STREET SMART

[yazidoff]

85. A Twist of the Wrist: The Motorcycle Roadracers Handbook
Code, Keith
Trade Paperback ~ April, 1997 ~ In Print
List Price: $19.95

Think I saw it going for $49.++ at borders.. Is very good though.

Interestingly... The DVD for "Twist of the Wrist" is given free with the Latest Copy o "Fast Bike" UK Magazine. Aug 2005

Heyy thanks for the tip!!

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by yazidoff@Aug 18 2005, 11:20 AM

Think I saw it going for $49.++ at borders.. Is very good though.



Heyy thanks for the tip!!

Sorry about the Price... Think it is in US$.
Brought my bk "Total Control" for about $43 Spore.

Anyway... Can always Review the Bks with a nice cup of Coffee...

Click to Reveiw Bks Available @ Borders Spore

[Wayang]

spec.. juz wonderin.. whr u found all the pics of the bikers on hornets ?

[Ravon11]

Originally posted by Wayang@Aug 18 2005, 04:03 PM
spec.. juz wonderin.. whr u found all the pics of the bikers on hornets ?

ask a fren to take pics of u when u ride la..!!

[Wayang]

Originally posted by Ravon11@Aug 18 2005, 10:26 PM
ask a fren to take pics of u when u ride la..!!

[Spectrum]

Pics are from websites... hope u like them.
Plenty of Nice Hornets in the Web...

[Spectrum]

Bikes tyres are made different for Cars.
As more is required... More rubber meets the ground.

Perhaps that's why they cost twice the price...

[Spectrum]

[Wayang]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Aug 19 2005, 05:30 PM

quiz ah ? hahaha.. there r some gravel on the road in the middle of the junction la..

other then tat.. 1 yellow taxi, a light blue toyota wish, a black mitsubishi lancer, a volvo, SBS no. 14 and one sexy catwalk uncle posing across under a 'dun walk' sign..

[Wayang]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Aug 19 2005, 04:21 PM
Pics are from websites... hope u like them.
Plenty of Nice Hornets in the Web...

wat i meant is did u get them from one particular site or did a random search ?

[zod]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Aug 19 2005, 05:30 PM

I notice someone standing behind the photo.









He's Alan.

[Spectrum]

Hi Zod... Take a gd look @ the Pic...
Check the one Below...

Same location... But slightly closer...

[Mark Ng]

gravel on road + cars doing wide turning? (not keeping in 'lane' while turning?) that might be very dangerous for bikers?

[Spectrum]

Right on Mark...

Run Wide on a Turn...
U Go over Stoney Island!
The Sweeper nomally comes late morn.
So All kind of Debris is left on the Island.
(Screws, nut & bolts... pick one up
& u have a puncture comin&#39

Beware! Sure way to spoil your day is to ride over the Island

[endlessloop]

I went over a small gathering of gravel and stones before in the middle of a right turn.

I already knew of avoiding such gravel all along. In this case, there was a big lorry to my right that was turning together with me and it shielded my forward right view. By the time I saw the gravel, it was kind of late and I just braced myself.

The effect is that it causes your tires to loose grip from the tarmac. Kind of like riding over a bed of ball bearings.

You can feel your heart suddenly "drop" as your tire loose grip with your bike leaned over.

Thankfully, it was a small patch and my tire soon found grip again, so my heart did not have to "drop" too low before it recovered.

[zod]

Does this mean this stoney island usually occurs at the middle of the junction?
So it will be safer to keep right when doing a right turn?

[mike1024]

from what little experience i have on the road (still P plate) , these things tend to happen at the part of the road which does not have the benefit of the car's tyres to sweep the road.

vehicular tyres tend to sweep debris off their tracks, so the tend to leave behind a clear path, similar to when they sweep water off in the rain.

i prefer to follow the track of vehicular tyres, which therefore tend to be clean.

[Spectrum]

Stoney Island is normally where @ places on the rd where vehicles/bikes normally don't drive or ride over.
Creating a bunch of debris. Generally in turns.
Just be alert whenever coming to a junction.
Keeping to the normal path would generally gd enough.



In the above pic... debris are throw to the right side of filter lane...
So if u squeeze to the right of this vehicle...
Good chance of hitting "stoney island"

In a rush, cornering at higher than normal spd...
Skid & drop on the Main Rd...
At the mercy of the on coming vehicles from the Right.

Check the both sides of filter lanes down Shears Bridge...
Plently of debris there...

[Spectrum]

[Spectrum]

When We Rush...
Our Mind is fix on One & Only One Thing...
Reaching There in the Shortest Time Possible!
Late for work... how to explain to the supervisor.
Late for date... Will she be angry.
Late for Meeting... what will your boss say...

So...
All our Safety Margins goes below Sea-Level.

We Take corners to fast... & over run our lane.
Squeeze when the gap is too narrow.
Try to beat the Red Lites when lite turns amber.
Don't know how many times had to
E-Brake just to avoid crashing into the
Front Vehicle.

Just Remember...If we crash...
That would definately be a acceptable reason for
...the people waiting for U at the other end.
Nope, We don't want that!

So...
By all means...
Ride with Haste!
But
Don't Rush!
It is Not Worth It!

[Spectrum]

STREET SMART TIP OF THE DAY #58

Regulating Your Speed

Often we read of accidents involving Singaporeans
On Driving Holidays in
Australia, New Zealand & Malaysia.
Unfamiliar Roads, Beautiful scenery...

One invaluable advise I recieved from An Uncle that
Lives in Christchurch is...

"To drive close to the Speed Dictate on the road Signs."
IF the Signs says 40 kmh...
Driving close to that limit will bring u safely thru that bend.

As we tour the Malaysia Trunk Rds.
Staying close to the Spd on the Sign Boards
is one sure way on not over running the bends.

Refuse to slow down...
And risk of a over run...
To the other side of the road.
If there is no vehicles on the other side...
Count it as your lucky day.

With a higher spd...
the over run will carry u into the drain on the other side.
May even Hit a Tree or A Road Barrier...

That it would definately spoil your day.

[Wayang]

spec..

i think we shld include a section on pillioning.. watdaya think ?

[burningacid]

actually, how about writing something from a driver's perspective?

to us, squeezing tru the lanes, in btw the cars are normal, but sometimes when im a driver myself, i dun really think that's a good idea for riders to do that because at anytime, just a shift of my buttock, i can easily make the car go abit left or right, which in some cases when a rider happen to ride past me, then that's it liao loh..

maybe someone can write someting from a driver's view/experience, so that riders can understand hw drivers feel also? I tink this is useful because it helps riders to understand and anticipate drivers' reactions.. those riding and driving will noe wat im toking abt.. sometimes riders do somethings because they think its ok and normal for a rider, but in actual fact is dangerous?

haha, my english no good, duno u guys understand wat im toking abt bo...

[Ravon11]

ya.. u r rite..
i only noe abt tis when once i overtook a car (which my fren drivin) while gng to work. to me, its fine overtakin, but to him he says its dangerous.. did gav him a shock!!

so tink its good to giv some drivers persective..

[endlessloop]

I second that it would be indeed useful for bikers to understand how their riding behaviour is perceived or affects drivers. This knowledge can contribute to riders' safety.

I further request that for bikers to make full use of the drivers' feedback, bikers should refrain from being defensive and start complaining about drivers here. If you do that, then you are not really listening.

[burningacid]

exactly.

actually, when im driving, i really dun like bikes to ride by my left side, because its harder to check the left blind spot. Especially during jams, its really hard to concerntrate between looking out for bikes on the left and space in times of lane change.. im pretty ok with them riding on my right though, because checking my right blind spot is faster and easier than checking the left blind spot..

of cos, this is based on my own experience, i have a fren who tinks checking the left is faster and easier than the right.. although i dun see y is it so as the left spot is further away.

[Mark Ng]

i think is because of the angle you need to turn your head to the side to see blindspot

[Spectrum]

Over taking on the Left
is always not a gd thing to do.
Riding or driving.
It offers a nasty surprise which we can all do without.

It should be done only if the traffic on the right is really slow.
Eg Vehicle Road Hog on the Fast lane. or jam up on the right lanes.
If able... Let the vehicle know u are overtaking from the Left
by Flashin or even a polite horn.
The Safety Margin will be better.
Or give yourself plenty of space.

As Filter between Traffic:
We just have to ride between lane 1,2 & 3.
Can't be right of Lane 1... too close to the road divider.
Can't be on the breakdown lane.

AS such...
We will be overtaking traffic of lane 1 or lane 2 on the left.

I do notice that filtering behind another bike adds to the safety margin
as vehicles more aware of bikes overtaking between the lanes.

As for the drivers view point...
It is fine if the bike just filter between cars.
Drivers noticing the bikes will just hold their course steady.
No one wants to be involve in an accident.

But cutting across front of car in a hazardous way is a No-No...
If there a need to cut across...
Just signal & do it in a predictable manner.

And if a Driver slow down to let u thru...
Just wave to say thks... if u can afford a hand.
Always put a smile in him & "bikers win a friend!"

[WE300B]

when driving, i don't mind if a bike wants to share my lane, but i hate it when bikes do the "pincer manuevere" - i.e. 2 bikes overtaking on both flanks at the same time - really dangerous!

[Spectrum]

Drivers View:

If the Driver do scan the rear mirrors often...
the Bikes filtering could be seen clearly
Bikes with bright head lites scores here.



The Both Side mirrors gives good rear vision of bikes overtaking...
Till it disappears thru the blind spots.

Drivers get a rude shock
with bikes zooming pass on the left @ high spd...

Well it's the same with vehicles Zooming pass bikes on their left...
when the over taking lane is well clear...

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by Wayang@Aug 24 2005, 07:55 AM
spec..

i think we shld include a section on pillioning.. watdaya think ?

Thks Wayang... Noted...

[Spectrum]

Ever wonder why Motor Cycle Racer quite often walks away after a Crash...



That's Because There Don't Hit Anything
And there's the Sand to Slow them down...
Full Skin Overall include spine protector. Boots
Full Face Helmet...

But Occasionally they do hit something or someone ride over them.
That's when serious injury occurs.

[Spectrum]

When Taking the Above Corner...
A skid & Drop while on the Right Lane...
Rider would most likely hit the Barrier.

Taking the Left Lane...
Rider would most probably remain on the road...
But a Vehicle may run the rider down...

Using the Left Lane with A clear Right Lane Would be Ideal...
Be surprise how often that can be Achieved.

[endlessloop]

Having personally "tested" skidding on a track for a distance of no less than 5 road lanes, I am quite concerned about skidding on public roads with all the additional collision hazards.

So I went through a stage of riding where my upmost concern is to to position myself so that should I skid on the road, I have the longest, clearest and safest path.

After a while, I came to a conclusion it is a futile attempt because:
1. You really need a lot of space.
You will be surprised how far a rider can skid/fly after being flung off a bike, even when the bike is travelling only at moderate road pace.
If you really need to visualise, I will take our bikes' minimum braking distance multiply by at least 2. And this kind of space is almost very hard to find in singapore traffic and roads.

2. The search for this "landing space" some times conflict with other safe riding habits.

If we give priority to "landing space" then we might actually be increasing our chance of "landing" which is not what we want.
An example: On a wide running blind bend (ie you can't see until the end of the bend), you have maximum visibility if you travel at the other most right of the bend. But this compromises your "landing space". If I maximise my "landing space", then my visibility is then severely shrinked.
It is a question of Avoidance (of conditions leading to skid) and Confrontation (what to do when one skid).

3. If you adopt sensible safe riding habits on public roads, it is very hard to skid.

Assumed that we keep a look out and avoid oil, gravel, sand, keep 2 second safety distance, and we do not ride worn out tires, I was never able to break my bike's traction on road riding.
To look at it from another perspective, in order to break our bike's traction, even on a track, we need to ride very close to the bike's limit. And such track conditions are almost very hard to find on public roads, that's why the existence of track circuits.


If you ask me now, in the ideal case, I would still want to keep my various safety habits and still be able to have maximum landing space, just in case

[Spectrum]

Well Said.. Endless

Recall not too long ago...
A Light Drizzle had just started to wet the roads...

On the ECP, driving towards city... turning out to Bedok
S4 Drops just in front of me...

As I was not too close... I was able to stop in time.
Stop on break down lane & went to assist him.

As the corner was a tight one with limited vision for vehicles using it...
Advise him to quickly get clear of area.

Gave his pillion a lift to the nearest Petrol stn
As pillion was quite shaken & the rain is now heavier.

Learning Pt...

Roads is always at it's worst with a lite rain.Heavy rain washes the road clean.
But just remember puddle of water will cause your tires to loose grip.
Hydro planning.

[HamsterZ]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Aug 27 2005, 01:02 PM
Well Said.. Endless

Recall not too long ago...
A Light Drizzle had just started to wet the roads...

On the ECP, driving towards city... turning out to Bedok
S4 Drops just in front of me...

As I was not too close... I was able to stop in time.
Stop on break down lane & went to assist him.

As the corner was a tight one with limited vision for vehicles using it...
Advise him to quickly get clear of area.

Gave his pillion a lift to the nearest Petrol stn
As pillion was quite shaken & the rain is now heavier.

Learning Pt...

Roads is always at it's worst with a lite rain.Heavy rain washes the road clean.
But just remember puddle of water will cause your tires to loose grip.
Hydro planning.

just a pointer to add..hope it is useful

Incident 1. (light rain road)
Personnal experience on light rain (just started to rain) I was accelerating from filter on to a merging main road (AYE to clemnti ave 6 just before the tunnel). My rear wheel slided!. balls drop. Intiution made me counter-steer n then close throttle..but not too much. Luckily the bike only slided sideways, then got back its grip. think the driver might have laughed coz instead of trying to go faster, my bike made a funni action.
So I have learnt to be cool on this kinda weather and dunt throttle so much (R1 on 4th gear leh.. also skid!! )

Incident 2 (puddles of water-hydroplane)
was going to work in heavy rain. I was only going at like erm 70kmh? on the expressway. Visibility was OK only. Did not notice a puddle of water. and my bike went through it. Intiution again, i lifted my legs up 9so wunt get wet ). The rear suddenly slided !!. Bike was waviy left n right while i was trying to maintain straight course.
Moral of story is be extra careful and look far, anticipate. My bike (VFR of weight 2295kg, including bike, me n full tank) awith such a mass also canont hold steady.

[ReBornBikeR]

Originally posted by HamsterZ@Aug 27 2005, 03:57 PM
Moral of story is be extra careful and look far, anticipate. My bike (VFR of weight 2295kg, including bike, me n full tank) awith such a mass also canont hold steady.

Wow, your bike so heavy huh? 2295kg?
Heavier than my car

Just pulling your leg, I know it's a typo error

[endlessloop]

To avoid hydro/aqua planing, I have learnt that:

1. "Dead" water is deadly.

"Dead" water means water puddles or pools that are not still and not running.
A shallow puddle of dead water is all that is needed to lead to hydro planing.

This is in contrast to running water. That is water that is flowing or streaming.
For example, water streaming from the concave centre of the road to the side of the road is not as deadly.

2. Volume x speed

The grooves in the tires act as chanels to flush out water sideways instead of letting your tire float over the water leading to hydroplaning.

As these grooves are literally chanels, they have bandwith or limit.
When the limit is exceeded, hydroplanning occurs even when the grooves are there.

As the tire gets more worn out, the chanels become shallower and bandwith decreases. Therefore, one needs to replace tires when the grooves are gone, even when the tire is able to provide traction in dry days.

As the rain is heavier, the amount of water to flush out increases. Therefore, when the rain is very heavy, one needs to ride slower.

As your speed increases, the amount of water to flush out also increases. Therefore, the faster one ride, one is closer towards hydroplaning.

[HamsterZ]

Originally posted by ReBornBikeR@Aug 27 2005, 04:53 PM
Wow, your bike so heavy huh? 2295kg?
Heavier than my car

Just pulling your leg, I know it's a typo error

oops paiseh.. its (215+58+22=295kg)

[Spectrum]

[Spectrum]

STREET SMART TIP OF THE DAY #61

DECREASING_RADIUS TURNS

This is a turn that tightens up as you go through it.
IF u are unaware...
there may be a nasty surprise at the end of the turn waiting for U.

Just Slow down... as u progress in the turn.

Two Turns I can think of:

1. KJE to BKE towards the City.
2. PIE to ECP towards the City.
(to make matter worst...
there are spd strips as the turn tightens up... towards PIE.
that's where we may be struggling to control our bikes)

Not a gd design but we have to live with it.

THE Other 2 Kind of Turns are:
a. Constant Radius Turns - Neither tightens or increases
b. Increasing Radius Turns - This turn widens.

Acknowlegements: Twist of the Throttle
(Thks Wayang for loan of Paper Back)

[2wheels]

my dad gave me this advise:
when light drizzle, always becareful cos this type of rain will make the sands/stones/dirt float on rd surfaces. high chances of skidding.

[endlessloop]

Hmm. Interesting advice. I will take note and observe.

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by 2wheels@Aug 30 2005, 07:36 PM
my dad gave me this advise:
when light drizzle, always becareful cos this type of rain will make the sands/stones/dirt float on rd surfaces. high chances of skidding.

Light Drizzle will just provide enough water to make a slippery pad.
Heavy rain will was the roads clean.

Remember the Infamous Old Tampines Rd
where the Sand lorry use to carry sand from
the Quarry around there...
Drip a lot of sand/mud water as they rush their sand to construction sites.

SLIME!

Come a little rain... Tampanis Rd will without fail...
have vehicles that had skidded of the rd!
& most of them has 4 wheels.
A simple tap of the brakes is all that is needed...

[2wheels]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Aug 31 2005, 01:05 AM
Light Drizzle will just provide enough water to make a slippery pad.
Heavy rain will was the roads clean.

tats wat my dad said exactly
last time my thinking was if slight drizzle, still not dangerous cos i equate amt of rain to level of danger

oh yeah, tampines rd is one stoney island.

[Spectrum]

STREET SMART TIP OF THE DAY #62

Dealing with this Emergency:

WOBBLE

Sometimes when going at fairly high spd,
the front wheel can suddenly begins to "wobble"
(shake from side to side).
This can be hair-raising experience.

The only thing to do is to ride it out...
Use the above pts to guide u to pull off the road
as soon as possible.
If u are carrying a heavy load, distribute it more evenly.
If at service stn, check tyre pressure.

Other things that can cause a wobble:

- a wheel that is bent or out of alignment
- poorly adjusted steering
- a windshield or fairing that is improperly mounted
or not design for the motocycle
- loose wheel bearings
- improper tread design
- worn steering parts

[mike1024]

is this what they also call "tankslapping"?

i often read articles where they refer to tankslap, and wonder what it could be - which part of the bike can slap the tank?

experienced before, on my phantom, gotta admit it's quite scary.

think it has something to do with the road conditions causing vibrations which excite the resonant frequencies of the bike; what i did then to stop the wobbles was (duh) to slow down.

[endlessloop]

Originally posted by mike1024@Aug 31 2005, 11:44 AM
is this what they also call "tankslapping"?

The conditions specified by Spectrum that leads to wobble of the handle bars appear to differ from that of a tankslap.

I have experienced before and I feel "tankslap" is really over-hyped.

It is a very rare event to occur and very few people are lucky enough to encounter one in their lifetime.
One of the times that it can happen is when you push your bike really really hard that weight transfers shifts out of the front, and then combined with riding on a uneven surface (sounds almost like a foolish act isn't it? ).

Should it occur, yes, the experience is hair-raising, but it's seldom fatal
It is certainly a hair-raising experience if you have not encountered it before because you will be shocked to feel the handlebars have a life of its own. You want it to stay still but it just shakes it's head and wouldn't calm down.

Usually, it just last a few moments or a few seconds and it's over. One of the trick to calm down the shake is to stop your hard acceleration to allow weight transferred back to the front. Most people will stop twisting their throttle once they get shocked by a shake, so it is self-correcting.
That is why, I said it is hair-raising but seldom deadly. I do not know of anyone who ever got thrown off because of such a shake.

One of the remedy is to install a steering damper. This is a good mod only for a few bikes who are meant to be ridden hard but perhaps engineered slightly inperfectly such as the R1-02-03. The rest of the really powerful sports bikes either are engineered that they will hardly tankslap or comes with dampers already. I feel there is seldom a need for non-sports bike to install dampers because our bikes aren't powerful enough and most of us do not ride crazy enough

I said this tankslap thing is over-hyped because I have seen a few Super4s and even RXKs ridden by family-looking men with steering dampers!
Should you encounter a tankslap, just relax and calm down. If you can, enjoy the fun as you watch the handle bar shake violently on its own, even as your hand is on it, but the bike still goes straight!

[Mr Zh4n]

Hi guys. I have been reading alot on motorcycle defensive riding techniques mainly from Street survival, and of course this wonderful thread. I was wondering if there is any riding schools in Singapore that teaches motorcycling techniques, that would help you to have more confidence in riding on the road, so that you are unafraid to push your machine to the limit if the situation needs it. I know CDC has some defensive riding course, but is that comprehensive enough? Thanks

[Spectrum]

Thks Endless... Thought I read about it in Sports Mag...
But u sure know how to explain it...

As for Riding Sch... I had attended the advance course in Bukit Batok...Not Bad ... Learn quite a fair bit...

But the others in the course were there to go thru course &
That gives them the passport to ride into their army camp...

There's also a simulator that shows u how easy it is to get into an
accident.
Also a chance to ride a simulated Moto GP...
Just remember one of the hair pin .... u need to drop to 2 gear.
otherwise u crash out...


Think now and then sport riding courses are being organize...
Expensive though...

If any reader know of one...