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Westword Riders

The Pace

This article is by far the best advice and guidance ever written for proper riding on the street. I use it every time on every ride. Glad to see it here again.

Nick Ienatsch's article on The Pace

Reprinted w/o permission as originally published in Motorcyclist, Nov 91.

Racing involves speed, concentration and committment; the results of a mistake are usually catastrophic because there's little room for error riding at 100 percent. Performance street riding is less intense and further from the absolute limit, but because circumstances are less controlled, mistakes and overagressiveness can be equally catastrophic. Plenty of roadracers have sworn off street riding. "Too dangerous, too many variables and too easy to get carried away with too much speed," track specialists claim. Adrenaline-addled racers find themselves treating the street like the track, and not surprisingly, they get burned by the police, the laws of physics and the cold, harsh realities of an environment not groomed for ten tenths riding. But as many of us know, a swift ride down a favorite road may be the finest way to spend a few free hours with a bike we love. And these few hours are best enjoyed riding at The Pace.

A year after I joined the Motorcyclist staff in 1984, Mitch Boehm was hired. Six months later, The Pace came into being, and we perfected it during the next few months of road testing and weekend fun rides. Now The Pace is part of my life--and a part of the Sunday-morning riding group I frequent. The Pace is a street technique that not only keeps street riders alive, but thoroughly entertained as well.

THE PACE

The Pace focuses on bike control and de-emphasizes outright speed. Full-throttle acceleration and last minute braking aren't part of the program, effectively eliminating the two most common single-bike accident scenarios in sport riding. Cornering momentum is the name of the game, stressing strong, forceful inputs at the handlebar to place the bike correctly at the entrance of the turn and get it flicked in with little wasted time and distance. Since the throttle wasn't slammed open at the exit of the last corner, the next corner doesn't require much, if any, braking. It isn't uncommon to ride with our group and not see a brake light flash all morning.

If the brakes are required, the front lever gets squeezed smoothly, quickly and with a good deal of force to set entrance speed with minimum time. Running in on the brakes is tantamount to running off the road, a confession that you're pushing too hard and not getting your entrance speed set early enough because you stayed on the gas too long. Running The Pace decreases your reliance on the throttle and brakes, the two easiest controls to abuse, and hones your ability to judge cornering speed, which is the most thrilling aspect of performance street riding.

YOUR LANE IS YOUR LIMIT

Crossing the centerline at any time except during a passing maneuver is intolerable, another sign that you're pushing too hard to keep up. Even when you have a clean line of sight through a left-hand kink, stay to the right of the centerline. Staying on the right side of the centerline is much more challenging than simply straightening every slight corner, and when the whole group is committed to this intelligent practice, the temptation to cheat is eliminated through peer pressure and logic. Though street riding shouldn't be described in racing terms, you can think of your lane as the racetrack. Leaving your lane is tantamount to a crash.

Exact bike control has you using every inch of your lane if the circumstances permit it. In corners with a clear line of sight and no oncoming traffic, enter at the far outside of the corner, turn the bike relatively late in the corner to get a late apex at the far inside of your lane and accelerate out, just brushing the far outside of your lane as your bike stands up. Steer your bike forcefully but smoothly to minimize the transition time; don't hammer it down because the chassis will bobble slightly as it settles, possibly carrying you off line. Since you haven't charged in on the brakes, you can get the throttle on early, before the apex, which balances and settles your bike for the drive out.

More often than not, ciccumstances do not permit the full use of your lane from yellow line to white line and back again. Blind corners, oncoming traffic and gravel on the road are a few criteria that dictate a more conservative approach, so leave yourself a three- or four-foot margin for error, especially at the left side of the lane where errant oncoming traffic could prove fatal. Simply narrow your entrance on a blind right-hander and move your apex into your lane three feet on blind left turns in order to stay free of unseen oncoming traffic hogging the centerline. Because you're running at The Pace and not flat out, your controlled entrances offer additional time to deal with unexpected gravel or other debris in your lane; the outside wheel track is usually the cleanest through a dirty corner since a car weights its outside tires most, scrubbing more dirt off the pavement in the process, so aim for that line.

A GOOD LEADER, WILLING FOLLOWERS

The street is not a racing environment, and it takes humility, self assurance and self control to keep it that way. The leader sets the pace and monitors his mirrors for signs of raggedness in the ranks that follow, such as tucking in on straights, crossing over the yellow line and hanging off the motorcycle in corners. If the leader pulls away, he simply slows his straightaway speed slightly but continues to enjoy the corners, thus closing the ranks but missing none of the fun. The small group of three or four riders I ride with is so harmonious that the pace is identical no matter who's leading. The lead shifts occasionally with a quick hand sign, but there's never a pass for the lead with an ego on the sleeve. Make no mistake, the riding is spirited and quick--in the corners. Anyone with a right arm can hammer down the straights; it's the proficiency in the corners that makes The Pace come alive.

Following distances are relatively lengthy, with the straightaways---taken at more moderate speeds--the perfect opportunity to adjust the gaps. Keeping a good distance serves several purposes, besides being safer. Rock chips are minimized and the highway patrol won't suspect a race is in progress. The Pace's style of not hanging off in corners also reduces the appearance of pushing too hard and adds a degree of maturity and sensibility in the eyes of the public and the law. There's a definite challenge to cornering quickly while sitting sedately on your bike.

New rider indoctrination takes some time because The Pace develops very high cornering speeds and newcomers want to hammer the throttle on exits to make up for what they lose at the entrances. Our group slows drastically when a new rider joins the ranks because our technique of moderate straightaway speeds and no brakes can suck the unaware into a corner too fast, creating the most common single-bike accident. With a new rider learning The Pace behind you, tap your brake lightly well before the turn to alert him and make sure he understands there's no pressure to stay with the group.

There's plenty of ongoing communication during The Pace. A foot off the peg indicates debris on the road, and all slowing or turning intentions are signaled in advance with the left hand and arm. Turn signals are used for direction changes and passing, with a wave of the left hand to thank the cars that move right and make it easy for the motorcyclists to get past. Since you don't have a death grip on the handlebar, you left hand is also free to wave to oncoming riders, a fading courtesy that we'd like to see return. If you're getting the idea The Pace is a relaxing, noncompetitive way to ride with a group, you are right.

RELAX AND FLICK IT

I'd rather spend a Sunday in the mountains riding at The Pace than a Sunday at the racetrack, it is that enjoyable. Countersteering is the name of the game, a smooth forceful steering input at the handlebar relayed to the tires contact patches through a rigid sport-bike frame. Riding at The Pace is certainly what the bike manufacturers had in mind when sport bikes evolved to the street.

But the machine isn't the most important aspect of running The Pace because you can do it on anything capable of getting through a corner. Attitude is The Pace's most important aspect; realizing the friend ahead of you isn't a competotor, respecting his right to lead the group occasionally and giving him credit for his riding skills. You must have the maturity to limlt your straightaway speeds to allow the group to stay in touch and the sense to realize that racetrack tactics such as late braking and full throttle runs to redline will alienate the public and police and possibly introduce you to the unforgiving laws of gravity. When the group arrives at the destination after running The Pace, no one feels outgunned or is left with the feeling he must prove himself on the return run. If you've got something to prove, get on a racetrack.

The racetrack measures your speed with a stopwatch and direct competition, welcoming your agression and gritty resolve to be the best. Performance street riding's only yardstick is the amount of enjoyment gained, not lap times, finishing position or competitors beaten. The differences are huge but not always remembered by riders who haven't discovered The Pace's cornering pureness and group involvement. Hammer on the racetrack. Pace yourself on the street.

PACE YOURSELF

The street is not the track - It's a place to Pace

Two weeks go a rider died when he and his bike tumbled off a cliff paralleling our favorite road. No gravel in the lane, no oncoming car pushing him wide, no ice. The guy screwed up. Rider error. Too much enthusiasm with too little skill, and this fatality wasn't the first on this road this year. As with most single-bike accidents, the rider entered the corner at a speed his brain told him was too fast, stood the bike up and nailed the rear brake. Goodbye.

On the racetrack the rider would have tumbled into the hay bales, visited the ambulance for a strip of gauze and headed back to the pits to straighten his handlebars and think about his mistake. But let's get one thing perfectly clear: the street is not the racetrack. Using it as such will shorten your riding career and keep you from discovering the Pace. The Pace is far from street racing - and a lot more fun.

The Pace places the motorcycle in its proper role as the controlled vehicle, not the controlling vehicle. Too many riders of sport bikes become baggage when the throttle gets twisted - the ensuing speed is so overwhelming they are carried along in the rush. The Pace ignores outright speed and can be as much fun on a Ninja 250 as on a ZX-11, emphasizing rider skill over right-wrist bravado. A fool can twist the grip, but a fool has no idea how to stop or turn. Learning to stop will save your life; learning to turn will enrich it. What feels better than banking a motorcycle over into a corner?

The mechanics of turning a motorcycle involve pushing and/or pulling on the handlebars; while this isn't new information for most sport riders, realize that the force at the handlebar affects the motorcycle's rate of turn-in. Shove hard on the bars, and the bike snaps over; gently push the bars, and the bike lazily banks in. Different corners require different techniques, but as you begin to think about lines, late entrances and late apexes, turning your bike at the exact moment and reaching he precise lean angle will require firm, forceful inputs at the handlebars. If you take less time to turn your motorcycle, you can use that time to brake more effectively or run deeper into the corner, affording yourself more time to judge the corner and a better look at any hidden surprises. It's important to look as far into the corner as possible and remember the adage, "You go where you look."

DON'T RUSH

The number-one survival skill, after mastering emergency braking, is setting your corner-entrance speed early, or as Kenny Roberts says, "Slow in, fast out." Street riders may get away with rushing into 99 out of 100 corners, but that last one will have gravel, mud or a trespassing car. Setting entrance speed early will allow you to adjust your speed and cornering line, giving you every opportunity to handle the surprise.

We've all rushed into a corner too fast and experienced not just the terror but the lack of control when trying to herd the bike into the bend. If you're fighting the brakes and trying to turn the bike, any surprise will be impossible to deal with. Setting your entrance speed early and looking into the corner allows you to determine what type of corner you're facing. Does the radius decrease? Is the turn off-camber? Is there an embankment that may have contributed some dirt to the corner?

Racers talk constantly about late braking, yet that technique is used only to pass for position during a race, not to turn a quicker lap time. Hard braking blurs the ability to judge cornering speed accurately, and most racers who rely too heavily on the brakes find themselves passed at the corner exits because they scrubbed off too much cornering speed. Additionally, braking late often forces you to trail the brakes or turn the motorcycle while still braking. While light trail braking is an excellent and useful technique to master, understand that your front tire has only a certain amount of traction to give.

If you use a majority of the front tire's traction for braking and then ask it to provide maximum cornering traction as well, a typical low-side crash will result. Also consider that your motorcycle won't steer as well with the fork fully compressed under braking. If you're constantly fighting the motorcycle while turning, it may be because you're braking too far into the corner. All these problems can be eliminated by setting your entrance speed early, an important component of running the Pace.

Since you aren't hammering the brakes at every corner entrance, your enjoyment of pure cornering will increase tremendously. You'll relish the feeling of snapping your bike into the corner and opening the throttle as early as possible. Racers talk about getting the drive started, and that's just as important on the street. Notice how the motorcycle settles down and simply works better when the throttle is open? Use a smooth, light touch on the throttle and try to get the bike driving as soon as possible in the corner, even before the apex, the tightest point of the corner. If you find yourself on the throttle ridiculously early, it's an indication you can increase your entrance speed slightly be releasing the brakes earlier.

As you sweep past the apex, you can begin to stand the bike up out of the corner. This is best done by smoothly accelerating, which will help stand the bike up. As the rear tire comes off full lean, it puts more rubber on the road, and the forces previously used for cornering traction can be converted to acceleration traction. The throttle can be rolled open as the bike stands up.

This magazine won't tell you how fast is safe; we will tell you how to go fast safely. How fast you go is your decision, but it's one that requires reflection and commitment. High speed on an empty four-lane freeway is against the law, but it's fairly safe. Fifty-five miles per hour in a canyon may be legal, but it may also be dangerous. Get together with your friends and talk about speed. Set a reasonable maximum and stick to it. Done right, the Pace is addicting without high straightaway speeds.

The group I ride with couldn't care less about outright speed between corners; any gomer can twist a throttle. If you routinely go 100 mph, we hope you routinely practice emergency stops from that speed. Keep in mind outright speed will earn a ticket that is tough to fight and painful to pay; cruising the easy straight stuff doesn't attract as much attention from the authorities and sets your speed perfectly for the next sweeper.

GROUP MENTALITY

Straights are the time to reset the ranks. The leader needs to set a pace that won't bunch up the followers, especially while leaving a stop sign or passing a car on a two-lane road. The leader must use the throttle hard to get around the car and give the rest of the group room to make the pass, yet he or she can't speed blindly along and earn a ticket for the whole group. With sane speeds on the straights, the gaps can be adjusted easily; the bikes should be spaced about two seconds apart for maximum visibility of surface hazards.

It's the group aspect of the Pace I enjoy most, watching the bikes in front of me click into a corner like a row of dominoes, or looking in my mirror as my friends slip through the same set of corners I just emerged from.

Because there's a leader and a set of rules to follow, the competitive aspect of sport riding is eliminated and that removes a tremendous amount of pressure from a young rider's ego - or even an old rider's ego. We've all felt the tug of racing while riding with friends or strangers, but the Pace takes that away and saves it for where it belongs: the racetrack. The racetrack is where you prove your speed and take chances to best your friends and rivals.

I've spend a considerable amount of time writing about the Pace (see Motorcyclist, Nov. '91) for several reasons, not the least of which being the fun I've had researching it (continuous and ongoing). But I have motivations that aren't so fun. I got scared a few years ago when Senator Danforth decided to save us from ourselves by trying to ban superbikes, soon followed by insurance companies blacklisting a variety of sport bikes. I've seen Mulholland Highway shut down because riders insisted on racing (and crashing) over a short section of it. I've seen heavy police patrols on roads that riders insist on throwing themselves off of. I've heard the term "murder-cycles" a dozen times too many. When we consider the abilities of a modern sport bike, it becomes clear that rider techniques is sorely lacking.

The Pace emphasizes intelligent, rational riding techniques that ignore racetrack heroics without sacrificing fun. The skills needed to excel on the racetrack make up the basic precepts of the Pace, excluding the mind-numbing speeds and leaving the substantially larger margin for error needed to allow for unknowns and immovable objects. Our sport faces unwanted legislation from outsiders, but a bit of throttle management from within will guarantee our future.

THE PACE PRINCIPLES

* Set cornering speed early.
* Blow the entrance and you'll never recover.
* Look down the road
* Maintaining a high visual horizon will reduce perceived speed and help you avoid panic situations.
* Steer the bike quickly.
* There's a reason Wayne Rainey works out - turning a fast-moving motorcycle takes muscle.
* Use your brakes smoothly but firmly
* Get on and then off the brakes; don't drag 'em.
* Get the throttle on early
* Starting the drive settles the chassis, especially through a bumpy corner.
* Never cross the centerline except to pass
* Crossing the centerline in a corner is an instant ticket and an admittance that you can't really steer your bike. In racing terms, your lane is your course; staying right of the line adds a significant challenge to most roads and is mandatory for sport riding's future.
* Don't crowd the centerline
* Always expect an oncoming car with two wheels in your lane.
* Don't hang off in the corners or tuck in on the straights
* Sitting sedately on the bike looks safer and reduces unwanted attention. It also provides a built-in safety margin.
* When leading, ride for the group
* Good verbal communication is augmented with hand signals and turn signals; change direction and speed smoothly.
* When following, ride with the group
* If you can't follow a leader, don't expect anyone to follow you when you're setting the pace.

Big Bend NP Trip - Sunday

Monday, December 25, 2006
Big Bend NP Trip - Sunday,location: Texas ,Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ rocketbunny.blogspot.com

The morning dawned clear and cold. Anna woke me with the exclamation “There’s ice on your bike!”

Anna was headed directly to the campground, but I had a day of twisties planned. After getting breakfast and fuel, I headed north on SR-118.
(Click title:"Big Bend NP Trip - Sunday" to contine reading trip report)
See Map: Big Bend National Park to Davis Mountains State Park

Welcome to paradise

Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ bp3.blogger.com

The sun is slowly crawling towards the horizon and the shadows are just starting to get a touch long as I slide over in the saddle, feathered the front brake and dropped the bike down a gear before entering the beginning of a right-left-right-left sequence of escalating smiles, spectacularly wild opposing bends in the road and damn near daydream like excitement.

As each successive corner connects to the next and flips the other way, it’s hard to ignore that it’s the middle of the week, the roads are empty and it’s December. Somewhere in the back of my mind I can’t quite fathom that this is in fact real. That I’m here, today…

And that the old man is following right behind me.

We’re alone and yet we’re together, riding a curving oasis of a road up a rapidly rising mountain towards a three-hundred and sixty degree million-mile vista.

Emotionally it seems like it’s been a years since I last got a ride in with the old man. You get busy, your schedule is in state of flux, things slide, things move, and before you know it some of the most important aspects of life – the things you truly hold dear - inadvertently keep getting pushed to the sidelines. Keep getting mentioned in phrases that start with words like, ‘next’, ‘later’, or ‘soon’. Words that don’t turn into memories, they simply get displaced, along with a dozen other activities in the name of what needs to get done today.

But every so often you have to just say screw it, the memories are more important then the work.

In truth, I’m not quite sure how or when the old man and I hit upon the idea that it was time for a father-son ride in the new neck of the woods. But I’m glad we did. There’s something beautiful about being able to share new roads with old friends.

Continue reading ‘Welcome to Paradise’

“Welcome to paradise,” “That was simply dynamite!” he says again as I watch his mind process what he’s just experienced. “That’s as good a road as I’ve ever ridden”…

I smile back as I hear Milt say, “This is my first time up here, it’s beautiful!”


With gargantuan smiles hanging on our faces we enter Mother’s to grab a quick bite and catch up. The easy way to describe the place would be to say that it’s a classic rustic café - but in truth it’s got far more character then that would express. Somewhere in the middle of the pine tree meets comfort food aesthetic you realize that while this is in fact a famed biker hang-out, it’s also a warmer, friendlier, more congenial place to share a moment and spend some time with someone you care about.

Looking over the hand written menu on the wall, the old man keeps chuckling to himself. Partly because he’s already reliving his ride up here and perhaps also because he recognizes just how long its been since we jointly attacked a curvy road surface.

After a few seconds a gal’s face pops up behind the counter. “Welcome to Mother’s”, she says with a grin.

I smile back as I hear Milt say, “This is my first time up here, it’s beautiful!”

“Welcome to paradise,” she answers without missing a beat, “what can I get you?”

by: bp3.blogger.com(Twisting Asphalt Blog)

Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures

Motorcycle Safety Strategies for Avoiding Panic Braking or Swerving
By the time you recognize the danger, you have two seconds or less until impact. A motorcyclist, no matter how skilled, is more likely to stay upright if he learns how to avoid instead of how to react to dangers on the road. One of the authors of the famous Hurt Report—and a guy who has seen every sort of motorcycle crash concocted by man—offers 11 was to avoid getting into trouble. From the August 2005 issue of Motorcycle Cruiser magazine. By Jim Ouellet.


Illustration by John Breakey

When motorcyclists talk about safety and how to stay alive on the road, it's usually some variation on how to brake or—even worse—how to lay 'er down. The problem is that relying on emergency braking to get you out of trouble on your motorcycle is usually a really lousy strategy. Don't get me wrong—learning how to use your front and rear brakes effectively is a critical skill every rider should develop and practice. And when all else fails, there's no substitute for having a good DOT-qualified helmet on your head.

But relying on emergency braking or swerving to save your bacon is, I think, a dumb way to stay out of a crash. If a rider allows a situation to deteriorate to the point that he has to take emergency evasive action, he's probably toast.

Here's why: After detailed investigations of 900 motorcycle accidents in Los Angeles, the Hurt study (formally titled "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures") reported that the average time from the event that starts the collision sequence (such as a car beginning a turn across a motorcycle's path) to the actual impact was 1.9 seconds. A nearly identical research project just finished in Thailand reported the time at 2.0 seconds. In both studies, three-fourths of riders had less than 3.0 seconds between the start of the accident sequence and the crash. And keep in mind that riders don't always detect a problem the instant it begins. It may take anywhere from a quarter-second to a couple of seconds before something attracts the rider's attention.

Once the rider's attention is caught, reaction time begins. Most human-factors experts put average reaction time to traffic hazards at about 1.0 to 2.0 seconds, averaging around 1.5 seconds. If you swerve, add another half-second for the time delay due to countersteering and developing the correct lean angle before your motorcycle begins to head in the desired direction. Those delays leave little or no time for evasive action to succeed. About 30 percent of riders in the Hurt study took no evasive action at all, often because there was too little time. Even highly skilled braking usually won't do that much to delay your arrival at the crunch point.

Here's an example: Let's say you're going down the boulevard at the 35-mph speed limit when Joe Numbnuts turns left across your path. With reaction time and all, you've got one second left, so you do a highly skilled stoppie, bringing your speed down to 15 mph in that second. Your average speed during that one second was 25 mph, and you braked for 37 feet. If you hadn't braked at all, you would have covered that 37 feet in 0.72 seconds. So your highly skilled stoppie and nerves of steel delayed your arrival at the crunch point by about a quarter of a second compared to doing nothing at all. Is that enough time for Joe to clear his big SUV out of your way? Usually not. And few riders have as much as 37 feet in which to brake. Even worse, when faced with death or a world of pain seconds away, most riders do a miserable job of braking and swerving.

The Hurt Report found that riders with formal training (mostly California Highway Patrol and LAPD motorcycle officers, who had very demanding training and tons of time in the saddle) were no more likely to use the front brake than Melvin who learned to ride from his Uncle Clem. Or taught himself. Nor were trained riders less likely to slide out or highside when trying to avoid a crash. The point: No matter how good you think you are, don't count on overcoming the Pucker Factor when you're caught by surprise and think you're about to meet your Maker.

Instead of thinking you're going to save yourself with your lightning-fast reflexes and well-honed skills, you'll probably avoid a lot more trouble by working to prevent the situations where you have to rely on those skills.

1) Do all you can to make it easy for car drivers to see you. Probably 90 to 95 percent of car drivers who screw up say they never saw the motorcycle. Car drivers don't want to hit you. Honest. But some of them need extra help to know you're there. Do all you can to make it easier for them to see you. Use your high beam during the day. High beam is more conspicuous than low beam. Trading that cool-looking black leather jacket for something bright wouldn't hurt, either. (The only intentional crashes we ever saw in the Hurt study were marital disputes on wheels, with one spouse on the motorcycle and one in the car. You figure the rest.)

2) Freeways are good; surface streets are bad. Areas around shopping districts are the worst. Limited-access roadways such as freeways are good because car drivers can't turn across your right-of-way, so use freeways as much as you can.

3) In busy urban traffic, stay in the mix with the cars. Not out ahead of them; not behind. When you go through intersections where cross-traffic wants to use the pavement you own, stay right next to a car's front fender so you're not in the driver's blind spot and use the car as a shield. This is especially true at night because it's even harder for car drivers to distinguish a motorcycle from nearby traffic. Many riders who get picked off are the ones 30 yards ahead of a big clot of cars, or 20 yards behind.

4) Move away from potential hazards. If you're alone when you come up to an intersection where a car is waiting to cross your path, the more lateral distance you put between your path and the other guy's starting point the better. For example, if you're nearing an intersection where a car coming from the opposite direction can turn across your path, move to a lane closer to the curb. It'll make it easier for the car driver to see you, and give you more time to react, which is probably even more important than skilled braking.

5) Never assume the other guy has seen you. Keep your eye on a vehicle that's positioned where it could violate your right-of-way. When you've decided the other driver has seen you and you start looking farther down the road, that's the moment he'll choose to turn.

6) Take it easy when you're out carving canyons. As you approach a turn, pick out which rocks and trees look good to hit, because you don't want to hit the unfriendly ones (which, actually, are all of them). If you need a little extra time to run through this mental drill, let off the gas. And remember that if you hit a post-and-rail barrier, which is used to decorate the outside of a lot of curves, it will probably break every bone in your body.

7) No booze before riding. None. Ever. Your risk of causing your own crash skyrockets when you drink and ride. Riders with more than one beer in their systems are about 40 times as likely to crash as sober riders. And a drinker's favorite way to crash is by running off the road, which has a higher fatality rate than any motorcycle-car crash except head-ons because there are so many rigid fixed objects waiting to, uh, welcome you. Trees, fire hydrants, parked cars, culverts, the list goes on and on.

8) Split lanes on the freeway. It's safer than trusting the guy behind you not to rear-end you. In the Hurt study, more riders on the freeway got nailed from behind while staying in their lane than riders who crashed while lane-splitting. But don't go too much faster than the traffic flow and be really careful when coming up to a car with an open space in the lane next to it, especially if the lane with the space is moving faster than the one with the car.

9) Be patient with lost and distracted drivers. In residential neighborhoods, you should understand that the idiot in the car in front of you, the one who's poking along at 15 mph, is looking for an address. Cool your jets and hold back, because the second you try to pass him, he's gonna turn across your path into a driveway. The five or 10 seconds you lose waiting for this car to get out of your way is a lot less than the time you'll lose waiting for the cast to come off your leg.

10) Don't lay it down. You lose only about 8-10 mph every second you spend sliding on the ground while giving away your perfectly good skin. If you do a good job using both brakes, you can lose 15-20 mph every second you brake and save on band-aids, too. About the only time to put yourself down on the pavement is if you're on an elevated curve (like a freeway interchange) and you're about to hit the low outside wall. The wall is usually high enough to save your motorcycle but not high enough to keep you from flying off into the wild blue yonder. I've never seen a rider survive that fall. The government ought to raise those concrete retaining walls to at least chest-high.

11) A loud exhaust is not safer. By the time you're close enough for a car driver to hear you, he's already in your path. In fact, you run the risk that the driver will be so alarmed he'll stop dead in your path. On the other hand, loud exhausts sure work wonders for pissing off the people behind you and making 'em hate motorcyclists. If you're serious about staying out of an accident, make yourself seen, not heard. If you just gotta have a loud exhaust, find another excuse for it.

Lucky for me, I learned these things from seeing thousands of other people's crashes, because I think some of these strategies have helped me stay out of trouble on the road. This is fortunate, because I learned in my dirtbiking days that my own collision- avoidance skills usually suck. Seems that when things get really ugly I have this bad habit of puckering up.

Motorcyclist Jim Ouellet is one of the authors of the famous Hurt Report, "Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures," and has been studying motorcycle accidents since 1975. He has examined more than 2500 crashes, testified in the U.S. Senate and various state legislatures, helped train investigators and supervised the Thailand study of 1082 motorcycle crashes. He is on the staff of the Head Protection Research Laboratory. He can be reached at jim_ouellet@yahoo.com.

Reprinted w/o permission as originally published

Yosemite

i love that hwy. fast, smooth, and some nice twisties.... rocketbunny
I wish I had a chance to take more pics to share more of our experience
First day was hundreds of miles of twisties with few cars. Just scenic central coast backroads. I discovered new dimensions to Yosemite. The roads rock! My next trip is definitely gonna be back in the Sierras.

Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ http://rocketbunny.blogspot.com
(See additional Yosemite photos Page 13, Day 9) http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7137&referrerid=0
riding gear
proper gear
http://www.theoasisofmysoul.com/?p=127

Westword Ridders - 1st Annual Christmas Angel Gift Run

Westword Ridders 1ST Annual Christmas Angel Gift Run

"> 1St Annual Angel Tree Toy Run.
As Christmas approaches, We are taking the love of Christ to the children and parents of Yuba City Nazeren Fellowship's Angel Tree program. Assisting our home church in buying the gifts, wrapping, bagging, and delivering them to the families is our 1 st annual toy run. Take a bag of gift's in a car and a dozen bikes and mix in some children that had little or no expectations for Christmas and you have a recipe for a lot of smiles, a few tears and warm heart's all around as we give & deliver the gift's on behalf of their parents.

To find out more about Nazeren's Angel Tree For Children please see: http://www.ycnaz.org

windshield scratches

Nothing can be more frustrating than getting your windshield spotless. I found a couple of really great articles on ways to get this deed done without making your shield look like center ice at a Stars game. Now, if you are like me, I have done a lot of the things that they say NOT to do ... thus the research. Motorcyclecruiser.com is where I borrowed this pic and read their article. Fortunately my shield has never looked like this. Another really great article is found on the Tulsa windshield website. Fortunately my shield has never looked like this. Another really great article is found on the Tulsa windshield website. Reprinted w/o permission as originally published

Oil

How to choose engine oil for your car/bike

How to choose an oil for your car or motorcycle is a subject that is very close to the heart of many enthusiasts. I do not intend to go too deeply into the subject here as there is loads if information on the web for all to see.

Engine oil has changed over the years at a fantastic rate, Many people think that as they have an old design of engine any old oil will do, but at the end of the day, the oil stops metal parts grinding together whether the engine is old or new. There are three main classes of oil, mineral (the oldest), semi synthetic and fully synthetic. When only mineral oil was available, additive packages were combined with the oil in production, this meant that oil change intervals were driven by the life of these additives, when they started breaking down, the oil needs changing. There were bottles of additives that could be added to extend the life a little such as Wynns or STP. With the synthetic oils additives were not needed in such great quantities so oil change intervals were extended. Synthetics also allowed the oil manufacturers to fix the viscosities (thickness) better with out additives so that the oils would last much longer.

Viscosity has also changed over the years, a 20W50 mineral oil is not as good at lubricating as a 5W40 synthetic because the latter has longer chain molecules to keep metal parts away from each other. The first figure is the viscosity of the oil when cold, this is very important. It may be a lower number than the second figure but that does not mean that the oil is thinner. Most engine wear happens on start up and a 20W** oil could take 10 times as long to get to parts of the engine than a 5W** would. This means that for a couple of hundred engine revolutions, some parts of the engine will be running without oil.

The second figure is for when the engine is hot. The oil is still thinner than when it was cold despite the number being higher. A **W40 synthetic will lubricate better than a **W50 mineral due to the long chain molecules. If you think of these molecules as hair cuttings on a flat piece of metal with a ball bearing rolling about on it, it is obvious that hair cuttings that are a quarter of an inch long would not keep the ball bearing away from the metal as well as cuttings 2 inches long.

The other advantage to a synthetic is the temperature tolerance. If you heat a mineral oil in a frying pan to around 150C, the additives will break down and you will end up with treacle, and that does not lubricate at all. If you do the same with synthetic, there are very few additives to break down and you will still have oil above 190C. People may think that their engine never gets that hot, but in some parts of the engine it may do.

Motorcycle oils are a little different in that they are designed to also lubricate gearboxes in some bikes and the grinding of gears on an oil requires different properties. Most bikes, apart from BMWs and some others also have wet clutches that run in oil. If you want your clutch not to slip then why run it in oil? BMW bikes will be quite happy with just normal car engine oil.

Synthetic oil is what many HGVs use, this allows them to have 50,000 mile oil change intervals. Many modern diesel cars specify only fully synthetic oil and have change intervals up to 20,000 miles.

So why do BMW specify an oil change every 6000 miles? Well, they know that people will chuck any old oil in their bike, and the dealers need to have something to keep them in business. BMW cars manage 20,000 mile oil changes (on fully synthetic).

Here on the continent, synthetic oil is not the hard to find expensive stuff that you find in the UK. It is on all supermarket shelves for around 20 euro for 5 litres.

In Judes bike we use a 5W40 synthetic and in mine a 5W50. The reason for the difference is that mine has less than 10,000 miles on it and still vibrates through the bars at some speeds, when mine is also run in it will get 5W40 too.

Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ http://bikesindordogne.blogspot.com/

Canadian Rockies, Kaslo to Nakusp

Video slideshow of a motorcycle ride through the Canadian Rockies, Kaslo to Nakusp, on one of Canada's best motorcycle roads. http//silverwinger.blogspot.comSee map route: http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=1fyvvsmt

Darel's Yahoo! photos - Albums

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/darelabbott/album
">Heaven.mp3

What’s a Biker?

The moment I swing my leg over the seat. Then it’s my time—just me and the machine and the wind, a daily dose of freedom.

What’s a Biker? A Biker is not just one who owns a motorcycle. There are numerous people who own multiple bikes, but never ride them. A Biker is someone who owns and rides a motorcycle, and not merely as a means of transportation. Being a Biker means taking a motorcycle on long journeys, day and night, rain or shine. And a Biker loves being on the road and the heightened sense of their surroundings. A Biker respects nature, being so close to it so often. A true Biker cares less what you ride and more that you ride. A Biker is adventurer, one who transcends normal life, welcomes the freedom of open motion, and the ecstasy and peace of mind gleaned from it. A Biker is a generous and respectful person, who helps those in need and believes in “live and let live”. And a Biker is driven by spiritual, rather than material needs.

Sutter Buttes Loop

Sat 16 Dec 2006, Met Kirt, Willie & Lisa, & Bob at the Quick Stop on Onstadt & Northgate @ 8AM. We rode to Gridley in frosty 35 degree weather. After our monthly meeting, 6 bikes rode around the Sutter Buttes and back to Willie & Lisa’s for a warm-up by the fire and some coffee! See the map route: http://mapshare.delorme.com/Consumer/V.aspx?p=41dghst6

Westword Ridders

(Click on photo to see more photos)

How to

http://howto.werideonsundays.com/2006/12/14/can-spray-painting/

« How to clean old dirt bikes plastics»
Can Spray Painting
Some tips on how to use a can spray when painting. Most can sprays are quick to dry. Different brands have different characteristics. The distance you spray is a very big factor on the outcome of your work. If your paint job becomes powdery, you are spraying too far meaning that the paint dries before contact. If you paint job has drips, maybe you are spraying too close or too much.
When you are finished using the can spray it is a good practice to turn the can spray upside down and spray about 2 times to clean the nozzle. Air will be sprayed out but not the paint. Don’t over do this because the can will lack air pressure to push the paint out.
I always stock non-gloss black can spray paint. It is very easy to use and even a monkey can get good results. I use it for rusted chassis, cheap bumpers, rack/carriers, mirrors, rims, handles, etc. Your bike might not look perfect but it will look better.
Sticky Cables
If you have a sticky or stiff brake/clutch/accel cable you can try this. First check the cable if it is still worth repairing. Check for cable bents, rust, etc. Put the cable in a pan of kerosene/ pain thinner/ parts cleaner/ oil/ Coca-Cola, overnight (just experiment…). Try if the cable will move and if it does, move the cable wire until it’s movement is smooth. Spray WD-40/CRC/ deep penetrating oil and continue until the oil comes out from the other end (take your time and don’t rush or you might bend the cable). You can also use silicone spray or engine oil if you like.
How to use carburator cleaner and engine conditioner
Using the carb cleaner has pros and cons. The good thing about carb cleaner spray is that it will clean the inside unwanted deposits (carbon build up and sludges). Doing a full carburetor overhaul is the best thing to do but if you want to clean the valves a bit, engine conditioner and carb cleaner is for you. Remember that these chemicals will damage palstic and rubber parts so be very careful when you use them. If you are working on a carburetor or EFI, it is best to put a rag under the carb/EFI and be careful not to drip these chemicals especially on electronic parts. Don’t get too paranoid because they won’t give damage to plastic and rubber parts that easily.
1st get your engine to warm up. Remove the airduct from the air filter. Get a rag and spray the chemical on the rag. Open the flap and stick your finger in and clean the area especially the edges of the flap.
If you want to go further to clean the valves a bit, spray in the carb cleaner/engine conditioner inside the throttle body but make sure that you try to minimize (best if none will enter) the hole just in front of the flap on EFIs because these holes are mostly for idling unit. Do this while the engine is running to get best results but for EFIs with air flow meters, it is best to do it while the engine is not running because if you take the duct the engine will stall. You can still do it but you have to stick in a long hose and redo the clamps. Spray around the throttle body and control the engine’s throttle by pulling the cam or cable. DO NOT OVER DO THIS AND DO NOT OVER REV. If you do this for a long time there may be oil shortage on the valves and you’ll fck the engine. There will be lots of white smoke from the exhaust and try not to inhale the smoke. I quarantee that a normal person without asthma will have asthma if he sucks too much of this white smoke. While doing this, the engine will run funny or will stall but after the routine, your engine should run OK and if not do a full carb overhaul.
It is not advisable to to this on 2 strokers especially for racer models because most racers oil mixture is low. It will basically clean the ports but I advise that you dismantle the parts (cylinder, exhaust) and decarbonizes it manually because manual cleaning is better.
After doing this, spray a bit of CRC/WD-40 on the pivot point on the flap and put the parts back together. Now remove the spark plugs and clean it with a wire brush because there will be soot build-up in the plugs. Start the engine and give it some quick revs until the white smoke is not visible anymore.
There are times that people will think that the carb needs an overhaul but there are times that the vacuum hoses cracks up and engine condition is unsatisfactory. Older Nissan Sunny is famous for this.
Again be very careful using carb cleaners and engine conditioners. If you spill some amount below the unit, wash it out with water ut be careful not to let water enter the spark plug hole or the distributor.
Dead battery and electrical components
I want to share this:
I bought a dead bike and I found out that one of the components of the CDI burned. I bought a CDI and just replaced it. I jump started the bike and the engine worked properly but after several minutes, the CDI burned again. What I did is pulled out the main wiring and stripped all the tapings, checked for continuity, checked the rectifier, fuse box, relays, alternator’s continuity, pick-up coil, coil, meter unit, etc… everything but I couldn’t find anything wrong. Again I bought another CDI and this time with the complete wire harness plus the rectifier, fuse box, relays, and coils.
What I did was jump started it by using a portable power booster that I use for jump starting cars (most stupid thing that anybody can do)… CDI component went bananas again. I forgot that my power booster gives a higher voltage especially when fully charged. Now I have 3 dead CDI’s. I opened the CDI and changed the power up component, checked the diode, chip continuity, board continuity, etc and placed a new Yuasa battery (I love Yuasa). The bike started and I checked the voltage coming out from the alternator. The bike is now sweet and working perfectly.
I called the bike shop where I bought the bike and asked some of the bike’s history. He’s a monkey and don’t know Jack s**t about electricity. My conclusion is that the bike’s battery went flat and couldn’t accept charging from the alternator that fried the CDI. The bike shop guy jump started the bike without changing the flat dead battery and normally it will fry something. I fried the 2nd CDI because I didn’t check the battery if it would accept charging. The 3rd time was another basic stupidity that I forgot that my power booster gives a higher/stronger voltage. Sometimes I forget the basic stuffs and repairs are time consuming, expensive and exhausting and to accept the fact that I’m a dumb monkey who’s not using his coconuts.
Always check your battery if it will accept charging and never use a dead flat battery that will not accept electricity coming from the alternator. Never use a very strong power booster to jump start a bike just like what that monkey did because electrical components are very delicate. If you do not know how to check a dead flat battery, first connect the power booster to the battery and leave it there for about 10 to 15 minutes BUT remember NOT TO TURN ON THE IGNITION KEY. After 15 minutes, disconnect the power booster from the battery. Turn on the key and turn on the marker lights or the head lights. If you don’t see the lights to power on, the battery is probably very dead and it may not accept recharging from the alternator. If you have a DC voltage tester, use it because it is more reliable.
CDI/ECU, digital meters, dynamos, etc are repairable. Some people thinks that they are not repairable Some of them are very hard to open because of the glue, rubber, sticky silicone thing, and some of the units maybe casted or sealed. And again, some are repairable and some are not. Also always check the electrical connectors for deterioration, dirt, weak contacts and wire connection to the connectors. It is wise to file, sand paper, scratch the connectors to maximize, electrical flow. It is also a good practice to spray deep penetrating oils like CRC, WD40, etc but never use non conductive oils.
Improvise
There are time that you may have to use what is around you. There are some repair tasks that requires specialized tools. There are times that you will need special tools if you are planning to be very serious with repair but do not forget that basic tools and improvised tool can take you a long way. I find using a shovel as a lever (for lifting the wheel) perfect for changing the rear tire of a bike (especially big bikes) . The shovel acts like a spoon and holds the tire very well.
I don’t have a press or a tire changer and I use a truck’s rig to detach the tire from the rim’s bead (tubeless tires). It works OK. Large C clamps does the work also especially for bike tires. I tried using the rig as a press to repair my trials engine guard but I was not successful. It works well for some off road engine guards but my trials engine guard just won’t bend… I need to use a proper press to do the repairs… Some works and some doesn’t.

Video Clips

Video Clips


http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6178043709180164205&pr=goog-sl
This is AWESOME.. I think they are riding smaller VFR's but I have never seen anyone handle a bike like this... It's like ultra tight motorcycle autocross!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6196022306077640440&pr=goog-sl
Description: What happens when you're foolish, and lack the basic sense of fear? This is a short clip of someone speeding! Needless to say, it ends up in a pretty spectacular crash.

http://www.zippyvideos.com/197881770396015/crashes_-_motorcycle/
Following to close!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9163595449705820423&pr=goog-sl
Crazy illegal speeds, the video camera is strapped to the gas tank, bike is in speeds up to 300 Kilometers!

Eternal Riders

As a member of Eternal Riders, Oroville Chapter of CMA, I assisted in delivering Christmas cookies to Biker Shops & their patrons in Yuba City and Marysville. Other members also are delivering in these communities, as well as in Oroville, Chico, & Gridley. Our purpose is to reach as many Biker’s needs as possible w/ the message “We’re here if you need us”

http://www.oroville-eternal-riders.org


CMA Christmas gift baskets

CMA

Terms used in Motorcycle Specifications

(Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ motorcycles.about.com)
http://motorcycles.about.com/od/roadtestsreviews/a/motospecterms.htm
Definitions of Terms used in Motorcycle Specifications that appear on this site.

Engine:

Type:
No. of Strokes: Engines in motorcycles discussed on this site are all four-stroke. There are two-stroke engines as well. Also, don't confuse four-stroke with four-cylinder or two-stroke with two-cylinder. They are totally different. The four strokes in a four-stroke engine are defined as follows:
Stroke 1 - Intake valve(s) open, piston moves down, sucking in the air/fuel mixture.
Stroke 2 - All valves closed, piston moves up, squeezing the mixture.
Stroke 3 - All valves still closed, spark plug ignites the fuel/air mixture, pushing the piston down.
Stroke 4 - Exhaust valve(s) open, piston moves up, blowing the old charge out the exhaust valves.
A short version is Suck, Squeeze, BANG, and Blow.

Cooling: An engine can be liquid-cooled by running coolant through the engine and exchanging the heat via a radiator like a car. It can also be air-cooled by airflow over fins on the engine. Another variation is oil-cooling where engine oil is circulated in the engine and its heat exchanged by a small radiator. There are even oil/air/fan cooling systems.

Valves: Valves are used as mentioned above. There may be one or more valves used for intake and exhaust. The specs may indicate how many valves are used per cylinder or for the whole engine. Terms such as SOHC (Single OverHead Cam) and DOHC (Double OverHead Cam), etc. are used to indicate how the valves are opened and closed. There are other methods to operate the valves as well.

Number of Cylinders: Engines can have one to six cylinders.
A single-cylinder engine, sometimes called a thumper, is used in small bikes.

Most bikes have engines with two-cylinders arranged in many configurations including: V-twin where the cylinders are spaced at a particular angle to each other; Parallel twin where the two cylinders are right next to each other in a vertical position; and Flat-twins where the two cylinders are opposed such as in BMW Boxers.

Engines may have more than two cylinders such as: Triples where three cylinders are lined up next to each other in a vertical position; In-line fours similar to a triple except with another cylinder added; V-4 engines such as used in Honda ST1300; V-6 engines such as used in Boss Hoss; Flat-six engines such as used in Honda Gold Wing 1500/1800s.

There are other engines not described.

Displacement: Displacement is the volume displaced in the cylinders of an engine as the pistons move from their bottom position to their highest position in the cylinders. Displacement is measured in either cubic centimeters (CC) or cubic inches (CI).

Bore and Stroke: Bore is the diameter of the cylinder in the engine in which a piston moves up and down. Stroke is the distance that the piston moves up and down inside the cylinder.

Fuel System: Either carburetor(s) or fuel injection is used to control the mixture of air and gasoline and prepare it to be sucked through the intake valves and into the cylinders during Stroke 1, described above. Specs usually identify the carburetor name and how many carburetors are used. Fuel injection comes with different names such as Fuel Injection (FI), Digital Fuel Injection (DFI), Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI), Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), etc.

Compression Ratio: Here's a definition from Motorcycles Forum moderator, Bill Wood:
"Think of Compression Ratio this way: When the piston is at the bottom of the cylinder, say you could pour 100cc of water into the sparkplug hole (both valves closed) and it would be full. When the piston is at the top of its stroke, you can only pour 10cc of water into the hole to fill it. The compression ratio would be 100 to 10 or 10 to 1. That's about as easy to understand as I can make it. Oops, forgot to say -- Higher compression ratios (in general) will let the engine make more power, require higher octane gas and be harder for the starter to turn over."

Maximum Torque: Torque is described as twisting force. This is the maximum amount of twisting force the engine can put out and at what value of engine Revolutions Per Minute (RPM). Put simply, torque is the "grunt, stretch your arms, push your eyeballs into their sockets" quality when you aggressively use the throttle and accelerate hard. The higher the number, the more forceful that feeling is.

Maximum Horsepower: This is the maximum amount of horsepower delivered by the engine. It occurs at a particular engine speed. Horsepower (HP) and torque are interrelated with RPM by the formula HP = TORQUE X RPM / 5252.
Drivetrain:

Transmission: The specs may show the transmission as 4-speed, 5-speed, 6-speed, or an automatic transmission such as found in some bikes and most scooters.

Final Drive: The final drive is what connects the engine and transmission to the rear wheel. Options are a chain, belt, or driveshaft.

Brakes: There are many brake systems given in motorcycle specs. The usual system is a disc front brake controlled by the right handlebar brake lever and a rear disc or drum brake controlled by the rightside foot brake pedal. There are also Linked Braking Systems (LBS) where use of either the front brake lever or the foot brake will activate both front and rear brakes. A variation on LBS is the Integrated Braking System (IBS) where the foot brake also controls a portion of the front brake.

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In some integrated braking systems, the front brake will also control a portion of the rear brake.

Disc brakes are made of a rotor that is attached to the wheel and a caliper that is fitted over the edge of the rotor. The caliper contains one or more pistons under hydraulic pressure that, when activated by a hand brake lever or foot brake pedal, will push against the brake pads that then contact the rotor to create friction that stops the bike. There are fixed rotors and floating rotors. The floating rotors can move and expand and contract thereby allowing less heat to be generated and braking performance to be increased.

Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS) may also be part of a motorcycle braking system. ABS uses computer controls to keep the brakes from locking by applying and releasing the brakes very rapidly, always just short of a lockup.

Front Suspension: Springs and shock absorbers are used in various configurations to provide a comfortable ride. The concepts used for both front and rear suspensions are similar but the configurations of springs, dampers, and links are quite different.

Spring pre-load is the amount of compression already in the spring before applying any load. Many systems allow you to adjust the pre-load to suit the expected road conditions or rider preferences.

Most motorcycles use a telescopic front suspension consisting of two fork tubes containing springs and some method to control their motion. When brakes are applied, the front end tends to dive because of weight transfer. When the bike hits a bump, the spring also compresses to absorb the shock. To keep the spring from bottoming, some form of compression damping is used. As the spring comes back up, rebound damping is used to control its travel. Without damping, the spring would propel the rider up and down in pogo stick fashion. Many bikes have methods to control and adjust compression damping and rebound damping and these are spelled out in the motorcycle specs.

Most telescopic front forks have a smaller top portion that is pushed into a larger lower portion. A variation on this is the inverted fork where the fork tubes are essentially turned upside down with the upper portion sliding down outside the lower portion.

BMW uses a Duolever front suspension that still has telescopic front forks but the damping is provided by a shock absorber that is placed in back of the forks. This configuration effectively separates braking, steering, and suspension forces and eliminates dive when braking.

Rear Suspension: Today, most bikes use a swingarm system that is laterally fastened to the frame in front of the rear wheel and moves up and down in an arc. Two arms extend back and hold the rear wheel. One or two shock absorbers connect between the frame and the swingarm to provide spring action and appropriate damping. Some bikes use a single-sided swingarm.

Older bikes had no rear suspension and were known as hard tails. Many bikes today have hidden rear springs and shocks to give a hard tail look but a soft tail ride. The Harley-Davidson Softail line is an example.

Use of springs that become progressively more widely spread from one end, allows a spring to give a good ride on normal surfaces but also handle sharp hits from the road as well. These are called progressive springs. Another approach is to use a standard single rate spring but connect it to the wheel using linkages that change the leverage on the spring thus making it into a progressive type system. So called link-type rear suspensions, usually using a single shock, are examples.

BMW uses a Paralever rear suspension that employs two universal joints on its driveshaft to allow the suspension to move through two angles in a parallelogram fashion.

Tires: The first two numbers in a tire size indicate the width of the tire and the height of the sidewall. For example, 240/40 indicates that the tire width is 240mm across the tread and the aspect ratio is 40. The aspect ratio, expressed in percent, when multiplied by the width gives the height of the sidewall. Thus, the example tire size tells us that the tire is 240 mm wide and the sidewall is 96mm high (0.40 X 240).

Various Dimensions:

Seat Height: Seat height may be given as measured with a rider aboard (laden) or it may be given unladen. Riders may be interested in the seat height to tell them how easy it will be for them to get their feet flat on the pavement when stopped. See my Seat Height article.

Rake and Trail: Rake is the angle of the fork away from vertical toward the rider. Trail is the distance on the ground between a vertical line dropped straight down from the center of the wheel and a projection of the fork extended until it touches the ground. As the rake increases, the trail increases. The more rake, the more stable the handling at speed. As rake decreases, handling becomes easier at low speeds.

Wheelbase: This is the number of inches measured from front axle to rear axle.

Weight: Weight may be given as wet weight with all lubricants, liquids and gasoline added or it may be dry weight with nothing added.

Fuel Tank Capacity: Capacity is usually given including reserve tank.

olive farm tour

Butte View Olive Company

(Click on photo to see album)

After the CMA (Chrisitan Motorcycle Association) meeting, Keith invited us to tour his olive farm. It was raining and all attendees rode cars instead of bikes to our monthly meeting (open to everyone, 2nd Sat of each month at the Cornucopia Restaurant, 8 AM daylight savings time or 9 AM standard time).http://www.oroville-eternal-riders.org/

Biker songs mp3

Songs mp3

Heaven.mp3
Life.mp3
Sasquatch.mp3
Rednecks.mp3



Touring quality of the GW


• Comfortable touring motorcycle
• The stereo has programmable buttons, the saddle bags and trunk are thick solid and firm
• Backrest is another noteworthy comfort for both the passenger and driver.
• The machine feels powerful, rides very smoothly and protects the rider and passenger from the wind.

• Equipped with gas shocks and a so-called airbag suspension system that is hooked up to the standard Gold Wing air compressor system

• I did not have an emotional tie to the Gold Wing. It lacks the sexiness, but if I were going to go cross-country, I would chose it.

• It is difficult to beat for wind protection, general ride, and stability. But it lacks the versatility of my Suzuki 1400 Intruder, and is 350 pounds heavier.

Hwy 36

A roller coaster ride! See more California tours at pashnit.com Hwy 36 has to be one of the best motorcycle roads anywhere. Have I said this once before? Then let me say it once more. If you’ve never ridden this road, you have to come out here and ride it. The road surface is well maintained, the ride is smooth and fast. Twisting through endless miles of beautiful northern California wilderness, this is a “must ride” road, and well worth going out of your way for. Another Map of Hwy 36

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7137&garpg=21

See more roads for CA :

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/images/ca_map.jpg

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/

Touring in Northern California

(Reprinted w/o permission as originally published @ http://howto.werideonsundays.com & starry-gurl.blogspot.com/2006/12/motorcycle-touring-in-united-states)
http://starry-gurl.blogspot.com/2006/12/motorcycle-touring-in-united-states.html
Motorcycle Touring in the United States

Motorcycle Touring in the United States is unbelievably fun and many people who have toured Europe and the United States on a Motorcycle often say that they had more fun in the United States. We simply have more scenic highways, roads, forests, canyons and space to do it in than in Europe’s largest countries. Motorcycle touring in the United States is truly the epitome of freedom.

Often as one travels the United States you see folks on motorcycles with saddle packs and gear stopped for a break and when you talk to them you find they are touring our nation on motorcycles. Well at the price of fuel that is a good way to do things. Some of these people are from the United States and some are from other countries enjoying the Euro Strength against the Dollar and they are having a literal blast cruising the highways and back roads of America.


Camping on a Motorcycle

All your camping gear has got to fit inside that limited space.
Camping on a motorcycle can present a real challenge, because you can't carry much weight or volume, and there are few places to store your equipment on a motor bike.Your motorcycle should already have it's own small tool kit, but it could be wise to carry a spare inner-tube and a pump. In case you get a flat tire 50 miles from nowhere. Here's where membership of an auto club would be a good idea, just as carrying a cell phone (mobile phone) would also be cheap insurance.

The only other thing you need when camping on a motorcycle is a sense of humor and a large helping of common sense. You also need to show courtesy for other road users. For camp lighting carry a small flashlight and / or a candle. Some will take a mechanic's 'trouble light' which has a long cord and runs of the motorcycle's 12 volt battery. If you're going to be in a campground with mains electricity, by all means carry a mains-powered 'trouble light'. A change of clothing and extra socks and underwear. Toilet kit - toothbrush, toothpaste or powder, half a bar of soap (or a small cake or soap from a hotel), a small towel, comb, a few band aids, some asprin or Tylenol pain killers, and any feminine hygiene stuff or prescription medicines needed.

Hennessey Hammock Hennessy's 5 hammock models including the 2.5 pound Expedition ($119; 888-539-2930 www.hennessyhammock.com ) can be suspended in less than 3 minutes. You enter the Expedition through a bottom side slit that automatically Velcro's together once you're inside. And you can sleep anywhere there's a pair of trees, over almost any terrain, including the sharp rocks, steep slopes, fetid swamps, and steaming buffalo dung that typically foil tents. Unlike backyard hammocks, the Hennessy has a proprietary "integral ridgeline" design that maintains the shape of the hammock and helps you sleep level on your back and just as comfortably on your side. The Hennessy Hammock is shy on floor space and pretty much useless above tree line, but for solo campers who trek in forested terrain, its birth may mark the end of tent bound nights.

Tires for Street Motorcycles

Buying tires for street motorcycles is only the beginning of the process of owning a pair of tires. It should always be remembered to buy good tires for street motorcycles, and to keep them properly inflated. This is because, however well constructed a tire may be, it may fail in its use as a result of punctures, improper inflation or overloading. New tires should never be subjected to maximum power or hard cornering, as this lessens the life of the tire.

When buying tires for street motorcycles, never mix radials with non-radials. Nor should a tube be fitted in a radial motorcycle tire, nor a radial tire be fitted on a rim requiring a tube. To maintain tire safety and mileage, always maintain the motorcycle’s recommended air pressure in both tires. Riding on tires with too little air pressure is dangerous, builds excessive heat and also increases fuel consumption. Similarly, riding on tires with too much air is dangerous, as the tires may break or puncture on sudden impact. Overloading a street motorcycle causes excessive heat to the tires, which may inflict serious personal injury.

All street motorcycle tires have the tire size specified by the manufacturer. The letters S, H, V and Z found after the size marking on tires are the speed ratings. It is very important to correctly match front and rear tires, as riding motorcycles with improper mix of radial construction tires is dangerous. Even fitting a new front tire with a worn rear tire may cause instability. All tire manufacturers recommend their tires not be used in excess of legal speed limits. This is because riding at high speed is dangerous, and can cause motorcycle accidents. Some tires for street motorcycles have letters bearing ‘speed rating’ designations that indicate the tires’ design speed capability. This is to allow comparison of the different speed capabilities of tires, to replace speed-rated tires with another tire of the same speed rating.


How To Repair Motorcycle Saddle Bags

Motorcycle parts like saddles are provided with products that can make them look new and desirable again. These repairs are very easy. In fact, sometimes it only takes a visit to your reliable motorcycle store or home depot.

Saddle bag with cracks on it are not pleasing to the eyes. In addition, it contributes to the overall unattractiveness of the bike.

How do I do repairs? Actually, a friend taught me how to. First, for cracks, you can use tape on the inside and pressurize thick glue with a piece of flexible plastic into the crack. You need not use sand paper because the glue and plastic will be almost unseen. For best results, you can use plastic pipe glue that can be found in the plumbing section. This glue dries up even without heat application.

ABS shavings can also be used to repair saddle bags. It dissolves effortlessly into the liquid within five to ten minutes. If you want a richer mixture, add more shavings. Mix it properly. To make the surroundings of the crack rough, use some 220 grit sand paper. When it is already rough, apply the mixture over and into the repair area. In order not to seep out or at least minimize the chance, begin from the inside of the bag and place some foil on the other side. You can clean messy edges with wet or dry sandpaper. Make sure that ventilation is good. If you can have a fan blowing away from you - the better. It helps in achieving easy and mess-free repairs.

Other miracle products are the liquid plastic by melting ABS in a solvent, thick black plastic that repairs without the application of heat and black ABS Cement. Repairing can be that easy even without heat!

I have repaired saddle bags before - some having cracks and some are far worse. My tools are the tape, plastic pipe glue, shavings and the likes. They can make miracles. Fiberglass is also a solution. Nonetheless, it is hard to have permanent bonding to the plastic since it is slippery. However, you can try them too.