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[ST] Close Call



"2. How does one go about practicing emergency stops from 60 mph (w/o
having
access to a race track).  Is this even something I should be practicing?

Yes, practice makes perfect.  Any time, any where you can.  I practice
emergency braking at  almost every stoplight that someone is not close
enough behind me to cause a problem.  Same on the highway.  Every so
often I'll check my 6 to make sure it's clear, pick a roadside object
for a imaginary target and hit the binders.  I'm getting to the point
that I can lock up both wheels at will ( and avoid the same) and keep
the bike under control. And stop RFQ.  I also practice this a lot off
road, which helps relieve the pucker factor when the wheels lock.

3. Was there anything else I could have done but didn't?
Yes.  ALWAYS ride with your brake covered, especially in traffic when
your have the possibility of conflict with cages, i.e.: possible left
turn, greatly varying speeds (as you discovered), intersections, and
possibly hazardous road conditions.. The fraction of a second it takes
to reach for the brake can make all the difference in some instances.
Also, I learned in Spencer's HPRS you need to apply the brakes in two
stages. One, with slight pressure, to load the front end, and second,
with as much pressure as needed to slow/stop the bike. If you do step 2
without one, you can bottom the front end and lose control, as well as
put enough weight on the front end to make the rear brake useless.
Which brings up my last point. You can slow/stop the bike about 1/3
quicker if you use the proper proportion of Front/Rear brakes over
fronts alone and about twice or three times as fast as with the rear
alone.  How do you find the proper proportion?  Practice.
One other point regarding practice.  David Hough had a good article in
this month's BMW Owner's News Magazine about obstacle avoidance.  In
light of the fact of "Going where you look" you always want to look for
an out. If you're anything like me, I bet you were staring the paint off
that cage, instead of looking at the (however small) opening between him
and the wall.  Or maybe not, after all, you made it through with a quick
burst of speed.
My point is this: I practice "Looking where I want to go" and avoid
obstacles every time I change lanes by picking a opening in the botts
dots and riding through there.  I ride "around" everything in the road
as big as a gum wrapper, to get in the practice of seeing, looking (for
an out) and avoiding.  That way when a REAL obstacle pops up, hopefully
it will be second nature to Look, and Avoid.
After a couple of years of "Consciously" practicing these things, I am
aware of them in real panic situations, to the point that on two
occasions I can actually remember YELLING to myself to "LOOK FOR THE
OUT!!" And it worked.

David
'99ST



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