October 2020 Newsletter

From the President:

Drifters,

Last month I mentioned the MC Rider videos and how valuable they are. Well, I’ve been watching a few of them and thought I’d share a few things. One of the videos taught the proper way to stop on a motorcycle. This was not an emergency stop, just the normal stop like at a stop sign. If you’re like me, you’re thinking you can skip this video. I know how to stop a motorcycle. I’ve been stopping motorcycles for 50 years. 

But I also saw another MC Rider video where the instructor said motorcycling is not for everyone. Some people recognize that it is not for them and they don’t ride. There’s another group that shouldn’t be riding but they don’t recognize it. He lists 5 signs of people in this group. One of the signs is they are a know-it-all. They are unwilling to learn new techniques.

Not wanting to fall into the know-it-all category I watched the stopping video. And I learned I was doing it wrong. The best technique is to apply front and rear brakes until the last 5-10 mph and then use only rear brake. This decreases the amount of weight shifted to the front wheel and keeps the bike in better balance. I had been using both brakes, all the way to a full stop. So I’ve been practicing this new technique and I like it. My bike is already top heavy and using the front brake all the way to the end just makes the front end even more top heavy. The new technique just makes it easier to control at a stop. I still find I sometimes revert back to my old technique. I need to continue practicing until the new way is automatic all the time,

By the way, the other signs that motorcycling may not be fore you are:

  1. You lack self discipline. You don’t use proper riding techniques. For example you can’t resist getting on the throttle.
  2. You’re a know it all.
  3. You believe the small bike myth. Small bikes are for new riders and they are not any fun. You don’t want to start learning to ride on a small bike.
  4. Your suffer from road rage.
  5. You don’t understand the rules of the road.

You can find this video here.