h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I happened to come across this site/forum from a search on the BBC site.
After reading this converstaion on how to ride a motorcycle i tried to picture the person that wrote it. My best guess was a 15 or 50 year old with a 50's style leather jacket, with the 'dangerous edge', surrounded by how to ride motorbike books but has only ever sat on a bike once and that was on a moped at the bike show.
Some of the points are indeed valid, always check over your shoulder for one but how can he be explaining to a begginer how to put a bike in gear and pull away in one breath then tell him about sliding the tyres in the next. Maybe it's Mick Doohan that wrote it!!! If so i'm sorry to disrespect your article Mick.
"dont be afraid to lean when cornering" i dont think you have an option unless by cornering he means something different to what everyone perceives it as.
If the wheel locks release the break....Classic.. i woundered where i was going wrong!
If you cant avoid hitting an object wheelie over it... fantastic.. they just get better. (i take it back if it really is you Mick).
Also I have never, in my 17 years of riding bikes, heard anyone refer to someone who riders a motorbike as a "BIKIE". Most of us that rider sports bikes dont consider ourselfs bikers either, we ride motorbikes is all.

Hi,
Thanks for your input - and you're welcome to join the club

I wrote the article - and I've been riding for a while myself (16 years or so). No brando style jacket either (that bit is called "humour", or at least "attempted humour" if you prefer).

The point of it was to describe how to ride a bike as best as I could. Not perfectly, I'm sure, but it was an honest attempt. By saying "don't be afraid to lean when cornering" I meant just that - don't be afraid, as a lot of people feel uncomfortable with the idea. Tyres do slide occasionally, and once again the idea was to get across that it's not such a bad thing.

If the wheel locks up, you should release the brake slightly to regain your grip on the road. If you are going to hit something (small enough, not a car, obviously), it's better to have the weight off the front tyre so you might have a chance of going over it - rather than braking and hitting it and going over the front end. Don't you think?

You're not really a volvo driver, are you? You might have given yourself away here - you can't really have been riding for all those years and never heard the question:

Biker, or Bikie?
http://members.tripod.com/fredgassit/fbikie.gif

cheers,
BadZen (not Mick Doohan)

Oh, there I go getting confused with where the conversation started from: The club I was referring to is:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A724312

Not only have I heard the question, in 16+ yrs on two-wheels, but have had to patiently explain to *plebs* the signifigant difference between the two.

I do however concede that I know riders (yes predominantly, but not exclussively sports-bikers) who are just as stated 'motorcycle riders'.

Personally I am a biker. simple. I am not a 1%'er bikie with excessive tatts (I do have some) and a penchant for activities of a questionable legal nature

- BUT -

I do Live to Ride.
I believe in FTW.
My 'little girl' is more important to me than most humans on the planet.
I do honestly feel more 'comfortable' 'safer'? whatever more at ease on a bike than I have ever felt in a cage either as driver or passenger.

Keep it upright Brothers.

Well said PR.

mate.

It's good to see that you keep your calm after Yamahar1's repost to your article.
I personally thought it was ok,nothing too in-depth for the beginner to understand.Once "beginners" have got to grips with the problem of locked brakes for example, they can then move on to the more scientific part of the explaination of "why" it happens in the first place.

Keep up the good work.

A very good article.
Without worrying too much whether I'm a rider, biker, motorcyclist, bikie or whatever I would like to add a couple of points.
1. When you have the gear engaged and are ready to move off, look around first as that first instant when your right foot is not ready to hit the rear brake and you are moving ever so slowly but you have to stop is when you will do a slow speed fall (especially on gravel). Look first, then move off.

2. If the back wheel locks when going round a curve, do not release it until you have steered into the the direction of the slide and then only a little to regain balance and control and motor on.

If you let go the back all at once the rear wheel will regain sideways traction all at once, the rest of the bike will keep going over it throwing you up and over (a Highside) and what's worse the bike will come after you with a vengeance.

If it's a matter of a choice of two evils keep the rear brake on to keep the bike down because it is better to slide than fly.

I actually once did a lowside coming round a bend and hitting a patch of gravel, climbed on a the sliding bike and "surfed" it to a stop. Then picked up and continued.

I must point out that I was very young and very lucky.
Keep rolling happily
Absolutely

Pretty lucky, indeed

Did you see Rossi at the last Spanish GP recover from his run-off - what a race!

Anyway, thanks for your comments. Would you like to join the H2G2 MC? (there's a link to the club above)


BadZen