Tuesday, October 14, 2008

 

There's no bailout when you overdraw your traction account


An exert from a post by newish rider Chris at TWT about what can happen when you ask too much from your bike on a twistie road:
"So about noon we’re tooling down Highway 7, coming south from Ola, Arkansas, and I’m feeling pretty good about my technique – good enough to push it a little too far in one of the hairpins. Rather than pushing the bike on through the curve, I hit the brakes and discovered that that stuff about the handlebars wobbling out of control was really true. Lost control altogether and flew off into a ditch."
Unfortunately, I believe Chris may've learned the hard way what Keith Code refers to as the "One Dollar Rule". That is to say, think of the total amount of traction available from your bike as being one dollar. Turning draws a certain percentage of the dollar, and braking draws a certain percentage as well. If you're using 80 cents-worth of traction to turn, then simultaneously withdraw another 40 cents worth of traction for braking, you are at $1.20 and have likely just crashed.

Always try to feel what the front end of a bike is doing through smooth control inputs. The max amount of usable traction can't be found by chopping the throttle violently to zero while jamming the brakes, especially in a tight turn. That usually sets up an oscillation or tucking slide, as Chris found out.

That said, the important thing is that he's gonna be fine. He can heal up, fix the bike, and get back out there with the lesson learned. We've all crashed at one time or another. The important thing is to walk away from the fiasco with hopefully minor-to-no injuries and the knowledge of what you did wrong.

Glad you're okay, Chris!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

 

Pics of Friday's Ft. Davis run


We had a great time banging through the twisties in Ft. Davis on Friday. I took some video, too, but without a steadycam rig or a pod, not much of it is worth showing. Besides, I already have a ton of video footage from previous trips, including a "Road-trippin'" vid on this blog (look in the November 2007 archive).

Anyway, here are some pics. These are stills I took with my DV Cam, so they aren't great, but you get the idea. Enjoy.

Balmorhea:







Lunch in downtown Ft. Davis:



The rattlesnake zoo:















The State Park observation point and Indian Lodge:















Scenic Loop:







McDonald Observatory:






















Monday, October 06, 2008

 

Ft. Davis ride this Friday (10.10.2008)


Three or four of us are taking this Friday off from work and riding to Ft. Davis for the day. All are welcome -- it'll be a combination of cruisers and sportbikes, so don't be shy regarding bike type if you want to participate.

We'll start from Midland, make an early stop for coffee in Odessa (circa 6:30am), then head onward to Ft. Davis via Pecos and Balmorhea. We'll ride the scenic loop, grab a bite, pop down to Marfa, then return to Midland-Odessa via Alpine, Ft. Stockton, and Crane.

Here's a map:



Midland riders will meet at the T&C on Midland Drive and Andrews Highway at 6:15am. Odessa riders will meet the Midland riders at the Odessa Starbucks between 6:30am and 6:45am. Be fueled and ready. We'll leave for Ft. Davis shortly after 7am.

The pace will be moderate in the main group. We'll likely split up through the scenic loop into faster and slower sub-groups. I'm taking my ZX7R, which needs some suspension work right now, but is still dialed in good enough for a brisk (albeit slower-than-usual) jaunt through the twisties.

Email me at timkreitz-at-ya-hoo-dot-kom if you need any additional info.