Motorcycle Safety Topic of the Week
- Thread starter ridercoach
- Start date
I have women ask me all the time about riding my busa; oh my god! isnt' it too big and heavy for you? My answer; no it actually seems small! How do I get it across to these women that it all starts with a smaller bike; takes lots and lots and lots of slow manuever practicing; riding,and more riding; msf courses. Thinking about starting to offer women lessons and teach them more about the basics and riding skills where the msf leaves off. Any thoughts from you guys or gals if that would be of any interest to women who want to ride?
great stuff. Word for word what I've been taught in advance riders course.
practice, practice, practice
Wish you lived a little closer to us. We're getting ready to start up Skillz Days here in Albuquerque following the class format set up by our very good friend Hawkster in So. CA.
Essentially, we teach people how to stay alive while riding the streets and highways. Everything from braking with both brakes, throttle control, turning, how to steer, slow speed handling, perfecting one's balance on the bike and most importantly, changing the rider from a cold-hearted thinking mech warrior to a feeling beast with a heart-felt connection to the bike.
In all of the above teaching situations, we teach people how to execute smoothly. Through drilling and practice, we are able to get the smooth to happen via automaticity which is the key life saver for street riding. You can still do a maneuver or a technique quickly but if you do it quickly AND smoothly, it makes ALL the difference in the world.
Bottom line for me is, this training has saved my life on several occasions, no joke.
Check out http://www.skillzdays.com. Also, the photo at http://www.skillzdays.com/group1.htm. My wife and I are the third and fourth from the left!
We have fun, we learn, we teach and ride home a lot safer than we rode in.
As soon as the weather clears up a little, we're on!
Everyone ride safe out there.
--Wag--
I should also mention that when you ride your own bike for long enough and you are taught proper PRACTICING techniques, you can do just about anything with it. For slow speed maneuvers, I ride FAR better than I did when I first got the Busa. However, I can't do the same moves on my wife's gixxer because I haven't practiced on it enough.
The trick is this: Learn the proper riding techniques and then practice, practice, practice. There is NO other way.
--Wag--
The trick is this: Learn the proper riding techniques and then practice, practice, practice. There is NO other way.
--Wag--
RC great topic and one of, if not the most important one. I taught the MSF course in Maine for yrs. One of the things that the students loved was when expaining about counter-steering. I still meet students how loved this because of the "chance-of-injury". To show the effects of the GYRO and the direct effect of an outside force on it I would use a common 10-speed wheel(rim-spoked up). I would try to hold it up with one hand by the axle. Then I would spin it very fast, this is the spot of possible injury. Then show them I could now hold it up very straight with little effort. Then walking around the room with my hands on both sides of the axle (while spinning) apply gentle pressing force to each side. They could then see how the wheel would react to the force. Little press left, front starts to kick slightly right then the force comes over the top, making it lean to the left to compensate for the de-stabilization of the GRYO. Stop pressing and the wheel straightens back up. It was a good learning tool and most said it may sense to them now. Even the guys I had in the class who "rode there whole life" and they don't turn like that, they just turn in the direction they wanted to go!!! Then they would call back weeks later saying "I guess I do do that". I also found alot of woman that little or no riding time would come up at break wanting to "see that again". Just a thought and it's kinda fun to do.
Each beginning of the riding season I go to a parking lot. I set up an obsticle course and I practice, alot, over and over, including "The Box". I use tennis balls cut in half. Bright colored, cheap, and not to bad when you hit one. I do this to get the feel of the bike back and to practice my press & head/eye coordination. Also lets me practice everything, basics, weighting pegs(inside and out), slow & tight( counter balance), ect.... By mid afternoon I'm pushing hard with confedence again. And it's a great thing to do with friends.
Once again Great Topic, can't wait for the next one, Thanks.
Each beginning of the riding season I go to a parking lot. I set up an obsticle course and I practice, alot, over and over, including "The Box". I use tennis balls cut in half. Bright colored, cheap, and not to bad when you hit one. I do this to get the feel of the bike back and to practice my press & head/eye coordination. Also lets me practice everything, basics, weighting pegs(inside and out), slow & tight( counter balance), ect.... By mid afternoon I'm pushing hard with confedence again. And it's a great thing to do with friends.
Once again Great Topic, can't wait for the next one, Thanks.
This was a awesome thing he did. It showed it was not leaning by weight change alone. Counter-steering cannot be done with a frozen headset. You need the to be able to de-stabalize the front end, or gyro. To make hard fast tight turns you need both. They inhense each others effect.
As far as "down" or "out", it's some of both. This will be determed by the headset/frame geometory, even handlebar position(height/width) to some extent, CG of the bike/rider, size of the rider. 5'2" rider has a completely different angle at which there arms are positioned then a 6'4" person does. What is more down to one "seems" more out to another. This may not have been stressed in her class which is too bad. But what should have been stressed is practice, then practice more. Get to know your bike in a controlled enviorment. Ride well within your limits.
It takes 3-5 years to build good riding technics, about 6 months to learn bad habits. To me that's why I practice the basics alot.
Ghost
Registered
I don't get it. Anyone else having a similar cornering issue?
ruffrider01
Registered
thanks 4 the pic. It makes perfect sence. I sometimes have problems with my lean in curves. the pic really helps. Keep it coming.
ibanezbtb72
Registered
Diddo what everyone has said. Great advice coach. Keepem coming
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