But yet another riding technique question

[ANDYVH]

I have a few overall riding mantras that I feel are the "prime guidance" factors for my riding:

1. It is ALL up to ME, first and foremost. I put nothing on other road users I don't first put on myself.
2. It is ALWAYS MY FAULT FIRST, no matter what happens. I always expect the best riding I can do for myself first. There is ALWAYS something I have done to get me in trouble, either directly caused by me or someone else.
3. NO SURPRISES, if I have done my riding right, I come home enjoying a great time. If something surprised me while riding, I wasn't doing all I could to avoid it.

Some people will say, you can't predict everything. True. But you CAN expect everything and ride accordingly, learn more about riding, learn more about your riding environments, learn more about the foibles of car drivers, learn more about riding strategies, learn more about animals, learn more about your own limitations, accept what you can do and can't do, improve what you need to (cycle rider training). Don't just ride off and accept whatever comes your way. Risk management starts WELL before you start the bike.

 

[26667]

good springtime thread!

One I'd heard years ago from an MSF instructor that, I suppose, might be interpreted as advocating slightly aggressive riding, but still makes sense to me; keep approaching fresh traffic.

I take it to mean don't just sit in the same space in relation to the three or four cagers near you. Take whatever opportunities are presented to pass. Be actively in control of the situation. "Aggressively" look for opportunities to get to a larger, safer cushion. Or to get away from dangerous or distracted drivers.

Obviously not so much where the are traffic control devices every couple blocks, or stop-and-go freeway crawl.

Here's my own rule of thumb: if another driver/cager does something incredibly maroonic and dangerous, something that causes you to have to take sudden evasive maneuvers, sends your heart rate to the red line, and makes you start to lift your hand in the single digit salute...he's gonna pull another similar stunt in just a moment. Get away from him!

But a great springtime thread to get us all thinking about strategerizing our ride.

 

[ANDYVH]

Some people have asked me, "how do you ride or prepare for gravel in turns?", or maybe, "how do you ride to avoid (insert your choice here)". My response is always expect whatever could be a problem, deer, gravel, oil, brain-dead cage drivers, idiots, distracted half-wits, whatever. Always expect the worst, always plan for the worst, and ride accordingly. Then, when the worst doesn't materialize, it's like a treat every mile of the ride!

 

[dbrick]

One I'd heard years ago from an MSF instructor that, I suppose, might be interpreted as advocating slightly aggressive riding, but still makes sense to me; keep approaching fresh traffic.

I take it to mean don't just sit in the same space in relation to the three or four cagers near you. Take whatever opportunities are presented to pass. Be actively in control of the situation. "Aggressively" look for opportunities to get to a larger, safer cushion. Or to get away from dangerous or distracted drivers.

This is very good. My preferred speed - can't always attain it - is slightly faster than everyone else. That way, I control distance and who I get close to.

Here's my own rule of thumb: if another driver/cager does something incredibly maroonic and dangerous, something that causes you to have to take sudden evasive maneuvers, sends your heart rate to the red line, and makes you start to lift your hand in the single digit salute...he's gonna pull another similar stunt in just a moment. Get away from him!

This is another excellent strategy. And while it's nice to speed away from the crazies to put them behind you, they'll have another chance at the next light or slowdown. If I can't get far ahead quickly, I feel free to pull off and let them by; at least when they're in front of me, I can see what they're doing.

 

[motorman587]

What I loved about being a motor cop, were the motorcycle training seminars aka rodes, where they put the clock on you. I can tell you scanning/looking is all great but you got to train yourself not to panic and have to think what to do. It needs to be action and not a reaction. No tunnel vision etc.............or limit the tunnel vision, that is what fire personnel, military, police, althlete etc.........

I can tell you that since I have been removed off the motor and not train once of month I am not the rider I use to be. I can see and feel the skills have gone down, but I could not go after a speeder as I use to on a motorcycle. My point $.02 to all this is training. Get as much training as possible. BMWMOA has the best training during the national rally. I even did the BMW Performance, doing a swerve at 80mph +.

 

[amiles]

This is very good. My preferred speed - can't always attain it - is slightly faster than everyone else. That way, I control distance and who I get close to.



This is another excellent strategy. And while it's nice to speed away from the crazies to put them behind you, they'll have another chance at the next light or slowdown. If I can't get far ahead quickly, I feel free to pull off and let them by; at least when they're in front of me, I can see what they're doing.

I'm often inclined to remain behind a crazie at a safe distance until I have the ability to permanently duck them (them exiting highway etc). I have always felt that I am more in control of this type of situation following than leading. my ability to avoid their craziness seems a better risk and more practical than going into a hyper speed pass & thus leaving my rear vulnerable a few miles down the road with the ebb & flow of traffic as they catch up. .

I agree that riding at a SLIGHTLY higher speed than others, thus passing & generally not being passed gives me an edge in being more in control of my safety.

 

[bikerfish1100]

the trick then becomes to avoid their fallout if things go nuclear.

 

[BCKRider]

Sometimes you need to find a niche and KEEP IT

I remember a ride on Hwy 1 coming back from the Calgary, Alberta area to my home in BC in the middle of summer, several years back. Traffic was heavy on this two-lane highway with occasional passing lanes. Bear in mind that most Alberta drivers are only used to STRAIGHT roads. If the road curves, even mildly, they slow down to below the speed limit. When the road straightens out, they floor it. But I'm doing my best to use the passing lanes to get by these road clogs, hoping for some clear sailing.

Then, once only, the view opened up and I could see the road ahead for a good mile. Solid cars! No amount of passing was going to change the total travel time by more than a couple minutes. So what could I do to make the trip safer and less stressful?

I continued to pass until I got behind a passenger car maintaining a sane following distance from the vehicle ahead of it and also had a car behind me that didn't tailgate. (I didn't want to follow or be followed by anything big.) Then I dropped back another second to relax and take in the scenery. When passing lanes appeared, I closed up and moved into the lane, motioning the car behind me to do the same. In short, we blocked the passing lane.

We probably pissed off some people, but given the circumstances, we cost them only a couple minutes travel time over a couple hours. Most of the time, what I did was BAD PRACTICE. But if you ever end up in a similar scene with lots of trucks, vans and motorhomes and people willing to do anything to gain a minute at your expense, you might consider doing the same.

 

[26667]

Oh, yeah!

and one more that I'd forgotten to post. In lots of situations or potential situations, or just when you're feeling like this might have the potential to potentially become a situation. Stand up on your pegs. Aside from allowing you to see more and lowering your center of gravity, it makes you more visible, and occasionally either reminds the cagers of the fact of your existence, or kinda freaks them. I've even seen them briefly stop texting and adjusting their panty hose. Either one seems good to me.

 

[BMW Triumphant]

Stand up on your pegs. Aside from allowing you to see more and lowering your center of gravity, .

Standing on the pegs can't lower your centre of gravity / centre of mass. If you get your bum above the seat, the centre of mass of you and the bike combined actually rises. The force of gravity on the pegs has no bearing on mass distribution.

 

[marchyman]

Standing on the pegs can't lower your centre of gravity / centre of mass. If you get your bum above the seat, the centre of mass of you and the bike combined actually rises. The force of gravity on the pegs has no bearing on mass distribution.

If all you were doing was raising the height of the rider, then yes. But that is NOT all you are doing when you stand on the pegs. When you stand you are converting a tightly coupled system (rider sitting on saddle) to a loosely coupled system (rider connected to the bike through the "springs" of knees and elbows). In a loosely coupled system the bike and rider can and do act semi-independently.

The result is that the COG of the bike is less than the COG of the system and can do things semi-indendent of the system. That lets you do things with the bike that are otherwise not possible in a tightly coupled system.

 

[26667]

yeah, but

Standing on the pegs can't lower your centre of gravity / centre of mass. If you get your bum above the seat, the centre of mass of you and the bike combined actually rises. The force of gravity on the pegs has no bearing on mass distribution.

tell that to the GS guys.

and even if the physics is wrong, the effect on cagers is sometimes useful.