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W**N
Strategies to Survive Motorcycle Accidents
Did you ever wonder where you could find firsthand information by an expert motorcyclist that would teach you most of the skills you would need to become a proficient rider? Well, search no longer and pick up or download a copy of David L. Hough's book, Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well.To keep your interest, Hough uses characters like Biker Bob and Cruiser Carla to populate the stories he tells of real incidents. These stories relate the details of motorcycle accidents or situations that went wrong because the participants failed to understand the underlying principles of motorcycle dynamics or how they should have ridden their machines.The book begins with a gory story of a canyon accident involving riders approaching the same turn from opposite directions. Because one rider crossed over the center line when he couldn't successfully negotiate a corner, a rider coming in the opposite direction was instantly killed and another rider died an hour later at a hospital. All this occurred because one rider did not know how to control his bike.Here's a quote from the book:"If you expect to have the right skills for an emergency, you must constantly practice the right skills every time you ride. If you expect to be able to handle the loose gravel or the wandering motorist you discover as you round a blind turn, you must practice control skills such as countersteering, smooth throttle-to-brake transitions, and aggressive braking while leaned over. To put this another way, there really aren't any emergency maneuvers you can pull out of your bag of tricks when something goes wrong. You can practice special maneuvers, but the only ones that count are the control skills you practice every day as you ride along. And if we assume there are physical habits to be practiced, then there must also be proficient mental skills that we must practice so that they become habits as well."Hough organizes the book so it can be read by topic but also recommends that the reader might best be served by reading straight through. That's exactly what I did and I recommend that you take a few afternoons or evenings to read through the book from cover to cover. If you've been riding for a long time, you'll undoubtedly see situations that you have been in before. See if you did the right thing then or what you should have done. If you're a new rider, read for vital lifesaving information so that you will know what to do the next time you encounter the same situation for real.Many of the situations in the book involve strategies to survive accidents. Often many options are possible but only one is preferred. After reading the complete book, I think the single most important thing that Hough has to say is that you need to learn how to stay out of accidents in the first place. The best way to do this is to learn how to use your front and rear brakes effectively.Much of what is currently taught in the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) courses is the direct result of work published by Hough. So get a giant jump-start on becoming a proficient motorcyclist and checkout Proficient Motorcycling. I highly recommend this book.
C**O
Excellent for beginners and riders alike, you'll learn something new or at least review a lot of useful ideas
Proficient Motorcycling 2nd EditionHough's Proficient Motorcycling is probably the best single book to read for beginners. Many reviewers have regarded Proficient Motorcycling as mandatory for all riders, and should be included with a motorcycle purchase. I agree completely, because Hough does an excellent job explaining the concepts. He doesn't just write, he includes basic physics diagrams, and lots of color photographs to drive the points home. He doesn't get lost in technical jargon, although you will notice some differences in his style compared to Keith Code simply because Code is writing to improve your road course racing skills more than traffic skills. That said, the physics apply in either case, and Hough's book is a excellent primer.Counter-steering, front braking, safety equipment, statistics, and road hazards are all covered in Proficient motorcycling. Hough doesn't focus on pivot steering or using just the front brakes as much as Code. Like I said before, Hough is more concerned about typical hazards one encounters on the road, and the skills needed to survive in that setting. However, pivot steering is hinted by Hough when he describes an exercise to improve U-turns or tight turns. Basically the outside peg is used as a pivot point during a turn, as described by Keith Code. Hough just mentions using the outside peg to position your body which is a similar idea. Hough does mention using the front brakes, but not to the extreme as Code.Many of the concepts covered in Proficient Motorcycling are covered in operator's manuals provided by the state when taking the written exam or road test. There are lots of good tips, and Hough doesn't skimp on covering typical road hazards. He talked about canines, soda cardboard boxes, crossing railroad tracks properly, rough roads, etc... Needless to say, it is a sobering look at riding. I came into motorcycles looking at the radical super sport and sport bikes (race replica stuff, such as the Suzuki GSX-R1000 or Yamaha YZR-F1) but the more I researched and read, the more dangerous it seemed. Hough doesn't let you forget that you only have 2 wheels with limited contact patch and traction compared to an automobile.Hough and Code both recommend using ear plugs for higher speed riding due to the wind noise that is known to cause hearing loss. Some states may have regulations against this, but it makes sense. I cannot stand the wind noise from driving a convertible on the highway, let alone riding a motorcycle with a limited windscreen and insulation!Overall: 5/5 stars
TrustPilot
2 недели назад
4 дня назад
