Spring(?) riding thoughts

[rtrendowski at verizon.net]

NJSBMWR
Here are some riding thoughts for "winter/spring time riding."  from Dave Cushing and Tom Cutter.   
Thanks to the Skylands club for forwarding the info.
Roger T


-----Original Message-----
From: David Cushing via groups.io <dacush=ptd.net at groups.io>
To: skylandsbmwriders at groups.io
Sent: Fri, Feb 26, 2021 9:35 am
Subject: [skylandsbmwriders] Spring(?) riding thoughts

<!--#yiv3768225779 _filtered {}#yiv3768225779 #yiv3768225779 p.yiv3768225779MsoNormal, #yiv3768225779 li.yiv3768225779MsoNormal, #yiv3768225779 div.yiv3768225779MsoNormal {margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri", "sans-serif";}#yiv3768225779 a:link, #yiv3768225779 span.yiv3768225779MsoHyperlink {color:#0563C1;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv3768225779 a:visited, #yiv3768225779 span.yiv3768225779MsoHyperlinkFollowed {color:#954F72;text-decoration:underline;}#yiv3768225779 span.yiv3768225779EmailStyle17 {font-family:"Arial", "sans-serif";color:windowtext;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;}#yiv3768225779 .yiv3768225779MsoChpDefault {font-family:"Calibri", "sans-serif";} _filtered {}#yiv3768225779 div.yiv3768225779WordSection1 {}-->With all the snow/ice you recently got, I thought this would be a good reminder for anyone contemplating a ride in the warmer weather.  David    If you ride in an area of the USA that uses, sodium, (SALT) mixed with gravel, sand on paved streets and roads to de-ice during winter, and early spring. The gravel will lay around in some areas on the streets, roads.Acting like a lubricant under our Motorcycle tires, when accelerating, braking, or taking corners, and curves. There are maintenance crews who brush the stuff off the pavements, others don't. Taking some heavy good rains to wash it off.    If possible, try to 'read' the road. Local city streets, highways over winter, ice or snow covered, thawing in the daytime. Water running into repaired pot holes, then with subzero temps, have re-opened last year's existing pot holes.   Let me add: DON'T follow cars closely. Giant potholes appear suddenly and crush wheels. Ride in the part of the lane where you can see the road surface clearly for a LONG ways ahead. Keep your eyes up and scan for potholes, gravel, black ice, meltwater runoff, etc.  Check and adjust your tire pressures DAILY before you ride. park the bike outdoors for a half hour then check the tires, because the cold will drop pressure enough to result in accelerated, uneven tire wear and low traction.  Tom CutterYardley, PAwww.RubberChickenRacingGarage.com  Like many of us (I suspect) I whiled away quite a few hours this past year watching moto-related videos on YouTube.  Among the best I encountered were the riding skills series done by Bret Tkacs, both on the Mototrek channel and under his own brand.  Largely dual-sport oriented but with plenty of solid advice relevant to street riding as well.  He talks a lot about 'vision', in terms of keeping your eyes focused on the furthest point down the road that can provide useful information.  You can (and should) scan the road surface immediately ahead of you and check your periphery, but you should always return to the limits of your vision as a point of reference.  That's going to give you the earliest indication of a change in the riding surface or a potential hazard, and the most time to react.  If you spot that pothole 50 yards out it's a lot easier to adjust your line and/or slow down than if you are fixated on the pavement 20 feet in front of you.  It sounds obvious, but it is amazing how easy it is to slide into a sort of myopic focus on what is immediately in front of us.  I started to practice this deliberately last Fall when riding forest roads on the GS, forcing myself to keep my eyes as far down road as possible rather than trying to spot every bump and rut as it approached the front tire.  It sounds easier than it is, but pretty quickly I found that my riding became smoother (and faster), changes in road surface were easier to manage, and I was making fewer last-minute adjustments.  Kind of like getting comfortable with standing on the pegs, it was a learned behavior that has changed my riding style completely.  This is all to say that TC is absolutely right.  This time of year more than any other, give yourself that cushion that allows the longest line of sight you can muster and pick the line that maximizes it.  Proactive beats reactive every time.  Stay safe out there,    
-- 
David Cushing _._,_._,_ 
 
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