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Ride with a plan
By Bret Tkacs
A few years ago a fellow motorcycle riding instructor offered me
one of the best riding tips I’ve ever been given, a golden nugget I
share with others at every opportunity. Being a motorcycle
instructor, I pride myself on my ability to critically coach
others to better their riding; yet somehow this was a simple tidbit
that had eluded me. I have been riding legally on the road
year-round for about 17 years now (I’m not that old, really…)
yet it has been the last few years that my riding has improved the
most. This tip is the catalyst for my greatest improvements.
Photo: The rider above has his hands full
with
predicting what each driver around him is going to do next.
The story goes something like this… I was out teaching a Basic
Rider Course in Tacoma when my friend Bruce showed up. He had just
gotten back from attending a well-known out-of-state track school.
With all the enthusiasm he could muster (which unlike myself is
always calm and controlled) he began to share his newfound
treasure. He told me "Bret… I learned the greatest thing" with an
impatient response I asked him to share all. He told me, "I learned
I should always ride with a plan." I paused for a moment trying to
figure out what the big deal was. I told him "I do ride with a plan…
I plan on riding over to Yakima for breakfast tomorrow and then I’m
headed east… that’s my plan." He gave me that look telling me I just
missed the point. "NO" he said… before you head out for a ride you
should always plan to work on a specific skill." WOW! How simple I
thought, what a great idea, all I have to do is pick one thing to
focus on during each ride! Since that time, I have shared this little tidbit
with each of my students during my graduation speech; knowing that
without incentive most of my students would not practice their
newfound riding skills until they came back to take an Intermediate, Advanced or Street Skills course. This is the one piece of advice
that can help you hone your skills during every ride.
It works like this: each time you mount up to go for a ride, you
should pick one specific item to focus on. This can be something
like eye placement (keep them high searching for traffic or
entry points for cornering), or maybe try for the perfect line
through a corner. If you don’t feel like focusing on your physical
abilities try picking a mental skill such as playing the "what if"
game… "what if that car pulls out in front of me, do I have a
plan?"… "what if this corner has a stalled car on the other side,
what if I get a flat?" Most riders understand the value in taking a
motorcycle class or reading a book to improve skills but if those
skills aren’t practiced on a regular basis they will not be there
when you really need them.
 Homer
Simpson once said something like "boy, in unfamiliar times you go
with what you know." Ride safe… ride with a plan. You have to be
disciplined to do this and gain the most from it. Remember ONE item
at a time, isolate your skills and hone each one individually.
Bookmark this article and refer back to the following drills to
practice on your next ride.
RiderCoach Roy Puchalski practices cornering on one of his
many bikes. DOL locations that have a marked area for
motorcycle endorsement testing are good to visit during non- office
hours so you can see just how good your basic skills are.
15 skills that can be practiced during any ride
Eye placement for cornering – during cornering you
should be looking as far through the corner as possible with
your next entry point being the focus point.
Eye placement for traffic – while in traffic you should
be scanning out into traffic with your eyes up and moving
regularly, remember to scan at least 12-14 seconds ahead of you
and keep your eyes moving. Don’t space out or focus on any item
too long.
Lane placement - while in traffic ensure you are in a
position that allows you to create a space cushion and provide
you with an escape route. We have a footprint of maybe 3 inches
and have 12-14 feet of lane from side to side… use it!
| The Bathroom Reader...
Street Strategies
by David Hough
We call it the Bathroom Reader and for
good reason. The book,
Street Strategies (2001 Bow Tie Press), is loaded
with one-at-a-time exercises and food for thought.
Broken out into two pages per subject sections, the
book makes a great item to store - where else - in
the bathroom. In the time it takes to do your
thing, you'll be able to read David's
sage advice and focus on it during your next ride.
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Braking - when traffic is sparse, practice your emergency
stops to see if you can really stop as fast as you think you can
(the one skill not used in daily riding is emergency braking).
Work on maximizing the front brake without skidding the rear.
The front brake can carry 70-100% of your braking depending on
the bike, environment and rider skill.
"What if"- hone your mental skills by creating worse-case scenarios while riding and creating an appropriate plan of
action. Constantly look for the worst case and find a solution.
This can even be acted out to hone physical skills like swerving
(just don’t piss off the cage drivers around you).
Other drivers - practice reading other drivers, watch for
eye contact, cell phones, weaving, tailgaters, out-of-state
plates, missing mirrors, etc. Try to predict what they will do
and then see if you were correct.
Grip - while riding, make sure your hands are relaxed at
ALL times. The more tense you are the worse your bike will
handle.
Body position - be conscious of your body position, are
you pushing the bike under you? Are you relaxed? Slouching?
Hanging off? Try to use this to your advantage to create maximum
traction, ground clearance and stability.
Reading the road - practice reading the environmental
clues that tell you what the road is going to do…
Lines - practice picking the best cornering line for
every corner (outside-inside-outside, or outside-inside-inside
depending on the corner). The best line is the one that gives you
time to deal with the unknown.
Entry point - practice putting your tire on a specific
point, use it as your entry point into a corner. This should be
done while keeping your speeds slow enough to stay comfortable.
If you really want to test your skills at speeds that would
generate a ticket, I recommend going to a regulated track event.
Throttle - practice riding with the throttle, keep it SOoooo smooth that you are unable to feel the on-off transition.
Swerving - while following traffic, try swerving around
points that appear from underneath the vehicle in front of you.
This can be storm drains, paint, light colored pavement or
whatever.
Following distance - try counting off 1-motorcycle,
2-motorcycle to see if you have your minimum following distance
(best done during rush hour). Try counting off the
following distance of traffic around you. You might be amazed
how close the drivers REALLY are.
Communication - focus on clearly communicating your
intentions to other drivers and looking for others trying to
communicate with you. This may not be just the obvious turn
signals but could be a head-check, change in lane position, etc.
 Bret
Tkacs is the president of Puget Sound Safety, a Northwest company
specializing in motorcycle skills for
beginning,
intermediate and
advanced riders. |
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