We’re all humans and humans make mistakes. But when we operate certain equipment, certain mistakes become common ones. We’re leaving out mistakes made while riding for another article. Here are 10 of the most made by us bikers.
You’re back for Raya and your excited nephew wants to “feel” your new superbike; but all that he’s ever ridden is his Honda EX5. What do you do? Do you tell him “No” and break his heart? Or do you hand him the key?
Congratulations to you if you chose the second option, because loaning your bike to just anyone is a no-no. In fact, loaning your bike to “experienced” friends isn’t such a good idea, either.
That’s because that person will “test” your bike’s capabilities. It’s safer to do so at the track, but it’s an entirely different matter out there on public roads.
There’ve been so many cases of accidents involving those who test ride their buddy’s or uncle’s bikes, some ending in tragic consequences.
So don’t. Like ever.
The drive chain is the only thing that transmits the power from the engine to the rear wheel.
An unmaintained chain i.e. dirty, dry, loose will cause loss of power, increased fuel consumption, abnormal wear on the sprockets and may eventually snap. When that happens, you’d be thankful if it dropped clear of the bike, otherwise it’ll cause the rear wheel to lock if it jams in the space between the sprocket and swingarm. In extreme cases, the snapped chain turned into a whip which injured the rider or passenger.
You should always clean and lube your chain every 400 kilometres or so (2 tankful of gas), by using chain cleaner (or kerosene), then spray on a penetrant (ideally), followed by chain lube. Do spray into the spaces between the links with the tube, instead of spraying it like a can of Ridsect.
Finally, adjust your chain so that it has a 25mm freeplay between the lowest and highest positions, at the midpoint.
Next to the chain, tyre pressure is the most neglected aspect.
Underinflated tyres cause increased fuel consumption, abnormal tyre wear and lifespan, and handling imbalances that could very well lead to loss of control.
Do check at least once a week and test using your own tyre gauge. Or better yet, install a tyre pressure monitoring system, such as EBAT’s.
We see this all the time.
The rider starts up his bike and lets it idle for the better part of 15 minutes while he leisurely suits up.
Firstly, oil needs some engine load to circulate so only small amounts gets to the important parts at idle. Unless your engine uses a separately powered oil pump, an idling engine doesn’t provide enough pressure to circulate the oil.
Secondly, and most importantly, small amounts of sulfur will be left behind in the cylinder(s) as a by-product of combusted fuel. When the engine cools overnight, the cool metal surfaces inside the combustion chamber condensates moisture in the air. This moisture now reacts with the sulfur to form a small amount of sulfuric acid.
A low engine load such as idling will not have enough positive pressure to push the gasses out of the combustion chamber. Now the caustic mix gets circulated in the combustion chamber and starts eating away at the parts of the chamber, valve seats and piston rings.
So what do you do? Just start and go, but do pull away smoothly (not pinning the throttle right away).
It’s easy to forget that there’s oil in the forks (unless you’re riding a motocrosser with air forks), since it’s out of sight. That’s until it starts oozing out onto the fork legs, rim and brakes!
The oil in fork legs are subjected to extreme conditions, almost as harsh as those inside the engine. The oil wears down from shearing, heat and contamination from rapid movement (up to 2 m/s). There’s also fine metal flakes due to the spring scraping the inner fork tube from compression, rebound and flex. Those metal chips will then go on to gouge the fork’s oil seal, resulting in a leak.
When should you change the fork oil?
Every 20,000 km to 30,000 km would be a good practice.
It’s safe to say that every half-serious biker knows that the learner courses taught by driving schools in Malaysia are not only outdated, they also have no bearing to real world riding, hence they actually taught nothing in the way of riding skills except to pass exams.
That results in new riders going on the road without the necessary skills to control his bike.
As such, every rider should seek ways to upgrade his riding skills. And don’t let the long number of years you’ve been riding fool yourself, either. Riding for a long time doesn’t necessarily mean you’re riding correctly.
Advanced riding courses are expensive, we admit, but there’s so much satisfaction and more importantly, your own safety to gain from them. Truth is, one excuse is as good as another, so there’s not one which is good enough if you don’t attend one of these courses. Unless of course, your excuse is to get into trouble on purpose.
Or pick up a book at the very least. Our favourites are from Keith Code, Nick Ienatsch and Lee Parks.
Look at it this way, even the top-level pros such as Rossi, Vinalez, Marquez, et al never stop practicing. Sure, that’s their livelihood, but good street riders never stop learning. Taking up and advanced riding course doesn’t mean you’re preparing yourself to race. Upgrading your skills results in better control hence more confidence. You’ll find riding is even more enjoyable when you gain confidence.
So please sign up with reputable schools such as Most Fun Gym or Progressive Track Day’s Riding Clinic. They train riders in a controlled environment to avoid exposing students to the dangers of public roads.
There are people like this everywhere, but it’s definitely unhealthy if you dismiss every bit of advice from your buddies.
It’s true that not all that you hear may be correct, but the onus is on you to research more then filter through the information. Part of the fun of motorcycling is expanding your knowledge.
The worst kinds are those who totally refuse to listen, only to imperil not only himself but his buddies too while on a ride. We’d usually steer clear of this personality. Please don’t be one.
This ties in with the previous two mistakes, to a large extent.
Most egoistical bikers have the same universal lines, “I’ve been riding even before your parents were dating, Boy.” “Who needs classes? Even the 200 bhp sportbikes can’t catch me on my ER-6.” “Why do I have to ride slow with the convoy?”
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
This is the worst possible trait to have when one rides and it will inevitably lead to trouble.
If the world’s best racers can be so humble, who are we to think we’re the Gods of the public roads?
It’s just like cigarettes. Everyone knows the danger but they still continue to do it.
Our skin and bones are no defense against the tarmac. If it hurts from falling off a bicycle, think of the amount of hurt if you fell off a motorcycle that’s going 5 times faster. In simple terms, not wearing protective gear while riding is akin to riding naked.
There’s no plausible excuse in not gearing up. Remember ATGATT – All The Gear, All The Time.
Also known as trusting other road users to be perfect drivers.
The main key to survive riding on public roads is to harbor a degree of paranoia that other road users are out to get you. Of course, that may not be what’s on their minds but it’s the only method to stay vigilant.
Trying to squeeze through a gap between two cars – or worse between two heavy vehicles – while hoping that the drivers know you’re there is just leaving too much to chance. It’s not uncommon for drivers to be distracted by whatever in their personal bubble to pay much attention to the outside world.
Let’s be proactive. It’s true that motorcycling is 600 times riskier than driving; but the fun part is how you mitigate the dangers and minimize the risks, by keeping your wits about you at all times.
