Re: [ST] Low Side

[chuck boatwright <dirac@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Al Garvin wrote:

> Masiak, Richard wrote:
> 
>>
>> Question: Should one just go with the flow of a low side or is it
>> fightable/recoverable without incident?  

save it.  save it.  save it!


I have saved many likely lowsides with my knee.  Knee + smooth gas 
allowed tire to hook back up.  I have lost the rear and the front on 
different occasions (the old T2 and T4 at sears^H^H^H^H^H infineon is a 
classic place to lose the front, where T11 is the classic lose the 
rear).  It's all about how smoothly you handle it...  Last year at 
sears, I was duking it out for 29th place with a rider and I did exactly 
this.  The front started to tuck, and I said (loosely translating one 
word into a sentence) "NO.  YOU WILL NOT TUCK!" and pushed my knee 
harder onto the tarmac (I think there was also a "pucker").  the front 
hooked back up -- and I gave the guy behind me a scare -- heh heh but 
not enough.  We swapped places 3 times a lap, but he won by .04 seconds 
(less than bike length).  I digress.....

If you're on the track, make use of the kneepuck and keep the right hand 
smooth.  If you're on the street save it with the gas.  If you are on 
the rear brake, and this has caused the slide, enroll in a riding skills 
course (track day for first time track riders).

Any non smooth throttle action (chop or hammer) can turn a impending low 
side (or just a slide) into bad news.

Chop the throttle if the rear is sliding and you set up type-1 high side 
(rear wheel rotating slower than it should).  ham fist the throttle, and 
if you are lucky the bike slides away and the slide turns into a 
lowside.  If you are unlucky the slide turns into a type-2 high side 
(rear wheel spinning faster than it should).  In short, respectfully 
avoid lateral accelleration.


> 
> When in doubt ---- gas it.

Al Garvin, you musta went to the same preacher that I did.  heh..

Seriously..  The guy who taught me to ride, a crazy friend who spoke 
with a thick german accent, said exactly this.  "heh, get on the gas"

It's very hard to overcome the instinctual "let off the gas" reaction. 
Teach yourself.  Justify a tank of gas to your favorite curvy road and 
ride it in 2nd or 3rd, no brakes.  learn how to use that throttle 
smoothly.   Tell the SO, kids, dog, boss etc that you are making 
yourself a better rider, and that is why you have to ride over the 
mountain on the same road 5 times in one day!

ok..  all this talk of riding is sending me to the garage (with two 
shims in hand -- time to get the camshafts back in the bike and ride!)

- --chuck




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