As I mentioned yesterday, I had a full schedule of things to do.  Yet after all the items on the “to do list” had been checked off, I sped away for a little riding practice.

Like golfer’s spending time on the driving range, or the local garage bands brushing up on old covers, cyclist should work to become better riders.

I left the house around 7 p.m. and headed to some quiet county roads north of the “field”.  The smell of fresh mowed grass, and the sweet scent of honeysuckle filled the cool air.  The focus: smooth, but quick shifting under hard acceleration.  In other words; “get on it and hit every gear flawlessly!”   I chose a road that is mostly deserted, with long straight aways and few intersections. From a dead stop I would crush the accelerator and watching the tach and listening to the boxer, would find the sweet spot for each of the 5 gears then abruptly stop, practicing my down shifting.

Caution:  “This can be addicting!” Although the RT  does not have the horsepower of the BMW S1000RR, her 110 ponies certainly like to giddy up, and with the seamless shifting she can be at 125 mph in a blink of an eye.  I hope you had a great weekend!

Keep The Rubber Side Down!

With moderate temperatures and the need for some shopping, I made my way east to the Iron Pony located in Westerville, Ohio. Iron Pony is a motorcycle superstore stocked with everything you can imagine.

I arrived soon after opening and there were already a few guys who had ridden in

After a couple hours in the store I headed to The Old Bag of Nails Pub to watch a little College Hoops.

It was a pleasurable way to spend an afternoon, but this was more than a pleasure ride.  I was practicing…

1. Picking the line through the curves.

Over the winter I got a little sloppy in this area, so I really concentrated on being smoother in the curves, picking the line and  looking further ahead.

Focusing on the line is an area I really desire to improve on this year.    What about you?

What area of your riding skills do you want to brush up on?

In 1981 the Hurt Report; a landmark study on motorcycle accidents, indicated many accidents occured due to rider error.  With this in mind, what advice can you share with other cyclist to help them become better riders?

According to the Motorcycle Operator Manual from the State of Ohio, the correct answer to this question… 

 When riding in a group, inexperienced riders should position themselves:

A.  Just behind the leaders

B.  In front of the group

C.  At the tail end of the group

D.  Beside the leader

is “A”  Just behind the group leader.

When riding in a group, inexperienced riders should position themselves:

A.  Just behind the leaders

B.  In front of the group

C.  At the tail end of the group

D.  Beside the leader

What’s your answer?  I will post the correct answer on Wednesday.

Riding more than 20,000 miles a year brings a great deal of enjoyment, but is also requires a great deal of maintenance.  I’m certain none of those riders are complaining mind you, but when putting that many miles on a motorcycle a cyclist needs to have total confidence  the bike will not let him/her down.  That’s why most long distance riders, maintain their cycles so meticulously.  For instance,

 OIL CHANGES

 I use Mobile 1 synthetic oil in the RT and typically change it every 5000 miles.  That means in a typical year I change the oil 4 times. 

TIRES

The Continental Attacks I put on in August 2008 are now shot.  One can figure a set of tires will last 6,000 to 8,000 miles (give or take a 1000) depending on maintenance and riding habits.  So in a typical riding season one can easily go through 2 sets of tires. 

These are just two examples of how riding great distances demands a rigid and fairly comprehensive maintenance schedule.   Below is my list of items I need to address over the next few weeks.

·         Renewing the brake fluid

·         Adjusting valve clearances

·         Replacing the Poly Belt

·         New brakes front and rear.

Riding a motorcycle can be one of the most enjoyable experiences ever, but breaking down on some deserted road in the middle of “Georgia “Ain’t no fun”!

So with Spring only 48 days away.  I hope you will make certain your bike is in the best condition possible for a season of care free riding.                           

eep The Rubber Side Down!

Motorcycling in any season is worthy of ones full attention.  Riding in the winter demands even greater raptness!    Here’s a few reasons why…

•  Cagers are far less attentive to cyclist (They simply don’t expect you to be out).
•   Additional clothing limits riders mobility.
•   Increased Wind (Especially Interstate riding).
•   Cold temperatures slow reflexes.
•   Road conditions (constantly changing).

Here’s 4 road conditions you should be especially aware of…

1.  Snow and ice falling from vehicles in front of you (Especially from wheels wells).

2.  Water dripping from overpasses then refreezing on roadway (Particularly on Interstates).

3.  Urban areas where tall buildings shade the roads.

4.  Road salt and sand.  (Especially at intersections).

Year round riding has it’s demands for sure, but it also has some incredible rewards!  I hope you will give it a try sometime. 



Any winter riding tips you can share?

According to the Ohio Motorcycle Operator Manual.  The correct answer to yesterdays question is C.  Trying to accelerate out of the wobble will only make your bike more unstable.  Grip the handlebars firmly, but don’t fight the wobble, then close the throttle gradually and stay off the brakes. Move your weight forward and pull off the road as soon as it safe to do so.  This popular video show just how dangerous the wobble can be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmtoOmq3ppw&NR=1

On a recent road trip, my son, Ethan, and I, toured the Northeastern quadrant of our county.  It was mid afternoon when we happened upon a freshly tarred and graveled road.  As we proceeded, the newly poured gravel pelted our rides, as our tires continually threw loose stones everywhere. I could tell Ethan was a bit disconcerted with the road conditions, and at times had a look of terror on his face.  Afterwards we discussed riding on this gravel road and here was my advice…

1.  Slow and steady.

Sudden moves require traction and you have much less of it here, so slow it down. Also use brakes sparingly, the tendency here is to use too much brake!

2.  Let the bike find it’s way.

A light touch on the handle bars will enable the bike to seek out a path of least resistance.  Remember: ”the bike will wobble and shake, but your forward motion will help with your stability”.

3.  Read the gravel.

Look for paths where the gravel has been compacted or is less dense.

4.  Keep a buffer.

Give yourself some space to escape without any sudden moves should something unforeseen occur.

What tips would you add?

After studying hundreds of motorcycle accident sites. Investigator’s list the three most common factors of motorcycle crashes occurring in a curve.  Here they are…   Keep The Rubber Side Down!

1.  Entering the curve too fast.

2.  Using the rear brake too much.

3. Focusing on what you are about to hit.

On Friday I wrote a post dealing with routine maintenance of your motorcycle.  Today I am posting about what to do when you breakdown along the road.  The reason?  We broke down on Saturday!  That’s right! Ethan and I, were coming home from a Sky-Diving excursion, when his clutch cable snapped, and we were in the middle of nowhere. 

Although we wanted nothing more than to grab a burger, and a shower, there we were, sitting along the hot, and dusty, roadside.  Now what do we do?  Here’s 7 Tips to handle a breakdown…

1.  Don’t Panic!  Everything will work out, It’s not the end of the world.

2.  Pull Off To the Safest Spot Possible. 

3.  Be Prepared.  Have a tool set, flashlight, tape, etc.

4.  Have a Basic Understanding of Motorcycles.  You don’t need to be a mechanic, but you should understand some bike basics.  You may be able to repair the problem.

5.  Keep Emergency Numbers in Your Cell Phone.  In most areas you will have cell phone service.

6.  Join a Local Auto Service Club.   There are many in your area, such as AAA.

7.  Inform Someone!  Let someone know your intended route and when you plan to return.

In our case, after attempting to rig the clutch cable to no avail, we called a friend who quickly brought us a trailer, and within a short period of time we were on our way home.  Thanks Jeff, I owe you a case!  The day wasn’t a total loss, at least the parachute opened!   Here’s Ethan’s landing. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQboi8UunPA