Enough said, indeed
Broc Tickle @ Indy Supercross
Tips For Setting Your Bike Up For Race Season
The first motocross race of the year in New England is this weekend, believe it or not. The first race of the year will be hosted Sunday March 25th at Capeway Rovers in Middleboro, MA. It is amazing how the winter just flies right by and all of a sudden it is time to go racing again! But make sure that before you hit the race track, you cover the essential steps to make sure the bike is race ready. Even though it has been sitting idle all winter, you still need to take the proper precautions or risk not even making it to the first turn.
- Change the oil and gas - When gas and oil sit, things tend to happen. When they sit for long periods of time (months), bad things tend to happen. The octane level in gasoline can drop as much as 10 octane points in a week, so get some fresh 110 or at least 93 in there.
- Check tire pressure - Almost all tires leak, be it miniscule or not. Even if your tires are not flat, odds are the pressure is low. Also, if you do find flat tires when you go to take the bike out of storage, don’t immediately think you need to change the tubes. Fill them up and see if they hold air first, it will save you a lot of trouble.
- Check your airbox - Make sure the air box is clean, remove any rags placed in the intake, and shoo away any animals. It may sound a bit strange, but mice and other critters have been known to nest in the airbox of very expensive motorcycles.
- Tighten the bolts - This is something you should do before every ride, but just make sure everything is flush and the plastics are not falling off
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- Rubber (replaceable) sole that keeps you stuck to the pegs at all times
Here are some great basic tech tips that you always need to take into consideration as a regular motorcycle rider. Remember, you can always bring your bike in to our expert service department and rest assured that your bike is getting the proper treatment. Do not attempt to do anything to your bike that you are not very comfortable with!
Motorcycle Tips For Riding In Traffic, Part 2
Left-turn treachery
When approaching an oncoming car that’s stopped and about to turn left, be ready. Your brights should be on so the driver can see you (during the day), but don’t rely on this to save you. Watch the car’s wheels or the driver’s hands on the steering wheel; if you see movement, be ready to brake, swerve or accelerate, whichever seems best for the situation.
Study the surface
Add asphalt conditions to your scan. Be on the lookout for spilled oil, antifreeze or fuel; it’ll usually show up as shiny pavement. Also keep an eye out for gravel and/or sand, which is usually more difficult to see. Use your sense of smell, too; often you can smell spilled diesel fuel before your tires discover how slippery the stuff is.
Ride in open zones
Use your bike’s power and maneuverability to ride in open zones in traffic. In any grouping of vehicles there are always some gaps; find these and ride in them. Doing so will separate you from four-wheelers, give you additional room to maneuver and allow you to keep away from dangerous blind spots. And vary your speed. Riding along with the flow can make you invisible to other drivers, especially in heavy traffic.
Use that thumb
Get into the habit of canceling your turn signals often regardless of the traffic situation. A blinking signal might tell drivers waiting to pull into the road or turning left in front of you that you’re about to turn when you aren’t. So push that switch a few times each minute. Better to wear out the switch than eat a Hummer’s hood, eh?
It’s good to be thin
A huge advantage single-track vehicles have over four-wheelers is their ability to move left and right within a lane to enable the rider to see what’s ahead. Whether you’re looking to the side of the cars ahead or through their windshields, seeing what’s coming can give you lots of extra time to react.
More than one way out
Yeah, motorcycles fall down. But they’re also light, narrow and hugely maneuverable, so you might as well learn to exploit their strengths when things get ugly, right? So don’t just brake hard in a hairball situation. There’s almost always an escape route. Swerving into Mrs. Smith’s front yard could be a lot better than centerpunching the Buick that turned left in front of you. Always have an escape route planned, and update it minute by minute.
Running interference
This one’s easy, and we’ll bet most of you already do it: Let larger vehicles run interference for you when negotiating intersections. If the bonehead coming toward you from the left or right is going to blow the light, better they hit the box van next to you, right? For the same reasons, don’t lunge through an intersection as soon as the light turns green. Be patient, and use the vehicles next to you as cover.
Motorcycle Tips For Riding In Traffic, Part 1
Watch drivers’ heads and mirrors
Watching the head movements of drivers through their windows and mirrors is an excellent way to anticipate sudden moves. Most drivers won’t lunge left or right without first moving their heads one way or another (even if they don’t check their mirrors).
Trust your mirrors, but not totally
Your bike’s mirrors can be lifesavers, but they don’t always tell the entire story even if they’re adjusted properly. In traffic, always buttress your mirror-generated rear view with a glance over the appropriate shoulder. Do it quickly and you’ll add an extra measure of rear-view and blind-spot knowledge to your info-gathering tasks.
Never get between a vehicle and an offramp
This sounds almost too simple, but drivers who decide to exit at the last minute kill plenty of riders each year. The simple rule, then, is to never position yourself between a vehicle and an offramp. Passing on the right is generally a no-no, but in this day and age it’s sometimes necessary. So if you do it, do so between exits or cross-streets.
Cover your brakes
In traffic you must often react extra quickly, which means not fumbling for the brake lever or pedal. To minimize reach time, always keep a finger or two on the brake lever and your right toe close to the rear brake pedal. When that cell phone-yakking dorkus cuts across your path trying to get to the 7-Eleven for a burrito supreme, you’ll be ready.
Be noticed
Make sure drivers and pedestrians can see you, even from a distance. Ride with your high beam on during the day (as a courtesy, turn it off when sitting behind someone at a light), and wear brightly colored gear, especially your helmet and jacket. Aerostich’s Hi Vis yellow suits and jackets aren’t just hugely conspicuous, they’ve also become fashionable, so now you don’t have an excuse.
Be ready with the power
In traffic, ride in a gear lower than you normally would so your bike is ready to jump forward instantly if asked. (Not everyone rides open-class twins, after all.) Doing so gives you the option of leaping ahead instead of being limited to just using the brakes when that pickup suddenly moves over. The higher revs might also alert more cagers to your presence.
Traffic slowing? Stay left (or right)
When traffic slows suddenly, stay to the left or right of the car in front of you. This will give you an escape route if needed. It will also help keep you from becoming a hood ornament if the car behind you fails to stop in time. Once you’ve stopped, be ready—clutch in, your bike in gear and your eyes on the mirrors. You never know.
Help Support MA Rider Jake Beaudoin #524
For those of you that have not heard, one of Massachusetts’ most decorated young amateurs, Jake Beaudoin, was seriously injured in a practice crash at Millsaps Training Facility in Georgia. Jake was in a coma for several days, but signs are looking good that Jake will make a full recovery. His family need our help now more than ever, and luckily the New England motocross family is a community like no other. Please check out http://jakebeaudoin524.bbnow.org to find updates on Jake’s condition and to donate to Jake’s recovery fund. You can also buy “Jake Beaudoin 524” wristbands for $10 to display your support for the world to see.
10 Hot Weather Riding Myths Busted, Part 2
Myth #6: A wet neck tie does wonders to cool me down
The hottest part of your body is your core. From there, main arteries head for your arms, legs and brain. Wearing a cool tie or otherwise only partially cools down the arteries going to your brain. If your core is overheated, then the blood moving to all your extremities is overheated. You need relief at the core, not the neck. An evaporative cooling vest with a nominal amount of airflow will assist your thyroid and body with keeping your blood at a far more acceptable temperature than a wet neck tie. Your whole body will love you for it.
Myth #7: You can never drink enough water
While it’s true you need to keep water intake steady throughout the day, it is indeed possible to drink too much. If every time you pee, your urine is clear like water, you may have peed out all your electrolytes and you’re now on the verge of the same symptoms as sun stroke bundled with organ damage. Keep the water flowing throughout the day in reasonable amounts, but refrain from drinking a few liters of water every hour.
Myth #8: A baseball cap is all I need on my head when I take off my helmet
Imagine you’re riding through Death Valley. It’s 116 degrees and you get a flat tire. You have the tools on board to fix it but it’s going to take 20-30 minutes to do so. With just a baseball cap you still have your ears and neck exposed to the sun. They look a little fogey-like but it’s best to carry a full brimmed hat that was designed to be worn in hot sun.
Myth #9: Gatorade and energy drinks provide the proper hydration and electrolytes my body needs to ride in the hot sun. The sport drink commercials said so.
Gatorade and energy drinks are loaded with sugar and caffeine, which is essentially an oxymoronic recipe that backfires when it comes to hydration since these two ingredients promote dehydration. If you’re looking to increase your intake of electrolytes, use an electrolyte additive and mix it with your water, juice, diet soda or any other beverage you like.
Myth #10: I can’t use sunscreen when I ride because it burns my eyes
There are various types of sunscreen on the market today. Many utilize all sorts of chemicals to block the sun’s UV rays and keep the product affixed to your skin. And amidst all this chemistry lie certain ingredients that burn the eyes if they get in there via sweating or just using your finger to try and clear your eye of dirt. Look for sunscreens that have few ingredients yet yield a high SPF rating and then test a few out.
10 Hot Weather Riding Myths Busted, Part 1
Myth #1: When it’s really hot it’s too uncomfortable to ride
Initially this myth holds some truth. If you’re not up to speed on ways to cool your body down, you may be thinking that there is reality to this. Especially if you’re one of those people whose on-board thermostat (the thyroid) just does not do well in the hot sun. But as you read on you may learn a tip or two that will actually make hot summer riding fun for you.
Myth #2: Mesh gear will keep you cooler
To a degree, or should we say a few degrees, mesh gear will provide some relief from the heat. Up into the 80s for most people. But keep in mind that your thyroid is attempting to regulate your body temperature at 98.6 degrees. Riding into a wall of 90 degree plus air won’t provide any cool options with which your thyroid can work with. At about 90 degrees or higher you’ll need some skin surface moisture and some air. Lots of air and no skin surface moisture is a recipe for dehydration and sun stroke. But as you ride with mesh gear on your body, the air is quickly wicking away any moisture coming to the surface of the skin which will leave you dry and hot. Read on.
Myth #3: When it’s really hot strip down to shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt
You see it all the time, but this is a faster route to dehydration and sun stroke than number two, not to mention sun damage to your skin which you may have to deal with later in life at the skin cancer center. Keep as much of your skin covered when you ride to reduce sun damage and road rash and help stay cool. Some may ask - “How can that be?” Keep reading.
Myth #4: Full textile and leather gear is too hot on hot days
Well-built textile and leather gear with good venting provides the right amount of airflow to pass over your perspiring skin and offers some natural evaporative cooling. Moisture is released through the surface of your skin and transfers excess heat away via the airflow. That’s the way mother nature built the human body. With full coverage gear, you won’t wick all that moisture away like you would in shorts, a t-shirt or mesh gear. But there’s another way to increase your evaporative cooling ability which we will discuss in #6.
Myth #5: Textile over-pants were made to be worn over - PANTS
Most riders that wear textile over-pants do so with a pair of pants underneath. The stuffy pair of blue jeans or otherwise can make wearing over-pants a little uncomfortable and provide too much insulation at a time when you don’t want it. To remedy this, simply wear nothing but a pair of wicking skins and over-the-calf socks and notice how much more mobility you have and how much better you feel when the heat comes on.
