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2006 Wednesday, January 4 Dear VTwin Mama, I have bad knees especially the left from riding horses all my life. The best way for me to get my bike up straight is to turn the front wheel to the right which raises the front end and makes it a lot easier to push up. With clutch in, front brake on, I throw my weight (butt) into side of the seat and push on right throttle handle at same time. This gets easier the more you do it. Ride safe sisters, – Patricia in Florida Dear
Patricia, Dear
VTwin Mama, So my question is this: did I lock my rear brake and cause the rear to fish tail like that? Or did something else happen. The tires and/or brakes did "screech" so I think that's what I did but I'm not sure. Can you help me understand what happened? I'm trying to make this a learning experience but I don't think that I understand what I did wrong or right? So, any input here would be very helpful. Thanks! – Gloria in SoCal Dear
Gloria, Yes, a rear-end fish tail when in a straight line indicates you applied too much rear brake (it happened so fast, so your natural reaction was to hit both brakes quickly and with force). At the same time, your instincts took over and you used the front end to correct the small rear slide out you were feeling. I'm sure someone with specific bike "dynamics" knowledge could dissect the exact physical forces that were happening on the bike all at once, but that's not me! IMHO, what you did, and what you did to correct it, is a clear sign that your "oneness" with the bike is proceeding nicely and that you're mastering the skills of how your bike handles. Kudos! It was a hard test, but you passed! Given the incident, I would suggest you now go to a safe practice zone with plenty of room, and set up a "stop place" cone or chalk line, etc. Then, from a distance, approach the stop line, each time with more speed, and practice your quick stops some more so that you can avoid the fish tail in the future. Your knowledge of how much rear brake you can apply would add to your knowledge base, and that's a good thing! – Mama Thursday, March 16 For Gloria who fish tailed the rear end in a quick stop collision avoidance move: You kept the bike up!
That is, by far, the most important thing. And you didn’t panic.
When your rear brake locks, the instinctive response is to let off the
brake but that would have put you into a high side and you would have gone
down hard, if not directly into or onto that car. You did just right
by steering into the skid and keeping your brakes on. Some old
timers still like to make statements like ‘had to lay the bike down’
to avoid an accident, but as David
Hough of Proficient Motorcycling says “laying a bike down IS an
accident." By keeping the bike vertical, you stopped sooner.
Rubber stops quicker than chrome & steel. You did good, girl! I have
twice discovered that, yes you can lay down rubber from that back tire
while braking enthusiastically. The second of those times the bike
started to go sideways. I remembered reading from several different
books that I needed to ease up ‘very slightly’ on the brakes and steer
into the skid. I did that and found that bikes do indeed prefer to
stay straight as long as they are moving. That last one was a year
ago. As far
as practice goes, it’s good to practice until your responses are
immediate and automatic, but that hard-braking practice – I don’t like
to waste my tire rubber doing practice stops. You’ve done it right
the first time & know you can handle it – and probably burnt off a
fair amount of rubber doing it! Once a year is good enough practice
as far as I’m concerned. My chapter of Southern
Cruisers gets together each spring to practice tight corners, quick
stops, etc., just like the MSF classes. We are lucky to have two
former state police motorcycle officers with us to help out. If I
wasn’t so lucky as to be part of such an organization, I would sign up
to take the advanced rider course each year to sharpen my skills. Of
course, I also ride the whole year round. If you can’t ride during
the winter months, practicing when warmer weather (and dryer roads!) shows
back up would be very appropriate. Monday, March 20 Dear
VTwin Mama, Dear
Butterfly, Given the higher price, you may wish to continue your practice sections with the bike you have now, as stalling at a stop is truly something that can be overcome by a new rider. Are you having the same challenge when you go into first gear and then try to get going, but stall (more times than not)? This is all simply learning the coordination of letting out the clutch and giving it enough throttle for a smooth start. If it's only at stops, you're probably not pulling in the clutch lever all the way before stopping. A bike stalls when the clutch is not completely disengaged (it still wants to transfer power to the drive system and without the gas (throttle) to do so, it stalls). It's possible that the clutch lever needs to be adjusted (the engage/disengage point could be too close to one end or the other of the clutch lever action, and if it's a clutch cable, they do need adjustment every once in awhile). Try it again and note where that clutch engages, and if it is not more in the middle, there should be a knurled knob of some sort right there at the lever and by loosening the lock nut, you can turn that in and out a bit to move the engage/disengage point. If that doesn't do it, then you need to look further down the cable for the other adjustment point. You could have your husband look at all of this (I'm assuming he has technical knowledge). For new riders, it can be a bit daunting to realize how much practice it can really take to get the basics going. I remember stalling my bike for 2 full practice sessions before I finally got the coordination down, but once I did, I was off and running (with new challenges!). The added bonus to working through the challenge is the satisfaction in having mastered it, even if you do decide to switch to an auto tranny bike like the Ridley in the future! – Mama Wednesday, March 29 From Gloria who came out of a rear mini swerve and is learning: I just wanted to write and send thanks to you and Amy in Washington for helping me to understand about my fishtailing rear tire experience when I encountered a . . . shall I say . . . "enthusiastic" left hand turning cage driver. Petra, your input is always so helpful and then when people like Amy also write in I am always so appreciative. I found both your comments very encouraging. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I also wanted to let you know that when this incident happened I was already signed up for the Streetmasters Motorcycle Workshop this year in May. After this incident one of the many thoughts that I had (along with some choice words!) was . . . "Boy, am I glad that I am taking that course!" Anyway, it's money well spent and I'm hopeful that it will help me to make some big improvements in my riding skills. I get to do it on my own bike and I'm sure that it will be hard work! From what I understand it's all about improving your emergency skills and all about CURVES and TURNS!! Ok, I admit that curves still freak me out, (sometimes in a major way) but I am determined to get more comfortable with them. Now, if it will only stop raining here in southern California then maybe I could get enough practice in before my workshop!!!! Thanks for all your help! – Gloria (note from Mama: that course looks wonderful and I'm guessing you are going to have a great day of learning! Readers, Streetmasters is held near Lancaster, CA which is just north of LA and the burbs.) Friday, April 7 For Tegan whose hands are getting tired quickly: For anyone interested in building hand strength, check out the Gripmaster. These little hand exercisers are great for hand workouts. I noticed a big difference in my hand strength and not having my hands so tired and crampy after regularly using this little exerciser. I started with the medium (red). Between that and some other exercises I do to strengthen my grip and forearm, I am about to graduate to the black one. – Amy (note from Mama: a high-tech squishy that looks like it would do the job. Now, how do we get motorcycle riders on their official "Who Should Use Gripmaster" section on the left side of the page?!?!?!?!) Dear VTwin Mama, Needless to say, I didn't give up. I purchased a beginner bike (1987 KZ305-B) and have put about 45 miles on it so far. I finally think I've gotten the hang of shifting, BUT, I'm still a little clutch challenged. I don't want to "give up" the clutch completely but I want to RIDE! I'm planning to go clutchless. Does anyone out there have a used Ridley Speedster they'd like to get rid of? (2002 or later) – Jana Dear Jana, Then I would hop onto the KZ for some more practice. Last weekend I helped a new rider master that very thing . . the smooth coordination of the clutch and throttle. It took 2.5 hours of concentrated effort (with breaks!) to achieve, and then a 1.5 hour session the next day confirmed she had it and we proceeded to use that to move forward in lessons. You cannot begin to master more unless you have the clutch/throttle thing under control! Here's what I saw: new riders are worried about too much throttle (and rightly so), but often think the only way to stop something that feels out of control is by slamming on the brake(s). Not true . . . at slow practice speeds, train your brain to realize that if you feel the slightest bit of trouble, pulling in the clutch lever instantly removes the power transfer to the bike's drive. You can be jamming on the throttle from here to the ends of the earth, but if the clutch is pulled in, the bike isn't going anywhere! Next, I noticed that from a dead stop, a new rider may be letting out the clutch and then giving it gas. This leads to a jerky start (that feels scary). If you give the bike a little steady gas (throttle), then slowly let the clutch lever out (engage), this makes for a smoother start. How can you tell when you've got it right? If you hear a rattle/chatter of the transmission on the start, you haven't given the bike enough gas for a smooth glide out. This combination can be practiced first with your legs still on the ground for a duck walk. Legs out, a bit of gas, slowly let out part of the clutch, duck walk the bike, pull in clutch if something is not going right. If you hear the chatter, you need to start with a bit more steady gas. If you start out smooth, but then the bike lapses into a chatter, you've not kept steady gas going. Repeat until you've got it. Then, same procedure but with placing feet on pegs for a full clutch release and forward movement. Repeat. Take frequent breaks as your hands get tired quickly and a mental break helps as well. If this takes 15 minutes or umpteen hours, don't give up until you've got the combo down. Trust me on this . . . once you've got it, you'll always have it, but even more importantly, if you know the sounds that signal a less than perfect combo use of hand controls, you'll also know that and can continue to work on it! Now, do you think that's worth some of your time before looking at an auto tranny bike? I hope so as I'd hate for you to give up so early in your adventure in riding. However, some riders do determine that in the end they
would prefer to take the clutch/shift part of a bike out of the equation.
If you hop onto Ridley's
Forum and scroll down, you will find used Auto-Glides and Speedsters
for sale. Just one place to start your hunt! –
Mama LOL Petra, This new
learning experience has been a wonderful as a teacher . . . it has really
humbled me – and helped me see things from a new perspective. I’ve
always worked with kids that were struggling in school, and I felt I had a
good understanding – but I just thought I did – the real knowing
happened when I started learning something that was so foreign to me. Not
knowing what to ask, and the people around me assuming that those little
things that are automatic for them I knew too! What a hoot! (I also
have guys that don’t want to answer my questions . . . you know, that girl
on a bike thing . . . grrrrrrrrr). I FINALLY,
just yesterday afternoon, think I’ve got the smooth start down! Yipeeeeee!!!!!
(Or at least I got it this afternoon!) Now, the issue is to remember
to gear all the way down before I try to start the bike again, like at stop
signs and lights. I have stalled it out twice in that situation, and luckily
I wasn’t in any danger with vehicles heading my way. It could have
been real trouble! My father has a 10 acre pecan orchard, and I’ve been
practicing the techniques there (probably need a dirt bike – no big
parking lots within 20 miles of home). When I think I’ve got it under
control, and go to the road and I get in a “real” situation, dang it, I
still forget. Darn thing seems to always choke in 2nd –
lol. . Luckily I live in a rural area with lots of good road
that’s not terribly traffic laden. O.K. –
so here’s the next question – or guide me to the archive if it’s been
answered. When in a higher gear to a stop, when is the best time to gear
down? I’ve tried doing it slowly as I’m anticipating the stop, and
I’ve stopped then shifted down. How can I prevent that glitch in my brain
from happening to make sure that it’s all the way down? I really don’t
feel like being run over any time soon! Dear Jana, Most riders gear down as they approach a stop, using a combination of the gear down (so the engine actually bleeds off some speed) and light application of the brakes. By arriving at the stop in 1st gear you are now free to quickly click into neutral for a longer stop (to rest the clutch hand), although many riders note they prefer to remain in 1st gear in case a problem arises and necessitates a quick get away (i.e., a car coming in too fast from behind for a proper stop, etc.). Make the mistake of arriving in any other gear, and then not doing a quick click-down check will eventually train your brain for you! Although it might not be readily apparent to you, when the
light changes, many riders who have been idling in gear with the clutch
lever pulled in do a quick click-down check to ensure they are in 1st, or
upon realizing they've got a rough start (as you know, that's immediately
apparent!), quickly pull in the clutch lever and click down. Yes, it happens
even to experienced riders (well, at least me!). So take heart and keep
going! –
Mama Dear VTwin Mama, I am taking the safety course soon. Should I try to get a smaller bike (money is an issue, it would have to be really cheap) or my dh says to take the course and get my confidence up and try the Sportster again. Please help me ride!! Thanks. – Brenda Dear Brenda, If you're jazzing to regain some confidence now, have dh ride the bike to a practice lot (church parking lot, school , anywhere without traffic, distractions and ditches) and do some basic drills. In a straight line, get a bit of forward motion in 1st gear, then slow for a controlled stop . . . your main braking power in a straight line is with the front brake (right hand control). Keep going down the straight line stopping and starting until you run out of room. Then duck walk the bike to turn it around and do it all over again. Then try with both a bit of front and back brake. Never ever jam on the brakes, they need to be applied with ease. Keep doing this drill, getting a feel of how much braking power you have with light application and your stopping distances. Again. Again. Again. In all of this you will also be learning the subtle art of throttle to clutch combo . . . if the bike is chattering or jerking on your starts, this just means you don't have the smooth combo down yet . . . a little steady gas, then slowly let the clutch out keeping the little steady gas going. If the bike chatters, you don't have enough gas applied or in letting out the clutch, you've backed off the steady gas. Practice. Practice. Practice. Stopping when your front tire is not in a straight line (i.e. in a turn, curve, wobble, etc.), the front brake will tend to pull your bike down (nap position with engine guard as the pillow!), while a light application of the rear brake helps keep the bike upright. Do a really big wide turn in 1st gear, and use only the rear brake. Practice, practice, practice. Now, where are your eyes and head turned? The bike goes where you look and where your head is turned. If you're wobbling and looking at the ground, that's where you'll end up. In the straight line drills, keep your shoulders square and your chin level. In the wide turn practice, when beginning the arc, turn your head and eyes (yes, they both have to be doing it) to where you wish to finish the turn. So, you are neither dumb nor is there any reason to be
mad. To become one with a bike takes practice and every new rider needs to
respect this. –
Mama Friday, May 12 For Brenda who got a bike has is having new rider oopsies while stopping: I recently learned (August 2005) how to
ride on a Kawasaki Vulcan 800, I too felt it was to big and awkward at
first, but I took the MSF course, gained some confidence, and I have been
hooked ever since. My husband would follow behind me in the
car, that way I didn’t have to worry so much about what was behind me, and
I could stay focused in front and to the sides. I eventually gained enough
confidence that I drove it to work. Take it slow and let it come at your
pace! The more riding time you get the more confident you will become and
you will enjoy the bike you learned on for years to come. I have since sat on other bikes, Honda Shadow 600 and 750, as well as a Suzuki Boulevard S40, and felt they were a little on the small side now. – Laura (note from Mama: thanks for your supportive message to Brenda!) In regards to braking for a normal stop, something in your response made me think of this. Look to the horizon. I was told to keep my gaze up and straight ahead when braking, and "see" everything else through my peripheral vision. And it worked. Conversely, if my gaze was turned, or if I was looking down, my stop didn't "feel right." I still use this technique, although now it is a habit and I don't think about it. I just do it. – Linda C. (note from Mama: thanks for sharing your tip!) Thursday, May 18 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Missy, So, it's pull in the clutch lever, click down to first, let out the clutch and give it some throttle to go, pull in the clutch and back off the throttle, click up to second gear, let out the clutch and give it some throttle to keep going, pull in the clutch and back off the throttle, click up to third, let out the clutch and give it some throttle to keep going, etc. Stalling challenges are overcome by learning the correct clutch release to throttle (gas) ratio. It's different for every bike and some bikes can be quite temperamental (and seems even more so while you are learning). If you have a bike in first gear and slowly let out the clutch you'll see that the bike wants to start moving forward. But now it needs gas to keep going (or it will stall). If you start with the clutch pulled in, give it a little bit of steady gas, then ease out the clutch (without letting up on the steady gas), there is less chance it will stall right at that beginning moment when the clutch engages (because you already are giving the bike that little bit of gas it needs). It takes practice to get the combo smooth . . . I recently worked with a new rider and I estimate we worked on this single idea for 3 hours (with breaks). But, she got it (and this was a bike with a hair trigger clutch and throttle). If you keep stalling, you don't have enough gas. If you do get the forward movement without stalling but the bike is chattering/jerking, you don't have enough gas. "Enough gas" is scary for new riders as they are worried that they will accidentally grab a handful of throttle and rocket off out of control. If in practicing you start off and something is out of sync, simply pull in the clutch lever, which removes all power to the bike's drive system. With the clutch lever pulled in, you can do anything to the throttle and the bike isn't going anywhere! All of this can be practiced with your feet extended down for a duck walk. You only want to give it enough gas and clutch for a smooth start and can actually paddle your feet along side. When you get past stalling all the time (a time honored tradition I might add!), then you'll know it's time to use your smooth throttle/clutch for a full clutch release and speed to pick up your feet onto the pegs. Here is Walter
Kern's About page on learning to ride a motorcycle, with lots of
subtopics that I think will help you review everything. Good luck on your
next steps! –
Mama Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Leslie, When you don't back off the throttle on the shift, all that "immediate" throttle (gas) is already there and the bike will lurch as the clutch engages the power to the rear drive system again. Try that and see if that's not the difference. Also, although I'm pretty sure you're not doing this, but just to check, when you let out the clutch, don't let it out in one big "gulp," as engaging the next gear is an "easing out" of the clutch lever. I'm guessing that somehow
this is more natural on the downshift, as on a downshift your reaction is
not to give it more gas. That's why you may be doing it on the upshift and
not the downshift. –
Mama Dear VTwin Mama, I'm so glad I got it but at the same time, MAJOR JITTERS! I feel like my CBT didn't teach me a thing, and especially braking and changing down gears and traffic, traffic, traffic and . . . well all of it I guess. There's no end to traffic here. And we have an evil invention called a roundabout. I really want to get this and be a confident sexy biker-girl and being out last night when I went up in gear the engine had the most wonderful rich sound to it that I really loved; but right now I'm lurching along in first and feel very much like I need training wheels and serious practical guidance. I'm going to take it out and work on it as often as I can, but I don't know anywhere near me that has a big lot I can practice in which is a bummer. Would sure be great if I can fire off my latest anxiety-ridden question and get an answer back! I suppose right now the question would be, when I'm in 2nd or 3d gear, and need to go down to first and stop, should I be applying the front brake to bring my speed down before going down to the next gear? I believe I'm not slowing down enough and locking the back brake up. I just want to know what procedure I should be following to slow and stop, before I find out when I wake up 10 minutes later in need of a new helmet. Phew* Thank you for letting me get that off my chest! – Lux Dear Lux, Each make/model motorcycle has gearing ratios that dictate the smooth shifting up and down without lurching or having the bike "chug" or want to throw you off! The beginning understanding of this can be realized in the up shifting. In first gear, note the speed you are going before you feel and hear and know it's time to go into second. Then note the speed range for second gear and third, etc. Downshifting can normally be done correctly by simply letting off the throttle until you're in the proper "range" for the gear below the one you're in. For instance, if the speed range in second gear is 30-50 kph, and you are in third gear going 65 kph, you would want to let off the throttle and let the bike slow down until you reach 50 kph or less before downshifting. If you are in a situation that requires you to downshift faster than the bike will bleed off that speed, then you use light brake application (front brake in a straightline or combination of front/back and back brake if you're on a curve). Never grab or jam on either brake . . . the point is to anticipate what you need so light brake application will do what you need. An example: I was use to the gearing on my Harley and then had a chance to ride a friend's BMW. The gearing from third to second was radically different, and the first time I was traveling fast on the BMW and went to shift from third to second, I almost went over the handlebars. I hadn't bled off enough speed and when I shifted into second and let out the clutch, the second gear immediately slowed the bike down so fast and so much that I was tossed forward in my saddle from the bike's sudden lesser forward motion! Lesson learned! Ok, off you go to check your gearing speed ranges . . .
I'll also note that after awhile you'll develop an "ear" for this
and won't need to do a visual check on the speedometer to clue you in for
the right ranges, but it does take practice kilometers for this. –
Mama Monday, June 26 For Lux in London who is working out the brake combos she needs: I have been asking my Brit
husband about how to help you out . . . I can’t give you better advice for
braking than Mama P did. The equivalent of CBT here is MSF and when they teach
to come to a complete stop from an upper gear they ask for the rider to come
off the throttle with ease, begin to brake, pull in the clutch and then down
shift to first while continuing to brake ( mostly front, some back ) and
clutch in all the while. At the completion of the stop your left foot comes to
the floor and the right is on the back brake . . . you are now in first gear
and ready to accelerate. My husband's
suggestion for you in order to practice is to have someone else ride the bike,
or trailer it, to an industrial park in the suburbs on the weekend when
everyone will be gone . . . I think it might be just as convenient to get up
in the wee hours of the morning and use the streets then, when every one else
is sleeping . . . tho’ the cars parked both sides of the road may be a
concern, but they are there during the day too . . . at least during the wee
hours the traffic isn’t QUITE as bad. Keep trying!!!!, your skills will develop to accommodate your particular riding requirements!! – Susan (note from Mama: good added points on practice timing!) Regarding downshifting: If you're not sure that the bike is in the proper gear range to downshift you can pull in the clutch (make sure you do that first!!!!!), open the throttle slightly to get the engine to rev higher, the downshift to a lower gear. This will prevent the bike from jolting if you don't have the right gear ratio when you downshift. – Madeline (note from Mama: this is true!) Lux mate . . . if you don't have anyone to ride with and mentor you in the busy UK traffic you need to go to www.visordown.com (biggest bike forum in the UK) and find some riders from your local area who will take you out on escorted rides until you get the hang of riding and have some confidence up. Just register at VD and post up a newbie message, sure you will get many replies. I post there and found blokes who took my Aussie mate Carri around London and out to Box Hill and the Ace Cafe just over a week ago. Many cool guys and gals on the VD forums. If you have problems leave a PM for me at VD, just type Jaqhama into a PM box. Cheers and good luck. Kevin (Jaqhama) in Sydney (note from Mama: thanks for sharing a place Lux can find some help!) I think the young lady across the pond is doing great if she is already this far is such a short period of time. Time teaches us as we know and might not want to accept at first. Good for her. My first week, er month, was spent trying to not stall the bike at a stop when making a left or right turn. I thought I would never go 20 mph! Thank goodness for you and all of the support around me. Time and working hard at it certainly had its rewards. I now have over 6,000 miles on the bike. 1 year and 6 weeks later. I wonder if she is pulling in the clutch too soon if she is locking up the rear brake? Sounds like she might be pulling in the clutch simultaneously with braking. That does increase the likelihood of locking up the brake. Better to use the engine and the brakes to slow you down prior to pulling in the clutch, that might help. It makes a HUGE difference. Hard to do at first if you have the old habit ingrained. But definitely worth trying and relearning. I find I can stop with much more confidence at higher speeds when I do what he showed us. In my SRTT class, the instructor emphasized both brakes, not just the front. He showed us how to use both and be smoother and more aggressive at the same time. Slow speed, a little rear brake only of course. The class was really worth it. He got you off the clutch completely. You hardly pulled it during the class. That, for me, helped the point sink in so I would use it after the controlled conditions of a class. He showed us the braking exercise first. Hearing and feeling the bike ratchet down and stop so much faster and smoother before finally pulling the clutch in was really amazing to me. Then you ride the course of all courses. What fun and boy was it hard. 90 degree turns, w's, all of the stuff you might dread. At one point he has you go through the course with only your throttle hand. Yeah right, people would say. Then even the big Goldwings ended being able to do it. He sets up a major twisty course. The fun part for me was when I began to connect speeding up, full braking, turn speed up . . . I loved hearing the engine rev up and slow down. I had an absolute blast as challenging as the class was. Of course to stay off the clutch, you were in 1st a lot of the class, but you really pushed yourself. There was an even mix of sport and cruiser bikes of all sizes. Head and eyes and proper use of both brakes. Great things to work on. I had a blast. I hope that helps in some way! – Sandra in Chicago (note from Mama: hmmm . . . hadn't thought that she could be doing that . . . thanks for catching the clue . . . when I think about my riding, I realize I'm either braking or downshifting, but never the two together and didn't think that someone might be doing both at once to get the locking brake result . . . yahoo for the information!) Monday, June 26 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Anne, Wednesday, June 28 For Christine who is experiencing a jolt when she comes to the complete stop: Just wondering if Christine is down shifting and/or engaging the clutch? The loss of rpm may be the cause for some jolting, requiring either downshifting or riding the clutch. Another question - does the bike have ABS braking? I know in a cage you can feel some vibration in the pedal. I have no idea how it feels on the bike . . . – The Sylvster (note from Mama: I had considered that and now Christine can review if she's adding a downshift right at the end of the stop. My motorcycle has ABS and I've never noticed such a symptom. When ABS works correctly, it's function is to determine a drastic variation in speed between the wheel(s) and the road speed, and reduces brake pressure to prevent the brakes from locking up . . . since Christine noted she was bleeding off speed on a stop approach, I doubt this would come into play if the bike she rides has them. Still, it was reading up on ABS to determine this!) Hello Mama, I do not finish my shift at work until after 2am, so if I am to use my bike for commuting it's going to be dark whenever I leave. I've heard the suggestion from a coworker who rides, that I should consider a nice late night ride about town on a Sunday; after about midnight in areas that I know well, and that have very good street lighting. Objective being to build up my confidence on real roads and intersections without the traffic I find so scary. Is this a ridiculous idea or . . . ? Opportunity to acquaint myself with night time conditions and further my confidence in turning, stopping at lights, roundabouts, etc etc, and as well night conditions. Although the added problem of it being pitch black and depending on street lighting isn't so encouraging! It may be better to crawl before I try walking. Again, many thanks and I really look forward to learning more and more! Love & Hugs, xxx – Lux Dear Lux, Hi Petra, Dear Penny, Friday, July 28 Expanding on Penny P.'s thoughts on looking where we plant out foot for a stop: This might be a good time for a reminder about using peripheral vision to avoid obstacles in the road. In our safety class we had to try to name twenty things that could be in the road. That seemed like a lot then, but not now. Just as it's important to watch for and avoid spills at the pumps, we have to use our peripheral vision to watch for debris and such in the road. Sure, we keep our gaze up and are hopefully looking down the road, twelve seconds ahead, four seconds ahead, two seconds ahead, but it is also imperative that we stay aware of what could be hazardous when coming to a stop. There could be a hole, a dip in the asphalt (much harder to
see), gravel, cinders, sand, OIL(!), gasoline, water, some other spilled
liquid, broken glass, debris, a rock, a piece of wood, roofing nails, horse
poopie (from mounted police, a hansom cab, Amish buggies), white painted
markings, butts and candy wrappers from a hastily emptied ashtray, a crushed
can, a beer bottle, a discarded diaper (especially in Wal-Mart's parking lot),
a lead pipe (who knows, maybe it fell off of Colonel Mustard's exhaust),
paper, a plastic bag, a screwdriver (yes, from personal experience, TWICE), or
even a dead critter. You just never know. Hi VTM, My question is: when I stop at a traffic light/stop sign,
why am I having so much trouble getting the bike into 1st gear? I've tried
down-shifting approaching the stop, thinking I am in 1st, but when the time
comes to take off, apparently I am not. The bike just whines. The shift will
not lower any more but yet the bike is not moving. Any suggestions on what I
am doing wrong? I don't believe anything to be wrong with the bike since my
husband does not have these same issues. Dear Amy, Or, when you go to shift, you are using too light of a tap to fully move the gearing (thus you've landed in neutral no-man's land, which is different than true neutral . . . the whine is probably the bike being between the true gearing. Again, hubby might not be having problems because he is likely to be stabbing at the shift motion vs. a tap. Just a thought. Now, there are some motorcycles which are known to have tricky shifts into first when the bike is at a dead stop. Some riders have noted that they need to rock the bike to get the thing to bump down to first. So, as you approach the stop, and have shifted to 1st, I'd let out the clutch, if just a bit, to "know" that the bike is in 1st before coming to the full stop. Review these ideas and see if some combination isn't your
answer! –
Mama Saturday, August 5 For Amy who is having problems with 1st gear coming to a stop: I have found it effective when I can't shift into first to let the clutch out a little and pull it back in. Usually, the bike goes right in. I ride a LS 650 Suzuki Savage and have for a little over a year. I love it. – Bikingb (note from Mama: thanks for another idea!) Wednesday, August 23 In response to MawMaw's death grip: Hello, I am new to the website, but love it! [yahoo!] My wife and I bought bikes and we are having the time or our lives, but she also has been using the death grip. We drove from Los Angeles to San Diego and she was aching and exhausted, because she felt as though she had to bear down and hold her V-Star 650 bike together. A good friend of ours that has ridden for 30 years, told us, "don't worry, the bike might shake a little, but it will find it's groove" and I have found this to be true. Although one bears down on the bike and grips it hard it doesn't make the bike stop shaking less. It merely transfers more of the violent vibrations from the metal to your hands and arms. I find that when I intentionally make myself relax, loosen up, and breathe I not only enjoy the ride much more, but I don't get numb, as tired or achy. It is the same principal as a dirt rider that has to lift off his bike in order to not absorb the shock of a dip or a landing. Maintain control, but relax the hands, and keep your body from absorbing all that trauma. Hope this helps. By the way, I respect and love to see more women riders! You go girls!! – Dré= (note from Mama: welcome to the site and thanks for sharing your views on what happens taking the death grip! Cranking the mid-range bikes down the road on longer runs at sustained higher speeds can really do a number on the throttle hand. Some riders note that they simply shift their thumb to line up with all fingers. Others prefer adding a Throttle Rocker that will transfer the "hold force" into the palm. Inexpensive solutions either way!) Friday, August 25 Dear VTwin Mama, But I'm finding the reach for a left-hand turn to be full out - so that I turn on the throttle early in the curve and accelerate way too fast - way wide turn. If I lean way forward in the turn it's better - but I have to remember to do this body shift in my turn to get into position. Any good insight/instruction a short person can give me on making left-hand turns? We did have the handlebars turned as far inward as the tech thought safe. – Paula Dear Paula, There is nothing mysterious about this! Handlebar styles come in as many configurations as your imagination can conjure up! To get you started, here is an informative article by J&P Cycles, a big Harley aftermarket company. Here you will see that a handlebar has three components: width, rise, and pullback. While I think the simple solution of adding a pullback riser, which brings the whole handlebar closer to the rider, can help a lot of people, I'm wondering if the rise of that stock handlebar just isn't too much for your shorter arms (even buckhorns come in low, medium, and high rise styles!). So, I would print that article, head to the dealer, and
now take a closer look at the bikes they have in the showroom and the
different handlebars. Then talk out options. I'll bet this change will
straighten out your turn woes. –
Mama Monday, September 11 Dear VTwin Mama, After dumping the bike on stopping, I came up with a technique to help me. I call it the Power Twist, and have described it on my webpage: http://www.suzilla.org/bike.htm. Taller riders have no real need for such things, although those riding a really heavy bike may find it helpful. – SuZilla Dear SuZilla, Thursday, September 21 For Joan who also asked about slowing down a Ridley on a downhill: Joan had written (and I failed to address): Also, how would you slow down when going down a steep hill? Both brakes? Rear brakes? I would think with gears you would downshift, but can't do that with an automatic. Joan . . .all bikes have gears . . . the difference is whether you are manually engaging them or if the auto tranny bike is doing it for you. Consider an automatic car . . . on a steep downhill, you let off the gas and tap the brakes as needed. Same thing on the bike, but you choose whether you're using front, rear, or combo brake. The principles of braking for all bikes applies . . . front brake has about 75% of the overall bike braking capability, but is used when you are traveling in a straight line. More brake in a straight line is the combo. Rear brake is your better choice when in a curve. At no time should you jam on a brake as it will throw you over the handlebar (jam on the front brake) or put you in a skid (jam on the rear brake). Tap, tap, tap. – Mama Thursday, September 21 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Anon, That got me to thinking about why neutral is actually between 1st and 2nd, so let's have some fun and explore a bit more. From Tim Kreitz at Timberwoof's Motorcycle FAQ site: "Actually, there is a specific reason why neutral ended up between first and second gear when motorcycle controls were standardized in 1975: SAFETY. In the 60s and 70s, there was a growing trend toward placing neutral below first gear. My nephew, for example, had a Kawasaki 100 with a '4 up' shift pattern (N,1,2,3,4). As this shift pattern gained popularity, more and more motorcyclists were developing the tendency to instinctively shift the bike all the way down into neutral as they slowed, sometimes accidentally, but most times intentionally. The idea was that you could stay in neutral at a light or stop sign, then clutch into gear and start rolling again when right-of-way was established. The habit was obviously flawed, and riders started getting hurt. The vast majority of injuries were caused when a bike was inadvertently upshifted from neutral into first gear at a fast coast. The resultant engine breaking caused instant rear wheel lockups, which in turn caused crashes. The mechanical aspects of neutral's location also caused various runability and logistical problems, as well. By locating neutral between first and second gears, the severity of engine breaking in the event of accidental upshift was reduced, as well as making neutral a relative inconvenience, rather than something riders depended on. It also made first gear the natural first position in the gear box, which is where the transmission should be adjusted whenever the bike is stopped in traffic anyway." And here's another answer from "Fish": "Neutral is in its odd location because that's where it makes the most sense to locate it. On a bike, you rarely need to be in neutral: you've got a clutch, which is your primary method of disconnecting the engine from the transmission. Indeed, you could go completely without a neutral gear, if you could stand the monotony of holding the clutch as the bike warms up, and turning off the bike whenever you got more than an arm's-reach distance from it. First gear, however, is extremely useful. It's great for starting in. And it's great for stopping in. It's really good for driving slowly, too. So it's at the bottom: as you approach a stoplight, you start to brake, and you tap your gears down to match your speed. If the light goes green before you get there, you're ready to rocket. If it's red, you keep the clutch in, and remain in first gear, ready to rocket. You never do go into neutral when you stop. As you leave the stoplight, you tap your gears up to match your speed. You never do go into neutral when you accelerate. Now, imagine the situation if neutral were located at the bottom: you start slowing for the light. You begin tapping down. You're almost stopped, you tap into neutral, the light goes green, you rev the gas, and you tip over because you're out of gear. The asshole behind you runs you over as your engine shoots a piston through your groin. Damn, that sucks. As it's absurd to place neutral between 2nd and 3rd, or any of the higher gears, no example needed." So, now we have some historical and realistic insights on
the placement of neutral. I hope this helps! –
Mama Hi Mama, Generally, I'm getting much better as a rider -- even rode to work yesterday! Even so, I keep making the same mistake over and over -- I drop my bike. Yesterday, after getting all the way home from work (the longest ride I've done so far, and with the most red lights), I was backing into my garage, and I let the bike overbalance. Fortunately, I'd read what you said about getting out from under it before it hits, so I was fine, but I can't figure out why I keep doing this! I tried straightening out the forks as it started to tip, but it still kept going over. Any tips? – Road Princess Dear Road Princess, So my top tips are: Readers, do you have anything to add?! –
Mama Monday, October 2 For Road Princess who is having tipping problems, especially on backing up: Hi, in reading your letter, it seems your wheel is not straight when it starts to tip, then you try to straighten it and over it goes. The question is how to handle the bike when your wheel is turned. Mama has some great suggestions! I would like to add one more. First, either speed up or slow down. Imagine turning a very tight circle, if you are going too slow, you will fall over. If you speed up, you will not fall over, but the circle will get bigger too. So for very tight maneuvers, walk the bike. If you need a touch of power, use your friction zone, if not, back it into the garage with no power at all, just walk it. Also, when walking your bike, you may sometimes have to change your body position to maintain your center of gravity. I have a top heavy bike, so when I walk it and have to have the wheel turned, I shift my body forward, over the high center to get more control. – jojo (note from Mama: good point about reviewing our body position over the bike . . . body center of gravity does have an impact!) Unfortunately, I do have something to add. Backing my bike into my garage has also led me to tip over, despite my Hyosung being the most perfectly balanced bike I've ever straddled! If you have the luxury, park your bike, unlock the door and walk through to the garage or just get the mail & put it on the steps. Tiny breaks gives huge dividends. Anyway:
I never consider it a race to put my baby away, & if I'm especially tired, I'll leave it in the driveway and put it away after dinner. If my husband's home & offers to put it away for me - fine by me. Every time you are on a bike, engine running or not, you've got to focus. Don't start planning dinner or what you need to do first now that you're home until after the bike's tucked in for the night. – Jem (note from Mama: thanks for sharing your steps and adding that the "tired factor" can play a role in oopsies. I agree that once home it's easy to relax the mind and not focus on the final step. I always pull in forward into my garage, but then when I go to back out for a day's ride, I'm fresh and focused, but even then, if my mind is already on the ride coming up, I can immediately feel when my mind is not on the actual task!) Repeatedly tipping over makes me wonder if the bike is too tall for you. Can you put both feet flat on the ground when you're sitting on the bike? If not, every time you stop, you are out of balance. If that is the case, you need to look into adjusting the height of your bike or get some higher heeled boots that allow you to put both feet on the ground. If you CAN flat-foot the bike, it is going to be a matter of slowing down and practicing. Good luck! – Li in Florida (note from Mama: I hadn't considered that there might be a slight tippy-toe factor, so thanks for reviewing that!) I read a great and helpful
hint on this web site last spring from a woman who said she always keeps her
stand down (which would mean the bike has to be in neutral) and ever so
slightly favors that side while maneuvering . . . I do that all the time know
when I back my bike out of the garage and get turned around to face down the
driveway . . . which starts to slope down immediately from the garage floor.
It has saved me a few times when I have been a bit over zealous. Tuesday, October 3 More for Road Princess who is having tipping problems, especially on backing up: I make sure I'm looking straight ahead, head up, even if I'm turning. If I have to look back to check, I stop moving, look to gauge my room, stationary objects, etc., and then look straight ahead again before I start moving. I take it slow and easy, and stop often to look back. This practice feels SO much more stable, and I could swear I read it on your site somewhere. – Linda C. (note from Mama: there are soooo many good tips that my head can't hold them all, but reviews of a point are always good!) Wednesday, October 4 From Road Princess who was having tipping problems, especially on backing up: Thanks so much, everyone, for all the wonderful tips and suggestions!! I can flat-foot my bike with no problem (Harley Sportster XL1200L -- got the Low for that reason!), but after reading what all of you said, I'm pretty sure the problem is that I'm tired and in a hurry and looking over my shoulder while moving to get straight. Unfortunately, I share a parking area, so I don't have the luxury of leaving the bike out, but I can definitely take it slower when backing in. I like the idea about the kickstand too! I'm a little surprised you all said to have the bike off when parking. I thought I remembered from my class that it was supposed to be in gear in case I need to use the engine to straighten it or something, but now that I think about it, that doesn't really make sense. I really appreciate all the help, ladies! – Road Princess. (note from Mama: glad the suggestions helped you explore what you were actually doing and create a new plan!) Friday, October 6 Dear VTwin Mama, I was on a four lane divided road, doing 35 mph in a 45 mph zone. On the other side of the divider a fire truck was stopped and fireman were stretching that yellow tape over the road. I'd just left a traffic light and was in the process of shifting up through the gears. You know how it is, everyone gets stupid when there's something to look at . . . everyone getting in the left lane, braking to slow down and look. I was in the right lane, carefully watching the lookie-lou's to be sure no one cut into my lane when all of a sudden the car in front of me braked. Hard. I was on the far right of my lane. I saw a bus pulled to the right side of the road, the car that braked so hard in front of me, and a line of cars on the brakes in the left lane. It's odd that I can't remember exactly what happened. But all I could focus on was the space between the lanes and I headed for that. My rear brake locked and the rear tire fish-tailed, I feathered the front brake and headed for that space between the cars. I heard a "thunk" and the next thing I know I laying in the road between the cars by the rear wheel of the car that was in front of me. I was lucky. Very lucky. I was wearing a shortie helmet that "tapped" the road on the visor, my right foot was pinned between the crash bars (which had bent toward the bike when they clipped the side of the car's bumper) and the cylinder. My windshield was sheared off at the handlebars, my right side running light was broken, and my right mirror was torn off. EMS pronounced my ok at the scene and I rode the bike very slowly to my house. What I don't get is why couldn't I stop? I wasn't going that fast. I left the rear brake locked, feathered the front brake and down shifted (I was in 2nd gear when I re-started the bike). I had a good 3 - 4 second space cushion in front of me . . . Any advice? Thanks, – Lorrie Dear Lorrie, I don't think it's odd at all that the sequence of choices you made were so quick that it feels like you're not sure what happened, but actually you do remember the steps you took . . . it's just the result that wasn't to your satisfaction. You've just gotten your first taste of a rider's oneness with a bike, and you may or may not have come up just a tad short. Given that you have only been riding for 6 months, I think you did quite well, but let's review some points and think about more brain training. First, congratulations on having a good sense of how things were unfolding in front of you in terms of vehicle layout. Your brain was already calculating the "outs" if needed, and that's a very good thing! Yes, you had left a cushion of time between you and the car in front, but when that car braked hard, they instantly took away a large chunk of your cushion and there is no way to predict that a 4 second cushion should have been an 8 second cushion. That would take mind reading! Now came the choice. Brake hard to stop behind that quick stop car or maneuver to a clear spot. Your brain calculated the odds and choose the clear spot. If at that moment you and the bike were traveling straight and centered, 75% of the braking power is in the front brake. Had you eased firmly and evenly on both the front and back brake, it's possible you could have stopped in time, but it's also possible you could have been thrown over the front or to the side if you hit the car. Training: how well do you know the full power of your front brake in a straight line? You may wish to go back to an empty parking lot, mark out a stop point and a start braking point, and find out what's what. However, what you chose was the rear brake. If we think about this, we realize that in a car we only have the foot-operated brake available to us, and with a quick stop car in front of us, we naturally jam on our own foot brake. So, your jamming on the motorcycle's rear brake may have been a function of that part of your brain-train. A jam on the rear brake always sets up a rear wheel skid, so while not the correct response, what you did right at that point was not release that locked brake once the action started. Good for you! Now let's back up a step. The car brakes hard. You were in the far right part of your lane. So the clear spot was to the far left of your lane. A quick countersteer to the left would have moved you in the lane and then a quick right move into the clear spot. Was this possible without braking or down-shifting? It's hard to say. This required some precision. Here, once again, is the oneness with the bike. Training: back to the practice lot to mark out a line and countersteer around. First, aim for the left edge of the line and countersteer around left. Then aim for the middle of the line and countersteer around that left end again. Then aim at the right side of the line and countersteer to the left to clear the line. Repeat for right countersteer. So, what exactly was the bike doing in all of this? Well, it had a lot of forces on it all at once (locked brake, steer to the clear, front brake feather, and the downshift) and I don't think it's possible to map out how one force precisely affected the other forces. The rear wheel was sliding to the right (it always does, by the way) starting the pull down to the left, you were aiming left, the front brake has a tendency to pull us down further. What I do know is that your husband is right . . . you tried your best with the riding skill level available to you. You calculated the odds, choose your best option, and did your best to get there. I think if you fine-tune your braking and countersteering to the next level of understanding, you will have taken this experience and translated it into a learning lesson of the finest kind. You may wish to check into the MSF's
Experienced RiderCourse, where evasive action and quick stop moves are
worked on. This course is on your own bike. Given your experience, I think you
would enjoy increasing your knowledge and taking that next step to becoming a
fully skilled rider. Take heart . . . the lesson was hard . . . and despite
our best efforts, challenging situations test our limits and hopefully show us
where we can improve! –
Mama Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Debby, While you LOL on having to speed up to stop, that's not as unusual for a new rider as you might think! Some creep so slowly to the stop and others misjudge the speed need and do in fact have to give some throttle to make it to the "line." You'll get it! On practice . . . you've got to train your brain to think
gentle front brake use when in a straight line, front and rear if the straight
stop needs more immediate power (an easing firmness, but never a jab or hard
grab) and gentle rear brake use in any curve or turn. These are a motorcycle's
basic physics of motion. Can you use just the rear brake on a straight line
stop? Yes, if it's a gentle use. The problem arises that if you've trained
yourself to do that, and a panic situation sets up, you'll jam on the rear and
start a rear wheel skid, not a pretty feeling. Just keep working on it all. –
Mama Monday, October 9 For Debby who is working on getting braking under control: The MSF instructors teach us to ride with a bent wrist. If wrists
are locked (straight) it will both make for tired arms and can allow you
to reach your front brake with the throttle still engaged. Try this:
with the bike stopped, rest your right hand on the throttle and reach for
your front brake – you should be able to reach it comfortably and pull
it in easily. That is your starting position for that hand; as you
roll on the throttle, just bend your wrist and do not adjust your grip –
then when you are reaching for the front brake, you are also rolling off
your throttle. Of course, I would be pulling in the clutch as well
(which aids the bike in its initial slowing process) to begin downshifting
if necessary. Time, patience and practice – you will get it! Monday, October 9 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Debby, Monday, October 9 Hi Petra, Dear Mich Not all motorcycles are created equal when it comes to
turn radius and handling. It has to do with the front end rake angle,
handlebar turn radius, and the bike's center of gravity (which is
typically higher on a sport-style bike). I also double-check the tire
condition and pressure as it does make a difference. Let's see if we get
any input from SV650 owners . . . meanwhile, you might want to hop onto
the UK SV650 Org site
. . . there you will find specific forums and riders with the same bike
and could post there to see what input you get! –
Mama Monday, October 23 Hi Mama, Dear Cherie, It is always fun sharing the beginning journey with someone who is willing to assist, as long as they have patience! I will still advocate though that much can be learned from the books and DVDs available on the market. These can be found on my Education Center page. I wish you the best as you progress! – Mama |
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