Motorman's Tips & Tricks

Here’s a conversation I recently had at a local bike night. 

Joe Biker – Hey, aren’t you that motorman guy that does all those fancy turns and stuff on TV?

Me – Yeah, I guess that’s me.

Joe Biker – I saw you at Destination Daytona last year, funny show.

Me – Thanks.  Have you been using any of my tips?

Joe Biker – Who me?  I don’t need that stuff.  I’ve been riding for 20 years and I only had to lay the bike down once. 

Me – Did you get hurt?

Joe Biker – No, not too bad.  I broke my ankle and got some road rash, though my bike was totaled. 

Me – Why did you lay the bike down?

Joe Biker – There was nothing else I could do.  Some jerk turned right in front of me at a light.  It all happened so fast, all I could do was lay it down.

Me – Why didn’t you swerve around him or use both your brakes? 

Joe Biker – I didn’t have time.  He just pulled out in front of me.

Me – Since the crash, have you been practicing your swerving or braking skills?

Joe Biker – Naaa, I told you, I know how to ride.

Me – OK, good luck, you’re gonna need it.

It’s been my experience, rarely will anyone admit they’ve screwed up or that they have very limited skills.  Especially men and especially bikers.   Your ego can get you killed or seriously hurt. 

Let’s read between the lines of Joe Biker’s words and see if we can figure out what really happened.

 1.    Joe Biker is obviously approaching an intersection.  Intersections are the number one place for a crash.  Does his 20 years of riding experience tell him to slow down and cover both brakes?  Obviously not.  How do I know?  He says he had to lay the bike down.  Translated, that means he slammed on the rear brake and the bike slid on the ground.

2.  How do I know he didn’t slow down?  Had Joe Biker slowed down, he                   would have had more time to make a decision whether to brake or swerve.

3.  “It all happened so fast, all I could do was lay it down”.  Translated, I wasn’t looking 12 seconds ahead.  By the time I saw the threat, it was too late.  If you look as far ahead of the motorcycle as possible, you will recognize a potential threat long before it becomes an actual threat.  Once you recognize a potential threat, you should be able to come up with a plan.  That could be first, slow down, cover both brakes and look for an escape path.  The sooner you recognize a threat, the more time you have to react and the less chance you’ll have to test your emergency braking abilities.

1. “I had to lay it down”.  We’ve established Joe was not paying enough attention.  That means everything that happened, according to Joe, happened very quickly.  Does anyone think that Joe said to himself, ‘Hmmm, a car is turning right in front of me.  I think I’ll slam on my rear brake just hard enough to cause the bike to quickly slide on the ground so the bike will cushion me as the bike slams into the car”?  Of course not.  Joe panicked and did what all car drivers do, slammed on the brake pedal and hoped for the best.  Once Joe slammed on that brake pedal, the laws of physics took over.

The point of this story is, look as far ahead of where you’re riding (or driving) as you can.    Doing so will allow you to see the situation unfolding slowly and you’ll have plenty of time to take the proper action.  That way, you won’t have to test your skills on the road, which of course, is the worst place to practice your skills or lack thereof.

I’ll be doing my rider skills shows at the Great American Motorcycle Show in Norcross, Georgia this month on the 8th, 9th and 10th.  The event is held at the North Atlanta Trade Center, 1700 Jeurgens Court, Norcross, GA 30093.  Stop by and see the shows.  You’ll be learning while you’re laughing and enjoying the demonstrations I put on with my Ride Like a Pro team of riders.  I will have all my Ride Like a Pro DVD’s available at my booth inside, as well as outside in our riding area.

Don’t forget to visit my website, www.ridelikeapro.com.  You can order any of my videos directly from the site or call my toll free number, 866-868-7433.  My safety tips articles are there for you to read as well.  Remember folks, practice is the key.  ‘Till next month, keep the shiny side up.

Ride Safe,
Ride Like a Pro Team