STREET SMART

rex · May 2, 2009

Good one SNapEl.

What i was really asking for was a review of a product that some of the forum users have tried and tested. This way, i can research through other ppl's experiences and decide which one to get myself.

Google search is quite amazing but not exhaustive. People's experiences are alot more interesting a read.

Thanks anyway.

Here you go.

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=cheap%20motorcycle%20knee%20guards

antartica · August 24, 2009

bringing back to the top for new riders to have a read so no need to dig

SaSymn · August 26, 2009

Not even a snide comment from Martin?

I am completely regretting selling my baby to David. Someone buy this beast so I can go get a new street bike.

rylche · August 30, 2009

STREET SMART
CONTENTS For your "Quick Reference"

1. 50% of Crashes happen within the 1st 6 min
2. The Art of Soft Lane Change
3. Intersections - Most Frequent Place for an Accident
4. Less Traffic = Fewer Hazard (choose your route) (pg 2)
5. See & Be Seen (Be obvious)
6. Vision: Whose is more important. Yours or others
7. It's All about Speed
8. Risk in City Street Vs Expressways
9. Good Time... Bad Time (different time in the day/nite)
10. 2 Min Check (Pre-Ride)

11. How long it takes to get use to riding a new bike (pg 3)
12. Recognizing & Respond to Hazards
13. Wet Weather Riding
14. Emergency! Chain Snap!
14a. Blind Spots
15. Something Heavy on your Mind...
16. 2 Most Dangerous Risk to the Biker
17. The Attitude to Learning
18. Swerving (pg 5)
19. 3 Deadly Junction in the West
20. Change your Gears before entering a Corner

21. 4 Things that seperate You from the Ground22. Bikers Wt vs Bike Wt.
23. Tires indicates the Drivers Intentions (pg 6)
24. Taxis... $#%%!
25. Taking a Left/Right Bend
26. Tunnel Vision
27. Crash & Injuries Pattern (pg 7)
28. Best Protection is Distance
29. Filtering Between Lane (pg 8)
30. Entering Expressways (pg 9)

31. The U-Turn
32. Shadow Watching
33. When Sun Gets In Your Eyes/Sand
34. Take a Break
34a. Wear Protection (pg 10)
35. High WInds (pg 11)
36. Overload
37. Overtaking Commercial Vehicles
38. Under the Bridge
39. Being Noisy Could be a Good Thing
40. Beyong Your Envelope (Pg 12)

41. Life Saver
42. Bikes on Tour (pg 13)
43. Overtaking a String of Vehicles (pg 14)
44. Offside Overtaking
45. Wet Days
45a. Big WHEELs small wheels
47. Which Bike Should I Steal?
47a. Riding Skill... Physical/Mental
49. Slippery When Wet
50. Be Cool!

51. Stop & U Drop
52. Keep to the side when turning
52a. Look out for that Cow!
53. Height has It's Advantages
54. F.A.S.T. (pg 16)
55. Target Fixation
55a. Space
56. When u see a slow car...
56a. Entry Speed (pg17)
56b. Tyres
57. Stoney Island
57a. 1000th Hit Post "Don't Rush"
58. Regulating your speed
59. Don't want to Hit Anything when I fall
60. Hydro Planning

Very nice thread you got here, but I think it would be great to update the index with the links to the posts regarding the abovementioned topics. I know it's quite a hassle, but so is it trawling through all the posts to find the topics discussed!

ORen · August 30, 2009

Very nice thread you got here, but I think it would be great to update the index with the links to the posts regarding the abovementioned topics. I know it's quite a hassle, but so is it trawling through all the posts to find the topics discussed!

+1 I agree, but then again, so far i've read until page 6 and 99% of the posts are very enlighting and relevant still, cause they come as comments and sharings about the tip discussed. But yes, If we could go to a particular tip with one click it would make this thread even more practical.

I'm a future bike rider, and have zero road experience. But reading this topic is super interesting for me, and raises a few questions. Here's the 1st one:

At school they teach us to stay in the middle of the lane, with a safe distance from the front and rear vehicule. Yet, on the road, 99% of the bikes end up filtering lanes, and/or stopping at the front of the lanes when there's a stop line or a red light. When I asked the instructors back then about this, the 3 I asked had the exact same answer: "What do we teach you?" "To stay in the middle of the lane" "So what do you think you should do once on your own on the road?" "...:cheeky:".

As experienced riders, what is for you the safest way of riding?

If you advice to stay in the middle of the lane, when would you say lane filtering is a good thing to do? (if you think there are exceptions)

If you are more convinced a rider should lane filter all the time, what are the reasons for that, and why do they teach us at school differently?

Just in case I got it wrong (english is not exactly my mother tongue), I understand that lane filtering is riding between two lanes (almost like following the broken line that divides them) - is that correct?

scubasimon · August 30, 2009

i am a very experienced driver and have been driving since 1987. when i drive, i much prefer for motorcycles to occupy the centre of the lane. as a driver, i do not relish the idea of having to lookout for motorcyclists from the front, the rear, my left and my right. i think there is enough for me to worry about and motorcyclists can do themselves a favour by keeping it simple for the drivers.

now as a motorcyclist, i do my best to stay in my lane for the very same reason above. even more importantly, while i can handle my bike well and transition quick if needed, i do not see the benefit of putting my life in the hands of other drivers unnecessarily. after all, it is a lot safer for me to follow behind, in the centre of the lane. about the only time you see me at the side is if there is another motorcyclist directly behind me. then i'll move slightly left/right of my lane so the other person can take up the other side and we occupy less space to ease the traffic situation.

i know many riders in singapore land split (i.e. filter lanes) and many have explained that it is a necessity. i suppose it is their prerogative. to me, the argument is very similar to the one about wearing protection. is it really too hot and impractical? i personally do not think so...but many do...and that, too, is their prerogative.

my stand is clear though. stick to the centre. do not lane split unless it is needed to get you out of an emergency.

endlessloop · August 31, 2009

You know some of the key basics to stay safe in motorcycling are to stay visible, right?

If you ride in the middle area of a lane, you stay visible within the rear view mirror of the vehicle (car, lorry, bike) in front. So the vehicle user is not going to run into you.

However, if you ride in between lanes, you stay in the blind spot of the immediate vehicle in front of you. If people do not know you are there, they may run into you. they are supposed to check blind spot, but in reality, most people don't. So your risk goes up here.

Second, vehicles are going to change lanes. When the immediate vehicles to your left or right want to change lanes, you are going to run into them. When you split lane, you have much lesser space to xiam (avoid) lane changing vehicles. So you risk goes up here as well.

The counter arguments for lane splitting are:

#1: It is safer to be riding in between lanes between cars then behind them. Because if I ride behind the car, the car in front jam brake, if I can't brake in time, then I hit the car in front. But if I ride in between lanes, the cars beside me can jam brake. I don't have to jam brake so hard because the space in between lane is free of cars. So I am safer.

When you ride in the middle of a lane, you keep a safety distance. If you keep sufficient safety distance AND practice HOV, you will be able to brake in time.

Also, when cars are going to hit into a collision, besides jam braking and when they can't stop in time, what do they do next? They swerve.

So if you ride in between lanes, instead of a clear lane, you will suddenly see cars swerving into your path or into you.

#2: I can avoid by swerving into the lanes next to me.

How do you do a proper lane change? Check rear view mirror if it is clear...then check blind spot mirror to see if it is clear...re-check rear view mirror...then change lane. This move takes you typically 2 to 4 seconds.

When you face a emergency and you are riding in between lanes, do you have 2 to 4 seconds to react?

No. And if you try to swerve your bike into the adjacent lane without doing the proper checks, you risk running into a wall of iron and/or risk being run over by a 2 ton of steel, at your own doing.

So where possible, I advocate ridding in the middle of the lane, just like what you are taught in school. This bit of advice is every bit as sound in school as when you passed and on the road.

Times when I think the risk are not as bad when you lane split is during heavy traffic jams or packing up to a red light, where the cars are just crawling and do not have much room to manoevre/change lane. The risks are still there, just slightly lower. So you have to watch out for these risks.

ORen · August 31, 2009

Thanks a lot Simon & Endlessloop, very clear and instructive explainations .

That's pretty much what I thought, so I shall practice that attidue and riding behavior on the road.

But I also feel that car drivers expect bikes to be lane filtering. They expect the bikes to not use "their" space and go to that "bike space" just because they can. I have seen countless times cars trying to squeeze a bike on the side of the lane and i'm pretty sure they don't see the harm in it. Some might even tailgate and get frustrated because a bike is not "letting them through". Have you encountered this? In such case wouldn't it be safer to filter and let the driver pass you ?

I have another question, this time about the front brake, after reading page 6:

At the school, to be honest, I never used it. Unless for the e-brake or when an instructor would make a comment (on school bikes, when you use the front brake, it lights up a front blue light). I have been told many times to use it to help stop the bike at stop lines / junctions etc. But as much as I do respect the instructors experience and wanted to listen to their directives, I felt that it was very hard to get a good control of the braking with the front brake.

The front brake is usually very strong, and very sensitive. You go on it like you'd go on your bicycle front brake and you can fly over the handle. For me, as a newbie, the first times I used it were not really nice experiences: hard stop, very stiff braking, sometimes even made me almost sit on the tank.. I understand that the braking just needs to be gentle and smooth and it works out. But I found it difficult to control the throttle, the clutch and the front brake.

So when I discovered that my control of the rear brake was easier and better, I had this bad habit installed, of never using the front brake. The foot brake is usually less sensitive than the front one, probably less effective, but I can focus on the throttle/clutch better knowing that my leg do the braking part.

Even when I do the e-brake, I go harder on the rear brake (trying not to lock the wheel) and then only the front brake because I'm more afraid to lock the front wheel as I feel the front brake is more powerful.

I wanted to know how you guys utilize both brakes? What is a good habit to have? Do you prefer one brake for a certain type of actions (slowing down, stopping) or do you use always both? I saw some riders brake using only two fingers, while the rest on the fingers are still around the throttle. I just can't do that, is this a good way of controling the front brake ?

I have read some comments about this in this thread, but I'd like to hear a bit more from y'all if you don't mind.

Finally, if I want to practise my e-braking, at 70-90km/h speeds, where can I go other than a track ? (I'm not very familiar with SG yet, you guys maybe know a big carpark that I can access..?)

Bonus question: I can read here and there that a lot of riders in SG go to JB to top-up their tank. And to my surprise, they usually leave SG after midnight, to avoid the traffic at the customs I guess. I'm surprised because I'd think that's a dangerous time to ride, given that drivers might be coming back from drinking or partying, or might just be very tired from their long day, no ? Wouldn't it be safer to go early in the morning (5-8am) ?

Edited August 31, 2009 by O'Ren

contrarian · August 31, 2009

But I also feel that car drivers expect bikes to be lane filtering. They expect the bikes to not use "their" space and go to that "bike space" just because they can. I have seen countless times cars trying to squeeze a bike on the side of the lane and i'm pretty sure they don't see the harm in it. Some might even tailgate and get frustrated because a bike is not "letting them through". Have you encountered this? In such case wouldn't it be safer to filter and let the driver pass you ?

I've been riding in lane since 2005 and don't agree with you.

If you dominate the road, then you leave little chance for others to make you conform. I ride on the right third of the lane (in line with the driver), unless I'm on the right lane when I'll be on the left third. I rarely encounter tailgaters because they love the right lane and I choose to use the right lane for overtaking and turning right, moving off it when I'm done.

Don't be too slow so as to encourage all others to overtake. Keep up to the speed of the traffic, and if it's too fast for you, let the faster traffic pass by moving off the lane until they pass - and then you'll have a clear road.

ORen · September 1, 2009

I've been riding in lane since 2005 and don't agree with you.
If you dominate the road, then you leave little chance for others to make you conform. I ride on the right third of the lane (in line with the driver), unless I'm on the right lane when I'll be on the left third. I rarely encounter tailgaters because they love the right lane and I choose to use the right lane for overtaking and turning right, moving off it when I'm done.

Don't be too slow so as to encourage all others to overtake. Keep up to the speed of the traffic, and if it's too fast for you, let the faster traffic pass by moving off the lane until they pass - and then you'll have a clear road.

Makes sense But if you ride in line with the driver, doesn't this make cars or other bikes want to go over to your lane?

scubasimon · September 1, 2009

about braking...

it is essential to use your front brake as the main brake for stopping. if you use the rear brake as the main brake, you can skid very easily, especially when the road isn't dry. i have experimented with using the rear brake and have skid several times in the driving centre at relatively low speeds. so using, and controlling, your front brake is an essential skill to master. it does take awhile to get it right. but it is definitely something you would want to invest your time and energy to doing right.

use your rear brake as the major stopping power only in low speed maneuvers like u-turn, s-bends, tight corners getting to the parking space etc and you save yourself from skidding unnecessarily.

JackOHJack · September 1, 2009

I have another question, this time about the front brake, after reading page 6:

At the school, to be honest, I never used it. Unless for the e-brake or when an instructor would make a comment (on school bikes, when you use the front brake, it lights up a front blue light). I have been told many times to use it to help stop the bike at stop lines / junctions etc. But as much as I do respect the instructors experience and wanted to listen to their directives, I felt that it was very hard to get a good control of the braking with the front brake.

The front brake is usually very strong, and very sensitive. You go on it like you'd go on your bicycle front brake and you can fly over the handle. For me, as a newbie, the first times I used it were not really nice experiences: hard stop, very stiff braking, sometimes even made me almost sit on the tank.. I understand that the braking just needs to be gentle and smooth and it works out. But I found it difficult to control the throttle, the clutch and the front brake.

So when I discovered that my control of the rear brake was easier and better, I had this bad habit installed, of never using the front brake. The foot brake is usually less sensitive than the front one, probably less effective, but I can focus on the throttle/clutch better knowing that my leg do the braking part.

Even when I do the e-brake, I go harder on the rear brake (trying not to lock the wheel) and then only the front brake because I'm more afraid to lock the front wheel as I feel the front brake is more powerful.

I wanted to know how you guys utilize both brakes? What is a good habit to have? Do you prefer one brake for a certain type of actions (slowing down, stopping) or do you use always both? I saw some riders brake using only two fingers, while the rest on the fingers are still around the throttle. I just can't do that, is this a good way of controling the front brake ?

I have read some comments about this in this thread, but I'd like to hear a bit more from y'all if you don't mind.

Finally, if I want to practise my e-braking, at 70-90km/h speeds, where can I go other than a track ? (I'm not very familiar with SG yet, you guys maybe know a big carpark that I can access..?)

get used to ur front brakes sooner than later. pengz in driving centre better than pengz in public roads with cars behind u/ in front of u etc. If u can brake in driving centre until u pengz, in the 1st place (quite hard la).

go 10-20kmph slower on wet roads than on dry roads if u are concerned abt skidding.

after u get ur license go for defensive lah? then while learning try higher speed e brake! pengz also not ur own bike ma. but i dun reckon u shd try 70-90 in driving centre, perhaps 40-50 MAX (by then go over line also no prob liaoz ma).

More often than not, i try to stay in the centre of the lane/ left one third/ right one third (sometimes centre VERY oily), depending on situations.

BUT, my rule is that there is no rule. The only thing, and the most important thing, is to stay alive.

If i have to siam, i will.

If i have to speed up, i will.

If i have to forget abt my right of way, i will.

If i have to brake, i will.

If i have to lanesplit, i will.

I try my best to anticipate and react beforehand so i wun need to overdo any of those above, or others, for the matter.

Pplater · September 3, 2009

Makes sense But if you ride in line with the driver' date=' doesn't this make cars or other bikes want to go over to your lane?[/quote']

Lane positioning is not fixed all the time. You re-position yourself in anticipation of changing situations around you. As contratrian suggested in his post, he uses positioning to "dominate" his space, to discourage drivers from cutting too close to him.

It is ok if you are slightly confused at this point. Your task at hand is firstly to master using the front brakes. You have an ideal environment in the driving centre to do this. If you succeed in doing this, you will be a much safer rider on the road when you get your license. You have your whole riding career ahead of you to learn about more advanced theories. Endlessloop, myself and Contrarian will be around to discuss such theories with videos and practical demonstrations via radio sets if you sign up for our HOV course at the next meetup.

lutein · September 4, 2009

These days, I don't use the rear brake except to stop my bike from rolling off the slope. I use my front brakes exclusively to slow the bike down. In my opinion, the schools are teaching the wrong way of braking. They teach 4-finger braking, which is very dangerous because with four fingers you tend to oversqueeze your brakes and lock your wheels. They also teach rear braking, which can also be hazardous because your legs are stronger than your hands, and you tend to step too hard causing your rear wheel to lock.

This is not a matter of the instructors being more "experienced" and thus what they say is correct. The school has no choice because this is TP requirement. TP says four finger braking because when bikes used to be fitted with drum brakes, you need a lot of strength to brake. But these days, our disc brakes are very efficient and you do not need much strength to use the brakes. TP needs to update their test requirements.

If you have the chance to watch your instructors practice for their riding competitions, you will notice that they also use 2-finger braking.

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

As for lane positioning, for me there's no hard-and-fast rule. I will ride in the lane, but from time to time, I will move to the left or the right side. For example, if there's a heavy vehicle on my left, I will move to the right to give myself more room to siam in case the driver decides to filter. Or, if I'm approaching a filter lane (cars filtering in from other roads), I will move to the right in case they cut into my lane. I split lanes only in case of traffic jams; even so, I will move back into the lane if I move too slowly and causing bikes behind me to build up.

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

Anyway, on Pplater's suggestion to use the school bikes to practice front braking, all I can say is this: the suspension of the school bikes suck! Don't go too fast when you're trying this.

ORen · September 12, 2009

Hi again everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions, it's very useful to read and helps me plenty.

get used to ur front brakes sooner than later. pengz in driving centre better than pengz in public roads with cars behind u/ in front of u etc. If u can brake in driving centre until u pengz, in the 1st place (quite hard la).

Ehm, what does "pengz" mean ?

Lane positioning is not fixed all the time. You re-position yourself in anticipation of changing situations around you. As contratrian suggested in his post, he uses positioning to "dominate" his space, to discourage drivers from cutting too close to him.

It is ok if you are slightly confused at this point. Your task at hand is firstly to master using the front brakes. You have an ideal environment in the driving centre to do this. If you succeed in doing this, you will be a much safer rider on the road when you get your license. You have your whole riding career ahead of you to learn about more advanced theories. Endlessloop, myself and Contrarian will be around to discuss such theories with videos and practical demonstrations via radio sets if you sign up for our HOV course at the next meetup.

Well, the thing is, I posted here *after* I got my license. So no more driving school for me for now. Got my 2B mid August but I am not riding just yet, finishing on saving and should be able to get my bike in the next month or so.

That's why I was asking about the e-braking: with the raining season coming and me being more and more concerned about these safety measures, I feel that I should practice some things:

- e-brake at speeds above 30 km/h

- counter-steering (I've read a lot about it on SBF but I feel that i won't get it until someone actually explains it to me on a bike..)

- control my future nike at low speed (1st gear) by doing some practicing with cones or some sort of S shaped course (large empty ooutdoor carpark should do)

- go for an advanced riding session or defensive riding session

- sign up for HOV session as soon as I get my bike!

I guess road experience will help me get better at riding but I feel the above points are something I should take care at early stages of my riding. Any comments on this are very welcome.

These days, I don't use the rear brake except to stop my bike from rolling off the slope. I use my front brakes exclusively to slow the bike down. In my opinion, the schools are teaching the wrong way of braking. They teach 4-finger braking, which is very dangerous because with four fingers you tend to oversqueeze your brakes and lock your wheels. They also teach rear braking, which can also be hazardous because your legs are stronger than your hands, and you tend to step too hard causing your rear wheel to lock.

This is not a matter of the instructors being more "experienced" and thus what they say is correct. The school has no choice because this is TP requirement. TP says four finger braking because when bikes used to be fitted with drum brakes, you need a lot of strength to brake. But these days, our disc brakes are very efficient and you do not need much strength to use the brakes. TP needs to update their test requirements.

If you have the chance to watch your instructors practice for their riding competitions, you will notice that they also use 2-finger braking.

Anyway, on Pplater's suggestion to use the school bikes to practice front braking, all I can say is this: the suspension of the school bikes suck! Don't go too fast when you're trying this.

I agree with this - although I may not have the experience to back it up, now I have the feeling I should learn how to brake more often with my front brakes, and also how to brake with 2 fingers. *adding it to new-bike-todo-list*

On another subject, I've been doing a bit of pillion riding with a friend (I'm the pillion), and I realized why this thread emphasizes so much on junctions.

I am not from Singapore and I have to say, this is the city/country with the most junctions in the WORLD !

Insane... there's a junction every few meters, if you don't ride on the highway, you will meet at least 5-6 junctions from point A to B.. I don't drive in Singapore, I only use public transport. And I never noticed before, until I was on a bike, then it hit me, there's tons of junctions here, and most of them are quite big, allowing many turns, many "scenarios" to happen.

And since they are so big, they give a false impression that when one has the right of way, things are "easy" : just zoom past the wide nice junction... I don't know if I'm describing the feeling correctly. But I think just by experiencing the road as a pillion I can grasp the potential danger of junctions and I will remember this when I get the bike. Junctions = I have to be extra careful and not dash through.

I finally finished reading the whole thread, and wanted to thank everyone who posted, from back in 2005 to a few days ago.

All the posts are very relevant and played a big role in making me much more aware of the importance of attitude, hazard anticipation and overall safe riding skills and tips. So a big big thank you to everyone, what you built here is serving its purpose greatly and is indeed helping A LOT.

Cheers

antartica · September 13, 2009

Hi again everyone,

Thanks for taking the time to share your opinions, it's very useful to read and helps me plenty.

Ehm, what does "pengz" mean ?

Well, the thing is, I posted here *after* I got my license. So no more driving school for me for now. Got my 2B mid August but I am not riding just yet, finishing on saving and should be able to get my bike in the next month or so.

That's why I was asking about the e-braking: with the raining season coming and me being more and more concerned about these safety measures, I feel that I should practice some things:

- e-brake at speeds above 30 km/h
- counter-steering (I've read a lot about it on SBF but I feel that i won't get it until someone actually explains it to me on a bike..)
- control my future nike at low speed (1st gear) by doing some practicing with cones or some sort of S shaped course (large empty ooutdoor carpark should do)
- go for an advanced riding session or defensive riding session
- sign up for HOV session as soon as I get my bike!

I guess road experience will help me get better at riding but I feel the above points are something I should take care at early stages of my riding. Any comments on this are very welcome.

I agree with this - although I may not have the experience to back it up, now I have the feeling I should learn how to brake more often with my front brakes, and also how to brake with 2 fingers. *adding it to new-bike-todo-list*

On another subject, I've been doing a bit of pillion riding with a friend (I'm the pillion), and I realized why this thread emphasizes so much on junctions.
I am not from Singapore and I have to say, this is the city/country with the most junctions in the WORLD !

Insane... there's a junction every few meters, if you don't ride on the highway, you will meet at least 5-6 junctions from point A to B.. I don't drive in Singapore, I only use public transport. And I never noticed before, until I was on a bike, then it hit me, there's tons of junctions here, and most of them are quite big, allowing many turns, many "scenarios" to happen.

And since they are so big, they give a false impression that when one has the right of way, things are "easy" : just zoom past the wide nice junction... I don't know if I'm describing the feeling correctly. But I think just by experiencing the road as a pillion I can grasp the potential danger of junctions and I will remember this when I get the bike. Junctions = I have to be extra careful and not dash through.

I finally finished reading the whole thread, and wanted to thank everyone who posted, from back in 2005 to a few days ago.

All the posts are very relevant and played a big role in making me much more aware of the importance of attitude, hazard anticipation and overall safe riding skills and tips. So a big big thank you to everyone, what you built here is serving its purpose greatly and is indeed helping A LOT.

Cheers

"Pengzs" is local lingo, a chinese dialect (Hokkien) meaning literally to hit the ground, at least when used in this context.

it's like how they say,

"Guns don't kill people, People kill People"

same thing being on the road, does the car / truck / lorry / bike kill you? not really, but the person behind the wheel or handles

take it easy and don't worry too much about the technical side of it just yet, get used to your new machine first, know how it accelerates, normal stopping distances at various speeds, turning circles, find your most comfortable sitting position. Once you get used to your new machine, then start to do your tight turns, could even find a deserted U-turn to slowly try it our first, then maybe a deserted stretch of road / car park for your e-brake practice of course starting slow first.

a lot of things will come very intuitively once you get used to your machine and get some time on the road, just that you don't realise it.

so, what bike ya getting?

hope to see you at the next HOV Session dude

ride safe once you get your wheels

antartica · September 13, 2009

These days, I don't use the rear brake except to stop my bike from rolling off the slope. I use my front brakes exclusively to slow the bike down. In my opinion, the schools are teaching the wrong way of braking. They teach 4-finger braking, which is very dangerous because with four fingers you tend to oversqueeze your brakes and lock your wheels. They also teach rear braking, which can also be hazardous because your legs are stronger than your hands, and you tend to step too hard causing your rear wheel to lock.

you don't say sis... heheh

if not for my foot brake, i prolly wouldn't have locked my rear wheels and self skidded...

ORen · September 13, 2009

"Pengzs" is local lingo, a chinese dialect (Hokkien) meaning literally to hit the ground, at least when used in this context.

Oh I see, makes sense now, thanks !

take it easy and don't worry too much about the technical side of it just yet, get used to your new machine first, know how it accelerates, normal stopping distances at various speeds, turning circles, find your most comfortable sitting position. Once you get used to your new machine, then start to do your tight turns, could even find a deserted U-turn to slowly try it our first, then maybe a deserted stretch of road / car park for your e-brake practice of course starting slow first.

a lot of things will come very intuitively once you get used to your machine and get some time on the road, just that you don't realise it.

True.. Sounds like a good plan to start with

so, what bike ya getting?

hope to see you at the next HOV Session dude

ride safe once you get your wheels

It's "dudette" actually

I plan on getting a Pulsar 200, I like the looks, love the fact that its not made for speed and of course, its FC is still its most appealing feature

Surely we'll meet at the next HOV if you're there, thanks for you advices !

antartica · September 14, 2009

It's "dudette" actually
I plan on getting a Pulsar 200, I like the looks, love the fact that its not made for speed and of course, its FC is still its most appealing feature
Surely we'll meet at the next HOV if you're there, thanks for you advices !

ooh my bad...

nice bike the Pulsar was considering it until i found out the prices for 2nd hand didn't seem worth it for me for a 2nd hand as is still a relatively new model.

and with the intent of upgrading after a year i decided to go cheap charlie and find some thing to just last me the 1st year + 2A lesson times...

rylche · September 21, 2009

After reading all this, I actually sat down for a long time and thought about the whole bike thing. Looks like the safest biker is actually the one who sits at home and doesn't ride at all I find it difficult to accept the fact that being on a bike means I'm about 39 times (as statistics show) more likely to die than when I'm in a car.

Getting the license itself would be the most I would do for biking right now.. Can't get myself maimed or killed on the roads at my young age. I still have alot in life to experience and enjoy! Recently had one fellow serviceman in my unit who passed away in a motorcycle accident. Was really saddened and it brought home to me the immense dangers of biking.

ORen · September 22, 2009

I understand how you feel. I think a lot of riders had this thinking or are still thinking like this. I believe that's the first step to being a safe rider: understand and realize the dangers and risks. Being fully aware that riding a bike is not just fun and cool, it's also being responsible.

My answer to the risks is to try and minimize them, as greatly as possible:

- full gear, no compromise on this

- no speeding up, speed limits are here for a reason, and it's not to annoy road users, it's to pretect them

- practice learn practice learn practice learn: getting a license is just the "birth" of a rider. Riders with more than 10 years of riding are still learning and don't take their skills for granted.

- no reckless riding: if it rains too much, if you're tired, if you're upset, if you're late: don't ride. Take a bus or a cab.

When you look into accidents, most of the time the above explains the cause of the fatality. Sometimes accidents happen and can't be avoided, but you can influence the statistic by making sure your part as a rider is taken care of properly.

Another thing, there are riders who have been riding for decades without injuries at all. And when you meet them, you can't help but see the deep sense of patience, safety and responsibility they carry.

Lastly, you can start riding at your own pace and chosen timing: me for example, as I'm a new rider and don't feel confident enough to tackle the expressway as soon as I get on the bike, I will probably start riding on sunday early mornings when the road is empty, and enjoy riding as leisure more than commuting mean. Until I feel comfortable and familiar enough with the bike, then I'll go for more complicated rides.

It is dangerous to ride a bike, no doubt about it.

But it's about the rider, not the bike.

So you can as a rider, make your ride a safe one.

scubasimon · September 22, 2009

After reading all this, I actually sat down for a long time and thought about the whole bike thing. Looks like the safest biker is actually the one who sits at home and doesn't ride at all I find it difficult to accept the fact that being on a bike means I'm about 39 times (as statistics show) more likely to die than when I'm in a car.

Getting the license itself would be the most I would do for biking right now.. Can't get myself maimed or killed on the roads at my young age. I still have alot in life to experience and enjoy! Recently had one fellow serviceman in my unit who passed away in a motorcycle accident. Was really saddened and it brought home to me the immense dangers of biking.

hi man...don't get too caught up with statistics. at the end of the day, they show us the probability of an occurrence without regard to the situation. when you look beyond the statistics, you will see that you can dramatically improve your survivability by taking simple steps to protect yourself, both passively and actively.

if you think about it, there is inherent risk in everything we do. crossing the road, eating seafood, riding on the subway, playing sports...there is risk involved in all of these. yet we do not think twice about them because statistics are not as widely circulated.

biking is a passion for me. for some, it is a form of transport. if it is a passion for you, then my recommendation is to not let the risk prevent you from pursuing your dream. rather, take steps to pursue our dream responsibly and sensibly, reducing your risk level and improving your survivability rate. there are many bikers who die of old age...but the statistics are not widely available

at the end of the day, only you will know what is right. if you still feel it isn't worth the risk, or that you cannot be the other side of the statistic, then you know what you need to do.

all the best in whatever you choose to do!

contrarian · September 22, 2009

Lastly, you can start riding at your own pace and chosen timing: me for example, as I'm a new rider and don't feel confident enough to tackle the expressway as soon as I get on the bike, I will probably start riding on sunday early mornings when the road is empty, and enjoy riding as leisure more than commuting mean. Until I feel comfortable and familiar enough with the bike, then I'll go for more complicated rides.

This is very good advice. That's exactly what I did when I got my first bike - use the early Sunday mornings as an opportunity to get used to the machine and the feel of the throttle and brakes. Same thing with trying to pillion a passenger the first few times.

guwakzai · October 1, 2009

i myself have some experience ...

1. i had many encounters of near accidents when "reaching destination"

therefore i suggest riders should not be over excited that your trip is completing as u r going to reach...

2. Riding in the rain:

some riders don have rain coat when they ride. when it start to rain, they tend to go faster to avoid the rain or to seek shelter...

i have encounter riders rushing to the rain shelter on expressway, upon "reaching shelter" and skidded.....

Spectrum · October 21, 2009

Lane Positioning:

3 lanes on the highway - take the one determine by your speed.

Right lane is for over taking.

Riding Between Lanes:

Bikes have the advantage of riding between the lanes when the traffic is slow & Heavy.

Or to move to the front of the traffic lights when the lites are red.

No right or wrong - just that u take the risk.

Just be on high alert when between two cars.

Between lanes, u are riding on the white line... slippery when wet.

Emergency Brakes: Best is not to get into a situation when u need to do it.

Keep plenty of Space & look far, far ahead & anticipate the traffic.

Risk In Riding: As u discuss about riding safety... half the battle is won.

Your attitude determinds a high pencentage your suvival on the street.

Know where the danger lurks...and go enjoy your rides... I always do.

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