shiver (Shiva?) it outperformed it on the track. Being in the optimal gearing ratio all the time has its advantages. Could you start out on a Mana? Yes you could. Is it the best idea, probably not but others have started on more powerful bikes and survived. And not having to worry about gears is a big advantage when starting out, especially in city riding. I guess it comes down to you and how comfortable you are on a bike.

[eon]

It’s been too long for me to remember all the details but I do remember being put off by their amateurish website. That raises alarm bells with me when they are asking for my credit card details. But, other than almost no emails from them (another red flag) I was happy with the experience. They shipped it quickly and it arrived quickly which at the end of the day is all I care about.

Plus, after the confusion over the original TPro back protector where it was marketed in the States by Joe Rocket but turned out to be an inferior product, I wanted to be sure I was getting the real deal.

[Author]

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