STREET SMART

[Spectrum]

The horn is nomally used to prevent Vehicles

cutting into my lane...

without signalling...

or at the Junction if the driver

did not notice me coming...

 

I found even with the standard horn...

u get ignored.

Mmmm... Now with a Double Air Horn($15 @ Autobac)...

they just pull back to their lane.

[sfowner]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 22 2005, 04:57 AM

The horn is nomally used to prevent Vehicles

cutting into my lane...

without signalling...

or at the Junction if the driver

did not notice me coming...

 

I found even with the standard horn...

u get ignored.

Mmmm... Now with a Double Air Horn($15 @ Autobac)...

they just pull back to their lane.

I understand air horns are not legal, but electric horns are. Plse correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, I use a pair of electric Fiamm horns.... BEST!!! Saved me on quite a few occasions...

[burningacid]

I realised that alot of bikers like to make u-turn, not in front of a car, but by the side of the car (i.e. bike goes up to front on the left of the 1st car turning/u-turning.)

 

Pls refrain from doing that becos u nv noe where the bugger behind u mite be gng and the driver mite not see u either.. so to be safe, be a good rider and stay in the lane to make a u-turn.. that saving of a mere seconds might bring u to another place instead of ur destination..

[ketten hunde]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 22 2005, 04:45 AM

The horn is nomally used to prevent Vehicles

cutting into my lane...

without signalling...

or at the Junction if the driver

did not notice me coming...

 

I found even with the standard horn...

u get ignored.

Mmmm... Now with a Double Air Horn($15 @ Autobac)...

they just pull back to their lane.

yup...an electric/air horn would definitely b much betta!

[Ravon11]

Originally posted by burningacid@Jun 22 2005, 09:52 PM

I realised that alot of bikers like to make u-turn, not in front of a car, but by the side of the car (i.e. bike goes up to front on the left of the 1st car turning/u-turning.)

 

Pls refrain from doing that becos u nv noe where the bugger behind u mite be gng and the driver mite not see u either.. so to be safe, be a good rider and stay in the lane to make a u-turn.. that saving of a mere seconds might bring u to another place instead of ur destination..

Ya.. i've noticed it alot of times too.. I tink its quite a serious probm...

I urge all riders whenever u doing a u-turn, do keep ur cool n stay in a lane n stay behind car.. cos u never know whether the car behind in hurry anot.. tinkin u cut from the left, u shld be turnin right n not doin a u-turn!!

Be safe than sorry..!!

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/StreetSmart39.jpg

 

Originally posted by sfowner@Jun 22 2005, 07:52 PM

I understand air horns are not legal, but electric horns are. Plse correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, I use a pair of electric Fiamm horns.... BEST!!! Saved me on quite a few occasions...

Are the Fiamm Horns Really Loud... $ & Where to get them...

Will check on the Legality of Air Horns...

[burningacid]

Originally posted by Ravon11@Jun 22 2005, 10:54 PM

Ya.. i've noticed it alot of times too.. I tink its quite a serious probm...

I urge all riders whenever u doing a u-turn, do keep ur cool n stay in a lane n stay behind car.. cos u never know whether the car behind in hurry anot.. tinkin u cut from the left, u shld be turnin right n not doin a u-turn!!

Be safe than sorry..!!

my fren knock down a rxk while making a u-turn! the biker (uncle i think) was oso making a u-turn, on the left of my fren's car, then my fren nv notice him, u-turn wif him, and knock him down.. lucky no serious injury, juz abrasions for the uncle..

[Wayang]

Originally posted by sfowner@Jun 22 2005, 07:52 PM

I understand air horns are not legal, but electric horns are. Plse correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, I use a pair of electric Fiamm horns.... BEST!!! Saved me on quite a few occasions...

ya.. i was readin up on LTA's guidelines.. no airhorns allowed.. n no removal of chain guard.. but other then tat.. they neber state any other illegal mod.. from wat i noe anything tat is not stock can be considered illegal.. this one lagi best.. one hit K.O.

[sfowner]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 23 2005, 09:00 AM

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/StreetSmart39.jpg

 

 

Are the Fiamm Horns Really Loud... $ & Where to get them...

Will check on the Legality of Air Horns...

Ah Koon at Lengkok Bahru. If I remember right, it's about $30 plus or so plus installation, although he mentioned the price may be going up because of the Euro. He's a real nice guy and expert at Phantoms, but if your bike is big bike, he may take a while to do all the circuitry. But definitely can try lah.

And yes, they are LOUD.

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by sfowner@Jun 23 2005, 05:29 PM

Ah Koon at Lengkok Bahru. If I remember right, it's about $30 plus or so plus installation, although he mentioned the price may be going up because of the Euro. He's a real nice guy and expert at Phantoms, but if your bike is big bike, he may take a while to do all the circuitry. But definitely can try lah.

And yes, they are LOUD.

Will have to Look into an elec one... Don't Want any illegal Mod..

[ReBornBikeR]

I don't know what others think, but I seldom use my horn because I think it is very offensive to others.

I would prefer to use my high beam instead. and be more defensive

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by ReBornBikeR@Jun 23 2005, 06:37 PM

I don't know what others think, but I seldom use my horn because I think it is very offensive to others.

I would prefer to use my high beam instead. and be more defensive

That's True... More a Last Resort thing.

Flash High Beam... 1st...

 

But Lights may not be as effective as Sound...

How Many times we left our signal flashing way after we made the turn.

 

And At times... There may just not be enough time to be Courteous.

[Ravon11]

Originally posted by ReBornBikeR@Jun 23 2005, 06:37 PM

I don't know what others think, but I seldom use my horn because I think it is very offensive to others.

I would prefer to use my high beam instead. and be more defensive

Yes, i know wat u mean by bein offensive usin horn..

But u mus keep in mind tat wat if the driver is concentratin on the road n did not look at the mirrors at all? I personally hav face befor..

So.. mayb u can use flash lite then horn if neccesary.

[Spectrum]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v484/2100spectrum/StreetSmart40.jpg

 

You Generally know Where Your Threshold Is.

But At times... Ego Gets Beyond Ability.

 

Others may be able to take corners way Low...

But That Takes Much Practice & Experience.

Do the Same... u may end up in the Grass.

 

Same with Over taking... Especially on Track Days.

Where some Slick Ladies or Smaller CC bikes will

just zoom pass U...

 

Or when In a Convoy...

Know where the next rest pt is...

So u not pressured when the rest are pulling away.

 

Stay Within Your Envelope!

[smokegirl]

really veri helpful info...

[Spectrum]

Originally posted by smokegirl@Jun 24 2005, 01:36 PM

really veri helpful info...

Won't Lose my Ego... Ahem.. when u Zoommm Pass Me...

...keep U in my sight though..

[burningacid]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 23 2005, 11:47 PM

 

You Generally know Where Your Threshold Is.

But At times... Ego Gets Beyond Ability.

 

Others may be able to take corners way Low...

But That Takes Much Practice & Experience.

Do the Same... u may end up in the Grass.

 

Same with Over taking... Especially on Track Days.

Where some Slick Ladies or Smaller CC bikes will

just zoom pass U...

 

Or when In a Convoy...

Know where the next rest pt is...

So u not pressured when the rest are pulling away.

 

Stay Within Your Envelope!

generally, its easier said then done. esp, when in convoy, AND u duno the way.. some pple just dun have the patience to wait for slower fellow riders..

[smokegirl]

Originally posted by burningacid@Jun 25 2005, 12:57 AM

generally, its easier said then done. esp, when in convoy, AND u duno the way.. some pple just dun have the patience to wait for slower fellow riders..

ya..i agree...tats wat happen to me... my so-called frien so fast and he said he alreadi ride veri slow liao...still can squeeze in between all the cars n buses...and he said his pick off speed and my pick off speed not the same blah blah blah..im still a newbie and just got my bike and in heavy traffic of cos i dun dare to squeeze in between all the busees and lorries la

[ReBornBikeR]

Originally posted by smokegirl@Jun 25 2005, 01:02 AM

ya..i agree...tats wat happen to me... my so-called frien so fast and he said he alreadi ride veri slow liao...still can squeeze in between all the cars n buses...and he said his pick off speed and my pick off speed not the same blah blah blah..im still a newbie and just got my bike and in heavy traffic of cos i dun dare to squeeze in between all the busees and lorries la

Yes, that's why you choose your friends when going riding.

You don't want to ride with those whose average cruising speed is around 200km/h if you are riding a slow rider, right?

 

Also try to have a "real" friend with you so that you can have some company even if both of you are lost.

[ReBornBikeR]

Originally posted by Spectrum@Jun 23 2005, 11:47 PM

Or when In a Convoy...

Know where the next rest pt is...

So u not pressured when the rest are pulling away.

[/i]

 

[/b]

In a convoy, it is indeed very difficult to ride at "your own pace",

most of the time we were pressure to "keep up" with the group,

and to press on even though we are dead tired or sleepy.

 

I used to put myself in this position last time but now that I have

a best friend (GPS), I am no longer in that position

[burningacid]

Originally posted by ReBornBikeR@Jun 25 2005, 11:36 AM

In a convoy, it is indeed very difficult to ride at "your own pace",

most of the time we were pressure to "keep up" with the group,

and to press on even though we are dead tired or sleepy.

 

I used to put myself in this position last time but now that I have

a best friend (GPS), I am no longer in that position

i think its really difficult to choose riding pals/buddies unless u have rode with them once or twice, but then that once or twice is enuff to put u off riding with new frens the next time.

 

btw, r u using the Garmin GPS?

[burningacid]

Originally posted by smokegirl@Jun 25 2005, 01:02 AM

ya..i agree...tats wat happen to me... my so-called frien so fast and he said he alreadi ride veri slow liao...still can squeeze in between all the cars n buses...and he said his pick off speed and my pick off speed not the same blah blah blah..im still a newbie and just got my bike and in heavy traffic of cos i dun dare to squeeze in between all the busees and lorries la

its better to ride slow and get lost rather than ride fast yet dangerous (in ur case).

 

maybe next time before riding, let ur frens noe that, if he doesn't sees u in his mirrors, then he shld wait by road side or if on highway, just keep to the left most lane and wait for u to catch up loh.. of cos, stop or slow down safely..

[ketten hunde]

it would also b betta if u discussed briefly the route dat u all will b using so dat u won't b totally lost.

 

i haf a bad habit of checkin those behind me frequently when im leading...resulting in less concentration of the traffic in front.

[endlessloop]

Proposed Convoy Organisation (Simple)

 

 

3-Man Marshal

 

The following is one of the simplest and yet effective method of organising rides.

I myself, have been using this method for many rides. Many other rider group also uses this method or its variations.

 

For what types of rides:

- NS ride

- Trunk road riding

- Town (small town and route thru town is not filled with complicated turns)

 

Size of group:- 5 to 12 bikes

 

This method only needs a fairly small number of marshals (3). So it allows it to be used in many informal gatherings and most rides.

 

The 3 key marshals are:

 

1. Leader (Other names: Point man)

 

This rider must know the way.

He is the first bike of the convoy (there are exceptions mentioned later).

 

The rest of the bikers just follow this leader.

 

The Leader needs to slow down now-and-then to consolidate the convoy.

 

 

2. Sweeper (Other names: Tail man/Last man)

 

This rider must also know the way.

He is ALWAYS the last bike. There must be no bike behind him.

If someone falls back, or bike stops, he has to stop and keep himself as the last bike.

In this way, no bike in the group will get lost.

Even if a bike completely lost sight of the leader and the rest of the group and find himself all alone.

He just have to wait and he will eventually see the Sweeper pull up beside him.

The Sweeper will then lead him to the destination.

 

 

3. Marker (Other names: Middle man)

This rider need not know the way. But it will be nice for him to know the way.

The job of the Marker is to Mark positions whenever the convoy turn off at any junction.

Normally, the Marker will stay immediately behind the Leader.

Eg: The Leader reachs a cross junction and turns Left. The Leader does not stop but continues to ride ahead with a slightly slower speed.

 

The Marker automatically stations himself at the cross junction to indicate/direct (eg: signal lift or hand signal) to the rest of the convoy following up to turn left.

 

In this way, there should not be a case where a biker unknowingly turns right or go straight because the biker will see the Marker to turn left.

 

The Marker does not leave the cross junction until he sees the Sweeper (the Sweeper must also see the Marker).

Seeing the Sweeper means there should not be anymore bikes from the convoy left.

 

The Marker then immediately leaves the junction and accelerate forward to meet up with the rest of the convoy that had already advanced forward.

 

If the convoy is still in motion, the Marker then moves up beside to the Leader.

Once the Leader sees the Marker, it means all bikes have cleared the last junction.

The Leader can then accelerate with the rest of the convoy to higher speed.

Marker goes back to position behind Leader.

 

If the route is not filled with many turns, then the Leader can keep the convoy moving without stopping even after the Marker stays behind to mark a turn. But the Leader needs to slow down the convoy for the rest of the convoy and Marker to catch up.

 

If the route has more turns, especially close to one another, the Leader may have to stop the convoy at the roadside to consolidate the convoy. Otherwise the Leader needs multiple Markers if there are several immediate turns.

 

It will be advantageous for the Marker to be a faster bike as he needs to accelerate from the end of the convoy to catch up to the front of the convoy which is still in motion.

 

The secondary job of the Marker to to do occasional inspection of the convoy, assuming the convoy does not use radio.

If the convoy had been travelling straight with no turns for quite some time (say 30 minutes on NS) and is not expected to make any turns soon, the Marker should let the Leader know and the Marker drops off from his front position and go all the way down until he sees the Sweeper.

The Marker must know how many bikes are there in a convoy and count them as the convoy passes him.

This way, the Marker will know if there are some unforseen circumstances (eg: a bike broke down or someone needs to make an emergency stop). The Marker then needs to quickly advance to the front to let the Leader know something has happened and to stop the convoy.

 

 

Other Points about this System

 

i. This system allows the bikes within the convoy (other than the 3 marshals) to travel at their own pace.

Bikes can overtake one another or fall back, as long as they still within the parameters (the Leader and the Sweeper).

This way, the bikes are less pressured to keep pace and are less likely to ride into accident.

 

ii. Applicable to all convoys, not just this.

Bikes at front tend to travel at a slower speed than the ones at the rear.

So slower bikes should start at the front of the convoy.

Many groups make the mistake of "I'm the slowest bike so I ride at the rear."

If you do that, you will either find himself have to ride even faster at the end or the convoy will stretch very very far apart.

 

Those bikes that are powerful and fast can stay at the rear to enjoy the faster speed.

 

iii. Can overtake the Leader?

Sometimes, some bikes want to go even faster than the Leader.

 

Assuming the rest of the bikers do not know the way, this is possible if the bikers are briefed before hand that between this Landmark A you can overtake the Leader. After you overtake, you just go straight and make no turns. But once you see Landmark B, you must stop at wait the Leader.

 

Of course, there is a greater risk of Lost Sheep this way. So it is best that all bikers in the group have phone contacts of the Leader or Sweeper.

 

iv. Limit the convoy size and bike types

While this method already allows some degree of flexibility of pace for the bikes inside the convoy, it will not work if:

 

---Your convoy is 20-50 bikes. You need more marshals. And it is better to divide the big convoy into smaller mini-convoys within a large convoy.

 

---Your bikes are too far apart in speed.

If you have 5 1300 cc Hayabusa travelling with 2 150cc vespa, this convoy will still not be fun for everybody.

 

 

v. Convoy Conduct

The rest of the bikes, other than the marshals, have some responsibilities too.

 

These bikes are to:

a. Ride in staggered convoy formation whenever possible.

Just like in rider school again. Keep the convoy formation neat and compact.

 

This way it makes it easier for the marshalls to maintain and the rest of the bikes to ride in more organised and less hapzardly manner.

The bikes should also keep near to each other but within safety distance.

Do not string out very far from the bike in front. Or suddenly slow down and suddenly speed up again. Or suddenly switch to the left or to the right within the staggered formation.

By doing so, you are making things more difficult for the rest of the convoy behind you! Imagine if you are the 3rd bike in a 12-bike convoy. If you switch from left to right, you will necessitate the other 9 bikes to switch their positions each time!

 

b. Pass down information from the front.

If the front bike signals or give hand signals, "echo" down or repeat the message down so that all bikes in the convoy know of the message. Do not keep to yourself.

 

c. Follow the Leader's lane.

If the Leader keeps to the leftmost lane, even if the righ lane is empty (assuming 2-lane NS), you are to keep to the same lane as the Leader.

Do not occupy any lane you like.

 

I have been to rides where there were no briefings. And I was surprised to see some Class2 bikers just ride without any lane/convoy discipline and hog both lanes on the NS highway. Yes, they might be very fast bikes but they do not realise that they are leaving the impression that they are being inconsiderate and hogging both lanes.

I think sg riders should avoid unruly and undisciplined riding to avoid being inconsiderate to the rest of the convoy riders and also leaving a bad reputation of sg riders to our neighbours.

 

d. If you see the other bike has some problem but the rider did not notice, please indicate to the rider.

 

e. If you are tired, in trouble or want to stop, please let the bike next to you know and feel free to pull up along the side. Do not press on thinking you do not trouble the convoy because doing so will only worsen things if you crash.

The Sweeper will take care of you.

 

 

vi. Pre-Ride Briefing

As mentioned by other contributors earlier, it is a MUST to do a briefing before the ride.

 

The briefing must cover:

- Who are the marshals and the rest of the convoy must be able to identify the marshals and their bikes.

- What is the purpose of the marshals and what the rest of the convoy must do in reference to the marshals.

- The marshals must know their job, know total number of bikes and have telephone numbers ready

- Brief the rest of the convoy how they should travel especially in malaysia (eg: keep in staggered formation, do not push yourself beyond your normal envelop, etc)

- Provide an expectation of the distance, route and pitstops.

Even though there is the marshalls to keep the convoy from getting lost, riders will still want to know where are we going? How long more before we take a rest? Do I have enough fuel to the next pitstop? Are there going to be a lot of complicated turns that I might miss?

 

Some rides do not do briefings. Maybe the thinking is "Nobody wants to hear me do a briefing like in the army", "Eveybody looks like a veteran of many rides and they all know the route, so why do they need any briefing from a young newbie like me?", "Don't waste time talking. Everybody is waiting to get on with the ride. So let's just start and go."

 

There must be a briefing. Briefing makes the ride more organised and MORE FUN. Experienced riders who join other convoys LIKE convoys to be well organised and hence briefed. Experienced riders do not like convoys that are unbriefed, unorganised because that means there will be lost sheep that cause much time to be wasted. So by briefing, you are being polite and considerate to the rest.

 

As a general thumb of rule, if no one else briefs and organises, the organiser shall do the briefing and organising. If you want to take the initative to organise a ride, be responsible enough to organise or get someone to organise and brief the group.

[Spectrum]

Gd one Endless...

Did an excellent job

Ensuring that all bikes are accounted for

in our last ride to Johor Tracks.

 

Maybe we can organize a relaxing Morning ride

up to Kota Tinggi - Desaru( or sedili)

(Mersing maybe a little too Far)

Have Lunch by the sea side...

share about experiences in the ride...

 

No one will be lost or pushed...

I'll be the last bike. Eg Sweeper...

(making sure no one gets left behind lah)