|
Maybe it was when I crossed the double yellow, but my problems started before that. I like that turn because it's pretty clean, but there could be something I missed I guess.
|
#
?
Oct 5, 2012 19:17
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 14:58 |
|
|
How are your tire pressures?
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2012 05:42
|
|
|
...goddamn it. Low. 28/32, so I put them back up to 34/36. Went riding today and now I tiptoe around every corner, still freaked out I guess.
|
|
#
?
Oct 6, 2012 19:39
|
|
|
28/32 should be fine in fact that's about what I run at the racetrack. How far were you leaned over and how was your bp?
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2012 02:03
|
|
|
aventari posted:28/32 should be fine in fact that's about what I run at the racetrack. How far were you leaned over and how was your bp? Pretty drat. I get about a centimeter from using the whole tire judging from the wear pattern, and I was trying to get a little more speed through that turn than I usually do. Body positioning I had my rear end centered in the seat, head off to the side. I try to do the old "kiss the mirror" thing but I rarely shift my seat over because it seems a bit ridiculous for the street and I feel like I'm not doing it right.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2012 03:55
|
|
|
Might be suspension related. This is entirely anecdotal, but my 250 wobbles like hell on the track because the stock setup is so soft.
|
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2012 05:05
|
|
|
Covert Ops Wizard posted:Pretty drat. I get about a centimeter from using the whole tire judging from the wear pattern, and I was trying to get a little more speed through that turn than I usually do. Body positioning I had my rear end centered in the seat, head off to the side. I try to do the old "kiss the mirror" thing but I rarely shift my seat over because it seems a bit ridiculous for the street and I feel like I'm not doing it right. As an aside, doing that probably puts a bunch of input through the bars because when you shift your rear end over you lock your heel against the rearset (this is why peoples outside foot points up midcorner instead of straight ahead like normall) and put a lot of the holding your body does on your thighs/leg instead of arms. You've got a lot of lean left if there is a cm chickenstrip and you're not off the seat at all. I'd probably guess suspension related; I've had a bike pogo on me before but I was riding much harder than I should have been and on stock SV suspension that hadn't been touched since new. BlackMK4 fucked around with this message at 06:22 on Oct 7, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 7, 2012 06:17
|
|
|
What bike is this on? If it's running a 160 or narrower tire, it's hard to erase chicken strips on narrow tires for 2 reasons...one is the profile tends to be pretty extreme at the edge, the other is that a lot of erasing chicken strips happens because you deform the rear tire with the throttle. Also, highly unlikely BP had a drat thing to do with it. Far more likely you either ran over some crap in the road or a tar snake that started it sliding, or you turned in way too early and tried to correct or ended up braking without thinking about it. If you weren't dragging poo poo when it started to slide, you didn't have BP issues.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2012 17:47
|
|
|
It's a street triple, so it's 170 in the rear. I think it might have been a combination of crap in the road and suspension issues I gotta figure out. Sometimes it gets a little shudder when braking so I do have to look into it. It's the R version so it shouldn't be too hard to sort out unless something's truly hosed up. I softened everything 2 stops from stock, I'll probably look up some better settings for it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2012 18:56
|
|
|
Highly recommend taking your bike to a local shop that does suspension set up. Take it to somewhere that deals with local racers, they'll know how to do the set up correctly. It made a huge difference for how the bike felt for me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2012 19:13
|
|
|
I stopped at a 4-way to turn right. I had my turn-signal on, I was scanning, I knew there was a truck behind me. What I didn't know is that the truck decided it would be good to turn right first by crowding into my lane on the right of me without stopping and go right. If I had not spent like two-seconds scanning I would have been plowed down by that dumb rear end in a top hat. I started speeding after him for a second then calmed down and let it go 
|
|
#
?
Oct 9, 2012 22:07
|
|
|
Grimes posted:I stopped at a 4-way to turn right. I had my turn-signal on, I was scanning, I knew there was a truck behind me. What I didn't know is that the truck decided it would be good to turn right first by crowding into my lane on the right of me without stopping and go right. If I had not spent like two-seconds scanning I would have been plowed down by that dumb rear end in a top hat. I started speeding after him for a second then calmed down and let it go I have to ride more in the center of the lane than I'd like because people around here think that you can pass a cycle inside their own lane if there's room. Seriously, every time it happens I just want to chase them down and lecture them all day long.
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 00:44
|
|
|
Wulframn posted:I have to ride more in the center of the lane than I'd like because people around here think that you can pass a cycle inside their own lane if there's room. In California, that's actually legal...lane sharing works both ways. Grimes posted:I stopped at a 4-way to turn right. I had my turn-signal on, I was scanning, I knew there was a truck behind me. What I didn't know is that the truck decided it would be good to turn right first by crowding into my lane on the right of me without stopping and go right. If I had not spent like two-seconds scanning I would have been plowed down by that dumb rear end in a top hat. I started speeding after him for a second then calmed down and let it go 
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 02:14
|
|
|
Z3n posted:In California, that's actually legal...lane sharing works both ways. Really? While both vehicles are in motion? I'm talking about people passing me out on the road and highway while I'm doing 60 mph. I almost took a spill today. I went around a corner and was turning very tightly. My speed was OK and I had the bike leaned low - actually, it was leaned too low for the speed I was going (not fast enough) - and that's where the problem came into play. As I came around the corner there was a manhole I didn't know was there smack in the middle of the left tire track I was following. I was already leaned over so far I couldn't go further right and if I went left I was going to go into the lane next to me which was occupied by a van. The manhole cover was recessed deeply enough that when I hit it it really upset the bike and I was sure I was going over. I panicked and put my right foot down - which was loving stupid but, thankfully, didn't make the situation any worse today - while simultaneously rolling on the throttle. The result was that I did not injure my ankle and my loose grip on the handlebars + the sudden burst of speed meant the bike straightened itself out and popped itself straight back up. I was cursing at myself the whole way down the road for being so loving stupid about panicking and putting my foot down. I could have snapped my ankle doing that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 17:44
|
|
|
Kenny Rogers posted:That map CLEARLY shows that you're near the Jersey Shore. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 18:27
|
|
|
Wulframn posted:Really? While both vehicles are in motion? I'm talking about people passing me out on the road and highway while I'm doing 60 mph. As long as it's done in a "prudent and safe fashion" you can do it. I wouldn't call it safe and prudent to do it at 60 (generally the rule of thumb is the passing vehicle is doing no more than 45) but that's at the discretion of the officer. As to your other close call...understanding the vanishing point and not over-riding your sight lines is a good way to avoid having that issue in the future. You handled the situation well (minus the foot down part) but anticipating it and avoiding it through better prep is the best way
|
|
#
?
Oct 10, 2012 20:13
|
|
|
YEY, it's been a while. Important fact to remember: Silica makes tires generate grip in the wet. High silica content tires happened in the early 80s? I think. This becomes relevant. I have a bad day of on-call, and some time around midnight I decide "I am going for a motorcycle ride. I feel like crap, I need to do something to feel better." It's been raining all day, the roads are washed. And it's a little misty. I'm riding a 1971 Yamaha LT2. A screaming 97cc's of reed valve inducted fury. It's nasty out, so I try out the brakes. I don't like to be suprised by grip levels. I find the back wheel is locking up without so much as a second thought. .... Well I can deal with that. This bike has 6" drums front and rear. It's not known for it's strong stopping power. It's always been sufficient, but I'd never say I'd worry about locking up the front tire, or going over the bars. And then.. there was Sunday morning. Coming to the stop sign, I apply pressure to the front brake. The bars swing hard right, I get off the brake, and while sorting out my body position, stab the back brake, making the rear wheel slide out. I finally stopped at the white line, a little sideways, thinking "well that was interesting. I wonder if there was oil on the road." I probably should have stopped for the evening. But I wasn't done riding, and it turns out that some friends were in from out of town. Cue me turning the bike towards Chicago, and going to dinner. (At 3am, near Evanston...) I figured I could ride around the traction, and noted that it's time to buy new tires. Twice more on the way into Chicago, I discovered just how bad the traction was. Coming down a bridge over the Chicago river, I again locked up the rear tire. I'd do that again the next time I crossed that particular body of water. And then the rain really started. I met up with my friends, and led them to the diner. For the last time that evening, I slid to a stop. To quote "and now we all go play magic in the emergency room." We made it to the diner without further incident. As long as you consider subjecting the patrons to our severe asperity measures, not an incident. As a happy coincidence, another friend was at the diner already, who lives not more than two miles from where we were eating. And offered me a warm, dry place to stay the night, instead of attempting the 15 mile ride home in the rain. My luck had been pressed far enough, and I took him up on his offer. Lessons learned: 40 year old tires really suck in the rain. And, take a hint. When your bike tells you "no, bad rider, go home" listen to it. New tires have been ordered. And a new chain.
|
|
#
?
Oct 15, 2012 16:20
|
|
|
Exiting the work garage there is a short but somewhat steep ramp from garage level to street level. I never start the approach unless it's all clear as I don't want to get stuck on that ramp facing up. Today I head towards the ramp to go for a lunchtime ride. I see a truck at the top of the ramp waiting to turn onto the street. For some unknown reason I head up the ramp knowing I can't get around that truck. Sure enough, truck doesn't move and I'm stuck facing up with a handful of brake in the middle of the ramp. Truck finally gets to turn and now I need to get myself out of a completely avoidable situation. I rev up and drop the clutch a bit too quickly and chirp the tires. Luckily I don't drop the bike or lurch forward too badly. I quickly adjust then (not very gracefully) move to the top of ramp and flat ground. Thank god I am starting out on a CBR250R. Had that been a larger bike I hesitate to think of the consequences. Some people walking on the street definitely heard my tires. I think they thought I was chirping the tires like a badass flying out of the garage. They did not know I was crapping myself like a newb. Stugazi fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Oct 17, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 00:28
|
|
|
Using a combination of rear brake control and clutch slipping, you probably could have made a more graceful exit. Try giving the bike some gas from a standstill with your foot on the rear brake, and releasing the clutch until you enter the friction zone. By staying in this zone while easing off of the rear brake, you can better accelerate from a standstill on an incline. Still, your best bet is probably hanging out at the bottom of the ramp until it's clear. Safety Dance fucked around with this message at 00:57 on Oct 17, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 00:36
|
|
|
Yeah, apply the rear brake and then feed it a little gas and start slipping the clutch until you feel the back end of the bike start to rise and then let off the rear brake and you won't roll back or stall.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 00:56
|
|
|
When you're on a motorcycle there is only one thing you need to remember: friction-zone. Q: How do I make my bike go forward? A: Friction-zone Q: How do I make my bike slow down or stop? (In a non-emergency situation) A: Friction-zone Q: How do I go up a steep hill? A: Friction-zone See? Any time you feel like a newbie it is because you're not using that friction-zone enough.  Do you have a ramp or steep hill somewhere you could practice? Like Safety Dance said, it is probably for the best if you stay off the ramp until it is clear; but, just in case, it will be useful to have that skill mastered.Which reminds me, you're on a bike and one of the advantages of bikes is the ability to get out of sticky situations really quick. Don't get up behind something you can't get around and in a situation where you can't keep the bike upright without needing to twiddle it oddly (like standing on the brake or something). I don't know what this ramp is like, but what would have happened if another car came around a corner and, thinking the ramp was clear, had rear-ended you? Just some friendly advice... Wulframn fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Oct 17, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 01:06
|
|
|
lovely video quality because the battery died in my gopro as the new firmware reset the auto-off timer.  Gave it a handful while the back tyre was in a load of moss on the side of the road and went completely sideways unexpectedly. I don't know how the gently caress people take sumos offroad on street tyres, maybe its just too constantly damp here. I wouldn't bother posting it but my buddys laugh at my predicament is hilarious. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY5zTdUfwC8
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 03:10
|
|
|
Rear brake control is great for starting up an incline too. Friction zone and gas while on the rear brake, keep those rpms at a level suitable to get rolling and ease off the rear brake. Viola, you're off, no roll back and no awkward quick movements with the throttle and clutch to get moving. Soon you'll find yourself being smoother and quicker with everything.
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 06:14
|
|
|
Dude nearly ran a red going 30 over the speed limit downhill through a blind corner as I was turning out of a gas station parking lot. Had he not stopped after seeing that I glow like day-after acid I'd probably be dead. Had I not kept riding after giving him the longest finger I've ever given anyone he'd probably be dead. My rider errors were I was craving salsa and the prize took away from the fact that midnight doesn't excuse terrible speeding drivers that would have likely killed me had I been in a car. Also I hate Cadillacs and am still jittery. The salsa was great by the way. That's my story. Peace
|
|
#
?
Oct 17, 2012 08:32
|
|
|
Had the GoPro going when a guy decides to come into my lane. It seems pretty obvious in the video he's going to do it but at the time it all happened very quickly and ... well, you can see my reaction. I could have done a few things better in the video so it's a learning experience. To start, I grabbed a handful of brake, I didn't own my lane etc. On the bright side I wasn't riding like a complete dong and I kept the shiny side up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYmljZOotg8
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 05:34
|
|
|
Stugazi posted:Had the GoPro going when a guy decides to come into my lane. It seems pretty obvious in the video he's going to do it but at the time it all happened very quickly and ... well, you can see my reaction. Nah you did a good job. If you hadn't been off to the left he def would have hit you. Part of lane position is keeping yourself in a spot where you can react quickly when someone makes a move like that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 05:50
|
|
|
I thought my reply went through but I guess it didn't.  That's typical California commuting right there. Your lane position was good because you run less of a chance of the guy in front of you turning right due to the potential of him seeing you versus somebody merging from the left, totally out of mirror visibility.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 07:25
|
|
|
Motorcycles can never really own a lane because they always lose in an accident. At best it's posturing, at worst, a death wish. Use lane position to maximize space cushion rather than worrying about "owning" the lane.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 07:32
|
|
|
I feel kinda lucky. You can hear me get on the throttle just as he comes into my lane. If I had been a few seconds earlier I would have either been past him or in an unrecoverable position. Slower 250 acceleration FTW! Being my own worst critic, I lazy drifted into that lane too close to slowing traffic. Had I jumped directly into lane splitting I prob would have been OK but I only lane split at very low speeds. Speaking of.... On the way back on the same road in almost the same area my mirror got clipped while lane splitting. I had to slow down due to someone straddling lanes. Cars on my side accelerated as I was decelerating and I got a very small love tap from a Civic's mirror. That's poor judgement on my part to be in that position. The GoPro was on my helmet but not recording. The contact was on the same side as the camera. I could see the driver poo poo his pants as he saw my camera but he wasn't sure exactly what happend. His face was priceless. We just looked at each other and kept driving. The contact was almost nothing. Didn't even leave a mark. I headed for less crowded roads after that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 16:32
|
|
|
Just to build on what Z3n is trying to hit on: The more I ride the more I learn the value of positioning myself evasively. Space cushions aren't directly for your comfort, they exist so you have room to pull off emergency maneuvers if something should happen. Furthermore, lane positioning is not static. There should never be a single moment in time, no matter how minute, where you are "settling" into place. You should constantly be moving through one point to the next - and even those points are just points to your next point. You should be moving fluidly through traffice, reacting constantly to the ever changing ebb and flow. Even further, you should always have at least one exit strategy for every decision you make. In your GoPro video you commit to moving into the lane to the right of you. You got into trouble because 1) You realized there was a high probability of that white car merging into the same lane at that moment yet you merged anyway and 2) (the more important one) because you did not have an exit strategy other than lane dominance, which is never a strategy for a motorcyclist. (Well, not one which keeps us alive for long) Possible exit strategies: ducking back into your original lane, tapping the brakes to duck behind that white car (which you did after hesitation), accelerating quickly to get in front of that car, lane splitting, just to name a few. I'm not trying to lecture you; just point out what has been helpful for me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 20:39
|
|
|
OT but Wulframn, you still interested in that GSX-R front end? Drop me a line,  .
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 20:59
|
|
|
Z3n posted:OT but Wulframn, you still interested in that GSX-R front end? Drop me a line, That wasn't me, buddy, that was Invision. Check the "A Goddamn thread about a Goddamn motorcycle" thread.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 21:34
|
|
|
I almost wrecked today, on a leisurely ride enjoying the cool autumn air and beautiful colours. I was taking a scenic and curvy road that tracks along several lakes and is a fun ride in any season. I was probably going about 55 kph in a 50 and came around a blind corner to a car stopped in my lane to turn left after traffic, definitely less than 15 meters in front of me. I hit the brakes, locked up the rear tire and pretty much instantly realised I wouldn't stop in time. I eased off the brakes and hit the shoulder, went around the car and back on the pavement smoothly and without even a wobble. First time I'd had to react that quickly and it went surprisingly well.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 22:12
|
|
|
Wulframn posted:That wasn't me, buddy, that was Invision. Check the "A Goddamn thread about a Goddamn motorcycle" thread. Edit: Whoops, I was thinking of Xaarman. My bad. Z3n fucked around with this message at 00:12 on Oct 22, 2012 |
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 23:23
|
|
|
I guess I almost crashed on my ride home from work Friday. Took the long way home, cruising along a 2 lane road in a swampy area. SUV in front of me hits the brakes and swerves a little. The SUV's left rear tire barely hits a large turtle and it shoots to the right side of the lane a bit. I swerve and miss the football sized turtle with my front, but catch a little shell with my rear. I look in my mirror and see a turtle comically spinning and flailing across the road into the ditch. If I would have hit that thing with my front I think I really don't know what would have happened. The most dangerous situations I've come across so far in my riding is poo poo magically appearing out from under the car in front of you. I need to be a bit better about leaving some more room in front of me.
|
|
#
?
Oct 21, 2012 23:44
|
|
|
I almost wrecked a dog today. Fucker wasn't on a tight leash. That little thing bolted SO FAST when I was about 2 5 feet from them that all I had time to do was clutch back in. Was in the middle of rolling back on after a gear change. So my fingers were already on the clutch. But not on the brake. Thankfully the leash was only long enough that he made it 1/3 way into my lane. I guess that's another reason why you shouldn't be shifting in an intersection.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2012 01:21
|
|
|
Welp, I dunno if my luck is running out or was particularly good tonight but I had 4 near-misses in a 15-minute/3-mile period, of which 3 were pretty much entirely my fault. First up, t-junction, I'm turning right, there's a van parked *right* at the edge of the junction blocking my view left (UK, so driving on the left), and as I was fulminating about the idiotic place to park blocking my view I realised I hadn't actually slowed down enough to safely see round it - just as another van comes along from the left. Emergency-stopped safely from about 10 mph, with maybe six inches to spare. Next, turning left at another junction, stationary traffic with a gap between cars directly in front so I decide to shoot through that to filter up the centre of the road - and a cyclist filtering down the left (coming from my right) *just* manages to stop in time to avoid t-boning me. He gave me an earful which I richly deserved (and at the next lights I profusely apologised to him when he caught up). Then, doing 20-25 in the left hand of two lanes of traffic gradually slowing, go to pull out to go around the taxi and start filtering - spent so long looking in my mirror and then doing a lifesaver that by the time i looked forward again I was about six feet from the taxi's back bumper and going about 15mph quicker than him. loving massive kudos to my PR3s and EBC HH pads - that's the first time I've ever really panic-braked on them (and it was flat-out panic-braking, no skill on my part at all), in cold and damp conditions, and I just loving stopped. No fuss, no muss, admittedly with severely crushed testicles. Finally, turning right at another t-junction - two lanes in each direction, controlled by traffic lights. This is a slightly dodgy one as traffic from the left has a tendency to jump the lights, and also to pull u-turns. Sure enough, as my lights turn green, a Merc pulls a u-turn from my left (and gets a blast on the horn from me and the two cars at the front of the lane. As I was lifesavering as I pulled out - a loving Audi is half-way through a U-turn six feet in front of me. Luckily I was only going about 5mph so had time to hit high-beam, horn, brakes and clutch all in one go - the driver looked suitably terrified and quickly reversed back to the junction. None of these are exactly atypical things to happen to me riding through London, but the fact that all happened so quickly after each other and that almost all of them left me with nobody to blame but myself has really kinda shaken me up and made me wonder if I've always been this bad and never noticed, or if I'm losing my touch. Anyway just thought I'd confess somewhere were I know it won't get back to my mum so I end up getting another of those lecturing phone calls...
|
|
#
?
Nov 1, 2012 22:21
|
|
|
Sounds like you just had a lovely night twisto. I nearly got myself taken out this evening in my bloody work car park because I'd got so used to no traffic ever coming from the left at a T junction that I didn't check properly. I think when you ride the same uneventful bit of road everyday it's all to easy to lull yourself into a false sense of security. I know I'll certainly be coming to a proper stop and checking that corner properly in the future
|
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2012 00:22
|
|
|
I had 2 near calls recently after 6 months of smooth sailing here in the Bay Area...I don't know if it was me being off my game and not thinking far enough ahead or what. First one, I was in moderate traffic, and someone merged directly into me. No signal, traffic in my lane wasn't moving any faster, but she was chatting away on her cell and totally missed me, my loud rear end exhaust that's currently on my E, and the horn. Braked enough to get behind her, split past her, and tapped on her driver's side mirror as I went by followed by the palm up shrug motion. Then .5 miles later, same thing except someone squeezes me while splitting, not paying attention. Another mirror tap and shrug. Of course, the end of the ride was like 2 miles of people moving over so much I only had my left hand on the bar for half the time because I was waving little thank yous to each person. 
|
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2012 00:47
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 16, 2024 14:58 |
|
|
Sounds like a bad luck night twisto, don't let it get to you, bit more attention next time and it'll be back to the usual 1 or 2 people trying to kill you instead of 4-5. @Z3n - Bay Area is Cali yeah? That's the state in the US where you're allowed to filter? Do you get a lot of people moving over or is it just a good luck thing?
|
|
#
?
Nov 2, 2012 01:14
|
|
