[Mark-B]

Lots more advice in the thread Old Dad posted. It's worth it for EVERYBODY to read through it every once in a while.

To your point, NorTex, doing slow speed figure-8's in a parking garage is great practice. Riding fast isn't that difficult. Riding slow....IS. Someone who can ride slow can always ride fast. Someone who can ride fast may- or may-not be able to ride slow.

Yup.. Parking lot practice.. Preferably Lots of it... Hours of slow speed practice in a parking lot adds up to weeks and months of doing the same things on the road.

Practice cornering, dodging around little rocks on the surface of the parking lot, braking, stopping and starting with one foot down, super slow riding and balancing maneuvers.. Do a little of all that before hitting the road to any great extent and you will be doing yourself a solid.

 

[Mark-B]

Chances are you will be at the greatest risk while on the road...beyond parking lot speed. Many folks can ride fast....but can they stop in time if the sh!t hits the fan? I think that's a skill you should learn first.

Learn to do emergency stops from 30-->70 mph. True, hard braking emergency stops, not just slowing down a little quicker than usual. You can get away with duck walking at slow speed if you have to, you can't walk away from not being able to stop in time. Learn that first, then play in the parking lot.

Good advice, and that is one of the games I do play in a parking lot. I can get up-to 55-60 before aping on the brakes, though 70 would put me squarely up Smokey the Bear's ass, as a Forest Service Public Notice sign dictates stopping-distance at that speed :lol:

 

[Mark-B]

^^^^ ...I Play Deer Too!! Though now I have a name for it ..Usually about 200 miles in, if I'm in a familiar stretch and alone on the road.. I'll practice swerving or braking at higher speeds or whatnot .. It's all good practice.

Riding slow, getting that balance down - That really helps.... These days, when I practice emergency braking, I'll come to a quick, dead stop, snick it into 1st and slowly move forward without ever putting my feet down. That took a while, but glad I can do it now.

That actually helped one time out on the road.. I couldn't beat the light, so hit the brakes, I was just about to put my left foot down when I heard squealing right behind me - I was near a complete stop - without missing a beat - I was able to gun it through the intersection :lol:

Practicing balancing a bike at low speeds will help in a lot of situations.

Then ...From memory. One of Spiritman's tips is to run through a yellow if the intersection is clear.. Had I remembered that, and not tried to brake for the yellow, I wouldn't have nearly been rear-ended.. So.. All those tips.. All good information.