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By Andrew Robertson of Canterbury I found that having bought a new motorcycle recently circa 2004 that things have changed dramatically from when I last road a motorbike full time several years earlier. People who have had a break from the road for a number of years will relate, and those who have been on bikes for their entire lives may have noticed a subtle change, this can be a dangerous cocktail. Weighing up my pride.
I left work on my bike which I had just completely rebuilt, traveling towards the local 'T' intersection which was frequented by trucks and other vehicles. It was a fairly heavy industrial area so traffic was constant.
(The was light rain after a heavy downpour) As I approached the "T" intersection I remember applying the single piston front disc brake.......it seemed to lock up........STRANGE I THOUGHT and it felt like the hair on my neck stood up. The next thing I remembered was watching my bike, sparks flying of the newly polished pipes skid down the road in front of me as my helmet bumped along the road surface...........
I was shocked as I watched it slide just past the white line if the "T" intersection.
I immediately jumped to my feet, picked it up and pushed it into the gutter just as a car buzzed past me.
I was shocked and annoyed, I surveyed the crash site and discovered that there was a spray of asphalt gravel which was washed onto the road by puddles probably driven through by trucks.
The bike and I weighed close to 200kg and I misjudged how quickly I could stop without seeing the gravel scattered across the road with the addition of the light rain.
My second bike and I had a combined weight around 250kg+ this I discovered adds 'additional' stopping distance, especially when wet.
Coming around the round about towards work, the bike just seemed to take a path of its own, road surface and heavy rain again contributing factors.......luckily I ended up in mud on the footpath side of the round about before gaining control and taking it back onto the road once again.
My new Kawasaki Vulcan and my combined weight is in excess of 420kg.
This is nearly 3 times the weight of my very first bike and believe me when I say it takes a heck of a lot longer time to pull up safely both in the dry and wet. The last incident involved uneven road surface, on the way to the Phillip Island Super TT GP, low spots in the road had filled with water (heavy rain conditions. My younger brother was riding behind me when my rear tyre slid from side to side like I was doing an uncontrollable fishtail. I eventually brought it under control by releasing the accelerator and gently applying the rear and then front brakes in sequence. My brother said that he felt as the blood rush into his legs as he turned white. This ride was shortly after he had just come out of hospital after a single motorcycle accident where he had a punctured lung and several other serious injuries, he still has the scars to remind him of that day. I consider all of us to be lucky riders. I feel that the road has become a much more dangerous place for riders. It's fact that most people have both partners working.
They are both working longer hours to make ends meet sometimes up to 12 hours or more a day. And amongst all of this chaos are the ever aware motorcycle rider, unaware that the people who are driving today are at least 5 times less patient that the people who were on the road 10 years ago, it's not that hard to see why more experienced motorcyclists are being injured and or killed. Leave 10 to 30 minutes earlier that you normally would if taking your bike during rain. Check the weather forecasts on the news and get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally would you'll have a much more relaxing journey to work. If you are running late for anything, PLEASE phone ahead and let them know that you will be 15 - 30 minutes late
(I am sure that your friends/family/employer/or biker mates would rather see you ARRIVE ALIVE than not at all!) Weigh up your options when you travel and give yourself additional stopping distance and additional time both in wet and dry conditions especially when you are riding a heavier bike or someone else’s bike. |
