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re: http://www.popularmechanics.com/popmech/out/0102BOODWFAP.html In the article below you have touched on a subject I have talked about to my students for a long time. First let me say that I am not a professional instructor, and I only prepare the people I teach for the courses that are here in my state of Pennsylvania. The reason for this preparation is due lack of knowledge in these official courses. The people I teach come to me because I have had a good safety record, riding in all weather conditions. Some say I am the only person they will ride with. This is not due to any natural talents I have but how I scientifically approach the subject. I write these comments because the article left out the reasons that proper steering technique is so important, and why these forces work the way they do. I have spent countless miles on motorcycles and sidecar rigs and I have known how to make the machine do what I want them to do, but it wasn't until I was studying for my pilots license that I understood why. When you tell a rider that they steer the two wheel machine it the opposite direction in which the want do go they will usually laugh at you. This is where you can decide how close you will ride to them. You can tell if a rider knows these principals by observing them when they approach a stop sign. If they weave and can not keep the cycle straight when slowing to a stop, they do not understand the forces acting on there machine. In my opinion this is not safe. The aviation industry could teach the motorcycle industry much on proper training. The forces we talk about here is called "Gyroscopic Precession". These are the forces working on the front wheel of our two wheel machines. The turning wheel of a motorcycle exhibits the characteristics of a gyroscope - rigidity in space and precession. The characteristic that produces the leaning of the motorcycle is precession. Gyroscopic precession is the resultant reaction of an object when a force is applied. The reaction to a force applied to a gyro acts in the direction of rotation and approximately 90 degrees ahead of the point where force is applied. After this explanation you can expect glazed eyes of confusion. So you get out a 26" bicycle wheel put the axel in the students hands and start spinning it. The forces at work become evident as the axel is moved. Most riders of two wheel machines use these principles subconsciously, but until they understand how to steer a bike they can not react quickly to fast approaching obstacles. I believe this is a serious oversight in most motorcycle training programs. After this explanation I will put the student on the back of my cycle. While pushing with my thumb on one side of the bar or the other they can see that if you PUSH forward on the right bar you will go right, and the bike will lean accordingly. The next step to fight the leaning concept is to firmly hold the bar from moving and have the student lean as much as the like to try to turn the bike, if the bar is not permitted to move the bike will not turn. These two experiments show that not only can you maneuver faster but you will also be able to compensate for the passengers movement on the back. All of this is just an explanation of Keith's experiment with the extra handle bar. I mentioned the wobbling that occurs when a rider approaches a stop sign. This happens when the Gyroscopic force is no longer stronger enough to lean the bike. At this point steering the bike in the direction you want to go works. I will not let my students go faster than this speed until they have mastered it. I practice what I preach, and I have never been beaten at a slow race. You may have noticed that I have used the phrase "two wheel machines", this is intentional. I also teach people how to drive sidecar rigs. Some believe that it easer to drive a sidecar, this is untrue. In order to drive a sidecar you must first know how the two wheel cycle works, therefore it can not be easer. As you drive your sidecar rig, at some point the chair wheel will come off the ground. Why is this important? Normally a sidecar rig will not lean therefore the principles of Gyroscopic precession do not apply, but when the sidecar wheel is off the ground they do. Without the conscious knowledge of this, serious consequences could occur. It can be funny to watch a seasoned cyclist drive a hack for the first time, driving in a straight line seems imposable. But with enough practice you can pull the sidecar wheel off the ground and drive it as a motorcycle for as long as you want, and then come to a complete stop before letting it back down. This is the transition between steering the way you want and steering the opposite way you intend to go as on two wheels. Some will say the that you should put a lot of weight in the sidecar to prevent it from raising off the ground. I believe that this is a Band-Aid and is no replacement for the knowledge of the forces at work. In closing I would like to thank both Keith and Cliff for bringing these concepts to the publics attention. Safety through education first! Brian Bailey [EMAIL PROTECTED] >From PM.com: The argument has raged since the days of the earliest motorcycles: What technique actually steers a motorcycle-body lean or turning the handlebars? This is no light matter. Investigations, in which accidents were reconstructed, found that in the vast majority of rider versus obstacle conflicts, the rider does not even attempt an evasive steering action that could save him. Much of this inaction can be blamed on conflicting information about how the motorcycle steering function works, which can lead to rider panic and uncertainty in emergency situations. Keith Code, a leading motorcycle riding instructor and founder of the noted California Superbike School, has put a cap on this controversy with his new No Body Steering Bike (No B.S. Bike). This specially designed motorcycle proves that only steering, and not body steering/leaning, turns a bike. After researching the fundamentals of counter steering-covering the gamut from the Wright brothers and their studies of counter steering and tandem-wheel vehicles, to studies done by Honda Motor Co. in the '70s-Code built the No B.S. Bike, a midsize ZX 6R Kawasaki. Code added an extra set of handlebars, solidly mounted to the frame above the standard bars. Then he added a second, functional throttle to the extra bar assembly so riders could maintain speed while grasping the bars. More than 100 riders have tested their body steering/leaning methods on the No B.S. Bike, and all have come away with the irrefutable conclusion: Body steering and leaning does not steer a motorcycle. Steering alone turns a bike. __________________________________________________ To unsubscribe from this list please send mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?aVxiLm.aVzvvT Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Learn More. Surf Less. Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Topics You Choose. http://www.topica.com/partner/tag01 ==^================================================================
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