The 'oldies share their wisdom' thread

[stefanb]

So what is your approach to riding in those situations? Do you follow the line of the car wheels where it gets dry? You will eventually have to get off those lines.. Or do you just reduce your speed overall by 30/40% to cover this loss of grip?

Riding a learner bike at the moment I hate having to deal with drivers that get glued to my rear wheel even if I m doing the speed limit and there is no way they are passing me when there are loads of tight blind corners.Even if I wasn t on a learner bike I probably wouldn t take those corners any faster due to their tight narrow nature and not knowing what is on the other side. Sometimes tapping my rear break light gets them to notice me and back off...but not all the time. How do you guys handle cars doing that?

And what is up with the speed limits? I ride on some narrow country roads where in some corners I don t really see two cars fitting without one of them stopping or some roads where two cars just fit in the lanes and my google maps says speed limit 60... I get off that road on a wide double carriageway where the speed limit is 50?

[yello]

I hate having to deal with drivers that get glued to my rear wheel even if I m doing the speed limit

I hear you, a pet hate of mine too.

Sadly that is, ime, just one of those things that you have to get used to. Some drivers have no appreciation of the stopping distance of a motorcycle in the wet, they don't appreciate that you're going to be way more careful than in the dry. They have the luxury of much superior braking in wet conditions so there'll be no grabbing handfuls of brake late into a bend (or approaching traffic lights) rather a more considered roll-off of throttle from a greater distance. We don't all ride like Barry Sheene/Mick Doohan/Valentino Rossi/Marc Marquez* (*according to your age group)

My only advice would be to try and not let it unnerve you and/or, if necessary and safe to do so, pull over and let them go. You really don't need added hassles when riding in the wet.

As for sh*t on roads, you've pretty much nailed it; conservative lines, ease off the throttle and vigilance. Where I live, we get a fair amount of diesel spill (tractors and the like) and so I have been known to be perhaps overly careful on damp autumnal mornings, where I can't be 100% sure that the twinkling patch on the road ahead is diesel or just early morning damp/frost.

[fatboy]

Way too many car drivers simply don't understand the vulnerability of bike riders, they get too comfortable with air bag protection and they believe ABS will stop them no matter what....
Here is something that you should always bear in mind, your 'vanishing point'
Put quite simply, if you can't stop in the distance of clear road you can see ahead of you then you're going too fast.
As for cars sat on your ass, let them pass when you can

[aldo_moto]

Hello all! Loving this thread. I setup a youtube/insta channel a month or so ago with a range of interviews and vlogs to capture my journey of learning to ride a motorbike. I've interviewed some people (link below) but will go through the comments on this thread as there are some gems! If you get time to take a look and provide any feedback/guidance that would be great. Looking forward to my Mod2 asap! Link - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx1yJJ ... H_VYNFQG3A

Will be exploring bikes for taller people too (6'2) as my mighty Varadero125 will only take me so far!!

[fatboy]

Good work dude !

[Dr Ridin]

If there is a car stationary at a side road junction, watch the wheels, you will notice the wheel rotate quicker than seeing the vehicle move.

Agreed, This is one of the first things that I tell novice riders. It also applies to when you are in traffic - you will see the front wheel of a vehicle turn as the driver changes lanes.

[Dr Ridin]

There's not much that I can add that hasn't already been said. So I'll just reiterate a few things. I don't have too many people tailgating me on the Shiver, but when I had my Harley it happened a few times when I was in the mood for a cruise. I would simply slow down, move to the side and wave them past. Most drivers gave a wave or a beep.

I never ride fast in the rain. In the best of situations there is a limited contact patch, but with a wet road your tyres can aquaplane, sending you slidding down the road. Also, with a wet road you can't see any washouts or pot holes because they become filled with water and just look like the rest of the road. Finally, where I live (Philippines) the roads are made of concrete with large pieces of stone aggregate. These get worn smooth by traffic and are a slippery as f* when wet.

For novice riders getting to know the braking power/feel of their bike is critical for avoiding accidents. Some bikes have sharp brakes and others have softer brakes. Sharp brakes may slow the rider down more quickly, but in unskilled hands can lead to a front wheel lock up and a spill. Lots of newer bikes have ABS (including mine) but ABS isn't all it's cracked up to be. Contrary to popular opinion, you can quite easily lock your wheels with ABS, and ABS also increases braking distance, so you have to factor that in when riding and especially in an emergency stop. I would recommend a novice learn on a conventional braking system before graduating to ABS.

Picking your line through a corner is also crucial to good riding. A rider should be looking at the corner (the surface and degree of the sector) and past the corner he has entered to see where the road leads, and any possible obstacles. If the rider likes the twisties and wants to push himself a little, he should take a slow ride through the road section noting the types of corners, the road surface and any other factors that could cause him to come to grief. Just because he might have ridden that road last week, doesn't mean that it's the same this week. Never assume.

Always check your tyres before every ride. Tyre pressure is critical on a motorcycle - it affects the physical handling of the bike and how it copes in different conditions such as cornering, braking, rain, riding two-up and bad road surfaces.

I have rambled on a bit, but hopefully some of it is useful.