From: parr@acs.ucalgary.ca (Charles Parr)
Subject: Re: braking power lessons (was Re: I won? (NOT!))
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 92 14:03:25 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

In article <1992Oct6.204515.23110@ccu.umanitoba.ca> klinger@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Jorg Klinger) writes:
>In <1992Oct5.200404.29794@news.columbia.edu> scs8@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Sebastian C Sears) writes:
>
>>In article <888@zx11.UUCP> joe@zx11.cactus.org writes:
>>>scs8@cunixb.cc.columbia.edu (Sebastian C Sears) writes:
>>>]hit the front brakes as hard as I dared,
>>	[stuff axed]
>>>I have no idea how you would discover this braking capacity on a non-ABS bike
>>>since achieving that goal can be a bad thing...
>
>>	Well if you think I can't brake you can just go to.... Oh, I'll
>>	keep reading...
>
>>>btw: this in no way is meant to imply that Sebastian needs work on braking,
>>>     it's just a thought that came to mind...
>
>>	In fact I had been wondering how to practice my panic braking safely
>>even before this happened. Now I'm really wondering. I got home after this
>>accident to find a message on the answering machine from my father saying
>>we were signed up for the ERC course, concentrating on accident avoidance.
>>Little late, Dad....

     Not at all. Now you can prevent the *next* fall.

>  Try this. Find a deserted piece of dirt or gravel road and at low
>speed (15-20mph) quickly lock your brakes and release (to get the feel
>of a slide and the jerk as it recovers).  Release
>automaticaly/instantly, don't wait for the slide. Once you know what a
>slide feels like start to modulate your braking to find out how close
>you can get before it locks up. Become accustomed to recovering. Next
>try it on pavement, and finally on wet pavement. You might as well.
>Sooner or later everyone locks up the front wheel in the rain. 
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
     For the underlined above: Which makes it no less stupid
     to lock up your wheels at any time. Sure, you will, but
     remember to feel very stupid. Remember to kick yourself
     for your riding incompetence. remember to feel sheepish,
     and resolve to practice more. Remember these things and
     you will avoid Painful Reconstructive Surgery.

     Do it with someone around to cart you off to the hospital,
     okay? This is dangerous as hell. Now, I'll admit that this 
     is what I did as well, and it's saved my life on a couple
     of occasions, but keep a buddy around okay?

     And for the sake of christ (selling girl scout cookies),
     start with rear brakes *only*. Much easier to deal with
     than a two wheel slide.

> Now if only someone could tell me how to safely learn to deal with a sliding
>front wheel in a cornering/braking situation ie. going too fast
>through a tight cloverleaf only to find some jerk who does't know how to
>merge stopped near the exit. Hard braking in a corner scares me big
>time.

     Well, there are a number of ideas for you here. The first is
     that a front-wheel-only slide while leaned is Very Bad News.
     I will go so far as to say that if you escape a crash in 
     the event of a front wheel slide, you did it Because You
     Are a Lucky Bastard.

     The real answer to this problem is to see the moron and
     *assume* he is going to be stupid in whatever fashion
     will be maximally dangerous to you. You will usually
     be pleasantly surprized, and find that the bozo is 
     actually only doing something to middling piss you off.

     Besides, why stop? Go around him...Your bike is only 3ft
     wide at the most. Remember to kick in his door or spit
     on him (if you are an open face guy, and he's in a
     convertible this is very satisfying. If you're in a
     full face, it's kind of stupid).

     Sheesh!
-- 
Within the span of the last few weeks I have heard elements of
separate threads which, in that they have been conjoined in time,
struck together to form a new chord within my hollow and echoing
gourd. --Unknown net.person
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles