Riding Questions

I was on my way home from work when it started to rain so the road was pretty greasy. I was riding below the speed limit (under 30mph) when I came up to an intersection and this car facing me decides its time to make a left hand turn - making it very dificult for me to continue straight. So I grabbed the brakes hard, well I must have put too much on the rear brake because it started to fishtail like mad. After what seemed like half an hour, it got so bad that I finally lost it and got off the high side.

Did I do something wrong? I've taken a safety riding course. I just can't think of any thing else I could have done that would have got me out of that mess with less damage.

Maybe going straight was not an option, but how about to the left (behind the car), or to the right (accelerate and beat the car to the edge of the road). I know it is easy to say and hard to do, but target fixation is a very common cause of accidents on the road (and on the track for that matter).

When riding, it is important to continually scan in front of you, and also to continually modify your escape route. When a car is approaching you, you need to look on the right and determine what you may be able to do should that car cut in front of you. Is the sidewalk an option? Most importantly, if something (a car, an animal, whatever) suddenly blocks your path - DO NOT LOOK AT IT. The tendency is for people to go where they look. By looking to either side of the car, you have a better chance of avoiding the car.

When it first rains, the ground is slick because oils sit on the surface. After it has rained a while, these wash away. In your case, grabbing the brakes was probably the least effective. Hard countersteering to bring yourself to the escape route would have been better. When applying brakes in less than perfect conditions, it is extremely important to squeeze, rather than grab. This allows the front tire to "squat", providing a larger contact patch. This is almost impossible to do in an emergency, and that is even more reason to go with evasive maneuvering on slippery ground.

As for high siding, once the rear brake locks up, you are better off not releasing it. Releasing it allows the tire to regain traction abrubtly, causing the high side. With the rear locked up, you use bodyweight, and steering to maintain an upright position.

When racers high side, it is when coming out of a corner, and is caused by backing off the gas after the rear tire has broken loose.

What steps are involved with entering a corner? When do you have to stick your knee out? and why?

The steps I go through on the track are as follows:

1. Roll off the throttle as you rise from the tuck position.

2. Apply the brakes at about a 6 pressure (on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being just before lock-up) This transfers weight to the front, effectively "squashing" the front tire, thereby putting more rubber in contact with the road.

3. Firmly apply brakes at a 10 pressure.

4. As your speed decreases, do the necessary # of downshifts.

5. In between each downshift, slightly open the throttle (sometimes called "blipping" the throttle) to match the engine speed to the wheel speed. This reduces the chance of locking up the rear as you let the clutch out.

6. As you enter the corner, you should be feeding out the clutch from your last downshift, and releasing the front brake as you roll on the throttle to keep the bike settled.

I do not use my rear brake. I tried it, but couldn't do everything above, and everything else (look for apex, look for braking points, look for flags, etc.)

As for hanging off and sticking your knee out, the trick is to move smoothly on the bike. It is a fairly accepted notion that you don't want to hang off too far. You can control the bike better if your head and shoulders remain somewhat over the bike, with just your lower body off center. Try to get your butt over and your knee out BEFORE you begin braking hard. Otherwise, you will be moving around, possibly upsetting the bike, right at a time when maximum traction is needed to slow the bike.

Many riders use the "crack" method. For example, if taking a right turn, put the crack of your butt on the right edge of the seat. If you go much further, you risk losing your balance, and using too much bar input to recover.

There are several reasons for dragging your knee. For one, it moves your center of gravity down and in, which allows you to turn sharper with less lean angle. A second thing dragging your knee does is allow you to feel your lean angle. Experienced riders don't put a lot of weight on the knee. The trick is to turn hard, the knee touches, then you know you are close to the edge, and can modify your lean angle accordingly.

A final thing the knee does is help save you from a crash. Sometimes, as the front end loses traction, you can push off the ground with your knee, and sometimes save it from low-siding.

What is a low side? a high side?

A low side is when your bike slides out from under you during a corner. This is the preferred crash, because you are already close to the ground, and you have a good chance of just sliding to a stop. (Assuming there is plenty of run-off room) A low side is generally caused by OVER TAXING the front end. Your front tire loses traction, and the bike falls away from you. Low sides occur on the way into the corner.

A high side is NO GOOD! These occur on the exits of corners, when the bike is being powered out of the corner. Usually, the back tire loses traction quickly, steps out to the side, then regains traction abruptly, tossing the rider over the bike. Besides hitting the ground from 5-10 feet in the air, there is an excellent chance that the bike will be right behind you. Try not to do this. :-)

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