Choke Advice

 

Recently, while I was at a gas station refueling my car, I heard a familiar sound. It was the sound of someone trying to start a two-stroke dirt bike. When I looked in the sound's direction, I noticed a kid in his early teens trying to start a early nineties Honda CR 80. The engine would fire, then the kid would crack the throttle and the it would die. He was doing this repeatedly for quite some time. The temperature outside was in the low 40s and I was pretty sure I knew exactly what this kid was doing wrong. I wanted to scream, "stay off the throttle!"

 

When an engine is cold, the fuel to air ratio entering the combustion chamber needs to be increased to compensate for thermal efficiency being low (there are also other reasons, but this is the main one). In older carbureted engines, a common way to increase this ratio is with a choke. Activating a choke will lower a plate that will block air from entering the carburetor.

 

When the kid was twisting the throttle, he was allowing more air to enter the carburetor. This was negating the choke, which caused the engine to stall. If he had not touched the throttle and allowed the choke to do its job, he'd have been on his way much sooner.

 

I'm telling this story because I used to do the same thing as a young rider. It took some older, more experienced people to tell me my error (I'm sure it took multiple times as I had a habit of ignoring good advice). Hopefully this will help someone remember to let the choke do its job.

 

"The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself." - Oscar Wilde

Moto Journalist

I was going to link and discuss another motorcycle safety article in this blog post, but as I was about to copy the web address I noticed something. Nearly every article that I've linked was written by the same man, Ken Condon. This writer has great advice and gives a common sense approach to riding which I value and promote.

I really don't fancy myself as a motorcycle journalist. As much as I'd like to be, I have too many other things happening in my life that get in the way (I also fear that I don't have the talent for it). For now I'm happy to be a blogger (and there's nothing wrong with that), but if I ever do follow the path of an actual journalist, I'd definitely use Ken as inspiration.

Please read through the linked list of articles (especially those related to safety). I think that if you can retain 5% of his information and advice the riding world will be a safer place. Riding safer means that you will also be riding longer!

"When asked, the majority of motorcyclists consider themselves "good" riders. The problem is that we suck at measuring our own abilities." - Ken Condon

Motorcycle Character

A couple weeks ago marked the two year anniversary of my purchase of a new motorcycle. My bike is a Ducati Monster 821. Overall, I'm thrilled with this bike. It's surprisingly comfortable to ride, really fast (possibly too fast), and hasn't had a single mechanical issue.

 

I'm definitely happy with my decision to get it. However, when I look back at photos of my old bikes, I find myself missing them. These weren't as technologically advanced and didn't come even close to having the performance that the new one has. With that being said, the thing these bikes had was character. The scrapes, scratches, and dents all told a story of the history of the motorcycles.

 

The imperfections of these motorcycles used to embarrass me a bit, but now I remember them with fondness. I can remember when I rode my old Ducati to South Dakota and the cheap tank bag I was using scratched the paint. I also recall when I was replacing the battery in my Harley and acid dropped on the mufflers and removed the chrome. These defects were what gave the bikes character.

 

So, don't fix every scratch or ding in your bike. Embrace them! Obviously, if damage is sufficient enough to compromise the performance or safety you should fix it, but otherwise enjoy the imperfections. After writing this I'm definitely looking forward to adding some character to my new bike. Don't worry, I won't be doing anything crazy like deliberately scraping it, but I also will not go entirely out of my way to keep it pristine.

 

"Sports do not build character. They reveal it." - Heywood Broun

Great Advice

 

This post is similar to last week's. However, the article that I've come across is so awesome that I needed to share it. Motorcycle Cruiser magazine posted an article which originally appeared in its sister publication, Motorcyclist. The article is titled, 50 Ways to Save Your Life (see article here). Please read this as it is a great and comprehensive list. I'm going to discuss a few of these that resonate with me because I have personal experience with them.

Learn to use both brakes.
A huge reason that I crashed my motorcycle (see more about that story here) was that I locked up my front brake when I tried to stop for a deer in the road. The problem with only using the front brake is that it squats the front shocks and takes weight away from the rear, causing the rear of the motorcycle to lose traction. When I aggressively clamped on the front brake, the rear of the bike slid out, causing me to drop it. After that, I've always used both brakes simultaneously, even when I was riding around a parking lot at slow speeds.

Look where you want to go.
This one brings me back to my Motorcycle Safety course. After the first day of the riding portion of the course the instructors gave us a practice riding exam. I passed, but I did miss a couple of cones in the cornering and cone weaving portions of the test. One instructor pulled me aside and told me that I was a competent rider, but I really needed to focus on looking where I wanted to go, not at the ground directly in front of me. For some reason, this resonated with me and I completed the real riding exam on the final day of the class flawlessly.

Drops on the faceshield?
If you remember my opinion on riding in the rain, you'll know that I believe you should get as much practice as you possibly can. This assures that you'll be a better rider if you are suddenly surprised by a torrential downpour.

I'm going to repeat my statement from last week for this week's quote as it resonates well for the tone of this one.

"Ride smart, ride often, ride safe." - Josh Karvakko

Is it weird or narcissistic that I quoted myself?...Oh well, let's go with it.

 

Accident Causes

Here is a great article that discusses a study on why motorcycle riders crash. Many crashes happen at slow speeds, which may be embarrassing, but hardly are catastrophic. Other crashes are due to lack of riding experience/skill or a rider being too aggressive for his or her own ability. These crashes can be avoided through more experience and using controlled recklessness like I detail here.

 

The accidents that worry me are the ones where other people are at fault. This is the most nerve racking part of motorcycling and something every rider must concern themselves with. The article does detail some methods of avoiding these accidents. The main idea is to always make yourself visible. Never stay in blind spots, strategically place yourself in intersections as to be seen, and wear bright or reflective clothing.

 

One way I help myself to avoid accidents is to ride as if everyone else on the road is an idiot. Assume that no one knows what they're doing and you'll never be surprised when they do something wrong. I'm exaggerating a little here, but I want to emphasize that you shouldn't assume that other motorists will do exactly what you expect them to. The best advice is to get riding experience and to always be aware of your surroundings. Ride smart, ride often, ride safe.

 

"I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents." - Pablo Picasso

Spring Snow

If you ask my wife, this is the worst time of the year to live with me. I thought I was doing pretty well while I patiently awaited the upcoming riding season, but I guess I was wrong. Over the past weekend, my wife pointed out my crabbiness and bad attitude. I initially denied it, saying that I was feeling just fine. However, after some introspection, I realized that I was being quite an ass.

 

I was well on my way to adjusting my attitude, looking at the bright side of things. We had a decent rain on Sunday evening, which washed the roads pretty nicely. I was going to ride this week! Then, I looked at the forecast. It called for fucking snow!!!!! What?!!! My crabbiness has returned and I am a handful to deal with again.

 

But, as I try to look at the bright side (again), the snow that is currently falling is not sticking to the roads or ground, so it should have little or no impact on road conditions. I should still be riding in the very near future. Until then, I guess I'll have to deal with the 30,000th person asking the question, "Did you get out and ride your bike yet?" Sigh...

 

"I'm not really wise. But I can be cranky." - Andy Griffith

Don't be a Dick

Riding season is upon us! I haven't ridden yet, but the street sweepers are out cleaning debris from the roads and we are bound to get a decent rain sometime soon to wash what the sweeper misses. I'll definitely be riding by next week. Now comes the negotiation with my wife on which days of the week I will ride to work and which days I'll drive my kids to daycare and school.

My wife is extremely supportive of me riding as much as I possibly can and usually will take on some of my responsibility for transporting our kids to school/daycare, but it comes at a price to her. Currently, during our morning commutes, I'll take our son to daycare while she drops our daughter off at school. If I ride my motorcycle to work, she'll need to drive both kids, which will force her to wake up earlier in the morning thereby throwing a monkey wrench in her daily routine. All this just so her motorcycle loving husband can enjoy his morning commute.

If your in a similar situation to me, or will be in the future, my advice is to not be a dick. Your significant other is making sacrifices for your hobby...appreciate that! Don't whine when you can only ride your motorcycle for a couple of days a week. You'd better at least offer to drive your kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays and any rainy days in between.

This is going to be my offer to her:

 1. I will drop both kids off every Tuesday and Thursday morning.

 2. I will also drop both kids off if it is raining in the morning.

 3 If my wife has a meeting or needs to get to work early, I will drop both kids off.

 4. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will ride to work, barring rain.

 5. I reserve the right to swap out days if the weather is going to be outstanding on a Tuesday or Thursday.

This will be my initial offer to her. She may make a counter offer which I will consider. That's how negotiations work!

Hold on...She's definitely going to read this...Shit!

Hi, honey.

"Wil Wheaton says: Don't be a dick." - Wil Wheaton