X-NEWS: cerritos.edu rec.motorcycles: 79663 Relay-Version: VMS News - V6.1B1 12/08/92 VAX/VMS V5.5-2; site cerritos.edu Path: cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!moe.ksu.ksu.edu!engr.uark.edu!mbox.ualr.edu!chaos!dave.williams Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles Subject: rec.motorcycles FAQ of 93.02.01 (Part 1 of 6) Message-ID: <35125.89.uupcb@chaos.lrk.ar.us> From: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) Date: 30 Jan 93 20:16:00 GMT Reply-To: dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams) Distribution: world Organization: The Courts of Chaos * 501-985-0059 * Public Access Usenet Lines: 211 This is the rec.motorcycles Frequently Asked Questions list. It will be posted near the first of each month. Please send requests or submissions to dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us. (DoD #978, KotF) Items marked with an asterisk (*) are new or changed from the previous FAQ. *** Terminology: Q: I've seen some unfamiliar terms while reading the newsgroup. What do they mean? A: You think maybe we can read your mind? Well, here are a few commonly-used terms: cager motorist inside a car or pickup Denizens the kind of people your mother warned you about DoD I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you The DoD FAQ appears in rec.moto at the beginning of each month. endo what happens when you get too exuberant with a stoppie. FOAF story "friend of a friend" story - usually bogus highside falling over to the outside of a turn (bad) lowside falling over to the inside of a turn (ditto) * marcl@os-d.isc-br.com (H. Marc Lewis) adds: "You don't have to be turning to highside (or lowside). If the bike is leaning to one side (turning, tankslapper, whatever) and you fall off on the same side, then it's a lowside. If the bike violently flips you over center to the other side (and beyond!) then it's a highside. I've seen and done both during 7 years of desert racing. The highside is by far the worst of the two..." MSF Motorcycle Safety Foundation. They teach 'How to Ride' schools, mandatory in some states. spooge any semiliquid nasty substance squid someone who rides far outside his abilities, often to the detriment of himself and his equipment. stoppie a maximum-effort stop where the rear wheel is lifted clear of the pavement. WFO Wide F***ing Open - the normal throttle position for Denizens, squids, and unfortunates on 50cc Honda step-throughs. ===================== Q: Who the hell is Lance Holst, and why is he a jerk? A: That's for us to know and you to find out. ===================== Q: Why doesn't the rec.motorcycle FAQ come out on the first of the month like most other FAQs? A: We use the Mayan calendar. *** Riding: Q: I've never ridden before, and I'd like to take a course. Where can I find one? A: In the USA, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation has courses several times a year. To find the next/nearest course, call 800-447-4700. Some states may also have their own required courses. Check with your local DMV. ===================== Q: I've never owned a motorcycle before, but I'd like to buy one. What's a good first bike? A: Don't let your hormones get the upper hand. Start small. Try to find something short enough that you can touch the ground with both feet when at rest. Experienced riders don't care, but it's very comforting when you start out. Try to find an older, used machine. It doesn't have to be perfect as long as it's safe. Registration and (particularly!) insurance are cheaper on older or smaller bikes. If you drop it, you won't feel nearly as bad as you would if it was a new ZZX700RRR or whatever. Once you have some miles racked up, you'll be a lot better at deciding what kind of machine you want to buy. You can sell the old one, trade it in, or keep it for a spare. ===================== Q: When I go around corners, should I lean my head with my body or keep it perpendicular to the road? A: Lots of people ride either way. At low speeds it probably doesn't matter. The fastest racers keep their head level no matter which way they're leaning. Keith Code's Superbike school also recommends this. ===================== Q: What's proper behavior for a passenger riding pillion? A: ronen@gg.caltech.edu writes: Here's what I tell passengers: - Don't think or worry about leaning. Instead... - Sit close and hug me tight. That way we are essentially a single unit---and I control the lean for the both of us. [It's particularly important when carrying a large male; if he's sitting back it's like a large weight at the end of a spring sticking up from the rear of the bike, which makes it wobbly and hard to control. I explain this to guys to get them over the macho, guys- can't-hug-guys thing. I explain this to women also: since women tend to be lighter and have a low center of gravity, when a small- to-medium woman sits close & hugs tight, I find almost no noticeable effect on handling (though there *is* a noticeable effect on my mood :) ] - Ignore the things that look like handgrips beside the saddle. - If you really want to participate, shift your head to look over my inside shoulder in turns---shifting the ~25 pounds of head+ helmet gives plenty of contribution to the lean. Otherwise don't worry about it, just pick a shoulder and stick with it, switch when you get bored. - Keep your feet on the pegs at all times! Don't put them down when we stop at a light or anywhere else---I don't want them to get mangled when I start moving. - You may want to stand up on your pegs a little when we stop, to keep from sliding forward on the seat. - Let me know if you're uncomfortable with freeway speeds or extreme leans or lane-splitting or whatever. [I try to not to terrify newbies.] - Open or close your faceshield as makes you happy. - Enjoy! The above works for me, riding a standard-style street bike ('83 Nighthawk 650). I imagine things might be different for sport or touring bikes. [comment: Looks quite complete. Probably the most important thing is not to get a case of the red ass when hauling a newbie - it can be scary as hell back there. Also be wary when carrying experienced riders, as they may shift their weight to "help" you without thinking about it.] ===================== Q: What is lane splitting, and why would I want to do it? A: Lane splitting is when you ride between the lanes of traffic. This is legal in some states, not forbidden in others, and illegal in still others. It can be an enormous time-saver when the freeway turns into a parking lot at quitting time. Some people - including some motorcycle magazine editors - advocate lane splitting and have done so for years. Others, thinking of how erratic the average cager is already, prefer not to take the chance of being creamed when someone changes lanes or opens a door to dump a spittoon. Some people make a distinction between lane splitting and lane sharing. The same comments apply. ===================== Q: I'd like to ride along with several friends, but I'm afraid we'll get tangled up or run into each other. Are there any rules for riding in groups? A: There aren't any formal rules. Some states permit riding side by side, other states require you ride staggered. Unless you're very familiar with who you're riding with it's a good idea to ride staggered. In most states, groups must stop individually for stop signs or red lights. It's bad practice to ride through a red light even if you're in the middle of 200 riders. Large group rides sometimes have police escort; if so, follow police signals. Sometimes it's hard to differentiate "blow through this red light" from "there's a wasp up my sleeve." Generally, when riding parallel, the bike nearest the shoulder has right-of-way. It's assumed that the inside bike can crowd the divider and any oncoming traffic, while the outside bike may be facing a ditch or stepped shoulder. When riding staggered, the bike in front normally has the right-of- way. You can see the guy in front just fine; he has to use his mirrors to see you. By assuming you can take care of yourself, he doesn't have to worry about collision if he has to dodge a pothole or armadillo. Remember, when you're riding in a group, you only have *half* a lane. Worn pavement or crosswinds can make it difficult to keep your mirrors or bodywork out of someone else's space. (end of part 1)