Toyota (and Audi) are not the only ones with unintended acceleration issues while braking. Newer riders are prone to grabbing the brakes in such a way that they roll on the throttle at the same time. This could be a problem that makes panic braking something to really panic over. One scooter [...]
Archive for the 'newbie' Category
Doing laps around town…
Posted in biking, motorcycle, newbie on Feb 26th, 2010
One practice I recommend to riders in need of seat time is to put together a quick route around their neighborhood. It could be anywhere from 2 miles to 20 miles and take 30-60 minutes (around NY). Mix in some local roads and some highway or parkway. Stopping and starting is fine, just make sure [...]
A Confederate “Fighter”, that sells for around $110,000
Everyone is thinking about money these days, and lots of folks are considering the cost benefits of riding a motorcycle or scooter. So how much does it really cost to START riding in the city? If you were hoping I’d say “dirt cheap”, this is not your day. [...]
Ten Minute Oil Change
Posted in how-to, motorcycle, newbie on Oct 7th, 2008
I was shocked to find that some people routinely go to service shops for motorcycle oil changes. SHOCKED I tell you! These shops often charge $90 per hour just in labor! And they bill in half hour or one hour increments. So you’re paying a fortune for just ten minutes of [...]
My Chicken Strips
Posted in misc, motorcycle, newbie, riding tips, time waster on Sep 10th, 2008
Would you like fries with that? Yes, but that’s not the kind of chicken strips we’re talking about. And this is NOT a terribly important thing, but you may hear about it sometime (if you haven’t already), so you might as well hear it from me first. Your tires are squealing on [...]
The Greenest Alternative
Posted in misc, motorcycle, new york, newbie on Apr 23rd, 2008
What would you say if I told you there was a two seater that got around 100mpg in the city, and had the magical property of being able to breeze through the worst Manhattan traffic (at a reasonable 25 mph)… And that you could buy a brand new one for $3,200 out the door? [...]
The Most Dangerous Time of Year
Posted in motorcycle, new york, newbie on Mar 11th, 2008
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/ETT39gPGCps]
[For your viewing pleasure, here's a video on Target Fixation]
I don’t have statistics on hand for this, but anecdotally…right now (until May or so) seems to be the most dangerous time of year to ride a motorcycle. The most common scenario is, a person who’s been riding for a few years gets his bike [...]
Moto-Myths 2: How to Steer a Bike
Posted in how-to, motorcycle, newbie, riding tips on Nov 20th, 2007
Conventional (non-biker) wisdom says if you turn the wheels left you will turn left, if you turn the wheels right, you will turn right. With motorcycles, however, you turn left to go right: this is called counter-steering.
Physics 101
The theory of this is actually pretty simple: 2-wheeled vehicles turn by leaning in the direction [...]
Moto-Myths, Part 1 (Size Matters?)
Posted in motorcycle, newbie, sportbikes, time waster, useless info on Oct 5th, 2007
There are a few common (and understandable) misconceptions both new and old riders tend to have about our favorite pastime…ahem, I mean, responsible means of transportation… Here, the first in our mini-series is the question of engine size…
“How Big is Your Engine?”
Pop quiz: True or False
A 650cc motorcycle is faster than a 599cc,
A [...]
Riding Tips: Throttle Control
Posted in motorcycle, motorcycle safety, newbie, riding tips on May 17th, 2007
This week’s things to remember – something that most newer and intermediate street rider struggles with, “throttle control.”
Here’s a little test to see if you get the basic concept: let’s say you’re going around a corner at a nice 30mph, you get on the throttle and as you do the rear end starts to [...]