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What did your bike teach you recently?

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Apr 20, 2003
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One of the things I’ve always loved about riding a motorcycle is that regardless of how many years experience you have under your belt you can always learn something new from your latest ride.
Case in point, I have recently learned of the benefits of taking a left turn from the middle right portion of the lane especially on a 2 lane road. By doing so I have found that I’m no longer at risk of being hit from behind by those drivers who recklessly seek to drive past me without slowing down. By positioning myself in the middle right portion of the lane they are now either forced to stop or drive into the ditch just to get around me.
The possibilities of such experiences makes me happy to know that riding is an ever learning dynamic exercise and glad of having gotten thus far relatively “damaged.”
Wonder what else is next.
 
with people texting these days, im not sure there is a truly safe way to make a turn on a motorcycle!!!! My recent experience: I was coming home and slowing down to turn onto my driveway. I was riding my Savage and had my turn signal on, mind you it is straight as an arrow for about a 1/4 mile either direction of my drive way. I am just about to my mailbox and in the right side of the lane to make a RIGHT turn into my drive. Just before i began my turn this truck came by me at at least 70mph on the right side of me. Took out the mailbox, got some air as he passed over my driveway and somehow managed to keep it all together and just kept going. The left lane (on coming) was perfectly clear. Since i was on the savage, there was no chance to chase him down. Now, i dont make the turn if i see a car in the Mirror, or i get on the other side of the white line to slow down.
 
I won't make left turns if I have to stop and sit, just wait till next chance. If that lady other day missed a school bus and hit those poor kids, she'd never see a bike.
 
Hmm, very good question. On my MV Agusta Dragster: takes a good stab of the left toe to move auto shifter from first into second... otherwise N results in engine screaming revs. Oh, and the bike can easily do 90 mph in third gear.

Guzzi teaches me that a slow bike can be fun.
 
I learned in a trip to TN last week that during the week around 3-4PM, you really need to watch for school busses on the rural twisty roads. They aren't great about staying in their lane and they go pretty quick. Finding one halfway in your lane on a blind left turn at speed is exhilarating.

Also...finding them stopped with their lights on and stop sign extended as you come around a blind left turn is also a good chance to practice your emergency stopping technique. :) (GLFlyer can now elaborate on exactly how good the ABS on a Goldwing performs)

In short....school busses in the afternoon on school days can make twisty road riding a bit more interesting.
 
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Any ride reports on that one?

Looked like a great trip. Made me want a Gold Wing. DCT, of course :)

It was our 10th year meeting friends and family around Gatlinburg. We had 7 couples this year and all ride.

We ride there but fly our wives as they get bored riding 900 miles there and back. I put right at 3K on the bike. 2000 or so was there and back and we had 4 good riding days around 250 miles a day. It rained on Friday so we didn't ride.

I guess I could do a ride report if anyone is interested

After 10 years, we've ridden most all the good roads up there so we can put together 4 or 5 days of really good routes. We're on Goldwings so no dirt, but the pavement in TN and NC is like tarmac on a track, just incredible.

If anybody is headed that way and needs road / route advice, hit me up and I'd be happy to share.
 
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Any ride reports on that one?

Looked like a great trip. Made me want a Gold Wing. DCT, of course :)

:tab Believe it or not, you don't do as much shifting out there as you might expect. The roads are so twisty you rarely really get to any serious high speeds unless you are just trying to get crazy. Whether I am on something like a VFR 800, KTM 530 EXC, or my 1200 GS, I generally find a gear that works well through the corners at low rpm, for accelerating to the next corner, and for engine braking into the corner, rinse repeat. On the occasion that there might actually be a decent straight stretch, I might go up one gear briefly. This really helps you get into a good rhythm and to work on being smooth.

:tab I had a guy following me for miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway back when I had my VFR 800. When we finally pulled over he told me my brake light was out. I pulled the lever and it worked fine. He couldn't believe it! Some riders feel like they have to race out of corners, hit top speed, slam down through the gears and stomp on their brakes going into the next corner, and then do it all over again. They are NOT smooth and their average pace along the route is actually slower that what I would do riding in a much more relaxed manner.
 
Scott, would love to have been a fly on your mirror. "Lets see,...yep, works just fine" :thumb:
 
I learned the VFR1200X really likes to go fast down the highway. I need to keep that in check for sure.

Heavier bikes don't always feel that much heavier. Opposite true for lighter bikes.

The Africa Twin is much more responsive without dusty air filters.

The NC700X doesn't like to be in the wake of an 18 wheeler at highway speeds.

The KLR650 REALLY doesn't like to be near them at all.

Also, scooting your butt over just a 1/4 inch while doing 84mph on the KLR will dang near cause a tank slapper.

Finally, I think I prefer the TKC80 front to the Shinko 804 across the board.
 
A few months ago I learned that trying to stop my bike from falling while on uneven terrain with an injured ankle is a very bad idea. I tore my Achilles tendon quite badly and haven't been able to ride since. And to add insult to injury (literally) I failed to save the bike from falling!
 
most all bikes need a deceleration circuit that turns on the brake light as they shed speed quickly when the throttle is closed.
 
That is a good idea. You didn't get rear ended, did you?

I have been rear ended, it was at a red light and I was already stopped and the bike already had a addmore lighting aux light bar.
 
I have been rear ended, it was at a red light and I was already stopped and the bike already had a addmore lighting aux light bar.

Yeesh. I'm still newbie enough that when I stop at a busy light, I have my hand on the throttle and my eye on my mirror to be prepared to speed away if anyone looks like they are not stopping. I notice sometimes people seem to think I'm mean mugging them, but just trying not to get squished.
 
most all bikes need a deceleration circuit that turns on the brake light as they shed speed quickly when the throttle is closed.

For a work around you could just tap a brake lever to activate the light but not cause any braking.

Thinking about it though, whenever I'm riding that spirited for a throttle chop to be major engine braking, typically there is nobody in sight behind me.
 
Traction control doesn't mean you won't have pucker moments on dirt and gravel parking lots and roads. On that note, what is it about Oklahoma and mostly gravel and dirt parking lots at gas stations?
 
That I lube its chain way too much/often.
That I don’t rev it enough.
That its floppy clutch lever won’t adjust.
That it wants to go graveling more often.
 
Yeesh. I'm still newbie enough that when I stop at a busy light, I have my hand on the throttle and my eye on my mirror to be prepared to speed away if anyone looks like they are not stopping.

This is not a newbie thing! EVERY rider should be doing this regardless of experience level. It also helps to leave a bike length or two at a minimum between you and the vehicle in front of you so that you have more room to maneuver if needed. I am always looking for the way out when at intersections. I NEVER leave the bike in neutral.
 
Also, scooting your butt over just a 1/4 inch while doing 84mph on the KLR will dang near cause a tank slapper.

That is a STRONG indicator that the suspension is not set properly and the steering stem nut may not be torqued properly. My KLR did the exact same thing. Once I got it setup right, it was nice and stable.
 
A few months ago I learned that trying to stop my bike from falling while on uneven terrain with an injured ankle is a very bad idea. I tore my Achilles tendon quite badly and haven't been able to ride since. And to add insult to injury (literally) I failed to save the bike from falling!

Ouch ouch ouch!! Hate to hear that!

When I had my R1150 GS, a BIG HEAVY bike, I too learned that there comes a point where you are better off just ejecting and letting the crash bars do their job. I was fortunate that I never got hurt trying to save it. I also learned from that bike that once it was on the ground, I was better off having a short sit to let the adrenaline come down before attempting to lift it. It was also usually a good idea to study how it was laying for a moment. Sometimes just rotating it slightly or digging around a wheel slightly could make all the difference in the world with regard to the effort that would be needed. I even used to carry one of those collapsible army shovels with me :-P
 
Not today, but Saturday taught me that no matter what people say, the V Strom is a perfectly capable ADV bike, as long as it has a decent set of tires on it.
 
Ouch ouch ouch!! Hate to hear that!

When I had my R1150 GS, a BIG HEAVY bike, I too learned that there comes a point where you are better off just ejecting and letting the crash bars do their job. I was fortunate that I never got hurt trying to save it. I also learned from that bike that once it was on the ground, I was better off having a short sit to let the adrenaline come down before attempting to lift it. It was also usually a good idea to study how it was laying for a moment. Sometimes just rotating it slightly or digging around a wheel slightly could make all the difference in the world with regard to the effort that would be needed. I even used to carry one of those collapsible army shovels with me :-P

The true price of wisdom is first to need it. lol :rofl:
Agreed, I too have learned to wait a minute or 10 before trying to fix those things, you can end up hurting yourself even more if you don't notice something simple that could save you lots of work.
DAMHIK
 
Not today, but Saturday taught me that no matter what people say, the V Strom is a perfectly capable ADV bike, as long as it has a decent set of tires on it.

Yes, we both had **** eating grins on our faces that day. Perfect conditions for the stroms and the eo7 tires.
 
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