Posted in motorcycle safety on Feb 20th, 2013
So there’s no blizzard this week, and you’re thinking of taking your bike out. Even if you’re like me and ride through the winter, chances are you don’t ride as often or as far or nearly as fast. This brings about a number of challenges even for really good riders…especially for those who think of [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Dec 11th, 2012
Saw this on NPR, and thought I’d pass it on…like the NPR writer, I don’t usually watch “crash” videos, but I couldn’t stop watching this one. NY isn’t as crazy as this, but unexpected craziness can happen at any time. So what can you do to prepare for the unexpected?
Posted in motorcycle safety on Sep 26th, 2012
I want to do some posts on riding in the rain (because I think we’re going to have a lot more of it this year), but I don’t have the time just yet… So instead I’ll just post this video of a Gymkhana pro doing his stuff in the rain. Yes, you have less traction [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Sep 6th, 2012
This woman in the video is LUCKY. You wouldn’t think it was possible, but if you’ve ever spent long hours commuting late at night, it’s possible to doze off on a bike the way people fall asleep while driving. And unlike driving in a car, you can’t just park someplace and take a quick nap [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Jul 19th, 2012
Hit the front brakes on a sportbike and it really feels like there’s a LOT of stopping power there…and there IS. But at higher speeds it’s probably a little less than what you *think.* The most dangerous mistake people make is riding faster than their braking distance… A riding faster means you have to start [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Feb 28th, 2012
Usually people talk about “rider error” when someone crashes. But most of us make errors all the time that don’t end badly… We go in a little too fast, jump off the throttle in the middle of a corner, don’t notice a car in the intersection… We usually ignore them thinking “phew good thing I [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Feb 9th, 2012
[A nice save by an SV rider...] The hardest part of long highway trips isn’t the speed, it isn’t the cornering, or even maintaining good lane position (that keeps you clear of crazy drivers…) The hardest part is paying attention, not zoning out while you’re going straight for hours on end… This isn’t really a [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety on Nov 3rd, 2011
Like the cash in your pocket, your ten bucks worth of attention (to use the Twist of the Wrist metaphor) can go quicker than you think. In street riding, what you want to be able to do is invest all “ten dollars worth of focus” on normal riding… things like your line, throttle control, body [...]
Posted in motorcycle gear, motorcycle safety on Oct 18th, 2011
If these two videos don’t make you want to wear gear when you ride, then you probably need to watch them again a few more times. Not that street riding is all that crazy (as the first video implies). It’s usually fairly tame 98% of the time, but every now and then traffic can get [...]
Posted in motorcycle safety, time waster on Jun 4th, 2011
Valentino Rossi is not just fast he’s faaast. Even right now in MotoGP with a bike that hasn’t quite been tamed, he’s still one of the fastest men on the planet around a track. So what does “FAASST” look like on a street bike (on the track)? If you watch this video with the sound [...]
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