Norbert
crash tested
....and survived!
On the way to work this morning I decided to practice stopping on a wet, straight, empty road near my house. Doing a *real* emergency stop in the rain is definitely something I'd like to avoid, but I thought I'd practice just in case the worst happens.
Wow! I did a tank slap. The front wheel lost traction and started oscillating. It was the first time I experienced that. Fortunately I didn't go down. I recovered and did 3 more emergency stops from 50MPH. This time more gradually. The braking distance was a lot longer than I thought it would be.
I already knew I had to gradually apply the front brake, especially in low traction conditions like today. I've heard this from more experienced riders and I've read about it. But there's a difference between knowing and experiencing something first hand. I'm glad I didn't crash, and I'm also really glad I gained some more real world experience.
When I continued on my way to work, I saw another rider on black sportbike. I remember thinking that since he's riding so close to the car in front of him, if the car brakes hard, he is going to being screwed.
I know some of you folks from the UK and the Pacific Northwest ride in the ride a lot. Any advice in riding in the rain, and more importantly: stopping?
Ride safe!
On the way to work this morning I decided to practice stopping on a wet, straight, empty road near my house. Doing a *real* emergency stop in the rain is definitely something I'd like to avoid, but I thought I'd practice just in case the worst happens.
Wow! I did a tank slap. The front wheel lost traction and started oscillating. It was the first time I experienced that. Fortunately I didn't go down. I recovered and did 3 more emergency stops from 50MPH. This time more gradually. The braking distance was a lot longer than I thought it would be.
I already knew I had to gradually apply the front brake, especially in low traction conditions like today. I've heard this from more experienced riders and I've read about it. But there's a difference between knowing and experiencing something first hand. I'm glad I didn't crash, and I'm also really glad I gained some more real world experience.
When I continued on my way to work, I saw another rider on black sportbike. I remember thinking that since he's riding so close to the car in front of him, if the car brakes hard, he is going to being screwed.
I know some of you folks from the UK and the Pacific Northwest ride in the ride a lot. Any advice in riding in the rain, and more importantly: stopping?
Ride safe!
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