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Safety Home
Video: how cars see/don't see riders Motorcycle Operator Manual: PDF format A former course instructor gives you the five key points to remember when approaching test time! Measurements for BRC exercises: from a course instructor! Motorcycle Skills Test Practice Guide 50 Ways to Save Your Life: August 2006 article in Motorcyclist
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2009 (January through ...)Dear VTwin Mama, My husband and I ride with another couple, friends in our neighborhood. We like them a lot, but I am having concerns about safety when we ride with them. We're all fairly new bikers with under 1 year street experience. My husband picked up riding again after a long time; he's a very good rider. I took the safety course (now required in our state) - it was actually pretty tough; I passed it with some errors and got my license. My woman friend - who has the same size and type bike as I do - also took a course (not the same one I did). I really don't think the course she took was as strict as mine! When we ride with them, if they are out in front of us, there is almost a timid-like take off from a stop, very slow, and frequent stall outs. I realize stalls happen from time to time, but the other day a car almost ran into her! There have been some serious errors, like turning in the middle of a busy road without looking for a proper place to make the turn. At the time, we were behind her and cars were coming up behind us - I was really scared! VTwin Mama, we want to stay friends with this couple, and would like to continue riding with them, but I think they need some more practice and definitely need to work on their skills. What would you advise? Thanks so much! – Beth Dear Beth, My thought is that it can be difficult to just come right out and say what's on your mind. A "sideways" method would be to suggest going halves on purchasing the Ride Like a Pro (RLAP) and Surviving The Mean Streets DVDs as an extension to your continuing riding education. This could be worded any way you would like. Then you can get together as couples for viewing evenings. The first DVD would open discussion on polishing basic slow maneuver skills and the second would bring to light the various road situations you all face while riding. Everyone would benefit. Then you could schedule a few practice sessions to work on the RLAP drills together (even 1/2 hour before a "real" ride is useful) ... and when a traffic safety issue crops up it would be easier to say something like, "Didn't we see that on the DVD? I'd like to watch that again!" I will simply add that these DVDs are available in the Lending Tree Library, an extension of the VTwin Mama Message Board. Registered board members can add themselves to the list of interested viewers and it only requires a nominal cost to ship it to the next person in line. – Mama Thursday, May 21 Dear VTwin Mama, Dear Rocky, While it may seem that contacting a local women's riding group, before one even has a license, is counter-intuitive, in fact, why not benefit from these women's knowledge on getting started?! My Women's Sites page lists a lot of national level organizations, with local chapters, as well as independent groups. Send an email, say hi, and then attend a meeting. You'll find out that not only are you not alone, but that there are people standing by to help you! Pursuing a dream is just that ... taking baby steps towards something you think you might enjoy. No matter how it turns out, you'll never have to wonder "what if I had tried that." Because you did! Wednesday, August 5 Hello VTwin Mama, Dear Karen, So, I can think of several ways to approach this (I'm assuming you have your own motorcycle at this point). One, contact the course provider and inquire whether any of their instructors offer private lessons. You'll want to start in a big empty parking lot with your trainer so they can see your basic skills and work on those and then head out for short area runs to get your road training underway. Another path to explore is The Riding Center of New Jersey, as they specifically state that they'll train for road riding. Although based in north NJ, I'd still call and explore options with them. It's possible you took your original course with them ... Again, if you have your own motorcycle, you could also check for women's riding organizations in your area (I know Tink runs Sisters in Spirit in the NJ area). Make contact, attend a monthly meeting, let them know you need a mentor. If anything, these gals are going to be "in the know" about what's available in your area for more training! If, in fact, you have not purchased your own motorcycle, I would advise that you get something used, small, cheap, but running. The thought here is that you need something serviceable to practice on for 6 months or so ... then you can resell it and be in great position to shop for the dream bike! – Mama Tuesday, August 11 Hello VTwin Mama, I have a question in reference to a MSF course I recently attended. While I did pass the course and received a little certificate, I still need to test with the local Secretary of State today for my official M Class license status...and I know I am not ready. I don't believe I SHOULD have been given a passing grade in the class. The MSF class was taught by a reputable private agency (they're endorsed by MSF). Due to time constraints, I opted for the place, because they taught the typical 3-5 day class in two 10-hr days (turned into two 11+ hr days). The bike I was issued had a super choppy run in 1st gear (which I hear is typical), a need to very forcefully kick the thing down to first gear and down from second, and a friction point that was non-existent until a half a centimeter before the clutch was fully released. The class itself was a blur; very fast and chaotic...and probably shouldn't be a 2-day class. It was exhausting. There just wasn't enough time to practice what I had just learned, before moving onto the next exercise. I did terrible with the figure 8 (AKA not-even-close) and dropped the bike a couple times throughout the first day (thankfully not while moving). And I feel so so uncomfortable with tight right turns and that dastardly "figure 8." I wasn't the only one suffering, but somehow we all passed the class. I almost feel we all passed, simply because we paid the registration fee. (one student laid his bike out twice on day two...while it was moving). Is this normal for these classes? I can go back to the facility to practice, but I'm wondering if perhaps I should register elsewhere or take a couple hours of private lessons? On their behalf, I should confess I do feel very comfortable with upshift/downshift/normal turn left-right/break normally (sudden break with a little more practice) and the offset weave 90% of the time. I just don't feel consistent or confident. My goal is to develop into a safe and confident rider, not to cut corners. I know any MSF class will only get me so far. I feel I am close to having the skills to pass the SOS test, then spend hours practicing in a parking lot on my own, but need some advise as to how I should proceed to confidently get that M status. Thanks so much for all you do!! – Very Very Thankful Dear Very Very Thankful, And while the learning curve was steep, it's apparent that you gained control of many of the basic skills, and since continued practice is available at no additional charge, I would take advantage of that. I'm also not surprised that left turns were more easily managed than the right turn. My theory is two-fold: 1) spatial tasks are thought to be set in the right side of the brain, which controls the left side of the body and since we have to look where we go, the left turn is easier; 2) in a left turn our right hand, which controls the touchy throttle, is extended outward, where as in a right turn the whole arm must be pulled in towards our body, thus "cramping" up our wrist while trying to keep the throttle under perfect use. Of course all of this becomes less noticeable with more practice. The dreaded figure 8 is just that ... one of the toughest drills to master and I can guarantee that most experienced riders wouldn't be able to do it ... mainly because in normal riding it's a skill rarely needed ... at most a rider could use the skill in a tighter U-turn, but most often you'll see riders with their feet down "walking" the bike around the tight turn. Some don't have the skill while most I suspect don't want an oopsie to occur, especially if there are a lot of other motorcycles around (it really isn't good etiquette to crash into a line of bikes that are parked!). The key is to trust that you can do it ... easier said than done ... but imagining a positive outcome really does make a difference. On the Ride Technique: Riding Course/Safety page, you'll find a number of links in the left hand column to previous letters that spell out some key techniques for handling the figure 8 and approaching test day. So, head back for some more practice. If you do opt to try the test today, remember that a flubbed figure 8 only costs so many points, and a pass will be awarded if everything else is under control. Remember ... see yourself calmly and smoothly riding the test course and toss out any negative thoughts! One reason to just go ahead and take the test today is that if the cost of taking it is not prohibitive to you, then you get a chance to work through their test, learn what level of jitters you have, and exactly where more practice is needed. Remember, it's all about learning, and you might surprise yourself! – Mama
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