Right… after gently pussy-footing around on it for the last three months, I’m now slowly building up confidence in using the power my bike’s got on tap at least in some situations… and those of you who ride or have ridden litre+ bikes know how it is. All of a sudden what previously looked like a perfectly stupid idea looks like a credible opportunity to overtake. Armed with acceleration out of manned space-flight, lines of cars ahead of you are consumed like some sort of Class-A drug… snifffffffff!
That’s all fun and games of course as long as you remember that once you hit oncoming traffic the car you might have to duck behind is 50mph+ slower than you, or that the turn you are coming up towards can’t be negotiated at the supersonic speeds you travel at once you have completed your maneuver… but still, I wonder, how can I can stare down my inner beast that just wants to go faster and faster? It’s just so goddamn easy to get carried away.
So, you Gixer thou, 1000cc Fireblade, Hayabusa riders, how do you keep your cool? Riding a Beast like that in normal road traffic is a bit like bringing a Gatling gun to a fist fight. Do you take a cold shower before you ride? Pin a photo of your missus to the clocks? Is there a trick, or does it just come down to sheer self control or gory splatter B-horror movie death?
It depends on the speed and conditions. For instance, we all overtake multiple cars at once in town because they’re going slowly and our relative speeds are nearer, so have time to duck in if there’s oncoming traffic or brake if someone pulls out or walks out, but if you start talking about doing this on fast roads then you’re really raising the risk factor.
Over-taking multiple cars at speed is inherantly dangerous though because you’ve probably only been able to asses the first one or two cars, but what about the rest? You’ll only find out if one of them is also about to perform an overtake when they start driving into the space you’re quickly heading into. Bad news.
As speeds rise because of the overtaken cars speed, or because of the power of the bike, you need to apply the same risk assesement thought process, i.e. something like (just making this up off the top of my head): conditions, visibility, speed, assessment of involved parties probable actions and the like.
Just because I had 170bhp under my bum on the thou doesn’t mean I would overtake five cars at once at 100mph. That’s just asking for trouble. I’d break it down into blocks of one or two. I think this is also more courteous on the drivers and means you’re always able to asses the cars in front and be protected in case something has changed since you first started the over-take, i.e. road conditions or visibility.
Just remember; absolute power corrupts, use it wisely and sparingly
Remember not to ‘creep’ forwards when looking to assess overtakes, because if it’s not on you’ve got no where to go. I think you just have to exercise self control really. It is easy to be consumed with the speed especially when every boy racer/old git racer wants to try and out gun you when they are not bringing much to the gun fight. It is hard to resist the urge to teach them lessons. Sometimes a deep breath can keep you from pulling the pin!
Just remember that the feeling of excitement experienced in this kind of situation is actually your brain registering that you are doing something risky.
The adrenaline burst experienced in any thrill of this type is actually your body preparing for the danger your sub-conscious minds has seen coming . . .
Recognise that the ‘buzz’ you feel is a warning alarm . . you are overdoing it!
Some excellent advice above, especially Jay’s, all I would add is it is essential that you plan ahead, if there is a corner up ahead beyond the cars you are planning to overtake then you need to plan your positioning, speed and gearing accordingly, and never rely on the surface being a good one (be on the lookout for sand/dirt/oil/diesel etc, if in doubt just assume it’s there).
I would strongly recommend doing an advanced motorcycle course. You will meet lots of experienced bikers, have lots of rideout opportunities, gets lots of very useful feedback on your riding, it’s great fun and once you pass the test your insurance will become cheaper :D. And there is a good chance you and your pillion (if you carry one) will live longer.
The same rules apply for fast riding and overtaking (as outlined so well above) whatever you are riding (250/400/600/1000) when you are on the public road. I don’t reckon I ride any faster on my 1000 than my 600 in most road situations - you are always (or at least attempting) to ride within the envelope of the conditions (weather, traffic density etc), and within your personal reaction times and level of skill, in order to cope with the unexpected - which can mean anything from blind cagers at junctions, to losing traction on diesel or horse sh1t on the road. My personal ability to stop or take evasive action doesn’t differ whether I’m on a 600 or a 1000 so naturally I’m going to be riding at the same speed in the same situation whether I’m on a 6 or a thou.This is why ‘mature’ riders (people in their mid-30’s onwards) are more likely to feasibly insure a bike of this capacity - by this age, as well as having more experience, you should have absorbed the fact that one day you will die and that it might be nice to hold off that event for as long as possible, by doing things like riding your 1000cc sportsbike according to the conditions - unlike some 20 year old nutter who still thinks the world revolves around him and that he is immortal (e.g. constitutionally incapable of imagining his own death/non-existence).
Also I don’t reckon that you can physically exploit the extra power provided by a thou in most road situations seeing as most of us don’t exploit all the power that we have on tap on 600’s - using all the power on most modern sport’s 600’s (let alone thousands) on the road will see you quickly entering the nearest hedge or colliding with a cager.
In my opinion the one time a powerful litre bike comes into it’s own outside of a race track (one with long fast straights) is if you are coming home at night from work at 2.00 a.m. in the morning on an empty motorway and want to get home bloody fast - the ability to very quickly climb into three figure speeds and the pure fun to be had of riding at these speeds is something anyone who is into bikes should experience every now and again - only theoretically in the uk of course - unless you are lucky enough to have access to derestricted German autobahn - like your good-self itsthemechanic - you lucky sod! ;)
i have only been on big bikes for a year and a half, but thats how i ride.
Going from an SV6, wich i used to be able to pin to the stop no problems…to an SV1000 with shedloads of tourque and a bit more BHP…i have to be mindfull, but overtaking is definetly easier:D
I ride my gsxr1000 slower in town than I did my 600rr. Because of size and being paranoid that if I boot it as heavily and as quick on the throttle as my 600, I might lose the back end or do a power wheel when in the wrong situation.
Different matter when I hit more open roads. In some way’s the 1000 has calmed my town riding down.
woo
Jay and Sid Throttle are absolutely right - but I would add one thing. It is not just about whether you are riding within your capabilities, it is also about what other road users see and do. If you are going to overtake five cars in a stretch, the two or three up front will not know you are there and will have no time to see you before you take them on. The chances are that if it is good for you to overtake five cars it will be good for one of them to overtake one car.
Most of us do shoulder checks when we drive a car because we ride a bike - most car drivers have never ridden a bike and so don’t have the shoulder check habit.
I thought I might add something from another point of view - I also do a lot of mountain biking (yes - pedal power :D) and was recently coming down a long, straight hill at about 30mph (believe me - that’s bl@@dy fast on a mountain bike) when a bus pulled out of a side road forcing me into oncoming traffic which I narrowly squeezed through with my skin intact, although my heart nearly exploded…
My point being, which echoes some of the other responses - it isn’t only about power - it’s about the ability to react to a situation which hasn’t yet occured - all of us on 2 wheels need a certain amount of healthy paranoia and whilst close calls can help you develop that, it’s better to learn from other people’s close calls than have one yourself that doesn’t necessarily turn out so well…
Now, if only it had been Jon Snow pulling out in front of me…
I ride my 11 as I would ride a smaller bike… ie as safely as I can. When I first got it and got familiar with the acceleration up to the red line I used it more often than I should have before deciding that it would , without question , kill me…I seldom thrash it now because there is just no need on public roads.
Riding in Europe I just assume every thing that might go wrong will and ride accordingly… Sadly , I am not often disappointed;)
All the above…and remember just because we have the power doesn’t mean we have to use it on the road,book a track day or a max speed runway day to satisfy the boy-racer in you.
the thing is with having loads of power on tap is when you do get a chance to use it it scares the life out of you so next time round a chance ocurs the thought of last time is in the back of your mind which helps with the life presavation thoughts, i probally ride my thou slower than previous bikes because i know it will blow most other thing on the road away and have nothing to prove, but the odd devil does appear on your shoulder now and again but the angel on the other side says its ok, but as others have said ride as defensivly as possible all the time and expect the unexpected
I tend to overtake slower than the speed limit if traffic is still or moving slowley as I feel i will still beat them to the hold up but if they did do a u turn I would (A react and miss) or (B not hit them as fast )
I also dont tend to buy into the macho thing of riding a bike I like my bike but try ride it to my and the roads limits I have fun but like to think responsibly.
I help myself by assuming that every other rider i go out with or come up to at the lights as a much better rider than me even if it turns out they are not. this helps me not rise to race chalanges or such like I have seen people i ride with take stupid risks and you can tell it was to prove whos got the biggest bike/balls which all counts for nada splattered across the road
yea, i think the thing about thinking other riders are better than you even if they may not be is helpful - helps against the urge to want to race and prove yourself.
Always give yourself a margin of safety when on the road…That’s how I ride as there’s no accounting for other road user’s actions.
Riding a litre bike in town I’ve found a lot more calmer experience than doing so on a 600.
Just leave it in third and cruise…On the 600 I’d be chasing high revs and buzzing off the screaming engine, going faster and faster until I made a mistake…It’s a lot of fun though…but ultimately not worth the risk IMO.
