As a first year rider [I started in April/May of 2008], I'm seeing less opportunity for me to ride. My 6am commutes are getting pretty cold less than 60 F-degrees air temps, more deer sightings and less daylight, so it got me wondering about how I did with developing my riding skills set this first year.
What do you think you're top two riding skills are and do you make it a part of every riding experience? What is one riding skill you feel you still need to work on?
My top two skills are scanning and mixing it up safely with the traffic flow. I like to think that it's my highly visible gear, lane management and riding behavior that has made my first year incident-free. The only real hard braking I've had to do is stopping for a traffic lights.
I feel like I still need to work on cornering. Most days I get speed and lean just right, but every now and then I get a little sloppy.
So, I may be lamenting that I won't be riding much more after October, but we're closing the riding season with one last vacation and hoping for some decent riding weather!
I don't think I've put in nearly as much road miles as you, as I don't commute daily. What I work on varies a bit, depending on what I've noticed has seemed to lapse or needs improvement. At first, it was quick stops and turning from a stop without stalling. Then it was swerves and making my curves follow the outside-inside-outside rule. Now, I've noticed that I have dropped my line of sight where I am not scanning the horizon nearly as much as I used to--partly because of city potholes and the like, I think, but I need to spend less time noting them and more time looking to my solution. Also, as much as 50% of my stops are not very smooth.
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Civility and democracy both require effort.
In order to keep riding you need better equipment. Windshield, windproof and insulated jacket and pants, thick gloves, light bar with 2 x 55w driving lights and maybe an upgraded headlight bulb should keep you riding down to near 35 degrees/0 C.
There's no reason to stop riding until the snow flies.
So, this is my first season riding. I've (so far) managed to put about 8,000kms on my Nighthawk this year. I need to learn how to tone it down as I always seem to find myself exceeding the speed limit somehow...
Also, I find myself getting overconfident in my abilities. This put me in a couple "iffy" spots this summer. Nothing really dangerous, but bad enough that I cut a ride short once, went home and put the bike away for the night.
Keeping my head up and scanning isn't really a probelm, I do that all the time in my car and on bicycles.
Now the weather is getting cold, I figure I've got maybe a month left if'n the snow doesn't come early this year. Its been a great experience, finally getting into motorcycling after wanting to for most of my 33 years.
I'm also first year (started in June). Just topped 4200 miles. Strangely, I stalled a few times during the 200 mile ride I did today--something I hadn't done for a while. Seems to happen late in the ride when my hands are tired.
I think I've done pretty good at keeping my confidence in sync with my (limited) abilities. There were only two instances where I did things I wasn't really ready for: once when I went to a friend's house to show off the bike a week after I got it, and then once when I had to ride it back to the shop for some work.
I'm still a little iffy going 70 mph on interstates, but only because I've only done it 5 or 10 times. I also have to keep reminding myself that it's now deer rutting season. Most of my riding is in rural areas, and the deer are active even during the day light.
MZ33 wrote:I don't think I've put in nearly as much road miles as you, as I don't commute daily. What I work on varies a bit, depending on what I've noticed has seemed to lapse or needs improvement. At first, it was quick stops and turning from a stop without stalling. Then it was swerves and making my curves follow the outside-inside-outside rule. Now, I've noticed that I have dropped my line of sight where I am not scanning the horizon nearly as much as I used to--partly because of city potholes and the like, I think, but I need to spend less time noting them and more time looking to my solution. Also, as much as 50% of my stops are not very smooth.
One thing I try to do on every stop is get on both brakes and while squeezing the front brake say one thousand one from the time I start squeezing the brake until the lever is completely closed. This allows for a smooth stop and does not lock up either wheel.
Wish I could say this was my idea. It is not. It came from reading David Hough's "The Profecient Motorcyclist."
On June 30th, I had an accident. A cager ran a red light and I panicked and grabbed the front brake while turning. [/b]I went down and broke my leg and ankle in five places. Still recovering.
Since the accident and having a lot of time to read and hopefully get better
I asked James Davis, motorcycle guru his advice how to get more profecient when I get back on my bike.
Here are his comments.
There are only four fundamental controls on your motorcycle that you need to master: The clutch lever, the front brake lever, the throttle and the rear brake pedal.
Since the first two can save your life while the second two can take your life, it makes sense, at least to me, to MASTER the first two before trying to become proficient with the second two.
Your accident demonstrates that you are not yet proficient with the clutch lever or the front brake lever. That suggests to me that you have no business taking your bike out onto the public roads yet.
You should NEVER stall your bike when starting out from a dead stop - not ever. If that happens from time to time, you need to review your understanding of the clutch lever and the friction zone, and then practice 'playing' with the clutch lever in as many different scenarios as you can manage to dream up. SMOOTH, EASING of the clutch lever both into and out of the friction zone is to be your method. And once you are absolutely confident and competent with the clutch lever for controlled activity, you THEN practice 'GRABBING A HANDFUL OF CLUTCH LEVER' while SMOOTH, EASING OF THE front brake lever to maximum braking pressure so that a 'panic' stop maneuver is a no-brainer. You build the muscle memory and keep it in place with a few 'emergency stops' on that parking lot.
THEN you need to learn how to use your FRONT BRAKE lever when your bike is not vertical (is in a turn.) OF COURSE you can use that brake while in a turn, BUT NOT TO STOP YOU!!! A brake is not an on/off switch, it is a valve that controls your deceleration rate. If you want to scrub a little speed you can ALWAYS use either brake to do that and you do NOT have to be vertical to do so. But if you need to STOP, whether in an emergency or not, you must get your bike vertical before that stop. So, you need to practice stopping while in a curve and learning as a result just how much braking pressure you can apply while leaned over - because there will be times when you CANNOT get it vertical before you begin slowing down.
Anyway, you have read all of that before. In direct answer to your question, I would NOT retake the BRC or ERC but would, instead, commit a good bit of time to doing parking lot practice with specific PERSONAL objectives in mind each time.
Your goal is NOT to become the world's best motorcyclist - it is to become ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT that you CAN do what it take, whatever the situation, and NOT HESITATE in the process to think through how to do what you intend. Control is your objective, not shortest stopping distance, not looking pretty or relaxed or anything else. If you look like a rank beginner while managing to bring your bike to a safe stop under the worst imaginable situation, you done good and enough!
This will help me and I hope it helps some of you.
Often I find myself scanning through posts here, not reading the entire thing. Not so with the one here by TexasPhotographer. I'm putting it into my "read-over" pile. Thanks, and here's to a quick recovery and back to riding.
Mike 
