STREET SMART

[Spectrum]

Hi Chris... Pic from UK motor Mag...

Go watch Starwars III.... Nice!

No Dr Who though...

 

An Experience Rider would always look for

Tell tale Signs

that can prevent a Crash...

[comics00]

did something really bad yesterday...

 

was driving back 'cos 1st time in that place not share of the route so decided to check the map while vech still moving since it's kind of ulu & dont c any car around. pick up the map with 1 hand no the steering wheel & 1 hand trying to fold the map. then place the map on the steering wheel alternating my sight between the map & the road, at this point i've completely forgot abt checking the rear & also vech was going like zic-zac on the lane. then suddenly a truck speed up to my left & the driver gave me a WTF sign & follow by his middle finger i knew wat happened then immediately apologise

 

lessons learn:

1) never presume that the road is clear

2) always check the mirrors

3) concentrate on the road, if need to stop the vech thencarry on with wat ever u wan to do

4) plan ur route b4 driving/riding

[endlessloop]

Emergency Braking--A Revisit

 

1. Introduction

 

Of all the riding skills taught at the Sg riding schools, the E-Brake is one of the most useful live-saving and often-used skill.

 

Since we have already learnt E-Braking in riding schools, what else is there to learn? Shouldn't we all be perfect in E-Braking by the time we have gotten our riding license?

 

In reality, many of us still make mistakes when the time come for us to use our E-Braking skill. To improve, first let us look at the common problems experienced by licensed riders.

 

2. Common Problems

 

Common problems encountered when E-braking during an emergency on the road:

2.1. Rear wheel skid

2.2. Front wheel skid

 

Why is it that riders who have already learnt about E-Braking, successfully passed their TP test, rode several years on the road, still encounter such problems?

What can we do to avoid experiencing such problems the next time we have to do a E-Brake?

 

3. Recommended E-Brake Technique

 

I would only highlight the key points and not the full basics of E-Brake as I assumed the reader have learnt the rest in sg riding school.

 

http://www.picturesky.com/albums/userpics/11669/normal_01175426.JPG

 

3.1. Build Up Pressure on the Front Brake Gradually

 

When activitating the front brakes:

 

Do Not: Apply maximum force on the front brake instantly.

Doing so will cause the front wheel to lock.

It is easier said then done because during the split seconds in an emergency, we do not have the time to think, we can panic, our adrenaline makes us stronger etc. Without us realising it, we use all of our strength to squeeze the front brakes in the bid to come to a stop as fast as possible.

 

Do: Apply some initial force on the front brake, let the front fork dive, continue to build up pressure on the front brakes until the bike comes to a stop.

In this case, we do not apply our maximum strength up front.

The front forks need to dive first then our front brakes start to build up its effectiveness.

After the front fork has dived, we can start to apply more and more pressure to the front brake.

 

Notice that our bike does not decelerate linearly. Our bike decelerates exponentially.

 

If you gradually load up on the front brake during the braking sequence, you will avoid the common problem of front wheel lock and can still stop in a very short distance.

 

3.2. Other Do Nots

 

- Do not disengage the clutch/depress the clutch level as doing so would speed up the bike

- Do not drop gears during the e-brake manoevre

Yes, dropping gears can increase the engine brake effect. However, if the engine brake is too strong, it could easily cause the rear wheel to break traction and skid.

The blip-and-drop-gear manoevre is too complicated for use during an emergency.

My advice is to concentrate on your front braking and avoid dropping gears.

 

3.3. Avoid Over Relying on the Rear Brake

 

We are taught in our riding school to apply 70% force on the front brakes and a lesser, 30% force, on the rear brake. The purpose of applying less force on the rear brake is to avoid causing the rear wheel to skid.

 

However, it is hard not to panic when we are really performing an e-brake in a real life emergency. Personally, I find it really hard to guage that I am limiting myself to 30% force on the rear foot brake during an emergency. Probably many riders find it hard too. So when we stepped too hard on the rear foot brake, the rear wheel skids.

 

And it is very easy for the rear wheel to skid. Why?

 

I. When we brake very hard, if you noticed, most of the weight of the bike gets transferred to the front of the bike. Since it is the front wheel that is doing most of the work of slowing down the bike, this is where we should concentrate most of our braking effort at.

In the extreme case, the front wheel will bear 100% of the weight of the bike and rider when we e-brake, with the rear wheel bearing none.

When the rear wheel is bearing so little weight of the bike, all it takes is a little brake to the rear wheel to cause the rear wheel to loose traction. This might then result in a rear wheel brake.

 

ii. Our legs are very much stronger than our fingers.

We can easily apply much more force through our legs (rear brake) than our fingers (front brake).

 

My advice is this:

 

Modern bikes are equipped with very powerful front brakes. They are so powerful that we can easily do stoppie on our bikes and some of us need to use only 2 fingers instead of the usual four to do our front braking.

 

For riders of sportsbike (all classes) and modern streetbikes(Super4s, XJR, class2 Hornets, Fazers), my suggestion is to rely only on the front brakes and avoid the rear brakes altogether.

 

Yes, one can achieve a shorter distance if we use both front and rear brakes, compared if we only use the front brake. However, in my opinion, for the above bikes the front brakes are powerful enough and the bike weight distribution are such that, if we use also the rear foot brake, the risk of a rear wheel skid is greater than the risk that we are unable to stop in time.

 

It is common to find track riders, where they have to brake within a very short distance from speeds as high as 200kmh, to use only the front brakes on the track.

 

For heavier longer-wheel based bikes such as cruisers, tourers, these bikes are less susceptible to loosing the load on the rear wheel and they might really need the extra braking force due to their heavy inertia. In my opinion, riders of such bikes would still need to use their rear foot brake, but no more than 30% as recommended by the sg riding school. The answer for riders of such bikes to avoid rear wheel skid is to practise.

 

 

4. Practise, Practise, Practise

 

No matter what bike you ride, what class of bike license you have, what braking technique you use, how many years of riding experience you have, you need to practise your e-braking.

 

Why? Because:

I. E-Braking is a skill.

For all skills, if you only have the knowledge of "I know how to do it", and you do not practise, you will not be able to do it when you need to. One cannot read about playing badminton and be able to win a badminton game with a few practise sessions.

As with all skills, the more you practise, the better you will be at it. You will be able to achieve a shorter braking distance. You will be able to avoid rear or front wheel skids. And even if when we are already good at it, if we don't have regular practice, we will loose touch with the skill.

 

II. E-Brake until it becomes a drill.

The differenc for e-brake is that when we really need to use it, we often have no time to think on how to react. We need to practise until we can activate e-brake as a reflex action without causing any skids and to stop within a very short distance.

 

III. There are so many different situations to prepare for.

- When we changed to another bike, the new bike brakes differently from the previous one. And when we change to a new tyre, the bike will brake differently too. Have you practise e-braking on your new bike/setup yet?

- When we e-brake at different speed, the bike needs different distance to stop. Do you know how much distance is needed for your bike to stop?

 

This is a sample e-brake example:

 

Speed (kmh)---Stopping Distance Needed---Time Needed to Stop (S)

---------------------(Length of lamp post)

50------------------------0.2------------------------------1

80------------------------0.5------------------------------2

100------------------------1-------------------------------4

 

Noticed that a mere increase in 20kmh almost double your stopping distance needed?

 

- You do ride at 80-100kmh don't you? Have you ever practise e-braking from that speed before?

- If you carry pillion, you may need to e-brake with a pillion. And to e-brake with a pillion is very different from e-braking without one. Have you practise this too?

- Everybody has practised e-braking in the dry. What about if it is raining? Would there be a chance you might need to e-brake when it is raining?

 

How to Practise?

Easy. Practise with all the likely scenarios that you usually ride with.

Example: Practise e-brake at 50, 80 and 100kmh. Practise e-brake alone and with a pillion (good luck to your pillion), etc.

 

Where to Practise?

My suggestion:

- Find a deserted place. Make sure the surface condition is not sandy or bumpy.

- E-brake at traffic light, but ensure that there is very low traffic and that there must be NO vehicles behind you and in front of you.

- Go to a track.

 

E-Braking can be Fun!

 

- Most bikes can decelerate even better than they can accelerate.

You don't have to spend thousands to experience the savage acceleration of the latest 1000cc sportsbike. You can just practise e-braking and enjoy the equally savage deceleration on your current bike.I get more kick from hard braking than hard acceleration.

 

- Free gym exercise

Do you know that when you brace yourself with your arms during an e-brake is equivalent to doing a benchpress in a gym?

 

- Skilled Riders can Out Brake Others

In profesional bike racing, the most common overtaking move is not by out-accelerating another bike. Guess what? It is by out-braking.

Skilled riders can brake later, within a shorter distance. So they over take just as they are braking to enter into a corner.

 

5. There is No Substitution for Need for Reaction Time

 

No matter how short a distance you can stop your bike, we still need time for us to react. We usually take about 1 second, if not more, when a hazard appears before our mind can react.

 

So keep your safety distance from the vehicle in front. Observe the 2-second safety distance rule.

 

Do not think that because you ride a bike with a very powerful braking system that you should shorter your safety distance from the car in front. The 2-second rule is mainly to buy you reaction time.

 

6. Your Tyre Condition

 

The only contact between you and the ground is the few centimetre square area of rubber offered by your front and rear tyres. This contact area offered by the tyres are called "Traction Circle". Tyres are so important to bikes that they merit a separate discussion.

 

To translate your e-braking skill and your bikes' braking system into the stopping effect, they all have to go through the tyres. You do not need the stickiest tyres in the market. But if your tyres are worn out, you will not be able to break in-time and/or might still skid.

 

Before you practise your e-brake, ensure that you have tyres that are in good condition.

 

Good luck and have fun!

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/ShadowWatching.jpg

 

STREET SMART

TIP OF THE DAY #32

Watch That Shadow & Watch That Gap!

 

Always be On the Alert! Slow Down... Be ready to E Brake

Especially if the vehicle is a Big Vehicle & your visibility is limited!

People or Vehicles may just come out from this GAP!

[Spectrum]

Just 2 weeks ago...

 

Jam along Tg Katong Rd in direction of City Plaza.

A gap in the Traffic as with pic above...

Vehicle left gap

for car to turn(right) out from Side Rd on the Left...

 

Unfortunately...

A bike riding on the right side of the Jam Vehicles could not see car turning out...

Crash into Car!

 

Minor Injury... as speed was slow.

 

So Remember!

 

Gap In Jam... Watch That GAP!

[comics00]

bro endlessloop that was a good one

[endlessloop]

Thanks comics00 !

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/SunintheEyes02.jpg

 

Sometimes... U may just not be too obvious!

 

Can u Spot the Biker?

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/SunintheEyes01.jpg

Sun from the Back...

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/SunintheEyes03.jpg

 

STREET SMART

TIP OF THE DAY #33

 

If the Driver don't see u... He may just drive into your Path.

[Ravon11]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 2 2005, 11:22 PM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/ShadowWatching.jpg

 

STREET SMART

TIP OF THE DAY #32

Watch That Shadow & Watch That Gap!

 

Always be On the Alert! Slow Down... Be ready to E Brake

Especially if the vehicle is a Big Vehicle & your visibility is limited!

People or Vehicles may just come out from this GAP!

Face tis befor.. its a normal mornin jam. I was squeezin in bwt lanes n cars..

Lucky i was slow.. Suddenly while was travelling beside tis truck, 1 uncle riding a smal bike jus zoom out (the red spot) w/o loking.. i jam brake, rear wheel lock, bike was slow so didint fall.. uncle jus gav me i 'oh,didnt c u look' n move off.

if i didnt c or reaction not fast to jam brake.. we both might hav injurd..

 

So i learn to go slow in this situation so can stop in emergency. Or if squeezin, look for bikes or pedestrians befor comin out..

[ketten hunde]

imformative!

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/Sandontheroad01.jpg

 

When Touring On Malaysian Trunk Roads...

...Sand is the

Fastest Thing to Cause U to Skid when Cornering!

 

So Avoid!

or In a Slower Speed... there may still be chance of recovery

or if it is too late... just Widen Your Curve...

Applying Brakes is not a good idea...

Throwing down gears (eng Braking) would be a better option

 

Sand Normally flows down from the Higher Grd

During Heavy Rain...

[digimon25]

well done. i learnt a lot. hope more riders red this superb thread.

[calvin]

very good info for all bikers

 

u may be riding for years but never notice all these....

 

these skills may save ur lifes or the lifes of others one day....

 

pick up good riding habits and u will enjoy riding even more.

[eyke]

For less distractions, ride an auto.

 

1. No more clutch control/gear change to manage

 

2. Rear brakes operated by hand lever for finer control

[Spectrum]

Thks For Your Kind Comments...

Do encourage your buddies to tune in...

 

Perhaps also feel free to do Contribuite your

Experience & observations on the road...

...will be most appreciated.

 

We are always Learning from one another...

For a safe & enjoyable ride.... ALWAYS!

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by eyke@Jun 8 2005, 07:35 PM

For less distractions, ride an auto.

 

1. No more clutch control/gear change to manage

 

2. Rear brakes operated by hand lever for finer control

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/TakeaBreak.jpg

 

Street Smart

Tip of the Day #34

 

"When the Going Get Tough...

...the Smart Take-a-Break

 

Rather be caught up in an aweful sea of traffic...

Leave for your Work earlier & home slightly later.

 

Be Earlier & have a prata near your work place...

Or head for a Teh-Tarik shop after work.

 

As little as Half an Hour makes a

BIG Difference in the

Amount of Traffic on the Road!

 

Try it! And u may arrive at your destination in a Better Condition!

 

Less Traffic = Less risk

 

Beside... your Boss will be happy to see u 1st to arrive & last to leave...

Ahem... if u're the boss... no comments."

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/3.jpg

[Wayang]

spec..

 

wat shld i do if i feel super sleepy.. eyes damn heavy.. fallin asleep any moment.. but fightin hard to stay awake.. somemore travellin in a grp of bikers.. dun wanna trouble them.. wat shld i do ?

 

anyway.. u shld noe y i ask u this right.. lolz..

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/icecream.jpg

 

Yep! Fatigue is one of the Main cause of Riders crashing out...

especially on the N-S Highway

Ahem... as I recall... someone fell asleep & rode up the center grass divider.

 

Most fortunate... It was just a Wake Up Call!

 

---------------------------------------------------------

 

The Last Leg of my Songkran Thailand trip...

 

...5 Days of Riding all the way up to Phuket.

Last 2 days. Phuket-Hatyai on day 4.

Hatyai - Spore day 5...

 

Last leg Hatyai-Spore was just too long without a day break in between.

Eg Ipoh or Genting nite stop will definately be wiser.

 

As a result... the 5 riders in my gp we just really tired.

(rest of the riders had a day off in hty)

Did suggest nite stop... but gp felt ok to go on.

 

Did try by having different riders taking the lead.

Did help for part of the ride. (Ipoh leg)

 

But 1hr after KL... it was all downhill.

 

Just signal to the rest... that I'm taking a Break

& pull into a rest area.

 

Wash face or just close eyes for a while.

Must had took 3 breaks from Ayer Keroh to 2nd Link.

 

2 of the Bikes did stop to wait for me at Machap.

Was nice since I was last bike & they realize I was not behind.

 

Fortunately, 2 Black birds came to

welcome us back at the beginning of 2nd link.

Certainly a Great help! Thks R1szuan...

 

So... TAKE A BREAK!

(long ride... do a nite stop!)

 

Close one huh... Wayang...

Next time... let leader or last bike know

u are tired & need a Break

Good posibility u are not the only one tired.

We should all stop for an Ice Cream!

[comics00]

agree with Spectrum dont force urself. when i eyes close uncontrolly i not pei sia to take the lead n head direct into rest point. remember we "Live to Ride"

[Spectrum]

Ya... just let leader/last bike passes U, just wave him on,

indicate u are resting... (be sure u know where is the next gp stop pt)

Did the same on way up Hty-Phuket...

Very Hot Day...

Stop for a drink, wipe face with wet towel & catch up later...

 

Or as Comic said... over take leader...

Show Sleepy Signal(Eg. Head on Hand...pillow lah)

Pull into next rest area. :sleep:

[-HANZ-]

Just to share some unhappy experiences of mine...

Pretty sure many riders will have experienced these.

 

I'm riding a wave now and found that I'm given a different treatment by vehicles unlike the past. Or is this the way of life on the left lane? Or is it they looked down on small bikes? Accident-just-pay-cheap-cheap-only attitude?

 

There were times when I ride at the centre of the left lane. Neither speeding nor road hogging. Just keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front. And cars, vans, lorries, taxis filtering into main road just cut into my lane even I'm having the right of way!! I need to E-brake or cut into other lane to avoid these cocksters. Worst, they still can give you a cocky face when they're in the wrong!! They expect me to slow down? change lane to let them in?

 

There were also occassions when I was bullied again by 4-wheelers. I was on the left lane. These drivers came from behind and eat into my lane. I wouldn't mind if they do the proper lane changing taught in driving lessons. These drivers like to drive up real close next to bikers, trying to force the bikers to give way! I'm not in their blind spots. They came from behind so should have noticed me. There was once when I got real fed up and confronted a taxi uncle. He claimed he did not see me but keep apologising. What's wrong with these people?

[endlessloop]

Originally posted by -=HANZ=-@Jun 10 2005, 10:19 AM

Just to share some unhappy experiences of mine...

Pretty sure many riders will have experienced these.

 

Some of my thoughts on these commercial vehicle drivers:

- Next time you may want to observe, most of them have a tendency to drive very close to the vehicles in front whether they are on the extreme left or middle lanes. This is regardless of the type of vehicle in front of them.

 

- Their safety distance to us may be made worse because we are on a bike. Why? Because they can see right "through" us of the traffic in front. So they need not keep such a longer safety distance to react. If the vechicle in front of them is a car or a big vehicle, the driver can't see "through" and has to keep a bigger safety distance to ract. This happens across all lanes and not just the extreme left. The drivers are not out to "eat you" or "cheap you". It may be a "wrong" thing for them to do. They just unconsciously did it and is not personal against you.

 

- You are an experienced rider. You know that in the end, size matters. Smaller sized vehicles tend to give way to bigger sized vehicles, regardless of right of way. Even cars have to give way to bigger sized vehicles like big lorry, trailer, cement trucks, buses.

As a result many years of driving and people giving way to them, many of these drivers of big vehicles develop the mentality that when overtaking/filtering lanes, they unconsciously assumed that you will give way to them. They may not be out to purposely cut into your lane. They may not know that you are not giving way to them.

They may also filter out of sheer desperation and asking you to please give way to them because they are big and cumbersome, very hard to filter and see the traffic around them, and very slow.

On the contrary, if you notice carefully, many big vehicle drivers are the most courteous drivers on the road. These big vehicle drivers are "gentle giants". They know they can't drive fast and aren't in a big hurry to get anywhere. So they are the ones that will give way if you need to filter into their lane. More so than the smaller commercial vehicel drivers.

 

Some of my thoughts about bikers:

- Don't be so sticky about our "right of way". It is a nice-to-have. But be realistic. If we are going to ride thinking that everybody has to follow and respect our right of way, we are going to be very unhappy riding or get ourselves injured.

 

- Beware of our own inferiority complex. Some times we think we get bullied because we are on a smaller bike or smaller car. Then we get upset. There is no need to. Most of the time, the problem lies with the other party and not us. The "guilty party" just tailgates every vehicle, not just us because we are on a cheaper transport.

Have you experienced this before? Seeing in your rear view mirror, a big car that tailgates you like a glue. Then you think "idiot! tailgate me because I'm on a bike right". In exasperation, you give way and let the idiotic car over take. Then you realised that idiotic car just tailgates the next car in front! So the problem is the driver, not you! So no need to develop unhappiness over your good-old-cheap-but-gets-you-anywhere transport just because of some idiot!

 

I believe that riding is like in life, you should try to be as happy as possible. Spend less time being unhappy. It is especially not worthwhile to make ourselves unhappy over people that we don't like or are strangers.