2Wheeltips

“A Man's Got to Know His Limitations”

(Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry, Magnum Force 1973)

 Lately I’ve been looking on line at some of the videos on motorcycle crashes. You can do a “google search” and find several web sites (www.motorcyclecrashes.net) that have some really disturbing stuff, which is what prompted me to select this topic to write about. I think the quote from the movie Magnum Force is very appropriate because it seems to be human nature, particularly with the “high testosterone manly macho types”, that they are far more skilled and invincible than how truth would have it. It’s not just an error in judgment I’m referring to, but a belief, due to ignorance, ego inflation or having no realistic reference point to measure from, that their skill level is much greater than it actually is. Alcohol definitely enhances this state-of-mind so it only adds fuel to the proverbial fire!! How else can you explain a rider with a passenger who is dressed in tank top, shorts and flip flops from doing a wheelie on a sport bike, losing control of the bike and putting her on the tarmac? This is an extreme example but let’s talk about some examples of lesser but equally problematic situations where riders get in way over their heads.

I have read several recent article where riders purchase bikes in locations that are far away, fly there to pick them up and ride them home. Some large dealerships even promote this idea with “fly and ride” specials. This can be an exciting adventure but the rider is not going to be familiar with this new/used bike and riding it for the first time in an area that is strange to them. They have not taken the time to ride the new bike in a more controlled and familiar environment to take the time to acclimated to it and or find out if everything works OK (other than a parking lot shakedown) and or get proficient with the controls. Net result is the ride turns into a nightmare with breakdowns and crashes due to either maintenance problems with the bike or controls working  differently (brakes/clutch/throttle) than what the rider was expecting. Here is a classic example of not understanding the limitations and condition of a new bike and not allowing yourself time to adjust to them.

Speed is another area that is repeatedly talked about and well documented. The single biggest reason for motorcycle crashes where no other vehicle is involved is excessive speed going into corners. I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this as it is talked about over and over again. Being able to ride fast on a well known road you are very familiar with is one thing. To do it on a road you’ve never ridden before is extremely ill advised. I did a 300 mile ride this weekend on roads I had not ridden before. I ride the speed limit and well within my skill level but at some of the intersections and curves I encountered gravel from the berm that had been dragged on the road by tractor trailers and was all over the corners and intersections. I had to slow down to parking lot speeds to make some of these turns it was so bad.  So traveling high speed going into unknown conditions on unfamiliar roads regardless of what you think your skill level is can present unwelcome surprises.

About 2 years ago I had just upgraded the stock seat on my cruiser for me and my wife’s added comfort. We purchased some pricey gel pads to boot. We normally rode in the 150 mile range and with the new seat and pads could do so with no aches or pains. Well, I had the bright idea of doing a Saturday trip of just a tad over 300 miles to evaluate how far we could ride to determine if we could do longer weekend trips. That idea wouldn’t have turned out quite so bad if I’d left my wife at home and just let myself be the “guinea pig”. The ride out was fine and we stopped and had lunch about 160 miles out. The ride home was a disaster!! I started getting sore about an hour into the ride home and so did my wife. It just got worse and worse until the time we finally made it back. I was almost afraid to take my helmet off as I though she was going to punch me, and rightly so!! It was a stupid experiment where I did not understand the limitations of the bike regarding comfort based on ride time and or number of miles. Rather than having a great riding day it became a torture test and ended in a big fight. It turned out to be a memorable experience alright but for all the wrong reasons. Certainly this was not a life threatening situation but still makes my point that not knowing your limitations, and that of your bike, causes unnecessary stress and can severely diminish, if not out-right ruin the positive experience we expect from this sport.

The other point I want to touch on is how weather can seriously impact your abilities requiring you to adjust your level of limitations, usually downward. Severe hot or cold temperatures can significantly reduce your comfort level and mental alertness. Ride time, range and intervals between breaks need to be adjusted accordingly. Rain and wet roads reduce traction requiring reduced speed and increase ride time. Fog reduces visibility and causes you to strain to see ahead which accelerates mental fatigue. We have a lot of wind in Iowa even through the summer months. If you are going to ride here you have to be able to ride in 20mph – 30mph wind or your bike will get way more garage time than road time. When it gets much over 30mph I head home and park the bike. I did that twice this year because it’s so hard to judge the wind in the city limits with buildings all around. Once you get out into the open country what you thought might be a tolerable wind day many times is not. The physical demand of riding a bike in sustained winds over 20mph is far greater than in low or no wind situations. I tire much more quickly and will cut my ride time by half if not more.

Well, that wraps up this article. I hope it gave you some things to ponder and will keep you focused on what your true limitations are and how not to exceed them. Just remember “Clint’s” words of wisdom.