Starting 2013 with a long but good article for those brave street riders

[Motofool]

Originally published: here

Stupid Hurts

By David L. Hough

"We’ve had a number of motorcyclist fatalities in our little town, and I suspect that it’s the same story all across America. I’m sad for the families of the deceased riders, but I’m angry that so many motorcyclists put themselves in danger. The prevailing attitudes among motorcyclists seem to be that "anyone can do it," and "no special skills are needed." People who are otherwise prudent about life seem willing to hop on a motorcycle and zoom off into traffic with almost no practice or study.

Our latest victim was an off-duty police officer who was riding with some friends on a Sunday afternoon. She was 27 years old, popular, and at the prime of her career. According to the State Patrol, her motorcycle "failed to negotiate a right curve." "The motorcycle crossed the centerline and struck the right front bumper of a southbound pickup truck that was towing a boat trailer…the rider was pronounced dead at the scene." The news article notes that her bike was a 2004 Yamaha, but says nothing about her licensing status or experience level.

Later in the week, headlines read: "Police bid a solemn farewell." A procession of about 50 police and emergency vehicles delivered the flag-draped coffin to the high school auditorium for a memorial service where hundreds of mourners honored her memory.

I’m sure that no one in our community would want to hear that she might have done it to herself, but in the case of many self-inflicted fatalities that’s the sad truth. Her friends all made the corner—she didn’t. A motorcycle going wide in a turn is an indication the rider didn’t know how to corner. And since the bike was less than a year old, we know that she hadn’t had much experience with that machine—and we might suspect she hadn’t been motorcycling very long. It’s entirely possible she had never learned to countersteer, or had heard about it but never gotten it between her ears.

Did her friends know she was inexperienced, but assumed that she would absorb the necessary skills by just getting out and riding? Did any of her riding buddies explain cornering techniques to her, or suggest taking a training course, or loan her copies of books that might have expanded her knowledge and skill? We don’t know. The tears are flowing now that she’s dead, but apparently there wasn’t enough concern when she was still alive and struggling to figure out how to control her motorcycle.

Illustration: Do those new riders understand basic control skills such as countersteering? Show ‘em a picture. Loan ‘em a book.

Just yesterday I was driving my SUV out of the hardware store parking lot. The lot is two lanes in at the east end, and two lanes out at the west end. It’s a two-lane street with a center turn lane. At the exit, I observed a motorcycle approaching from the west, but the rider gave no indication he might be turning. Then as I started to pull out, he suddenly darted into the center turn lane, and leaned into a left turn. Halfway into the street, I braked to a stop. He circled around in front of me and rode into the exit. No signal, no braking, no concern that a collision with a 4,000 lb truck might hurt. And no acknowledgment that he was going the wrong way or that I had braked to avoid hitting him.

I bring up this example of "asking for it" because the world is full of drivers who are not concerned about motorcycles, and therefore motorcycles do not register on their mental radar. This rider could just as easily have turned in front of an inattentive driver, and the impact could have been fatal. And of course the following week there could have been another memorial service with tears and quavering speeches about how he loved motorcycles, and what a great father he had been.

When I first started riding, I felt that motorcyclists who crashed were victims of something out of their control. With more experience, I realized that many riders did it to themselves. One day I was in line for the signal light, waiting to pull out onto the main highway. A rider in street clothes zipped by me on the wrong side of the road, and attempted to carve off on a side road, oblivious to the white lines being covered in dew. His tires slid out, the bike low-sided, and he slid along for a few feet sanding off bits of shoes and clothing. Fortunately, it was a slow-speed crash.

The surprised rider picked himself up with a shocked expression, staring at his bloody palms. I didn’t stop to assist, I just motored on when the light turned green. I wouldn’t have been sympathetic. I’d probably have said, "who do you think you are, superman? If you aren’t hurt, I’ll give you a couple of healthy kicks in the ass with my steel-toe boot to further your education."

Stupid Riding Ticks Me Off

What angers me about stupid riding is that it’s unnecessary. Why risk your life riding on public roads before you learn how to corner? Why risk your life just to get into a parking lot a few seconds sooner? I suppose the answers include motorcyclists not knowing how to control a motorcycle proficiently, not understanding what danger looks like, or just not being aware that motorcycles require considerable knowledge and skill.

Photo: When inexperienced riders join your group, don’t assume they know how to handle corners like this slippery, downhill right-hander. Take the new riders aside and offer some skills tips. Or, loan them a copy of a good skills book. If you don’t help them, who will?

Back up again to that left-turning motorcyclist at the hardware store. His riding tactics really sucked. He didn’t help the situation by sudden moves without signaling, or riding into an exit rather than going down to the marked entrance. More importantly, he didn’t seem to recognize that SUVs are much more hazardous to motorcyclists than are smaller vehicles. If you slam into the side of a Civic or Corolla, the thin metal will absorb a lot of energy as it crumples, and you’ll probably go sailing over the top to slide down the pavement. But if you slam into a truck-based SUV, it’s not going to bend much, and it’s too tall to clear. So there’s a good chance you’ll bash your body into the side.

To put this another way, the riders I’ve mentioned shared the sin of not understanding what danger looks like, or what to do about it. They were basically deficient on mental skills. So, how do we expect such riders to get smarter? The track schools aren’t much help in learning about street hazards. And the latest MSF Experienced RiderCourse has been "dumbed down."

I’ve written two books on street riding skills, "Proficient Motorcycling" and "More Proficient Motorcycling." I occasionally offer an article (such as this one) for posting on Sound RIDER! And I’ve also offered seminars at various rallies, where we can discuss riding skills. After one seminar a couple of years ago, a participant came up and said, "Dave, you know there was not one question in the seminar that you haven’t already answered in your books."

I explained that humans have different learning styles. Some people can learn by reading. Others have difficulty. Some people can only learn by talking about something, others only by trial-and-error. That’s why it’s important to have books, seminars and training courses. We need a variety of learning opportunities to match the variety of different adult learning styles.

At the Sportbike Northwest rally this summer I did a seminar on cornering tactics for public roads. Some riders participated, others made a point of sitting nearby and talking loudly among themselves. Was a seminar needed for a group of apparently experienced sport riders? Well, during the event several of those "experienced" riders managed to crash. Is there any relationship between those who ignore information and those who crash? Could it be that even "experienced" riders could learn some little tidbit that might help avoid a crash?

"Emergency" Avoidance Skills

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation has always been big on emergency avoidance maneuvers, especially braking and swerving. Their original concept was to figure out what "accident-involved" riders were doing wrong, and then teach the missing skills. MSF courses were heavily influenced by results of the "Hurt Report" that showed a high percentage of riders crashing into cars without taking any evasive action. Ergo: "let’s teach ‘em to do emergency swerves and quick stops."

That made sense to me as a new instructor back in 1980, but eventually I realized that we can’t depend on "emergency" maneuvers. The human brain is wired so that in an emergency situation we react based on habits, and then think about it later. In other words, if you’re dumb enough to not brake for an SUV that’s about to turn across your path, your habits will determine what happens next. If you’re in the habit of just rolling off the gas, you’ll slow down gradually, right up to impact. If maximum effort braking is a no-brainer for you, you might do an aggressive quick stop. And if you’re in the habit of not braking once you’re committed to a turn, you’ll motor ahead. The point is, you won’t squander time on thinking, you’ll just do it.

That’s why I suggest finding some twisty road and riding it aggressively, so you’ll make powerful steering and braking inputs part of your habit patterns. If you live out in the flatlands where there aren’t any good twisty roads, you could practice cornering and braking skills in a controlled situation such as a cornering range.

There is a practice cornering range in More Proficient Motorcycling that’s been painted down in various locations around the country. The Idaho State Police are using it for officer training. Team Oregon follows the same idea, but they use a go cart track. Personally, I think rally participants would gain skill quickly by riding such a cornering range. Or, perhaps your local club could find some pavement and set it up. There are detailed instructions for laying out and running the PM Cornering Range in the book.

So, what’s important? Skills or Knowledge?

The emphasis on "emergency skills" in training courses has led us to believe that control skills are where we should focus. Certainly, it’s important to know how to corner, how to shift gears without sliding the rear tire, how to brake hard without falling down. But eventually most of us realize that what’s really important is to know what trouble looks like, and how to avoid riding into it.

A young, "bulletproof" rider might have the reflexes to ride dumbly into bad situations and then survive with split second maneuvers. 9 out of 10 they make it. But long-term survival demands that we look farther ahead, spot potential problems early, and just make small adjustments in line or speed to avoid a dangerous situation.

Frankly, if you’re still experiencing lots of close calls, you’re not using your brain enough. If you don’t spot a driver about to turn left until he’s smack in front of you, it means you weren’t paying enough attention to traffic around you. If you come over a hill and suddenly have to brake hard to avoid a truck backing out of a driveway, that means you were riding too fast for your sight distance at the moment. It’s important to spot dynamic patterns that could lead to a collision, and take action soon enough to get out of the way. Veteran riders typically have few close calls because they have developed proficient mental skills.

There are a number of other riding skills books available by well-known motorcycle racers, including Nick Ienatsch, Keith Code, and Reg Pridmore. These "track oriented" books are helpful for fast cornering, but that’s also the drawback. They are focused primarily on track skills rather than riding on public roads. Whitehorse Press has reworked the MSF’s book, "Motorcycling Excellence" into a second edition that now includes tidbits of advice by various famous road racers plus some traffic scenarios by an author you’ll probably recognize. This is a good book to give to any new riders in your circle of friends. It might help them avoid a fatal accident while they’re figuring it all out.

Please. Let’s get smarter about riding on public roads. Stupid hurts."

Happy and safe riding for 2013 !!!

[TheDementedDrummer]

Very interesting read
But it's people like the bikers mentioned in the article who give the rest of us a bad name, and make our time on two wheels miserable

[akcalhoun]

great article and very true. too often i hear stories about motorcycle wrecks, and people tend to act as if motorcycles are wild evil animals that are out of control. i think if more people realize that no matter the circumstances of a wreck, if you wreck on ur bike its ur fault. awareness and personal attitude is what ive noticed all the guys ive met that have 20+ years experience with no wrecks have in common.

[LiquidShell]

Very informative. Thanks for posting the article. Too bad not many will read it in its entirety or take the author's advice. I will be ordering one of the books listed in the article.

It's sad there are people willing to gamble with their lives and that of others everyday. I've met plenty of ppl who learned to ride from a friend or cousin who has had no training and are ingrained with bad habits that they are looking to pass-on to beginner riders. (Not this one)

Originally Posted by akcalhoun

awareness and personal attitude is what ive noticed all the guys ive met that have 20+ years experience with no wrecks have in common.

I think that's saying a lot: awareness and attitude is what separates the sensible from the senseless.

Stay Safe in the New Year.

[JeffM]

But eventually most of us realize that what’s really important is to know what trouble looks like, and how to avoid riding into it.

Most important statement in the whole article.

About the books: Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough and More Proficient Motorcycling along with Nick Ienatsch's Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track are must haves for all street riders.

Contrary to what David Hough says about the more track oriented books, Nick's book does cover a lot of street skills that follow up Hough's book.

Get them and read them over and over again.

Jeff

[chef]

Great article & glad i took the time to read it entirely.
I see the same things here everyday & it scares the heck out of me to see the way many people ride,extreme speed on crappy roads,unlicensed teenagers on pretty quick scooters,belching rust ridden trucks.
I take my life seriously & while i have been riding 10 years accident free,its only luck,not experience & almost hit by a car who pulled in front of me last night in torrential rain,luckily i anticipated his move & started to brake,the back wheel locking & a bit of an oh sh.t moment before regaining control,skills which i have taken notice of being discussed here in many threads.
For the past year i have been trying to obtain some books such as twist of the wrist to reduce my chances of accident & improve skills,unfortunately all the big companies wont ship here.
Safe travels.

[EternalNewb]

Eeeeep. Read through, and being a mostly LA-Orange County rider, I kind of cringed. Sometimes I think I ride my ninjette more like a scooter because of the need to be overly cautious, but I guess that's better than being a squid, as long as I'm safely going traffic speed, right?

[ally99]

Good article! I love Hough's stuff. Man makes sense.

[choneofakind]

Great article Hernan! Thanks for sharing it with us. I see so many of those points that stand out in my mind because of my experience with riding.

[Motofool]

[MrChau]

Great read Hernan. Excellent article to kick-start my Saturday morning. Even with my limited experience/time riding I do see many of the points in the article being reflected around my neighborhood too. A common them I see is: no gear, speeding, and blatant disregard of the rule of the road. Glad I'm not like them. I feel as though I ride because I like to ride, but many people do it just to show off and just to look "cool" when they ride like a-holes. It does give other riders a bad name.

[JELY1990]

Thanks for posting and bumping this Hernan; I didn't see it when you originally posted it. Great article and I agree with what he is saying. Of all the riding gear I've acquired, the most important pieces are the knowledge and skills I've gained through reading and practice. Most recently my emergency braking saved me when a car cut in front of me on the freeway and traffic went from 70mph to stopped immediately after.

[LNasty]

Had it not been for motorcycle school I would have no idea that when cornering you do the opposite of what would seem natural, counter steering. Msf was the best thing I could have ever taken. Plus our trainer was an ex CHiPS cop, he could do the tightest figure eights I have ever seen, on a 800lb Harley.

[kxpower?]

@Motofool

Could you put up a link to this to share with some other riding friends?

Great article!

[Alex]

I added this link to Hernan's original post.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Alex

I added this link to Hernan's original post.

Thanks, Alex !!!

[Motofool]

http://www.motorcycle.com/rider-safe...nce-91333.html

[capt_bugaloo]

Very good article. It reminds me of something we were told when I took my riding course in 1992:

"Don't be a show-off. Never be too proud to turn back.
There are old pilots and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."
- E. Hamilton Lee

It's just as true for motorcycles as it is for aircraft.

[Motofool]

[chemist]

This is a REALLY good article guys! It really does bring around the importance of seeing trouble and getting out of it before you have to perform any sort of "emergency situation."

One of the main things that struck home with me at my MSF course was actually one of my instructors stories. He has been riding for 30-40 years and never wrecked. I was always under the assumption that eventually everybody goes down. Granted, I am sure some of it is him being lucky but I bet he is really good at seeing trouble and avoiding it rather than just being really good at emergency braking and swerving.

Ok, one question: I live in a very hilly and beautiful area but this also brings about some spots where the speed limit is 55 going over a blind hill. Usually when I see blind drive at this hill I slow down to a speed that I know I can stop at immediately if a car is there however what about situations without the blind drive sign? Do you always slow below the speed limit to account for the unknown? Do you let your knowledge of the area and road ahead dictate your speed? For now, with traffic, I just give myself a larger buffer between the car in front of me if I am going up over a hill and don't have line of sight.

[Motofool]

Two fatal accidents have happened in South Florida this week:

http://www.wptv.com/news/region-s-pa...-in-boca-raton

http://www.wsvn.com/story/29075452/f...-in-plantation

Same common cause: the left turner.

Related threads:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=97999

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=217355

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=80343

Please, be careful, be aware, be ready to perform the proper evasive maneuver

[cadd]

Good thread! Great info. It's unfortunate that some riders got injured or passed away

[Motofool]