On Saturday, I braved a cold morning for Arizona! It was 27 degrees when I awoke... upper 30's when I left, and mid to upper 40's when I arrived at my destination. Luckily, it broached the 50 degree mark, and I was able to take off my jacket as the day progressed.
I did not ride that day. I rode in a truck. So I had the availability of an enclosed space and avoided the windchill effect. This day, offered me a special opportunity to experience something that few will ever know. I also tested and proved something for myself.
As a car or truck travels down the road, it for the most part, must stay centered in it's travel lane. The beauty of a bike, is that each lane, can be split into 3! So, I can ride to the right, the left, or the center of a single lane. For the most part, I will ride to the right or left. There are many factors, yet my ability to see ahead is the primary determinate.
So when I ride to the left in the right lane, and either pass or find myself in the right of the left lane... I tend to stay close to the lane dividing marks. I look at it as conservation of inertia! Maintaining forward momentum is easy. Turning, even a lane shift of a few feet, burns off inertia and ultimately causes loss of momentum.
That explains why it is so hard for people to make changes in there course!
One of the best examples of this is when I take an exit... I have to make the decision, look, calculate, identify hazards, push, lean, turn, engage the clutch, and slow... timed right, braking is actually done at the very last few feet! Then it get's interesting!!! Right hand braking, ready to throttle up if necessary; right foot braking. Left hand holding the clutch, ready to release; left foot shifting gears down... ready to step down and steady on the eventual stop. All at the same time, prepared to just go if necessary!
It gets very busy for a biker when a stop occurs. I guess that is how others feel, just changing lanes! For me, changing lanes is easy... it's for the most part all throttle to scoot... occasionally a braking and downshift... however, a lot easier for me to go from 80mph to 90+mph, and swerve through a space that most would gasp at...
So, a little lean. At 80mph, that means a lane change within 500ft. A sudden, swerve, and I am there in less than 30ft... I better get better at looking ahead!
I guess that explains why it is so hard for people to make changes in there course...
It is all about conservation of inertia.
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