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Proficient Motorcycling

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    Proficient Motorcycling

    While wandering around in Barnes and Noble, I spied this book and remembered the many references to it on this site. Paging through it and skimming here and there, I was impressed and purchased it. Over the next couple o' weeks, I read and reread this most excellent book and though I no longer ride a GS, the info applies to just about anything on two wheels.

    The author, David Hough uses common sense language that makes all the seemingly strange, suddenly familiar and soon I was practicing it out in the canyons on my 2003 HD Softail Standard, (which handle way better than they might appear). Countersteering and pushing on the handlebars became a natural thing, as well as rolling on the throttle through the corners and me and the big HD slalomed through the corners with the greatest of ease.

    I purchased the new 2nd edition, which is now full color along with even better illustrations and additional material. I UPS'd my old copy to my little brother, who now owns my 83' 1100E. Though he turned me on to street bikes back in the 80's and owned an absolutely bad-a$$ GS1000E, he has never tried the countersteering thing and is somewhat reluctant to push on that handlebar. I told him, that is probably the quickest way to move a bike on the streets and it saved my butt a couple of weeks ago.

    Coming up towards a red light, the far right lane was stacking up with cars, while the left and middle one had only a couple of cars each. You can almost always count on 'lane change play' as the cagers want to be in the line with the least cars. I was in the middle lane, when suddenly a vintage Camaro jumped out right in front of me from the stacked right lane and I pushed hard on the left bar, veering hard around him and because I had a little more speed than him, I countersteered by pushing the right bar and cleared him. He was a coworker believe it or not (still haven't seen him on the plant yet).

    Tis' a good thing to practice hard evasive manuevers whenever you can and I practice in uncluttered traffic areas (when nobody's around) and use manhole covers as simulated car targets. Thanks to Earl for the excellent wisdom of watching any motion, anywhere, as he has me looking through fences of houses on adjacent side streets (and seeing cars too!). Thanks to the rest of you for providing the close call tales as well.

    #2
    Great series of books. I think they should be mandatory reading especially for newbies. I have my set on the bedside table and read them a few paragraphs at a time over the long cold winter.

    Thanks for bringing it up and sharing your experience.

    Cheers & ride safe,
    Spyug

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      #3
      That book is awsome! I need to buy it and the second one.

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        #4
        I would suggest to all riders both new and experienced that if they haven't taken the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's, Beginning Riders Course or their Experienced Rider Course they should do so. I signed up before I took delivery of my first bike back in '79, and have also taken the Experienced Rider course several times as well.

        Motorcycles are not bicycles and they are not cars. (Duh!) You will never learn how to ride well, on your own, and as all too many people will tell you stand a very excellent chance of getting injured or killed. (Only by the ones who lived to tell you about it of course)

        The MSF teaches you the fundamentals like counter steering, very slow speed control, panic stops, and how to ride over large objects in your path. But also much, more that would take a life time to learn thru trial and error (not to sound preachy but trial and error is a dangerous way to learn how to ride a bike)

        They have classes in all states, go online to http://www.msf-usa.org/ Course completion can even often reduce your insurance rates. A good thing.

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          #5
          Have the pages stayed in the book?

          I bought mine 2 years ago, b/w picture version, and have already swapped it once because the pages keep coming out of the binding....dang cheap production!!!

          On the book, its a good read anytime, especially over the winter when riding is limited. Can't stress enough what he says in there about 'reflexes'. You hit the nail on the head about evasive maneuvers like swerving and emergency stops. These are reflexive things and have to be practiced so you will just react when something happens. I certainly don't practice them enough myself. Some day I'll get me some cones and run thru the MSF drills (you can download the drills and set up of the course on line) of course without an instructure to critique you're performance....

          As the previous poster said, motorcyles are not bicycles. I wonder how many of these people riding scooters I see have actually had any training? But then again, these scooters cost as much as some new bikes of lower cc's which in my opinion would be more useful.....

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by jbs80106 View Post
            Can't stress enough what he says in there about 'reflexes'. You hit the nail on the head about evasive maneuvers like swerving and emergency stops. These are reflexive things and have to be practiced so you will just react when something happens.
            It has to be reflex, I can not believe some of the **** I have missed, it would not have happened if I had to think about it first.
            http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...tatesMap-1.jpg

            Life is too short to ride an L.

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              #7
              I've been riding since the early 80's and I JUST ordered this book on Monday. Through two sources, this site and MCN, I've only recently become aware of it and it and the respect it has garnered among motorcyclists.

              Can't wait to read it!

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                #8
                definitely a good read. I bought it right after I bought my bike. Here are a couple other good websites:

                Hundreds of articles on Motorcycle Safety/Dynamics and accident case studies

                ton of great articles here.


                Welcome on the Lazy Motorbike site. Motorcycle riding is our passion. On this site, we offer tips and information about motorcycles and motorcycle riding. Bel

                another awesome site, even though the layout is kinda dated.


                cheers!

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                  #9
                  Your brother countersteers he just doesn't realise it

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                    #10
                    Damn it this is the problem with books, people read them and now have to think about doing the things they were doing naturally without thought. Fact is if you ride faster than 15 MPH if you wanna turn you end up counter-steering, if you don't you end up turning very slowly or in the rare cases end up chasing the bike (e.g. you turned the bars left to go left but the bike starts to lean right). The only reason anyone tells you about counter-steering is for panic situations where your logical mind doesn't always go with natural actions, this way you know if you need to swerve left to avoid the crash you'll push left instead of trying to turn the bars left.

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                      #11
                      Hey, I've been teaching all of David's stuff and never read the book until I won it this year at our Coach's conference in Minneapolis, MN. Wow, I've been teaching it, doing those things for years, reading about all of it makes even more sense.....GREAT book!!!!!!:-D

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                        #12
                        My copy just arrived today. Looks like I've got my reading material picked out for a while.

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Killer2600 View Post
                          if you need to swerve left to avoid the crash you'll push left instead of trying to turn the bars left.
                          Does anyone who has ever spent five minutes on a bicycle need to be told this?
                          http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...tatesMap-1.jpg

                          Life is too short to ride an L.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Regis View Post
                            Though he turned me on to street bikes back in the 80's and owned an absolutely bad-a$$ GS1000E, he has never tried the countersteering thing and is somewhat reluctant to push on that handlebar. I told him, that is probably the quickest way to move a bike on the streets and it saved my butt a couple of weeks ago.
                            When you come right down to it, if he hasn't been countersteering all these years, he's been doing a LOT of straight-line riding.:shock:

                            The easiest way I have found to convince "experienced" riders that they have been countersteering for all these years is to have them do a 'cone weave' in a parking lot. Have them weave through the ends of the painted lines of the parking spaces, but don't give them any other instruction pertaining to what to do or how to do it. When they get comfortable with that, have them do it with only one hand on the bars and see what they think. THAT is when you really notice which way you are pushing and pulling on the bars to make it turn. 8-[

                            .
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                            hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                            #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                            #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
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                              #15
                              Originally posted by Steve View Post
                              When you come right down to it, if he hasn't been countersteering all these years, he's been doing a LOT of straight-line riding.:shock:
                              Maybe he just did wheelies to get around....

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