Friday, August 27, 2010
Shop at Sears to support our soldiers
I know I needed this reminder, since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?
How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.
Pass it on...
Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:
I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.
This is their answer to my e-mail:
Dear Customer:
Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback.
Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.
Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
Please pass this on to your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!
It's verified by Snopes.com at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Motorcycle Cornering 101
Keeping it simple
Don't ride beyond your skill level
Ride slower until you build your confidence. The speed will follow.
Approaching the corner
Braking should be done before the corner, while the bike is upright. Use mostly (or exclusively) the front brake. You have an option of using a light rear brake through the rest of the curve, to stabilize the bike. That's called "trail braking." Just starting out, though, use the front brake until you start leaning into the curve.
Apexing
Note that late-apexing means you don't make a perfect arc around a corner. See the drawings above.
Body positioning
When approaching and braking for the curve, your body should go into "attack mode." Knees gripping the tank, body pitched slightly forward and tensed against any front fork compression that may happen. The back shouldn't be ramrod straight, but shoulders should be loose and rounded to allow more flexibility.
Slow things down for a minute. Once you've scrubbed off enough speed for the rest of the turn, let off the front brake, weight the inside peg, push the tank with the outside leg, and rotate the body so the inside shoulder points toward the exit. If anything, remember this: ENTER THE TURN LEADING WITH THE INSIDE SHOULDER. At the same time scoot your butt cheek off the seat, toward the inside of the corner. Now freeze it.
Right now, your body should be starting to lean into the corner but the bike is still upright. Continuing to rotate the body will push the inside grip causing the countersteering, which will cause the bike to lean over. Freeze it again.
All through the corner, your head should be positioned so your eyes are even with the horizon. This maintains your orientation so everything keeps a visual consistency.
Look where you want to go
In a hairpin, focus as far as you can around the turn and shift the focus as you continue through the turn.
If you're in aggressive mode, your inside knee would be pointing away from the bike, towards the ground; your head and shoulders will be pitched forward near the inside grip, but where would is the bike now? Yes, it's leaned over, but not as far as you. Why is that the optimum position?
Because you don't want to be scraping parts. Scraping parts is a sign you're about to lose traction and low-siding...not good. So the important thing to remember is for YOU to lean first, and then the bike. Some people think dragging parts means they're pushing the envelope, but often they're just pushing the bike down rather than preserving the bike's lean angle.
The bike should come closest to the inside of the curve about 2/3rds of the way around the curve. That's the (late) apex.
Exiting
All the movements described so far should be as smooth as possible. Remember that the throttle isn't an on-off switch, but more like a rheostat. Braking should be smooth, as well.
Prepare for the next corner.
Some hiccups
Off-camber curves mean sacrificing lean angle, so keep that in mind when you see them. Body positioning should be more exaggerated in an off-camber corner.
Blind curves mean later apexing so you can see further around the corner.
Practice
Ride safe!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Your 1st Iron Butt Ride
Riding your first Saddlesore 1000 will also put you in the like-minded community of the Iron Butt Association with your name on the website, ironbutt.com. If you haven’t already, you may want to subscribe to the mailing list, ldriders.org, which can provide a lot of conversation on going the long haul (get the digest version to receive 2 or 3 messages a day rather than 20 or 30).
Be advised that I'm no expert compared to Mr. Ayres and others, but I understand my own personal reasons for going the extra distance. Part of it's curiosity and seeing new scenery, part of it's getting some alone time, some of it's the time/distance challenge and part of it's the survival challenge. It also means weathering through some difficult parts – long-distance riding isn’t always fun. Some of the time gets boring, lonely, wet, cold, dangerous, costly and frustrating. But the reward has always outweighed the challenge for me.
I began my own long-distance riding career riding to a BMW motorcycle rally in Oregon. Then a Bun Burner Gold, 1500 miles in 24 hours. Then a Saddlesore 5K, 5,000 miles in 5 days. Then a 100CCC, San Francisco to Jacksonville, FL to San Diego in 99.7 hours, collecting small bottles of sand at each shore. And then the Iron Butt Rally in 2003. Since then I’ve done multiple undocumented long days, each time taking home new memories, mostly good. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
To those curious about how to start, I’d say if you’re comfortable doing 300 miles in a day and can stay in the saddle for a solid two to three hours, then you probably have what it takes to try 1,000 miles in a day. You'll come to learn that a lot of long-distance riding depends on ergonomics and the proper setup of your motorcycle.
Seat
Position
Handlebars
Controls
Fairing
Once your ergonomics are in place so you can comfortably handle 300 miles at a stretch, you need to make sure the bike is in shape. Motor running smoothly, fluids topped up, shocks acting properly (not sticking or bottoming out), tires inflated and in good shape, electrical in good shape, brakes in good working order with plenty of pad left, and anything else you can think of to keep you from worrying. It’s amazing the things you’ll start to hear or feel after several hours, and the more confident you are with the machine, the more you can concentrate on the task at hand.
Before I forget, check out the “Archive of Wisdom” page on the Iron Butt Association's website, with 29 tips for riding long distance. A must-read.
Pick your route
1,000 rides can be accomplished (if everything goes right) without speeding, in less than 18 hours on interstate highways. A 60mph average speed is fairly common with seasoned long-distance riders and that takes into account gas stops, (short) meal stops, and 10-15 minute rest stops. Personally, I strive for 65mph mile averages. I’ll shrug off a 55mph average but if it drops to 50mph over the course of a day, then I’ll try to find some faster roads. You’ll find your comfort zone when you know it.
The hardest miles for me aren’t the *last* 200, but the *first* 200. That’s usually the amount it takes for me to get into the rhythm of a trip. I'll get into a comfort zone and start ticking off the miles in 10-, 20-, 50-, or 100-mile chunks. For the last 200 miles I’m usually happy to be “heading to the barn.”
Fatigue
Multi-day rides are a different animal and it’s imperative to get familiar with signs of fatigue. Every body is different and will react differently. For me, there’s a few cues I pay close attention to. I start noticing speed differentials (one of the reasons I don’t like cruise control). If I’m speeding up, or slowing down, more than 5mph than what I normally ride at, I take notice of that. If it’s more than a 10mph differential I know it’s time to take a rest. Or if my eyes start getting heavy. Or I have lapses in concentration. Or I miss a couple shifts in a row, or shift down when I should be shifting up. Your cues will probably be different, but start looking for them.
***DON'T PUSH YOUR RIDING LIMIT TO THE POINT OF HALLUCINATIONS! If you get slightest hint of trees turning into monsters, or pavement patches turning into cars, you should pull over NOW for some serious rest before you have a bad accident. Or worse.***
Rest times
I try to find hotel accommodations every night, even though it may only be for four to six hours. That hot shower in the morning rejuvenates me enough for the next 24 hours.
For fluids, I wear a wide-mouth Camelback, filling it with ice first and then water. A drink tube is clipped to the front of my jacket that I can slip under the chin bar of my helmet whenever I think about it. You'll want to drink more often than you're used to because of the drying effects of the wind. On hot days, I’ll refill the Camelback at every gas stop and that's always seemed to be enough.
I make a special point to keep carbs as low as possible. Light breakfast of bacon and eggs, banana, coffee, but no toast or hash browns. The balance of the day is usually nuts and jerky, until I’m not traveling any further that day. Personally, I avoid carbs (and turkey) during the day like the plague, because I know that makes me sleepy. But at night? Bring on the cheeseburgers and pizza.
I normally pop a couple Ibuprofen in the morning, knowing there’ll be some aches and pains down the road. I may take some more in another four hours or so, depending. Then a multivitamin, some potassium and a banana to ward off cramps.
The night before
The start
By the way, here’s a chance to acknowledge Mr. Michael Kneebone, the founder of the Iron Butt Association. I’ve had the pleasure to be in his company a number of times and he truly is as nice, honest and upstanding as he seems. By overseeing the Iron Butt Association over the last 25 years, he’s established one of the biggest legacies in motorcycling history.
Riding gas stop to gas stop with occasional breaks in between will get the job done, but it will also help to have something to look forward to on the other end: a nice meal, a hotel room, staying at a friends house...all nice carrots at the end of that long stick.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Motorcycle Safety 101
This is a brief tutorial I came up with for my daughter when she got her first scooter:
A motorcyclist/scooter rider is pretty much unprotected, and upon collision with another solid object, you’re likely to get hurt. But if a rider approaches the sport in a mature and safety-oriented manner, most accidents can be avoided. Here are some lessons to enhance the riding experience and hopefully lessen the pain:
1) Protect your body as much as possible: Full-face helmet, cordura or leather jacket with shoulder and elbow armor, gloves and motorcycle boots should be a minimum. Touring overpants with hip and knee armor, and additional back pads are slightly inconvenient but are worth their weight in gold in an accident.
2) Be as conspicuous as possible. Every little bit helps in traffic--you do NOT want to blend in to the background or be stealth-like. There are certain times you want to be noticed from the back, at a stop for instance, so reflective strips and a BRIGHT stop light will help here. Auxiliary driving lights, white or yellow helmet, reflective vest, can all help drivers see you better. Remember, the most common thing a driver says after hitting a motorcyclist: “I didn’t see them!”
3) Learn and practice accident avoidance skills.
Before getting into accident avoidance, though, let’s go over some reasons why you got a motorcycle/scooter in the first place:
1) It’s fun
2) It’s convenient
3) It gets you somewhere faster
4) You can zip through traffic easier
Though it’s fun and convenient and faster and easier, you should remember not to let your guard down. Seasoned riders get that way because they are always vigilant and “expecting the unexpected”...and lucky. If you’re brand new to motorcycling, all of a sudden you’ll start seeing motorcycles you never noticed before. Like buying a yellow car thinking it’s unique and then there’s yellow cars all over the place.
You’ll start hearing more news reports of “motorcycle-down” accidents and friends will tell stories of how their friend lost their leg, or worse. Seasoned riders who spend time on the internet discussing motorcycle safety, hear hundreds of motorcycle fatality reports each year. It’s sobering and causes them to become ever more watchful and careful and thinking how to help others in the sport.
I have a friend who is an accident investigator and motorcycle racing coach. Years ago he convinced a young gal to get started in racing and on her first day on the track, she went down in Turn 10 at Sears Point and didn’t survive. He never again tried to talk someone into racing, or motorcycling for that matter, after that. We all have our personal reasons for getting into the sport and the more we can help others, the better.
Motorcycle skills aren’t like baking skills, where you easily master something and that’s it. They come gradually and each level feels better and makes you want to learn more. You’ll find yourself reading something in a magazine or book that you think you can apply to your day-to-day riding, and then you can’t wait to get on the bike to practice it.
One book I highly recommend is David Hough’s “Proficient Motorcycling,” full of practical street riding tips and analysis. Mr. Hough has become a guru to motorcyclists interested in improving safety and skills.
You may never have the desire to start motorcycle racing, but there are a lot of skills one can learn from racers. Another book I recommend is: “Sport Riding Techniques,” by racer Nick Ienatsch. The author covers a LOT of ground about acceleration, braking and cornering.
Another good publication you can get at half price at motorcycle shows: “Motorcycle Consumer News.” Great articles on gear, new motorcycle reviews and practical riding tips. Start a library to learn new skills and help increase the fun-factor.
Getting back to learning from racers, one thing you can start thinking about and visualizing now is increasing your sight distance. The natural tendency when starting out is to look directly in front of the front wheel. (“Watch out for that rock/curb/block of wood/etc.”) But to start taking in all the information you need to avoid bad situations, you need to start looking up the block, taking in all the information in between with your peripheral vision. Easier said then done, but it will come with a concious effort. It’s said that the difference between a good motorcycle racer and a great motorcycle racer is 30 feet. They’re both looking a quarter mile up the track, but the better motorcycle racer can see 30 feet further up the track.
Motorcycle Safety classes
All new riders should be required to take them. Currently, only riders under the age of 25 are required to take them in California, which is resulting in fewer new rider casualties, but only in that age group. ALL new riders should take them, especially “re-entry” riders who think that since they rode motorcycles in their teens, they should be able to pick up where they left off. Like riding a bicycle, right? Only now the motorcycles are twice as heavy, twice the horsepower and there’s twice as many cars on the road. The technology’s different and the riding techniques are WAY different. Everyone should take a class to get off on the right foot.
Accleleration
It’s exhilirating to go fast and that speed is especially addictive to adrenaline-junkies. It’s also the easiest thing to do on a motorcycle and the beginning rider can think, “Boy, this motorcycling is EASY!” And that’s all they want to do: go fast in a straight line. For about a week. Then their buddies want to go “for a little ride” and what a rude awakening when they learn they don’t know anything at all, when they get into the first corner and discover they’re in over their heads.
Back to basic acceleration. Like in everything else in motorcycling, strive to be smoooth. The fastest racers are the smoothest ones. So treat the throttle as a rheostat, not an on-off switch. Gently roll on the acceleration. When coming to a stop, don’t snap the throttle shut, but roll back as slow as practical. Panic stops would require a little quicker response, but you get the idea.
The smooth acceleration/deceleration is especially important in corners, and we’ll cover that in a moment.
Braking
Get used to using the front brake. The natural tendency, after driving a car all these years, is to stomp on the footbrake (the rear), but this is the main reason the rear tire locks up. When the rear tire locks up it will swing around and try to pass the front tire, with the common result being a “low-side” with you sliding on the pavement behind your bike.
Practice, practice, practice. First in an empty parking lot, then out on lightly-traveled roads. Every time you go out, practice panic stops. Accelerate to your maximum speed and bring the bike to a stop as smoothly(!) and quickly as possible. Ideally, in a straight-line stop, 70% of the braking should be done by the front brakes and 30% rear. Some people will tell you to only use the front brake, but get used to using the rear, also. In a panic situation, you need all the stopping power you can get. Practice it.
Braking in a corner calls for different techniques. Ideally, all braking should be done when the bike is in an upright position. So when approaching a turn, your braking should be completed BEFORE the corner...and then you accelerate out of the corner. If you need to “scrub off speed” in the middle of the corner because you came in too hot, you can bring the bike to a more upright position, brake, then lean over again. You DON’T want to be braking while leaned over.
Cover the brake
Get in the habit of always having two fingers over the brake lever should you need it in a hurry. Accident investigators use a basic 1.5 second reaction time in their figuring. The first half second is recognition (yikes, that idiot’s pulling out in front of me!), the second half is decision-making (I’m going to decelerate, brake and then swerve right), and the third half is actually doing what you’ve decided to do. I think a quarter-second can be shaved off by having your fingers already on the brake. And that quarter second at 45mph translates into 16.5 feet, which can mean the difference between t-boning a car and missing the rear bumper.
Fingers can’t reach to rest comfortably on top? The levers can be adjusted until they do.
Steering
Up until 15mph or so, you should be steering the motorcycle pretty much like a bicycle. Over that and you’ll want to learn countersteering. Countersteering can be slightly non-intuitive, but once you practice it and get it, it will help propel you to more and faster motorcycling skills.
Basically, countersteering is “push the handlebar in the direction you want to turn.” If you are approaching a right hand corner, you push your right hand against the handlebar. What this does is cock the front tire to the left, changing the front tire patch (the area in contact with the road), causing the bike to lean right. Try it. Practice it.
Accident avoidance
One thing to ALWAYS remember: Most motorcycle vs. vehicle accidents are caused by LEFT-HAND TURNING DRIVERS. So start looking for left-hand turning drivers and when you see one, something should go off in your head: POTENTIAL ACCIDENT, POTENTIAL ACCIDENT! Look for an escape route, flash your high-beams, get prepared to brake and swerve.
Stop lights/stop signs If traffic is backed up at a stop light or sign, there are basic things to do to help from getting rear-ended. 1) In California, it’s allowed and almost expected to “filter up” to the front. Once you feel comfortable riding between stopped cars (more on that later), proceed slowly to the start of the line and be prepared to make a quick getaway when the light turns green. 2) If there’s only one lane, do NOT pass cars on the right hand shoulder. It’s a quick way to get a ticket and the shoulder has a lot of debris to puncture your tires. 3) If there’s only one lane and you need to stop behind a car, stop 10 feet away from the car in front of you (never right on the bumper) and OFF TO ONE SIDE, preferably the left. That way, you’ll have an escape route should they back up OR you hear tires squealing behind you. Always keep your eye on your rear view mirrors while stopped. 4) Every time: Clutch in, first gear selected, left foot down. If you’re feeling tired or unstable, put both feet down.
Practice starts from a stop in a parking lot. Not jack-rabbit starts, but smooth and quick getaways.
Rain or slippery situations
Try to ride as upright as possible and avoid trolley car tracks and manhole covers like the plague. If they’re unavoidable, try to cross as perpendicular as possible. Don’t worry about getting soaked as much as getting home safely.
Make sure all your lights are functioning properly.
Stopped traffic
When in totally stopped traffic or riding next to parked cars, watch for drivers about to get out of their car. Getting “doored” can ruin your whole day.
Ride at a reasonable pace between slowed or stopped traffic. Don’t be tempted to treat cars as immobile objects. They WILL swerve in front of you into the next lane, so be prepared and drive slow enough so you can avoid contact should they do something stupid.
Try looking further ahead for clues. Do a number of cars seem to be merging in one direction? Is there smoke or dust ahead in one of the lanes? Always keep the next car in your peripheral vision--be concious of what it’s doing but don’t focus on it.
Looking further ahead also makes it easier to go through narrower spaces.
Your head should be on a swivel. Left mirror, right mirror, gauges, look where you’re going (80-90%). Constantly alert to changes that might affect you and your predicament.
Riding alongside cars
Stay out of drivers’ blind spots. If there’s not a safe way to get in front of them, at least speed up enough to “show them a wheel” to let them you know you’re there.
Be prepared for them to swerve into you, either to change into your lane or make a turn in front of you at the last minute. Be far enough off their rear bumper so you can take evasive action if those things should happen.
Debris
I hate this one, because it’s SO unpredictable. Certain things, like a 2x4 or plastic bucket can be pretty innocuous, but a metal car bumper or a sofa or ladder suddenly appearing in front of you and there’s no time to swerve?? This is where luck comes into play. All I can say is, just watch for the unexpected and realize it can bite you at any moment. Remember: “Trouble rides a fast horse.”
Critters
“If it’s too big to eat in one sitting, it’s probably best not to run over it.” Be especially careful when riding in deer-prone areas at dusk. If you get into touring long distances, wildlife will become a bigger concern, but you still have to be careful in some areas of the Bay Area. A deer can be standing right around the next corner...
This is pretty elementary stuff, but look for deeper coverage of some of these topics in the future. Ride safe!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Stopped at the Light
This type of accident should put the fear of God into every motorcyclist because it happened without warning and with the speed of the truck (dragging the victims 50 to 75 yards), there was little they could possibly do to avoid it.
But even though there wasn't much they could do, there are lessons to be learned. The number one lesson is a reminder that "trouble rides a fast horse" and we shouldn't let our guard down. Yes, there are times on the open highway in the middle of Nevada that we can put our feet up and just deal with the boredom (and the pleasure it might bring)...but in traffic? Never!
The number two lesson, is to be extra cautious when stopped when there's a chance of getting rear-ended, because getting rear-ended is a leading cause of vehicle vs. motorcycle accidents. Right behind left-turning drivers, which is covered in another article. Again, I'm sure those Arizona motorcyclists had no chance of getting out of the way of this maniac in a 20-ton vehicle, but here are some tips that might help you from getting creamed.
Be aware
When coming to a stop in traffic, go into "attack mode": heads-up, eyes-aware, listening for danger sounds like squealing tires or scraping metal. Scan your mirrors for cars coming from behind. (Attack mode for me also includes gripping the tank with the knees and a slight forward lean to stiffen against front fork compression if it should happen). Yes, you should be slightly paranoid.
Practice the routine
Stop 10 feet from the car in front of you, preferably in the left tire track. Offset from the center so you'll have an escape route AND to avoid the grease and oil that accumulates in the middle of the roadway. Stopping in the right tire track will give you "dirty foot" when you step into that grease and oil. Not fun, especially if you're not wearing boots with oil-resistant soles.
Keep your right foot on the brake to signal approaching drivers and your right hand covering the front brake. Keep in first gear in case a jackrabbit start is needed to jump out of the way...you don't want to be caught between two cars. Keep your front wheel pointed straight ahead for two reasons: if caught from behind and the wheel is cocked at an angle, you'll go down in a hurry and be *underneath* two cars, not good -- it's (slightly) better to be pushed straight into the car in front. It also gives you a choice of directional change one way or the other for that jackrabbit start.
Scan the mirrors