Hey,
So what are your bad riding habits (hopefully not dangerous).... I took my MSF course this weekend and the intructor hated my habit of two-finger braking with only my pointer and middle. He threatened to tape my four fingers together, lol. Its a bad habit from my moto-x days and mountain biking, i used very short brake levers.
Tom
I've fallen into the bad habit of not really doing a thorough pre-ride check anymore. I'll often check my tires to make sure they're not flat and that I didn't pick up a nail or something, but that's usually about it.
Also, at stoplights I'll sometimes only use one leg to balance the bike, or I'll pop it into neutral.
I rarely do preride checks, I use two fingers on the brake, I dont use the clutch much, I sit in neutral at most lights, and i usually only use 1 leg at lights.
I dont have a good reason for not doing pre ride checks other than being lazy, but I do have good valid reasons for the rest:
I only use two fingers on the brake because thats all it needs, I can (and have) locked the front tire easily with just two fingers. also that makes it possible to blip the throttle on down shifts.
I dont use the clutch much because the transmission doesnt need the clutch disengaged to shift, just a quick lift of the throttle.
I sit in neutral at lights so I can take my hands off the bars and get some blood flowing to them. They go numb in 30 min or so with my clip-ons.
And I only use 1 leg at lights because I have my right foot on the brake.
so, tell your instructor to put that in his pipe and smoke it.
My instructor was a lesbian Harley rider.
She didn't like my attitude, and ignored my questions.
So, I let the air out of all 4 tires on her Surburban during lunch.
Quote from: black and silver twin on June 30, 2010, 11:19:18 AM
I rarely do preride checks, I use two fingers on the brake, I dont use the clutch much, I sit in neutral at most lights, and i usually only use 1 leg at lights.
I dont have a good reason for not doing pre ride checks other than being lazy, but I do have good valid reasons for the rest:
I only use two fingers on the brake because thats all it needs, I can (and have) locked the front tire easily with just two fingers. also that makes it possible to blip the throttle on down shifts.
I dont use the clutch much because the transmission doesnt need the clutch disengaged to shift, just a quick lift of the throttle.
I sit in neutral at lights so I can take my hands off the bars and get some blood flowing to them. They go numb in 30 min or so with my clip-ons.
And I only use 1 leg at lights because I have my right foot on the brake.
so, tell your instructor to put that in his pipe and smoke it.
I do all of these ... and have never taken the MSF ...
Yea ... and I hammer together my own bike and get rear ended by out of state chicks driving new cars.
Cool.
Buddha.
My worst habits include...Using only two fingers to brake, occasionally putting the bike in Neutral at red lights, leaving my brake lever covered by my fingers while riding (still not sure why MSF thinks this a bad idea), and during brisk acceleration I'll sometimes up shift without the clutch.
Haha thanks bstwin. They gave me the license so no complaints from me. I dont undertand why you should have two feet down at lights, i guess for balance but our bikes are so light it would be hard to drop.
My "pre-ride" inspection will probably consist of me leaving my apartment complex, in the few minutes it takes to ride out i am able to make sure things work before i hit the road.
Everything listed above and I speed :nono:
Quote from: Homer on June 30, 2010, 11:38:56 AM
My instructor was a lesbian Harley rider.
She didn't like my attitude, and ignored my questions.
So, I let the air out of all 4 tires on her Surburban during lunch.
Wrong type of bad habit Homer, :laugh:. Should have pulled out the pins.........
I don't like using all four on the brake. With two fingers it's got more finesse rather than brute force with four.
I only use the clutch from a stop, to downshift, and when I'm accelerating slow enough that clutchless will jerk the bike.
My pre-ride check should be more thorough. I do a more detailed check on the weekend though.
MSF says to do all braking before the corner. I trail brake out of habit from when I used to hit the twisties in my car.
QuoteI only use the clutch from a stop, to downshift, and when I'm accelerating slow enough that clutchless will jerk the bike.
That is what I do, but I rarely accelerate slowly.
Nothing to do with safety, but I hit the turn-signal shut-off button constantly. It's like some kind of turn signal OCD, where I'm just always paranoid that my turn signals are on. In general it's a good habit because they never get left on, but still.
Aside from that. I usually just put one light down at a turn signal too, but I don't consider that a bad habit, I'm not sure why it's listed on here so many times. Having one foot firmly planted on the ground isn't any less stable then 2 feet, not as flat on the ground.
Sometimes I put my bike in neutral at lights, but only if the car behind me has already pulled up and stopped, or else the entire time I'm there I watch in my mirror to make sure no body is coming up behind me.
I also only use 2 fingers on the brake, but that's more than enough to stop me plenty fast.
I like to use neutral so I don't have to hold in the clutch. you never know how long you will be waiting, especially if there is no one behind you so that the sensor won't pick you up. Maybe I'm just weak but my left fore arm gets tired if I'm stopped too long. Plus I can use the left hand then for other distractions like adjusting vents and mirrors and stuff
Two fingers on the clutch. Probably picked that up when I was working on wheelies. Its easier to hold on with the other two fingers when she is trying to scoot out from under me. It feels more precise too since I don't tend to clench down on it so much as I hold on for dear life.
Passing on the right. People in iowa don't seem to understand that right turns are supposed to be made into the right lane and that the left lane is for passing, not for cruising.
I like to finish braking before steering because that is recommended and that is what I was instructed to do in a car at the trackday I attended. Your tires can only do one thing well. A front wheel drive car can really teach you a lot about the limits of rubber on pavement without having to worry about spinning.
What I learned from my 3-day $150 MSF "Course" :
1) how to drive over a piece of plywood
2) how to drive a POS really slowly around a parking lot over and over
3) getting on the bike from the right side will give you cancer or something
and
4) The instructors know how badly we want the license.
Anyone not willing to kiss their collective @sses the entire weekend, as they run their mouths non-stop... YOU WILL DIE FROM FIRE!
Everything else I forgot. The lesbian was too busy yapping about which leather pants complimented her size 15 BookMobile of an @ss.
Quote from: tt_four on June 30, 2010, 03:35:47 PM
Nothing to do with safety, but I hit the turn-signal shut-off button constantly. It's like some kind of turn signal OCD, where I'm just always paranoid that my turn signals are on. In general it's a good habit because they never get left on, but still.
Aside from that. I usually just put one light down at a turn signal too, but I don't consider that a bad habit, I'm not sure why it's listed on here so many times. Having one foot firmly planted on the ground isn't any less stable then 2 feet, not as flat on the ground.
Sometimes I put my bike in neutral at lights, but only if the car behind me has already pulled up and stopped, or else the entire time I'm there I watch in my mirror to make sure no body is coming up behind me.
I also only use 2 fingers on the brake, but that's more than enough to stop me plenty fast.
DUDE... I am also slamming on that Turn signal to make sure its off like 3 or 4 times.... OMG so annoying.. I do it even on a straightaway...
Quote from: Homer on June 30, 2010, 11:38:56 AM
My instructor was a lesbian Harley rider.
She didn't like my attitude, and ignored my questions.
So, I let the air out of all 4 tires on her Surburban during lunch.
So, did that get her to:
a) Have sex with guys.
b) Answer your questions.
or
c) Ride her bike home.
Quote from: Sbag0024 on June 30, 2010, 04:53:34 PM
Quote from: tt_four on June 30, 2010, 03:35:47 PM
Nothing to do with safety, but I hit the turn-signal shut-off button constantly. It's like some kind of turn signal OCD, where I'm just always paranoid that my turn signals are on. In general it's a good habit because they never get left on, but still.
DUDE... I am also slamming on that Turn signal to make sure its off like 3 or 4 times.... OMG so annoying.. I do it even on a straightaway...
ROFL..I thought I was the only one who did that! :laugh:
I'm also pretty OCD about having my singals on...
Other than that,
If the light is gonna be red for more than 10 seconds, I pop it in neutral, left foot on the ground, right covering the brake, take both hands of the bars and sit back.
I usually end up parking somewhere you're not allowed to.
I ride too fast.
Never took the MSF course.
I'm still on my Permit.
I'll take care of that last one soon. :nono:
Rolling stops at stop signs! Annoys the heck out of cruiser cowboys. Have to watch out for the county po pos, but they seemed more concerned about me actually having a legal plate attached.
Quote from: JEREMY JOCK on June 30, 2010, 07:44:58 PM
I ride too fast.
The sad thing is, when we go riding you slow down from what you do normal, and I have to speed up from what I normally do. I'm still pissed it took us 3 tries to find our way out of sewickely too.
Quote from: Homer on June 30, 2010, 04:02:32 PM
1) how to drive over a piece of plywood
I forgot about that, 40K+ miles later I never to over obstacles like they told us to. I either stand up and try to smoothly bounce my weight so there's not much on the bike when I hit it, or if it looks like the proper sized obstacle, I bounce my weight and give it gas hoping for a good wheelie.
I have all the bad habits above....I took the MSF about 16 years ago and it was a good experience for me. However I was super green so I absorbed everything they told me. I use two fingers on the brake because four will cause a drop in a quick stop. Pre-ride check consists of does it have gas...it starts....see ya....I have left my signal on, on to many occasions....this one I need to break. I guess that's about it..
One thing I can say about the MSF...driving over a board has been a useful skill some of the roads around here are crap.
Getting through a UK bike test is pretty tough, so as yet my habits are limited to being too quick sometimes and I also cancel my indicator every 10 seconds while riding.
You have to cover your rear brake at all times when doing a test though, so common practice is only ever use the left foot on the floor.
I don't see these as bad habits:
- one foot at a stop light
- cancelling the turn signal switch compulsively
If I'm parking with the sidestand, I use the sidestand to turn off the bike. I pull up, flip the sidestand down to shut the bike off, and then take the key out.
I have a bad habit of always tearing @$$ at stoplights while cars next to me have their windows down. Is that bad?
Quote from: O.C.D. on July 01, 2010, 08:36:19 AM
I have a bad habit of always tearing @$$ at stoplights while cars next to me have their windows down. Is that bad?
Farting is natural. :D :icon_lol: :tongue2: :cheers:
Quote from: the mole on June 30, 2010, 05:28:35 PM
So, did that get her to:
a) Have sex with guys.
b) Answer your questions.
or
c) Ride her bike home.
I use the term "lesbian" as a derogatory.
Abrasive, militant, self-absorbed, conceited near-menopausal ex-hooker would be a better description.
She had a young scooter girl in tears over how to use the clutch, confusing the crap out of her and yelling. Physically pushed her off the bike, as she was getting off - with only one leg on the ground, to "show" her how to use it.
So, yeah, I wish I could have done more.
And I think, yes, she got a ride home that day from a "helpful" 20-something 6 ft male.
The next day, she rode in on her chromed-out Vrod with a turtle-shell helmet and a vest to collect bugs in her cleavage.
I constantly forget to turn the damn directional off. Luckily, cars don't give a shaZam! whether I use my signal or not, so it bothers no one. :icon_rolleyes:
The rolling stop thing is hard to resist. I don't actually roll, but I do 'stop' often when no one else is at the stop sign without ever actually putting my feet on the ground. Is that a rolling stop? Its more of a balancing -stop.
Quote from: elader on July 01, 2010, 12:32:06 PM
I constantly forget to turn the damn directional off. Luckily, cars don't give a shaZam! whether I use my signal or not, so it bothers no one. :icon_rolleyes:
The rolling stop thing is hard to resist. I don't actually roll, but I do 'stop' often when no one else is at the stop sign without ever actually putting my feet on the ground. Is that a rolling stop? Its more of a balancing -stop.
It's all about balance and clutch control with that. I do the same at stop signs.
Don't know about being a Bad habit... but yeah, I'm OCD about the turn signal. I can be 15 minutes onto a highway and I'll still hit the off button. Five minutes later I'll hit it again. :thumb:
Michael
When parking the bike, I always switch the gear into neutral before flipping the side stand - and then finally shutting the engine off with the key. Don't know where/when I picked this one up.
I wish i had a bad habit about turning off my signals, i always leave them on for way too long.