“I’ve been noodling around and think there may be a difference between parking lot practice and the real thing.
I was going thither and yon here in the mountains at a fair clip yet not really scaring myself. So I’m rounding a right-hander that is fast becoming a decreasing radius turn as I see a couple of turkeys and try to avoid them. Whadya spose- the SC wheel comes up and I’m in the on-coming lane.
I’m ashamed of myself. I haven’t done something like that in a very long time. I applied the front brake and I came down with a thud, but I was unable to get it back in my own lane gracefuly or in a timely fashion.
I usually set up every turn by slowing down, but the decreasing radius turn PLUS the birds… Well, What would YOU have done?” UEThere is a difference between “parking lot practice and the real thing”. The real thing often happens faster and traffic and other hazards may restrict your options. But the skills you learn in class and practice in the parking lot do apply directly to this situation.
Were you… ?
Searching the road ahead,
Locating hazards(such as the decreasing radius turn and the turkeys),
Anticipating how those hazards might affect you,
Deciding what to do(formulate a strategy to deal with the hazards. If the corner is too tight to see the turkeys on the other side you should assume the there might be something in the road and slow down-don’t drive faster than your line of sight. If you can see the turkeys you can deal with them and the tight corner both by slowing down. You might also choose an escape route. You might decide that the turkeys must die. Separate & prioritize the hazards, and decide what your best choice is to deal with them in order of importance.
Evasive action: execute your strategy;slow down, choose your line and hold your line.
Use the cornering techniques you learned in class(you have taken a class, haven’t you? -if not, you should!you need to learn these skills before you get to the corner!). You should have gotten your speed off and shifted your weight right, into the turn, before the corner. If the wheel comes up the rig will tend to drift left. Stay in your lane, adding a little more front brake and shifting your weight further to the right. Look where you want to go and steer the bike there. Don’t grab brakes, don’t grab throttle, don’t grab anything. If you use the brakes, ease them on, ease them off. When you shift your weight, ease it over. Don’t chop the throttle, don’t grab the throttle. When you pick your line, use smooth steering input. Sudden input of any kind contributes to lack of control; smooth is your friend, abrupt is not your friend.
The distinction between instructing some one to “grab” the front brake as opposed to “ease on” some front brake is much more important than arguing over when the term “flying the sidecar” can be applied.
Certainly the most important thing to do is to select a safe entry speed. Get your speed off before you enter the corner. Select a speed which you can safely carry through the entire corner. If you are unfamiliar with the road, can’t see through the corner or traffic or road conditions present increased hazard, err on the side of caution. Slow down.
The posted speeds for corners are a good indication. That doesn’t mean they are absolutes. Conditions, your ability and the vehicle you are driving may allow you to corner considerably faster or may dictate a slower speed through the corner. Just because you are on a sidecar, doesn’t mean you have to crawl through the corner at half the posted speed. That doesn’t mean drive at 9/10ths-leave yourself a margin. Use your head. Don’t freak if the wheel comes up, you are still in full control. The sidecar is still out there, working for you. Drive.
Sidecars are inherently more stable than motorcycles. They require different skills to corner fast and safely. How do you recover when you get into a corner too hot on a sidecar? How do you recover when you get into a corner too hot on a motorcycle or in a car? Sometimes you don’t. On a sidecar, use your weight, use your brakes, use the throttle, use the available road to change your line.
Take a class, practice, know your vehicle, know your abilities and know the road. Drive accordingly.As with any other type of vehicle, the key is not “how do I get out of trouble” but, rather, “how do I stay out of trouble”.
Sep
19
