Some people just don't get it

Post by **H2ODunc** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 11:27 am

Popped out with Mrs H2o for a shandy to the local bar in town last night. The bar is a transit point for people going to or coming from the islands,Tao KPG or Samui. A guy who had been on KPG was asking about the bike. He mentioned that he didn't ride them as he had trouble going round corners. I tried to explain that there are a few ways of cornering on a bike as in leaning, turning the handlebars or a combination of the two. Where most people go wrong in cornering at speed is they turn the handlebars the wrong way and end up going straight on! At speed centrifugal forces mean that if you turn the bars to the left, the bike will go right and if you turn right the bike will go left. The guy just thought I was taking the mick. His friends also thought the same. They must have had a few too many mushroom shakes I think. The same guy who was berating me for riding such a big bike, I got the impression he was a bit of a tree hugger,due to global warming etc couldn't grasp the fact that if all the icebergs melted the sea level would not rise 1 mm. I again tried to explain about a guy called Archimedes and about displacement but again might as well have been talking to the bar cat.
Do they not teach anything in school these days ??

Post by **splitlid** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 12:03 pm

yep its ice on land melting and expansion of water due to rising temperatures that will rise the levels.

nothing to do with icebergs.

Post by **H2ODunc** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 2:46 pm

Just try explaining that to the great un-washed planet savers. Even the people trying to save the planet haven't a clue. For me its a great big con as was debated in another posting. Just another way to justify taxing you to death. When you consider that Humans are only responsible for 2% of all the carbon yet they raise 29 BILLION yes BILLION in " GREEN " taxes in the UK alone you start to realise its all Boll&%S They even " GREEN " tax nuclear power which doesn't even produce any!

Sorry rant over. I put it down to him falling off his bike too many times

Post by **Mack111** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 3:56 pm

not so sure that right about centrifugal force, think your meaning counter steering, when you want to quickly get the bike leaned over you ush the handlebar in the opposite direction but that just gets the bike leaning over, you donâ€™t keep the handle bars like that, its only for a second until the bike is cranked over

Post by **H2ODunc** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:40 pm

If all I want to do is crank the bike over I lean. If you are riding along a straight road witout leaning and turn the handlebars to left the bike wil go to the right and vise versa. Its ll to do with the centrifugal forces of the wheel. On a sweeping right handed bend I am leaning right and feeding in left turn on the bars. If I was to feed in right turn whilst leaning to go left I would go straight on and crash. This is one of the main causes of failing to negotiate a corner. Try it next time you are on a straight road.
At very slow speeds as in when manouvering then the opposite applys. If I am doing a right handed U turn I am leaning away to the left.

Post by **H2ODunc** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 4:52 pm

For those who want the sceintific explanation see link below
http://www.msgroup.org/TIP048.html

Post by **sandman67** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 3:48 pm

guess he never saw speedway or ice bike racing then...

I got taught this when I learned to ride in the UK....

Post by **STEVE G** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:38 pm

After reading this thread Iâ€™m left feeling a bit confused at how Iâ€™ve been managing to get round corners on the Honda Wave; I just point the front wheel in the same direction as the road!

Post by **H2ODunc** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 6:48 pm

The brain, the wonderfully complex thing that it is learns very quickly what occurs and it automatically tells your hands what to do. You may not realise you are turning the opposite direction but you are, try it when you are on a straight road with nothing coming in the opposite direction. Turn left, while upright and the bike will veer right and vice versa. The wonder of physics

Post by **STEVE G** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:06 pm

I tried riding my partnerâ€™s brothers Yamaha Mio on un-made roads in Issan during the rainy season. The thing was about as directionally stable as a pissed snake!

Post by **Rob c** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:07 pm

H20 Duncan Wrote:

The brain, the wonderfully complex thing that it is learns very quickly what occurs and it automatically tells your hands what to do.

Yep, you're not wrong, been riding motorbikes since I was 6. I'm 37 now & only realised I was turning the handle bars the other way about 5 years ago.