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Reflection
Photo Gallery and Motorcycle Reviews
Top 8 Things to DO at VTwin Mama
this list will show you what we've got going on! Friday, May 11 Dear VTwin Mama, My right hand is unable to hold the throttle ... totally screwed ... any suggestions? Might as well have no right hand at all. This is the first time I ever admitted this, but I just want to ride on my own, ya know? Thanks, – Bored being a passenger in BC, Canada Dear
Bored, Some folks check into a throttle lock ... sort of a cruise control for bikes. The downside is your throttle cable is gripped open so if you need to power down quickly it will take that extra split second or two to flip the lock off. Still, both these ideas are inexpensive ... $25-$50 US ... so worth looking for. I'd be at the local dealer about the throttle lock ... the rocker is a easy self install. Other possibilities include a thumb operated throttle or to move both throttle and brake to the left side and have dual controls (people with right hand/arm amputations make this modification). In these cases the dealer may not be able to help and you'll need to seek out an independent bike shop for assistance. Ok, now you have some ideas to research and see what's going to get you back on the road with joy! – Mama Friday, May 11 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear
JC, Tuesday, May 1 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear
Franny, If you walk cross a street, you are at risk of getting hit by a vehicle. You have two options: either don't ever cross a street again or manage the risk. You learned to manage the risk when you were young ... look both ways first! Is there a chance that despite looking both ways that a rogue vehicle will barrel down on you any way? Yes, but you know through experience that it is highly unlikely, and you continue to minimize your risk if you're paying attention the entire time you're crossing the road. Ultimately what allows you to cross the street without jitters is repeated experience. You may even have had a close call or two in your lifetime and yet you continue to cross without your brain going into overload. So, let's translate this to motorcycle riding. Riders minimize risk in a number of ways. One, they make sure their bike is in good running order (brakes, tires, lights, horn, etc.). Two, they review their gear choices. For instance, if it's your habit to ride in just a T-shirt, perhaps it's time to add a lightweight Kevlar, armor-protected jacket. I'll simply add that it can feel like peer pressure to dress like everyone else, but it's the essence of adulthood to choose correctly for ones self. There is no reason to waffle ... if anyone would say something it's a simple, "You make your choices, I'll make mine." Then it's on to re-polishing skills. You've been off the bike for awhile so give yourself a bit of time to shake off the cobwebs. There's no safer place than a big empty parking lot with minimal obstructions. Braking/stopping distances, shifting smoothness, friction zone clutching, turning your head and eyes in the direction you are going ... all of these can be done in a session or two. Then a few nice rides in your area during light traffic times. And so on. Just because the season has started doesn't mean you have to jump into four lane highway traffic on a Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock! Now I'm going to turn this discussion over to the VTwin Mama message board. I'm not a mom, so while I could say all sorts of things about choices when you have a young child, none of it would come from direct experience, and I think that's what you really need to hear. You can review any input without registering, but if you want to join in then it's a simple enough step and is free. I wish you well on the coming season no matter what you decide. – Mama Tuesday, May 1 Hi
VTwin Mama! When it comes to hills I can go down them just fine unless there is a curve in it. Then I end up riding both brakes through the entire hill with curves. I know you are not supposed to use breaks in curves but I cannot seem to stop it if the curve is part of the hill. Any suggestions? The good news is I have not had any issues starting from a stop at the top of the hill. Still trying to do figure 8s in the parking lot. Sometimes I ride and it is fun. Other times I feel like I am having an out of body experience. Thanks, – Newbie in Ohio Dear
Newbie in Ohio, More specifically, head, eyes, and lane position. Let's start with head and eyes. Perhaps you recall in your class that the instructor emphasized that you have to look where you want to go ... and he/she meant it! If you are heading for a ditch with a nice paved turn lane before it, you will still go into the ditch if you keep focusing and looking at it. You've got to tear your eyes away from the ditch and look at the curve you can take to avoid the ditch. Trust me, the ditch will be there whether you look or not! But how to practice this? It's time to enlist a patient hubby, significant other, relative, and/or friend to help you. In a big empty parking lot with minimal obstruction do big lazy circles. Your helper stands in the middle and calls to you over and over ... "head and eyes turned to me." So, as you do the circle keep your head and eyes looking through the turn toward the voice and person calling out. Your helper can assess how you are doing. Do you have a tendency to turn your head away, if even of only a split second, to look at where you do not wish to go? Are you fixated on the pavement below you? This exercise is going to take some practice but I know you're up for it! There is no way to navigate a curve, any curve, without the skill to look through the turn. If however, you are not correctly positioned in your lane, you are only hampering your effort for a smooth lean through it all. Perhaps you recall seeing this diagram but didn't relate it to your own hill/curve dilemma.
Look at the green line. The rider starts at the outer portion of the lane and upon entering the curve has the whole lane to lean into but typically only needs half the lane. In a left curve you start in the right edge of the lane and in a right curve you start near the left edge. Now look at the red line. The rider started a left curve in the left portion of the lane. The rider starts to lean into the curve but has no room to maneuver. The only adjustment choice is to cross the line into oncoming traffic or veer back out into their lane ... and guess where their head and eyes just went ... that's right, not looking through the curve but heading into some crap they didn't want to. Heck, there's probably a ditch there! Try your new found knowledge of lane position on simple, easy road curves. Makes sense now, doesn't it?! Click on this link for another set of drawings to help you visualize curve/lane position. It's time to head back to that #)&*@)($#*)(@#% hill with a curve at the bottom. Bleed off enough speed for comfort (heck, take it in first gear if you want to) but now use your head/eye/lane position techniques. See how much more confident you are managing it?! Start working yourself up to a more acceptable speed (as posted and as you deem possible) and soon you will be singing the praises of your knowledge and practice. Can you now equate this to the dreaded figure 8? Aha! Head/eyes are key, but even in that smallish space, lane position will in fact help you! I'm wishing you the very best in practice and hope that soon I'll get another email saying, "I'm got my "M" ... I did it!" – Mama
Just In Case You Missed It Section A Little of This and That
Shien-Ru Tsao told me about her new product The Kuza Strap ... those stirrups you use to keep your jeans from bunching up inside of boots. She has wonderfully colorful versions ... as she says, "one for each of your inner IT GIRLS." $17 US retail.
Tracey Cramer, owner of Leader Motorcycle, has posted a 5 part discussion about "Music On Your Motorcycle." That's worth a read-through if you're scratching your head on mounting hardware, etc.
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