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Posted by Uncle Pete (89 SE) on September 26, 2002 at 17:12:58:
In Reply to: this is from one sport biker to another....thats all. Following distance is also critical on a bike... posted by RHD MAX on September 26, 2002 at 17:00:42:
When you're on a bike you have to ride in the strictest defensive way you can. When you're in a car, it's enough to drive in accordance with the laws of the land and expect every other driver to do the same. If someone else screws up and takes you out then you let the lawyers fight over the twisted metal and have your case proven. On a bike, it doesn't matter whose fault it is if they are arguing over your corpse. There's no point in being in the right if you are dead. This means that you have to assume that every other driver is an arsehole, and you HAVE to give them room to swerve, and room to slam on, and so on and so on. Giving yourself that manouevering room is critical. You have just found out that a modern sports bike will stop STAGGERINGLY quickly, and you can put a tremendous force on the front brake without a lock up, but you were forced into going just a little too far. David 94SEL, as you probably saw, had an accident when he was forced out onto a bad surface by another car and he shattered his tib and fib. He's an extremely experienced rider, so it happen to anyone who trys to (or needs to) play with traffic. I deeply echo your sentiments about safety clothing. It terrifies me when I see people buzzing around on scooters in light nylon sportswear. They don't realise that even at 20-30mph that stuff not only offers no protection whatsoever, it also melts into your flesh so the doctors can't separate it. In many cases proper safety clothing can be more important than a helmet. You seem like a righteous kind of guy Matt, so I'm delighted to hear that you got away with only a dented lever and some stained underwear, and I'm glad it won't keep you out of the saddle. Safe riding.
I haven't been riding anything like long enough to lecture anybody, but I'm going to anyway on the one thing I have picked up.