Season Wraps Up

by Gary Klinker

It was a sad time recently when we got word that three friends and dedicated ABATE members passed away. Two former ABATE Board members, Joe Hauser and R J Rubel both died in motorcycle crashes within a week. Joe served on the Board with me from 2018-2020. R J was very active in many roles and served on the Board when I was Executive Director in the early 90’s. Our sympathy goes out to the families and friends of Joe Hauser and R J Rubel. Even closer to home, Emmy Van Dyke passed away from cancer. She started as a 7D member many years ago, then moved just across the line to Juneau County. Our sympathy goes to Dave, our District Director and fellow Board member.

October has arrived and with it the end of the 2021 Safe Rider season. It was a very successful year. As you read this, I am probably hauling our bikes into the shop for winter storage and service for another year.

In the meantime, at the end of September I will have ridden with Dave Dwyer to Atlanta for Meeting of the Minds. I’m looking forward to having time to make another long ride and seeing many friends from around the country. I can give you details of the trip and conference next month.

Over the years in teaching and observing riders there is one thing that I have always stressed or commented on so I guess this will be my “Rant of the Month”. Most classes of beginning riders start this way, but recently I had one student who consistently put their feet down before the bike stopped. Unfortunately, feet down riding is not only a beginner class problem. I was recently watching a video of a group ride. Many of the riders were riding slowly or making turns while dragging their feet. Keeping your feet on the pegs while riding-at any speed shows a skilled and experienced rider, it is also a safety issue. If the bike is moving and your feet are down, you stand a good chance of the pegs (or floorboards) catching your leg from behind. Depending on the situation it could result in bruises, being pulled from the bike or even a broken ankle. The pegs are the safe place to keep your feet anytime the bike is moving. Next time you are with a group of bikes just observe how people ride in a parking lot. You will see what I mean.

Coming to a complete stop is another place where inexperience or bad habits shows up. Proper technique for a stop is applying both brakes and putting the left foot to the ground. Too many times a rider can’t wait until they are stopped to drop both feet to the ground. If you are old enough to remember him, we call that Fred Flintstone stops. Besides feet off the pegs while the bike is moving, the rider has given up part of the braking ability by not using the rear brake along with the front. If the surface has any kind of slope to it there is another good reason to keep the rear brake applied at a stop.

By now some of you are thinking that this guy is bitching about the way I ride, but what do I do to fix it. I’m glad you asked. In low speed maneuvering you can keep the engine revved up slightly and use the friction zone of the clutch to control your speed. The spinning engine provides some balance-like a spinning top. The friction zone provides smoother power than the throttle, which may have some lag or jerkiness. You can also ride the rear brake to control the speed of the bike. The most important piece of the puzzle is keeping your eyes up and looking where you want to go. Power keeps a bike upright. Don’t go so slowly that you must fight to balance the bike.

When it comes to proper braking, practice is the answer. Every time you come to a stop, plant the left foot and keep the rear brake applied. It will soon be second nature. The reason some people feel the need to drop both feet is poor balance. To have good balance at a stop keep your head and eyes up, looking straight ahead. The horizon will provide a reference to help with balance and confidence. Once stopped you can look both ways for traffic or whatever it might be but make the stop looking high and straight. You can try this on your own. Find a safe parking lot and stop looking ahead and again looking down or to the side. Which way feels better? Stayed tuned next month for a report on Meeting of the Minds and get your feet up and ride.

Stay Safe,

Gary