Gary J
Well-known member
As that I'm truly saddened to see another RIP thread appear today, so soon after the recent Hwy 35 fatality, I first want to genuinely send out an RIP for Adam, and my sincere condolences to his friends and family .... and to those other unfortunate individuals (the truck driver and his family) whose lives were permanently impacted by today's tragic incident on Hwy 9.
That said, finding some very small way to try to potentially make an impact that may prevent even a single additional loss-of-life from the same "type" (crossing over the centerline of the road, in a "RIGHTHAND" turn) of motorcycle control error ...... is my commitment at this point! Finding some way to use the open door for attention of riders that such a horrible series of incidents, so close together, produces ...... to bring something "positive" out from the other side, is my hope.
One of the most critical rules in longterm survival - for regular sportbike riding on the twisty backroads (like those in the SC mountains; Hwy 9, etc) ...... and one that I highly credit for allowing me to survive nearly a quarter of a million miles on those very roads ..... is the "Rights vs. Lefts - 80% Rule". It was important enough for dedicating a chapter to it in the first of my "Sportbiking: The Real World" books.
I've taken that content and cut-n-pasted it below, with the hope that some rider(s) that have enough interest to take the time to read it, absorb the concept, and adopt it in their own riding behavior, will survive and thrive in achieving a long history of fun/safe sportbike rides ..... that they will be able to live and tell their children about in the future! :thumbup
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The motive behind this behavior may not at first, be obvious. However with just a little thought, the reason should become quite clear.
The primary reason behind this approach, especially during more spitited paced riding, is survival. The two scenarios I've provided below should shed some light on this rationale:
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Scenario #1 - (Lefthand Turn):
- Scenario #2 (Righthand Turn):
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The lesson that I hope is taken away from the two scenarios above, is that the allowable margin for error in "righthand" turns is significantly smaller, and the potential consequences for such errors exponentially greater; then most "lefthand" turns.
As a result of that recognition, the golden rule to take away from this is; to adopt an absolute, religiously enforced (by conscious decision-making) policy to add an additional level (20%+) of already existing respect and caution in setting the maximum pace at which you ride all righthand turns.
For any righthand turns that you're not totally familiar with, and/or not totally sure of the current pavement conditions, adding an additional 10-20% caution factor into the above equation - when setting the maximum turn-entry pace - is also highly recommended!
That's "The 80% Rule"; for rights vs. lefts.
I can guarantee every single rider, newbie or experienced pilot, that the commitment to maintain the discpline to follow this rule is a critical element to longterm survival in the sport of motorcycling ---- especially for any riding that includes the challenges of twisty backroads (like those in the SC mountains).
The tragic recent, as well as historical, events that have claimed the lives of so many of our fellow riders in righthand turns .... on some of our favorite local backroads ........ is a strong testament to the validity of the above information.
Ride safe, ride smart, ride for (a LONG) life! :ride
Gary J
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That said, finding some very small way to try to potentially make an impact that may prevent even a single additional loss-of-life from the same "type" (crossing over the centerline of the road, in a "RIGHTHAND" turn) of motorcycle control error ...... is my commitment at this point! Finding some way to use the open door for attention of riders that such a horrible series of incidents, so close together, produces ...... to bring something "positive" out from the other side, is my hope.
One of the most critical rules in longterm survival - for regular sportbike riding on the twisty backroads (like those in the SC mountains; Hwy 9, etc) ...... and one that I highly credit for allowing me to survive nearly a quarter of a million miles on those very roads ..... is the "Rights vs. Lefts - 80% Rule". It was important enough for dedicating a chapter to it in the first of my "Sportbiking: The Real World" books.
I've taken that content and cut-n-pasted it below, with the hope that some rider(s) that have enough interest to take the time to read it, absorb the concept, and adopt it in their own riding behavior, will survive and thrive in achieving a long history of fun/safe sportbike rides ..... that they will be able to live and tell their children about in the future! :thumbup
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Right Turns vs. Left Turns - "The 80% Rule"
The motive behind this behavior may not at first, be obvious. However with just a little thought, the reason should become quite clear.
The primary reason behind this approach, especially during more spitited paced riding, is survival. The two scenarios I've provided below should shed some light on this rationale:
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Scenario #1 - (Lefthand Turn):
- The rider approaches a smooth 50 MPH lefthand corner, on a familiar stretch of two lane mountain road. The corner is a constant radius turn, allowing for a nice steady throttle roll-on, right out to the exit. On the outer righthand edge of the road, beyond the edge of the asphalt, is a wide flat dirt shoulder on which cars can pull out to allow for passing.
Setting up his initial entry from the far right hand side of the right lane (the ideal line to "straighten out" this corner), the rider has an excellent degree of visibility through the first half of the turn (insured of no oncoming traffic, or unexpected obstacles in his lane).
Snapping off a countersteering maneuver, the rider drops the bike smoothly into the entrance of the corner, with total confidence. Two-thirds of the way through, the bike encounters a small patch of loose sand, previously deposited by an overloaded pickup truck. Passing over the patch, the bike's front tire begins to slip away, causing the rider to unavoidably drift wide of his intended line, by over three feet. This action puts the bike only inches from the righthand edge of the pavement, where the tire (past the sandy patch) finally catches it's grip, allowing the redeemed rider to continue on down the road, shaken but uninjured!
Had the rider not had the good fortune to have gained control, before reaching the edge of the asphalt, his fate would have probably been a 40 MPH lowside across the dirt shoulder, causing repairable damage to his bike and minor (if any) injuries to himself (provided he was outfitted in full protective equipment).
- Scenario #2 (Righthand Turn):
- The same rider approaches a smooth 50 MPH righthand corner possessing similar characteristics to our previous example. Due to the small hillsides, that decorate the perimeter of the road, visibility is limited to about one-third of the way through the corner.
The rider drops the bike firmly into the turn with confidence (though in this case, due to lack of adequate visibility, not enough information was actually available to justify it). Crossing through the apex of the turn, and beginning his exit; a patch of sand is again encountered, causing the bike to begin to drift (over three feet) past the leftmost limits of the intended path. Unfortunately, three feet to the LEFT of the intended path, puts the bike over two feet into the oncoming lane of traffic!!
Regardless of whether the rider saves the actual lowside or not; in this situation his fate is no longer in his hands. The most skilful "save", of the initial lowside predicament, will be of little consequence, if a car, truck, or other motorcylist just happens to coming up the road in the opposite direction!! Game Over - RIP rider threads flood the forums.
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The lesson that I hope is taken away from the two scenarios above, is that the allowable margin for error in "righthand" turns is significantly smaller, and the potential consequences for such errors exponentially greater; then most "lefthand" turns.
As a result of that recognition, the golden rule to take away from this is; to adopt an absolute, religiously enforced (by conscious decision-making) policy to add an additional level (20%+) of already existing respect and caution in setting the maximum pace at which you ride all righthand turns.
For any righthand turns that you're not totally familiar with, and/or not totally sure of the current pavement conditions, adding an additional 10-20% caution factor into the above equation - when setting the maximum turn-entry pace - is also highly recommended!
That's "The 80% Rule"; for rights vs. lefts.
I can guarantee every single rider, newbie or experienced pilot, that the commitment to maintain the discpline to follow this rule is a critical element to longterm survival in the sport of motorcycling ---- especially for any riding that includes the challenges of twisty backroads (like those in the SC mountains).
The tragic recent, as well as historical, events that have claimed the lives of so many of our fellow riders in righthand turns .... on some of our favorite local backroads ........ is a strong testament to the validity of the above information.
Ride safe, ride smart, ride for (a LONG) life! :ride
Gary J
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