New QNA Page « Better Motorcycling

New QNA Page

03/31/2009 · 3 Comments

We are including a QNA page in an effort to be more interactive and meet direct needs.

If you have a question about anything related to riding, safety or crashes, email us at: stroudmotor1@gmail.com or ask the questions in the comments section.

We will post questions and answer links on the QNA page.

New questions will be posted on the twitter widget located on the sidebar (heck, I have been looking for something to do with that thing anyway) to keep you updated on recent questions.

Coming Soon:

We are going to shoot a video on hard straight-line braking.

We will show you how to ride out a rear wheel lock up. We are not just going to talk about, we are going to demonstrate it at up to 40 mph.

We are going to look at the stopping distances with:

rear wheel braking only
front wheel braking only
both brakes applied

Categories: Uncategorized

3 responses so far ↓

four bits // 03/31/2009 at 11:29 pm

What advice do you have about lane splitting? It seems most everyone does it, but it is risky. One of my co workers ran over and killed a sport bike rider, who was the third of three riders splitting lanes through a congested construction zone. They were traveling approximately 15 mph faster than traffic. The one who fell, clipped a car and went down under the 53′ trailer. The driver saw the whole thing, but at 30 mph he could not stop in time.
This past week I passed by after a Harley Softtail rider, went down at, I would suppose, 65 or more in the same area. I can’t say for sure if he was lane spitting, but the skid marks started between the lanes. He lost his back fender and bags, but did not look to be badly hurt.
I must confess I did it too back in the day, but now that I am old and riding a 900 lb cruiser, I don’t think I want to try it.
stef // 04/01/2009 at 4:27 am

if its available, id love to see some data that or proves (or not) that adding extra lights to the front of your bike makes you more noticeable in people’s rear view mirrors.

ive heard alot of car drivers say “i just dont notice one single headlight”. somehow they think its part of a car and dont expect the bike to show up in their path.

for the same reason i think adding a stop light that flashes when braking (instead of just shining brighter) ads a layer of safety against being rear ended by cars, since they (should) notice you better.

thanks!
Mr. Motorcycle // 04/01/2009 at 8:15 am

I look forward to the rear wheel lock up at 40 MPH video/demonstration. I crashed once doing this. I ended up high siding.

Myth Exposed: “Avoid Using the Front Brakes Because it Will Throw You Over the Handlebars”

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In reality, the front brake is responsible for 60 to 70 percent of the bike's stopping power and should be used. In emergency braking situations, the effective center of mass of the bike shifts forward toward the front wheel and tire, which creates a higher adhesion value to the front tire that tends to prevent the front wheel from locking unless the brake torque is extremely high. Another consequence is that the traction force in the rear wheel and tire is reduced, allowing the rear wheel to lock up and slide. With braking action on the front wheel, the rear wheel, even if locked, will not move from side to side and the bike will continue straight.