With the summer in full swing, and beautiful sunshine and hot days the norm, everybody is out looking to enjoy their time on their motorcycle. Here are five tips to make the most of your ride - and help you improve your skills. 1) Plan, plan, plan. Look towards the furthest point you can see and bring the information back to you to identify the hazards and their importance so that you are ready to make any adjustments easily. Everything you can see adds clues about whats coming up. Look to see where the streetlights, hedges and telegraph poles go, because the road will usually follow them, for example. 2) Keep your eyes on where you want to go, not where you think youre going. Even when manoeuvring the bike, keep your eye line up at eye level, don’t look down. The motorcycle will go where you look, so keep your gaze on the corner exit, not the hedge half-way round. 3) Talk to yourself. It might sound daft, but actively looking for hazards by telling yourself about them makes you more alert and it stops your attention from wandering. It will also help you build the good habit of constantly being hungry for more information. 4) Road position. Ensure the bike is in the right place to to give yourself the best view around a corner or past a hazard - but not to the detriment of your safety. You can move over as far as you want in your lane, or even over a broken white line in some circumstances, to see more, so long as you dont put yourself in danger. And the more you can see, the more you know about whats going to happen. 5) String it all together with IPSGA. What is IPSGA? Its a habit-forming technique for going through a corner/dealing with a hazard that ensures you have the best possile control at all times: Information - received from the outside world by observation, and given by use of signals such as direction indicators, headlamp flashes, and horn; is a general theme running continuously throughout the application of the system by taking, using and giving information. Position - on the road optimised for safety, visibility and correct routing, followed by best progress. Speed - appropriate to the hazard being approached, attained via braking or throttle control (engine braking), always being able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear on your side of the road. Gear - appropriate for maximum vehicle control through the hazard, selected in one shift; and Acceleration - for clearing the hazard safely. Pit-Stop Training offers full training for riders looking to get their motorcycle licence as well as extensive post-test training, advanced riding techniques and one-on-one training. Enjoy your ride, enjoy the sunshine ! Paul
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 15:22:58 +0000
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