We Sometimes Fall Part II

Filed in archive ATV Safety on January 18, 2007

This is part II of a multi-part series of discussions which will cover some of the things we CAN control when we ride to help us prevent a fall.

We Sometimes Fall Because we ask for too much too soon. This applies to new riders mostly, but also applies to experienced riders who have not ridden for a while. If you took a winter off, or are on a new bike, you should consider what could happen when applying too much throttle or too much brake in a turn. If you're not sure how the bike handles, you need to ease into it.

Modern motorcycle tires can provide great traction under some of the most stressful situations, but they don't work miracles. You need to know your limits before you go screaming into a corner and grabbing a handful of brake. If you don't, you could end up getting taken for a ride because you panicked and braked too hard while leaned over, and could end up in the fence.

The same holds true for the throttle. If you get on it too hard, especially while leaned over, you could lose stability and traction. Those are the kind of surprises we don't need. They tend to make you take a deep breath and hold on real tight, which means the throttle will most likely be held in the wide open position while you're in a panic situation, which almost never ends well.

Make sure you know what you're capable of doing on the bike you're currently riding. It may end up being a bit more than you bargained for, and usually when people find that out, it's too late.

Part III