Safe Riding

When I tell people I'm a motorcyclist, a common reaction is to say that motorcycles are so dangerous. During my hospital internship rotation at the Emergency Department I found that there was a special colloquial term attributed to motorcycles - "donorcycles." Yes I will admit there is an added danger to riding a 2 wheeled vehicle without an external body frame to absorb the impact of a crash, but I also will say riding motorcycles is not something everyone should do.

If you think about vehicular accidents logically, starting from cars and then progressing towards motorcycles you will realize why there are so many accidents. Out of the population of car drivers there's a portion that never should have received their licenses because they are terrible driver - people that have gotten into multiple accidents. Of the motorcycle population, some of these riders are derived from the multiple car crash population. With the dangers of riding and the necessity to be very vigilant and precise while riding a motorcycle, these people with terrible motor coordination encounter hospital visits almost a few months within having received their motorcycle license.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation provides incredible safety instruction and will help save rider's lives. In the courses they offer they teach you situational lessons that you may never have thought of on your own. For example, when riding in a lane there are 3 sections to the lane (left, center, right). Riding on the left side is the safest after the first rain because oil and water mixtures, which will make the rider fall if ran over, will be in the center, and riding on the right side will create the need for the driver in front of you to check his passenger mirror before seeing you (most likely on the left they will check the driver's side mirror). Another example is a reaction to the most common motorcycle accident - passing through an intersection with cars that have a yielding green. Motorcyclist should be aware of this fact and be extra cautious when passing through intersections keeping a keen eye on that yielding car. If it starts to turn, be prepared to quickly swerve right and then left and accelerate out of the situation.

Many people tend to freeze under pressure and lose control of the situation. If the rider takes control of the situation there's less of a chance that they will find themselves in a crash. And of course full gear should be warn all the time when riding a motorcycle, just in case there is a crash.

The Not So Intuitive Methods of Countersteering & Leaning

In a car one turns the steering wheel to the right to turn right, on a bicycle one pushes the left handlebar away to make a right turn at slow speeds, on a motorcycle under approximately 10 mph the steering is operated like a bicycle, but over approximately 10 mph in order to turn right one needs to press against the right handlebar. This is the phenomenon of countersteering - pushing on the handlebar on the side in which you wish to turn.

The video above explains countersteering visually and is a great resource for new riders. It is also very important to look "through the turn" as many experienced riders would say because it allows your body to position and prepare for what's to come ahead.

Motorcycles are also known for leaning when countersteering. Unlike 4 wheeled vehicles which can change the angle of the front two tires in respect to the back two tires to initiate a turn, in a 2 wheeled vehicle the front tire stays in line with the back tire and the side walls of the tires are used to grip the road.

In a motorcycle lean the rider first repositions his or her seating so that their buttocks is half off of the seat  and the rider positions the head around the area of the mirror in the direction desired to turn. Upon pressing on the handlebar side using countersteering the motorcycle will naturally lean in that directions and the tire sidewalls will take care of the grip to make sure the rider does not crash. The reason for the natural lean is because by positioning the body off-center in the direction desired to turn, the center of gravity is changed more towards the the rider's new body position. In order to stabilize itself, the motorcycle leans initiating the turn.

http://www.michelinmotorcycle.com/index.cfm?event=pilotpower2CT
The Michelin tire company depicts the lean angle capability of one of the model tires they manufacture and is a good example of how far sportbike tire technology has come.

Learning From Experts

With almost anything in life, there's an initial learning curve and continued education thereafter. With more experience on the road than when I first started 5 years ago, I can say that I feel more confident riding on the street than ever. But everyday I'm riding there's a continual training of my reflexes. According to Behavioral Psychology, T. Wheatley and D. M. Wegner of Harvard University, Automaticity is the idea that "automatic thoughts and behaviors are ones that occur efficiently, without the need for conscious guidance or monitoring." Essentially, upon first learning to ride a motorcycle one must continually keep in mind when to pull the clutch in and how smoothly to accelerate after shifting gears, but as time passes the movements start to occur unconsciously.

We often wonder how Kobe Bryant of NBA is able to make countless 3-point consecutive shots, Tiger Woods of Gold win successive PGA Tournaments, Raphael Nadal of Tennis win 9 Grand Slam titles, and Valentino Rossi of MotoGP rank top 3 in seasons from 1997-2010.

These experts of their respective fields have a talent, the ability to master Automaticity. They are able to continually stay at the top because they are able to unconsciously let their minds handle the busy work, while they focus on learning new techniques. From watching the MotoGP series, many motorcyclists are inspired to take their motorcycles to the track and work towards mastering a lap. These professionals are able to so smoothly take turns while hitting the apex and staying on the driving lines. Simply by watching these experts and taking note of how they approach turns one could easily improve ones riding skills. Lap times are indicative of performance and are a great way of tracking progress. A Lap Timer such as the one shown below is available for commercial purchase:

It shouldn't be expected to match these professional records, but by attempting to increase the lap time a motorcyclist can work towards progress. Learning from experts, applies to any practice - with persistence you will get better.

Want To Become A Motorcyclist?

I often get the question - how long have you been riding? I respond truthfully, since 15.5 years old I've been riding motorcycles. Actually having been qualified for my M1 license before my class C license, I needed to take my Class C driving license test in order to validate my M1.

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course is offered at various Community Colleges and for California is supported by the California Highway Patrol. A highly recommended medium of obtaining your license, simply because you're given a motorcycle and helmet to learn on, are taught many safety steps which can help save your life in those clutch situations, and your driving portion of the M1 is tested on the last day - meaning all you will have to do is take the written test at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) of your state in order to obtain your M1.

Before acting on your interests, make sure you plan your financing! You're going to need a starter motorcycle (250cc engine is ideal), ATGATT (all the gear all the time), and maintenance money. Motorcycles are built on two wheels, which means mechanically they need to be in pristine condition in order to maximize safety.

Below is a picture of my starter motorcycle:

Many people try to start out with too much too fast. A 250cc motorcycle will allow you learn the fundamentals of riding and allow for training of your reflexes while minimizing speed and power in turns.

Currently my 2007 Suzuki GSXR600 requires an oil change every 3,000 miles, chain lube every 1,000 miles, and tires every 5,000-10,000 miles depending on the tire compound and how rough I accelerate. The misconception that incredible gas mileage converts to major money saving is truly a myth. A dealership such as Bert's Megamall can charge you upwards of $120 for an oil change, while tire changes can cost you at least $300.

My goal in writing this post is not to dissuade people from riding a motorcycle, but to critically analyze the finances before impulsively splurging on this hobby.

Introduction To Motorcycle Maintenance - Low Idling

The following is an excerpt of a diagnostic troubleshooting for a modern sportsbike with low idling/stalling. I happened to encounter this with my 2007 Suzuki GSXR 600 recently and thought I'd share how I went about solving the problem:

   
My mechanic and I figured out after much trial and error, that I needed to get my valves adjusted (this job was extremely over my head). He ended up replacing 10 of the 16 shims and adjusting the other 6 to specification. My bike has 8 intake and 8 exhaust valves, so 2 intake and all 8 exhaust were bad. My bike has ~27,000 miles on it and has NEVER had the valves even checked.
For the novice, please let me explain. These high performance engines require lots of maintenance. And not in neglect, but in ignorance did I miss checking the specifications of my valves. I just never heard about this type of maintenance and simply kept riding.


Below is a picture of the rpm meter:

At high rpm's (much higher than your average car) the engine wears out much faster, and when the valves become out of adjustment you can lose your engine in ~30,000 miles.
Mechanically I'm pretty competent - I DIY (Do It Yourself) all of the following on my gsxr: oil & filter change, air filter change, spark plug replacement, coolant drain, flush, and replacement.

A high performance engine will certainly impact the shims of the valves as they loose millimeters affecting power output greatly. 

Typical Valve Adjustment Values (quoted from my mechanic):
Ducati = Every 6k
Suzuki = Every 15k
Yamaha = Every 26k


If the motorcycle is struggling to stay idling, one of many things could be wrong:

1. Turning the idle a quarter turn clockwise to raise the idle and see if it solves the problem.
2. Air filter & spark plug replacement. If the engine can't breathe, then it will stall also along with gas mileage being affected as well. This is usually a good indication of a bad air filter and/or spark plugs. 
3. Secondary butterfly valves by the throttle body could be stuck closed. They should open wide when the motor is cold. 
4. If the secondary throttle bodies move then reference your motorcycle make's forums on how to check to see if your TPS (Throttle Positioning Sensor) is working correctly. You might also try the bike's dealer mode (look this up on forums, usually a paperclip connection under the seat) to see if it throws a code letting you know your TPS is bad.
6. If all this fails I'd then start thinking about your valves and getting them adjusted with some shims replaced.



For Suzuki the idle rpm should be about 1200-1600. For Yamaha, this R6-forum explains how to adjust the idle:

"The idle adjustment screw is on the right hand side of the bike right under the fairing. Basically if you are sitting on the bike, (riding position) it would be right under your knee. Turn it to the right to turn up the idle. Have it idle at about 1,000 RPM. Or maybe try a little lower, and work it up little by little until it can hold steady."


Great starter forum sites depending on your Make:
Suzuki: http://www.gixxer.com/
Yamaha: http://www.r6-forum.com/
Honda: http://www.600rr.net/
Kawasaki: http://www.zxforums.com/

Welcome to the world of DIY! Be prepared to save lots of money and still make this hobby affordable!

-RazorMD