Safety Tips
By MIKE Phillips
PATH
Bible mentions following
THE a path for our lives at
least sixty times. Psalms 27: 11
(NIRV) says, “Lord, teach me your
ways. Lead me along a straight
path.” The Bible teaches us to take
a path that will lead us past trouble
and bring us home safe. The
path of travel on a motorcycle
should have the same goal to lead
us past trouble and bring us home
safe. The path of travel is especially
important when riding through a
curve.
The path of travel on a bike is
the spot on the road that the tires
roll across. The rider chooses the
path of travel based on road conditions,
traffic, speed, and rider
ability. Riders should choose the
path of travel as far in advance as
possible. A bike should never be on
a path of travel that the rider did
not choose. The importance of a
safe path of travel is multiplied in a
curve because any steering
changes or braking in a curve can
lead to running off the road or
crashing.
There are three parts to a curve.
The first part is the entry or where
the road starts to curve. The second
part is the apex or middle of
the curve. The apex is the sharpest
part of the curve. The third part is
the exit or where the road begins
to straighten out. There are three
general lane positions in a curve.
The outside is the farthest away
from the center line in a left curve
or the closest to the center line in a
right curve. The middle is the center
part of the lane. The inside is
the closest to the center line in a
left curve or farthest from the center
line in a right curve.
With three parts to a curve and
three lane positions, there are 27
possible paths of travel through
any curve. A rider may choose an
inside entry, inside apex, and
inside exit, or an outside entry,
apex, and exit, or any combination.
Choose your path of travel as early
as possible. Set up the bike in the
proper path before you enter the
curve.
Motorcycles can take a path of
travel that is different from the
curve of the road. Riding a curve in
a car’s tire tracks makes the curve
sharper and requires more traction.
A motorcycle can straighten
out a curve by choosing a different
path of travel. The safest path of
travel for most curves is outside at
the entry, inside at the apex, and
outside at the exit.
A curve to the left should start
with the bike to the outside away
from the centerline of the curve at
the entry. Ride a smooth steady
arc to the inside at the apex and
the outside at the exit. A right
curve starts with the bike in the
outside part of the lane, or closest
to the centerline, and then arcs to
the inside at the apex and the outside
at the exit. The arc of the
curve and the lean of the bike
remain the same all through the
curve.
The straighter a bike rides, the
more traction the tires have on the
road. The more a bike leans, the
less traction the tires have. A path
of travel from outside to inside to
outside opens the radius of the
curve straightening the curve giving
the bike more traction. An outside
entry allows the rider to see
farther through the curve. An
inside entry makes the apex
sharper and cuts down on the
available amount of road at the
exit thus increasing the difficulty
of the curve.
Riders must look all the way
through a curve. The bike should
stay in a smooth steady arc with
the same lean angle all through
the curve. The throttle must be
smooth and steady to maintain or
slightly increase speed through the
curve. Any braking, head bobbing,
unsteady throttle, or steering
inputs in a curve can cause a loss
of traction.
Life, like riding a motorcycle, is
a journey to reach a safe destination.
The journey is decided by the
choices you make along the way.
Proverbs 3:6 (NKJV) says, “In all
ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your path.” A motorcycle
will only go where the rider lets
it go. Choose the safest path possible
whenever life or the road
throws you a curve, so you can
arrive home safely. CMA
Mike Phillips is a certified Motorcycle Safety
Foundation (MSF) instructor in Arkansas.
27⎪AUGUST 2020⎪www.cmausa.org