Limits

Happy New Year. Yes, it sounds like a cliché, but we can always hope that it comes true. Do your part to make it that way. At the November Board meeting we held the Highway Safety committee meeting and got the bad news that the 2020 high motorcycle fatality rate was being beaten by an even higher fatality rate for 2021.

For the past year ABATE has had the “Ride Your Own Ride” posters distributed and published in the Newsletter. You have seen them, right? Have you stopped to think what that means? To me it means riding within your limits. Everyone has different limits. It is up to each of us to determine those limits. There are a lot of factors that play into limits. Let’s explore some of the more important ones.

Your limits would include your skill level, your physical condition and health, your mental state at the time of your ride, and your reflexes. From statistics we know that alcohol and age are two big factors in this category. You have total control of the alcohol factor-just don’t drink and ride! The age factor is something you also have control over. Regular physicals, working out, practicing your riding skills, and taking regular training courses to sharpen your skills are a good start.

Another factor in limits is your bike. Mechanical condition is critical. Tires, brakes, suspension, and lighting should be regular pre-ride inspections, but the bike itself has limits. Quality of the bike suspension and things like floorboards are limits to ground clearance and cornering ability. A sport bike has much more lean angle than a bagger before parts start to drag. Tire condition and inflation is also a critical limiting factor. These are factors you have control over. Good brakes will help stretch the bike’s limits, but you must be able to use them properly. Refer to the last paragraph-your skill level.

Another factor in limits is the roadway. We all know about sand and gravel. We also know that curves and hills are a lot more fun to ride. The key is to ride at a speed that will allow you to stop the bike no matter what may take place in front of you. Blind corners and hills must be treated with respect. They aren’t called blind for nothing. Other traffic comes into play here also. Other factors have to do with time of year. Sand in the spring, wet leaves in the fall, and critters anytime. This time of year, if we get a nice warm day and have to take a ride to stave off the winter insanity, keep in mind that even though the roads are clear, sun can bring frost out of the ground and the road may be wet and slippery.

I’m sure most of you can come up with other limits but this is a good start to get you thinking. It is up to each of us to recognize our limit and ride within them. I have not even mentioned group rides where other peoples’ limits have a critical impact on your own limits. Get ready for a new riding season so we can make it safer than the last two.

Ride Safe,

Gary