Riding Skills and Tactics Thread
#101
05-15-2013, 06:15 AM
Outstanding HDF Member
Not just tail gate. When one is headed in the opposite direction approaching you move to the right side of your lane. City folk have no idea concerning the potential volume and horizontal movement associated with Bovine and Equine solid and liquid waste elimination.
#102
05-15-2013, 06:21 AM
Outstanding HDF Member
Even if you sport full pirate regalia and have been riding since the 30's take the advanced riders course and even consider becoming an instructor. Even if you never teach a class you will not forget all the stuff you fixed in your brain during the course work. Your response to trouble becomes automatic when the poop hits the oscillating wind propellant machine out on the road because you repeated it so many times in the classes and tests. If you have the money for chrome you have the money for all the classes.
#105
05-15-2013, 07:38 PM
6th Gear
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wenona, il
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Awesome thread...wish I'd have read it sooner! I just bought a 96 Ultra Classic, admittedly a much larger bike than I'd ever ridden (Last bike was a Street Bob) I bought the bike in a city and was planning to ride it home and then keep it close to home until I got more acquainted with the large bike. Long story short, the car in front of me on the way home stopped suddenly to avoid a 90 year old man that had stopped to pick up a saw from the middle of the road and I tried to stop short as well. I ended up laying the bike down and in the process broke my right leg. Now I get to just read this forum and wait for it to heal when I could be riding
#106
05-15-2013, 07:55 PM
This is a great a post. One of the riding courses emphasizes using rear brakes and less front. Got into a bad habit of using rear brake only for stopping. Back to using both as taught in the safety course and stopping has been much smoother and quicker. These 900# beasts can be unforgiving when not using the right techniques.
#108
05-15-2013, 09:40 PM
When passing a tractor, slow down and approach cautiously. Look for anything, like a driveway or path onto field, because they turn without warning, and no situational awareness. WOT to pass.
Remember you go where you look. I was sick of people stopping and turning without signaling. So I gave the truck in front of me a dirty look as he turned right, and I drifted into a construction cone, on my right. Boy, did I feel stupid. Luckily no damage.
Remember road paint is crazy slippery when wet. Avoid leaning, and go slow over it.
Intersections are slicker in bad neighborhoods, where most cars are leaking oil and transmission fluid. Probably even worse since Cash for Clunkers destroyed the decent used cars and left old beaters as the only cars for poor people. I listed my 99
Saturn, 228k for $700, on CL, and had 8 calls in 2 hours.
Remember you go where you look. I was sick of people stopping and turning without signaling. So I gave the truck in front of me a dirty look as he turned right, and I drifted into a construction cone, on my right. Boy, did I feel stupid. Luckily no damage.
Remember road paint is crazy slippery when wet. Avoid leaning, and go slow over it.
Intersections are slicker in bad neighborhoods, where most cars are leaking oil and transmission fluid. Probably even worse since Cash for Clunkers destroyed the decent used cars and left old beaters as the only cars for poor people. I listed my 99
Saturn, 228k for $700, on CL, and had 8 calls in 2 hours.
#109
05-15-2013, 09:46 PM
Great post. Almost all very helpful from a lot of different perspectives.
My suggestion is based on me finally learning the skills to ride a motorcycle and not just be safe riding a motorcycle. There are other good books, but I suggest Total Control by Lee Parks. Buy it on Amazon. very cheap.
My suggestion is based on me finally learning the skills to ride a motorcycle and not just be safe riding a motorcycle. There are other good books, but I suggest Total Control by Lee Parks. Buy it on Amazon. very cheap.
#110
05-15-2013, 11:57 PM
This is a great a post. One of the riding courses emphasizes using rear brakes and less front. Got into a bad habit of using rear brake only for stopping. Back to using both as taught in the safety course and stopping has been much smoother and quicker. These 900# beasts can be unforgiving when not using the right techniques.
For straight line stopping, with the bike upright, and the handlebars straight, the front, AND REAR brake in combination is what you want.
One thing you can do to help with that is practice. Ride the bike in tight circles, leaned over using rear brake,and clutch and throttle for control, then come out, and with the bike upright and the bars straight, use BOTH brakes to stop. Do this to the left and then the right till you are comfortable.
Then set up 7-10 cones 14' feet apart and start weaving and dipping the bike back and forth using rear brake only. When you come out of the weave, go upright and stop using both brakes. Then shrink it down to 13' and then 12'.
The practice and repetitions will build muscle memory so that out on the street you will transition from rear brake for slow speed in tight quarters, to both brakes at speed with the bike upright.
No need to give up the rear brake, just understand the reason for the different applications and use them accordingly. And the bigger and heavier the bike is, the more you will need rear brake for slow speed balance and control.