Forum Replies Created
The “Five to Survive” Rule & Why You Should Use It
-
AuthorPosts
-
ranetteParticipant
I’m on a Mac as well. Just tried on a PC and using Firefox got the same warning, when I tried IE, no warning. So it seems to be browser specific rather than OS specific.
ranetteParticipantThere’s not too much difference in the exercises between the ERC and the BRC. The difference is the way that they are approached, with the expectation that you bring some skills to the class. The fact that there is no classroom time and most importantly the fact that you ride your own bike. If you successfully completed the BRC and have at least a few months of riding under your belt the ERC is a worthwhile and not intimidating class. I probably didn’t learn as much from it as I learned in the BRC but it definitely improved my skills and my confidence.
ranetteParticipantA parent has many jobs. Granted the most important is as you put it is being the firewall between the youngster and danger. However just like we can tailor our electronic firewalls to our tolerances we have a right to raise our children in different manners. What is acceptable risk to some may not be acceptable to others. Hell, some parents feel that the ideas in the great books are too subversive for their kids, and some take it to the next level feeling the entire world is so dangerous they won’t even let their kids go to school, and instead choose to educate them at home. Personally I feel that is more dangerous to a child’s upbringing than jumping on a motorcycle at a young age. Along with protecting the child a good parent is also there to foster the child’s interests. Some of the crueler responses on the internet, accusing the parents of essentially killing their child, somehow think that kids can be raised in a bubble, out of the way of all danger; it just isn’t possible. This was an extremely rare occurance. Racing may be dangerous, broken bones aren’t uncommon, but thankfully fatalities are. It really annoys me when people feel they know what is right for everyone, not simply what is right for their particular situation.
This is part of an exchange that I had with someone on a non motorcycle board:
devildog21
Good for you. You’re not the parents who will live with a decision that killed their son for the rest of their lives.ranette
Ridiculous. The parents did not kill their son. The parents’ child died in a tragic accident. They deserve your sympathy not your scorn. Should you ever suffer a similar tragedy I hope that others treat you more humanely than you just treated the Lenz family.devildog21
As parents, we are responsible for the safety and well being of our children. You are either not a parent or are just naive, either way, I don’t treat my kid’s safety as something that is ridiculous. Those parents are just as responsible for the death of their child as those who would even consider having races like this in the first place.I would never suffer a similar tragedy because I’m not so ignorant as to think that a 13 year old should be riding on bikes going 120 mph.
ranette
Where do you draw that line? More importantly why do you choose to draw the line for other parents? Some feel that playing youth football or even little league is too dangerous for their kids. Isn’t getting run over by a kid 50lbs heavier than yourself dangerous? Parents have the right to raise their kids in whatever manner they choose, as long as they are within the law. However, they do not have the right to impose their views on others. You may feel that racing motorcycles is too dangerous for your kids. Fine. Maybe football is too dangerous for your kids, no problem whatsoever, your kids your choice. I live in Vermont, we have a youth hunting day where kids as young as 8 and 9 go out with shotguns. Is it something that I would choose for my kids? No. Should it be outlawed? Not in my opinion.Finally, I will restate my last statement, since you are too good of a parent to ever suffer a similar tragedy to the Lenz’s who do not possess your superior judgment. God forbid anyone close to you should die tragically, under any circumstances, I hope that you will be treated more humanely than you have treated the Lenz family.
ranetteParticipantTry asking here, my guess is you’ll find someone who might be able to help/mentor you.
http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/motorcycle-forums/ranetteParticipantDon’t know where you are but you might try to find some sort of riding buddy. Check for local rider message boards and introduce yourself, much like you did here. Good chance you might find somebody with a little more experience to ride with.
If that doesn’t happen just stick to what you’re comfortable with. You said that you don’t have any friends that ride, do you have any friends with a pickup? Maybe you don’t feel comfortable riding to an empty parking lot yet, but maybe a friend could take your bike back and forth for you.
Beyond those two rather hopeful suggestions, one very true comment. It gets easier. Little steps will become big steps. Things that once seemed to take every bit of concentration you could muster soon become as easy as tying your shoes. You’re probably a little frustrated right now. Relax, put the bike aside for a day or so(not too long though), reread your MSF handbook and remember the basics. You passed the class so you obviously know the basics but sometimes we forget things we know when we get frustrated. Trust me, and I’m sure the others you’ll hear from on this board, things that you can’t imagine doing now, riding the highway or the twistiest road in the area will be just down the road if you just take things one step at a time.
ranetteParticipantMunch, I agree that this is a choice made by the parents. However, I wouldn’t condemn all “Nanny” organizations. In truth these races are governed by an organization that regulates them and licenses the riders. This is a dangerous pursuit and any 13 year old with a big set of balls and parents willing to sign a waiver shouldn’t be allowed to participate at that level. However, that is not the case with these kids. They are well trained riders, talented kids, who earned their places on the grid, and were working towards a goal that isn’t getting to level 98 on Halo 17.
I would say that choosing to enter your kid in motorsports at the beginner level-which these kids certainly were not at-is a decision that should be made only by the parents, not any sort of nanny organization, but even more importantly not by judgmental neighbors.
ranetteParticipantOnce you develop some muscle memory and some of the things which you need to concentrate on become innate, you will be able to concentrate on other things, such as only putting one foot down at stops. In other words, for those of us of the vertically challenged persuasion, being able to comfortably and safely ride bikes which we cannot flat foot is a very realistic goal. Though it took a while to get to this point, I can honestly say that in my case not being able to flat foot my bike has become a non factor.
You might think about trying this from time to time on your Rebel even though you can flat foot it. When not in rush hour traffic and on good, flat pavement at a stop. Keep the bike in 1st, clutch in of course, plant your left foot firmly on the ground but keep your right foot on the brake, frees up your right hand to stretch or scratch your nose. The bike will not be fully vertical(well your Rebel might be but a taller bike wouldn’t) but the very small angle of incline should not give you any problem at all. You should find this to be a very stable position. If it’s a long stop, your left hand is getting tired, and you want to put the bike in neutral, it’s not difficult. Simply push off with your left foot, as you are doing this, apply the front brake while taking your foot off of the rear brake and putting it on the ground to support your weight as the bike shifts from leaning towards the left to leaning towards the right. With the clutch still pulled in shift into neutral and then release the clutch. Then simply push off with your right foot to put yourself back in the original position. When it’s time to get going just do the same thing, except this time put the bike back into first. It may seem complicated at first but the entire process takes about a second.
I am not recommending taller bikes for those without any experience. However once some skills are gained I don’t think that seat height should be the deciding factor in choosing a bike.
By the way, if you still have the bike out in mid November I’d be happy to help you out with this next time I’m in New York. Always have time to help out a fellow shorty.
Randy(5’6″ but with a shorter inseam than my 5’2″ wife)
ranetteParticipantI really love my Genuine Buddy 150. Well made, reasonably priced. You can find out more about them here, http://www.modernbuddy.com. I assume that you are in the US, if not, the same scooters are available worldwide as PGO.
ranetteParticipantWhile I can’t disagree with learning to ride on dirt, I don’t think it needs to be a prerequisite for everyone. Certainly MSF classes and parking lot practice until you are familiar with the basic clutch/throttle mechanisms, then riding on roads that are as traffic free as your particular area would allow. However, dirt isn’t practical for all of us, even up here in Vermont I don’t know of many areas that I could easily access.
Not to downplay the power of smaller bikes but if someone isn’t able to master the throttle on a Ninja 250 with a reasonable amount of practice then maybe riding isn’t for them. Actually I can’t comment on a Ninja 250, never having ridden one, but the Suzuki GZ 250 that I took my BRC on, not saying that you couldn’t get yourself hurt on it, because you can get yourself killed on anything, but that bike is not going to take off on you unexpectedly, you really have to coax it to get it going. Again, not saying that learning on dirt is a bad idea, but to put forward that riding cannot be learned on public roads I think is doing a disservice to some.
TR, no disrespect is meant by my disagreement, I realize you probably had more time in the saddle by the time that man walked on the moon than I currently have, I just disagree with you on this point.
ranetteParticipantBetween writing this and hitting the post button I see that Munch has said essentially the same thing, but I figured I’d let you know my thoughts.
I’m not a psychologist so take everything I say with a grain of salt, but my .02. The key to me is it IS part of who you are, more importantly, who you’ve always been. It’s not as if you just been diagnosed with something that is going to change you. Of course I don’t really know you, but from your posting here you certainly seem to be well adjusted socially, definitely part of the norm. Just because all of a sudden somebody has put a label on an aspect of your personality, something that has always been that way, why should that change any aspect of how you live your life? You are the exact same person you were last week and I would say that there’s no reason you shouldn’t view the world in the same way you always have. Bottom line is you’re not going to wear a T shirt proclaiming “I have Asperger’s Syndrome”. What I mean by that is you’re not going to seem different to your friends and family, or people that you pass in the street; it is simply something about your medical history that you now know.
I assume that your mother was trying to protect you from being stigmatized, and maybe you feel that was wrong. Maybe that’s a conversation that you should have, but I really can’t comment on mother issues, being Jewish our mother/son issues are always somewhat unique.
ranetteParticipantI can’t/won’t comment on the difference of starting on a 250/500/650 or the viability of the smaller bikes on a freeway. However, I would disagree with one of WZ’s points. I started on a larger bike, larger than but with a similar power delivery to his SV. At the beginning it was certainly a challenge, probably more of a challenge than on a smaller bike. However, according to unbiased judges-ERC and ARC coaches-my riding ability is excellent for somebody with two years under their belt and I would not be a better rider today if I had started on something smaller. Again, not advocating for or against any bike in particular, just saying that if you do start larger(within reason of course), it will not necessarily impede your long term progress.
Again we’re all different and there is no stock best bike for everyone. In order to learn to ride properly it takes dedication, concentration and maturity. Hopping on a 650 to start might mean you will have to exercise those traits a little more zealously, but keep in mind that starting on a 250 doesn’t give you a pass, you still need to approach it in a mature manner.
ranetteParticipantIt’s one thing pulling into the right lane, if one exists, to let a faster vehicle pass. However, you should never pull onto the shoulder for any reason except for mechanical or physical difficulty; it’s for emergencies, not politeness. It’s your lane, own it. If somebody wants to get past you they will. We’ve all been stuck, both in cars and on bikes, behind vehicles going too slow for our liking. We either accept where we are or pass when we’re able to, not a major thing. Concentrate on your riding and what’s ahead rather than the feelings of whoever is behind you. Be aware of them, especially if you think they’re going to pass you, but do not obsess about them. They’ll deal.
Glad to hear that you and the bike came away only slightly grazed.
ranetteParticipantI stand corrected on thinking that there were only modulars available with the visors. One thing I’d tell you about my personal experience with visors. Keep in mind that mine is an external visor on my Nolan N102 so might not be 100% applicable. However I can tell you that the optical quality of my visor is very low. All it does is make things darker without actually making the direct sunlight any more tolerable. Every now and then I turn a corner to be hit with a blast of direct, almost blinding, sunlight. When I flip down the visor it makes things darker but doesn’t improve my visibility or reduce the need to squint. I’ve pretty much given up on it and will just wear a pair of good sunglasses on sunny days. Certainly not as convenient as a flip down visor, but there is no comparison between the optical quality of my Oakley’s to the piece of crap that Nolan calls a sun visor. Of course I can’t speak for Scorpion or Shark, but before I’d purchase a helmet with the expectation of putting a sun visor to use I’d check to see if they made any claims as to its optical quality.
ranetteParticipantThe only helmets I know of that have the inner sun shields are modulars. I know the higher end HJC and the Nolan N 103 and I assume the new Nolan that is coming out in a few weeks. All are DOT but not Snell. If you include European standards in your certification requirements I believe these would fill the bill, if you’re looking specifically for Snell, I don’t think there are any currently out there that would meet your requirements. I believe that Caberg also makes a modular with an inner visor, however, they are difficult to come by in the states, and very expensive when you do.
ranetteParticipantNow that’s a great line.
-
AuthorPosts