A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » Techniques
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Do cyclists make better motorcyclists?



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old August 30th 04, 07:03 PM
dw
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Do cyclists make better motorcyclists?

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?
Ads
  #2  
Old August 30th 04, 07:34 PM
Zog The Undeniable
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

dw wrote:

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?


Probably, because you'll be more cautious than someone coming from an
exclusively car-centric background.

The first thing most people who go from bicycle to motorbike notice is
how cold they get. Even greater windchill than a bike and no
corresponding heat-producing effort.
  #3  
Old August 30th 04, 07:34 PM
Zog The Undeniable
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

dw wrote:

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?


Probably, because you'll be more cautious than someone coming from an
exclusively car-centric background.

The first thing most people who go from bicycle to motorbike notice is
how cold they get. Even greater windchill than a bike and no
corresponding heat-producing effort.
  #4  
Old August 30th 04, 08:50 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 30 Aug 2004 11:03:35 -0700, (dw) wrote:

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?


Dear DW,

It depends on what kind of riding is involved and what kind
of skills. Bicycling skills help a little, but they aren't
going to make you a good motorcyclist.

Usually, we learn to ride bicycles as children and then
tackle more complicated machinery after we master the basic
trick of balancing as we roll along on two wheels.

Three things make motorcycles dangerously different from
bicycles: they have much trickier controls, they weigh far
more, and they have engines powerful enough to get you into
far worse trouble.

To ride a motorcycle in a straight line down the road and
stop it, you need to work the throttle with your right hand,
the clutch with your left hand, the gear shift with one
foot, and the front hand brake or the rear foot brake. Both
hands and at least one foot are busy working the controls.

Meanwhile, the rider is busy trying to balance a two-wheeled
vehicle that weighs more than he does. Imagine trying to
learn to ride a bicycle around a parking lot with Lance
Armstrong hog-tied across the rear panniers--well, actually,
Lance doesn't really weigh as much as a motorcycle, but you
get the idea.

A bicycle is so light that you can pick it up with one hand
instead of worrying about being unable to keep it from
falling over even with both hands. The sheer weight of the
motorcycle demands an entirely different attitude--you have
to worry about it getting stuck or falling over on you.

(No one is more embarrassed than a motorcyclist who has to
push his machine backwards out of an awkward downhill
spot--unless it's the same motorcyclist who has to ask for
help because his machine is too heavy and the slope is too
steep.)

Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles, despite our
proud claims to the contrary. You don't hear much about
Lance Armstrong out-cornering the competition because
bicycling is mostly slow-motion drag-racing. We usually
pedal around at speeds so low that we wouldn't catch the eye
of a traffic cop running a speed trap in a school zone.

But with motorcycles, you can get into far more speed and
cornering trouble in the blink of an eye--the much heavier
and harder to handle machine will happily go far too fast
with just a twist of your wrist. And bicycling teaches us
nothing about throttle control, which is crucial on a
motorcycle in a tricky situation. Outside of our dreams and
perhaps ice and snow, it's hard to pedal hard enough to spin
a bicycle's rear tire.

In general, bicycling is much simpler than motorcycling
because there's so much less to worry about. My daily
bicycle ride for about an hour through the countryside is
pleasant exercise, but it wouldn't tax the skills of a child
on a single-speed with a coaster brake. The same child would
need a good deal more training and experience before
attempting the same gentle path on a motorcycle.

Carl Fogel
  #5  
Old August 30th 04, 08:50 PM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On 30 Aug 2004 11:03:35 -0700, (dw) wrote:

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?


Dear DW,

It depends on what kind of riding is involved and what kind
of skills. Bicycling skills help a little, but they aren't
going to make you a good motorcyclist.

Usually, we learn to ride bicycles as children and then
tackle more complicated machinery after we master the basic
trick of balancing as we roll along on two wheels.

Three things make motorcycles dangerously different from
bicycles: they have much trickier controls, they weigh far
more, and they have engines powerful enough to get you into
far worse trouble.

To ride a motorcycle in a straight line down the road and
stop it, you need to work the throttle with your right hand,
the clutch with your left hand, the gear shift with one
foot, and the front hand brake or the rear foot brake. Both
hands and at least one foot are busy working the controls.

Meanwhile, the rider is busy trying to balance a two-wheeled
vehicle that weighs more than he does. Imagine trying to
learn to ride a bicycle around a parking lot with Lance
Armstrong hog-tied across the rear panniers--well, actually,
Lance doesn't really weigh as much as a motorcycle, but you
get the idea.

A bicycle is so light that you can pick it up with one hand
instead of worrying about being unable to keep it from
falling over even with both hands. The sheer weight of the
motorcycle demands an entirely different attitude--you have
to worry about it getting stuck or falling over on you.

(No one is more embarrassed than a motorcyclist who has to
push his machine backwards out of an awkward downhill
spot--unless it's the same motorcyclist who has to ask for
help because his machine is too heavy and the slope is too
steep.)

Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles, despite our
proud claims to the contrary. You don't hear much about
Lance Armstrong out-cornering the competition because
bicycling is mostly slow-motion drag-racing. We usually
pedal around at speeds so low that we wouldn't catch the eye
of a traffic cop running a speed trap in a school zone.

But with motorcycles, you can get into far more speed and
cornering trouble in the blink of an eye--the much heavier
and harder to handle machine will happily go far too fast
with just a twist of your wrist. And bicycling teaches us
nothing about throttle control, which is crucial on a
motorcycle in a tricky situation. Outside of our dreams and
perhaps ice and snow, it's hard to pedal hard enough to spin
a bicycle's rear tire.

In general, bicycling is much simpler than motorcycling
because there's so much less to worry about. My daily
bicycle ride for about an hour through the countryside is
pleasant exercise, but it wouldn't tax the skills of a child
on a single-speed with a coaster brake. The same child would
need a good deal more training and experience before
attempting the same gentle path on a motorcycle.

Carl Fogel
  #6  
Old August 30th 04, 10:10 PM
Tom Nakashima
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


wrote in message
...

Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles, despite our
proud claims to the contrary. You don't hear much about
Lance Armstrong out-cornering the competition because
bicycling is mostly slow-motion drag-racing. We usually
pedal around at speeds so low that we wouldn't catch the eye
of a traffic cop running a speed trap in a school zone.
Carl Fogel


Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles?
Have to disagree, and you may too if you've ever been in fast descents on a
bicycle, where picking your line is important. I'm not sure if you remember
the 1997 Tour de France when Richard Virenque was trying to put Jan Ullrich
at great risk in the corners on one of the mountain states. The roads were
wet and slick as Jan had pretty poor descending skills in the rain.
Virenque knew this and took advantage of his winter training in the French
alps. Ullrich nearly crashed and could have changed the outcome of the
finish of the Tour, but he played it safe and let Richard have his day.
Ulrich went on to win the Tour and the rest is history.

I ride both, motorcycles, and bicycles, and ride them fast in the corners if
I'm familiar with the road, or can visibly see the road ahead.
Cornering on a motorcycle and cornering on a bicycle are two different
things. Throttle plays an important role in corning on a motorcycle,
something you don't have on a bicycles. As far as picking lines, it's about
the same.
-tom


  #7  
Old August 30th 04, 10:10 PM
Tom Nakashima
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


wrote in message
...

Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles, despite our
proud claims to the contrary. You don't hear much about
Lance Armstrong out-cornering the competition because
bicycling is mostly slow-motion drag-racing. We usually
pedal around at speeds so low that we wouldn't catch the eye
of a traffic cop running a speed trap in a school zone.
Carl Fogel


Cornering isn't terribly important on bicycles?
Have to disagree, and you may too if you've ever been in fast descents on a
bicycle, where picking your line is important. I'm not sure if you remember
the 1997 Tour de France when Richard Virenque was trying to put Jan Ullrich
at great risk in the corners on one of the mountain states. The roads were
wet and slick as Jan had pretty poor descending skills in the rain.
Virenque knew this and took advantage of his winter training in the French
alps. Ullrich nearly crashed and could have changed the outcome of the
finish of the Tour, but he played it safe and let Richard have his day.
Ulrich went on to win the Tour and the rest is history.

I ride both, motorcycles, and bicycles, and ride them fast in the corners if
I'm familiar with the road, or can visibly see the road ahead.
Cornering on a motorcycle and cornering on a bicycle are two different
things. Throttle plays an important role in corning on a motorcycle,
something you don't have on a bicycles. As far as picking lines, it's about
the same.
-tom


  #8  
Old August 30th 04, 11:33 PM
Eric Lambi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?

If I'm any indication, the answer is no. And I've raced a couple
hundred crits in my lifetime.
  #9  
Old August 30th 04, 11:33 PM
Eric Lambi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?

If I'm any indication, the answer is no. And I've raced a couple
hundred crits in my lifetime.
  #10  
Old August 31st 04, 12:05 AM
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Eric Lambi writes:

Do the 2-wheel skills go along when you use a metal motor?


If I'm any indication, the answer is no. And I've raced a couple
hundred crits in my lifetime.


I agree, although I think the opposite is true. A rider who corners
fast on a moto is fast and that skill is transferable to cornering on
a bicycle. That doesn't mean he'll be a strong bicyclist though.

Jobst Brandt

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 1/5 Mike Iglesias General 4 October 29th 04 07:11 AM
Cyclists are a Perverted Pestulance [Times Article 18/02] David Off UK 70 February 24th 04 11:50 PM
Mutual respect - long-ish vernon levy UK 4 January 31st 04 08:04 PM
FAQ Just zis Guy, you know? UK 27 September 5th 03 10:58 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.