Slush Riding ...

 Started the Honda up today, brought the tires up to recommended pressures,
warmed it up and took it two laps around my apartment complex in the slush.
Was kind of cool.

One question I had was answered.  I always wondered if I would naturally let
off the front brake when the wheel locks.  It ends up that I do.  I hope I
never do that on dry or wet concrete at any speed.

I was very tempted to clown around and try some moves like in the Mission
Impossible movies where they're doing donuts and stuff.  But I decided I
didn't want to spill in the cold with no protective gear.

Tomorrow it is supposed to reach 40 degrees in Marshall around 3 p.m., but
briefly.  Not quite the duration I'm looking for to make it safe to go out
on the road.  But tempting.

The Lizard.

 Jujitsu Lizard wrote:

  Predicted weather for Memphis Tn. today is 64* and sunny  , the ice and
slush went away days ago . I believe I might go for a ride ...
--
  Snag
  every answer
  leads to another
  question

 

You should never apply your front brake that hard in the wet, because
the front wheel is what keeps the motorcycle upright.

If you stop the front wheel front turning, you will fall down and go
boom.

Then you will have another adventure to add to your blog and a bunch
of questions
as to why you fell down and went boom.

And that thread will be endless, with apochryphal tales of why a
Spagthorpe Retreiver never falls down in the wet, but usually comes
home with a dead mallard in its forks.

 
My concern in this case is the lack of practice and reinforcement.  Since I
never lock up the front, I'm not sure that the associations are built in for
me to let go of the front brake.

You run into the same sort of thing with, say, engine failures in
turbine-powered aircraft.  Turbine engine failures don't happen very often
at all.  So, every 6 months or so you ship the pilots off to a simulator and
require them to do the broken engine thing.  Otherwise, the way they'd react
if it actually happens is far less predictable.

The action for me of letting off the front brake isn't really ingrained like
I'd prefer.

The Lizard

 

That is a *very* good analogy (doffs cap). And (as has been highlighted
on ukrm) one way to practice is to get an old drinks can, flatten it,
and stick it under the front tyre.

Now hold the front brake on, put the thing into gear, and let out the
clutch (gently) in first. And you'll have the bike skidding forward with
a locked front wheel.

Then try it a bit harder and faster. And again. And again. And before
long, you'll find out how it feels to have a front end skid with a
locked front wheel and how it can be controlled and dealt with.


--
BMW K1100LT Ducati 750SS Honda CB400F SH50
If you don't know what you're doing, don't do it. Workshop manual?
Buy one instead of asking where the free PDFs are
chateau dot murray at idnet dot com