SAFETY TIPS
SAFETY TIPS
By MIKE Phillips
I have a friend named Daryl Willis .
Daryl has been riding motorcycles for over 50 years . Daryl says his claim to fame is drag racing . Daryl has covered a quarter mile in less than 10 seconds at over 200 mph .
Daryl has also gone over 180 mph on his bike on the freeway . With his history in mind , I asked Daryl what it was like to ride really fast .
Daryl said that once he started racing , he never rode without safety gear . He never crashed on the race track but saw several people who did . β Even at 200 mph , good safety gear will save your life ; without gear , your chance of a severe injury or death is greatly increased .β Now Daryl always wears his gear whenever he rides . β The only times I crashed on the highway , I was showing off or doing something stupid .β
Daryl said going fast on the race track is safer than on the freeway . β On the track , there are rules about safety that must be followed , or you can β t race . The bikes are going in the same direction , there should not be any cross traffic , and the road surface is in good condition . There are fewer distractions on the track . On the freeway , there are a lot of distractions , vehicles are going both directions , there is cross traffic , and the road surface is not
What do you want to know ? always the best with debris on the road , and other drivers don β t do what you expect them to do β.
Daryl said the biggest problem with going fast is the rider develops tunnel vision . β You see almost nothing ; at high speed , everything is a blur .β
On the race track , Daryl would see the finish line at the start of a race and then look as far ahead as he could during the race . The finish line was so fast that judging where to brake was always difficult . The same problem occurs on the freeway . A rider β s normal reaction time is about two seconds . Riding at 70 mph , a person will travel 200 feet in two seconds . Increase the speed to 100mph , and you will travel 300 feet or a full football field before you react . The longer you ride at a high speed , the less observant you become . When traveling faster than the other traffic , the rider is forced to pass with very little clearance . The driver being passed may not see you coming and might drift in front of you . Rocks , sand , potholes , trash , dead animals , or any obstruction may be enough to upset the bike β s balance at high speed , resulting in a crash . Sometimes , you don β t realize how fast you are going until you have to stop quickly β stopping distance increases as speed increases .
Riders must be super observant at higher speeds . A rider should plan his path of travel and have an escape path planned ahead of time .
This forces the rider to concentrate more on the mechanics of riding as speed increases . Fear can creep into a rider β s mind if he is going faster than he is prepared to go . Fear causes the rider to become stiff in his body , making the bike respond slowly at a time when a quick response is needed the most .
Many riders want to go fast , especially on the freeway . Speed limits are there for the safety of all roadway users . Daryl said , β Don β t let your want be the end of you . We get better by pushing our limits to expand our abilities , but it must be done as safely as possible . Don β t push so hard you crash while trying to save two minutes on a trip .β
Daryl sold his sport bike a few years ago . His last ride on his Suzuki was when he went 184mph on the freeway , then rode it to the dealer and sold it . Daryl said that as he aged into his 50s , he was not as safe at higher speeds as he once was . Daryl bought a Harley cruiser , and now he is happier going slower and taking time to enjoy the ride . Daryl summed up his riding by saying , β Stupidity challenged me ; wisdom kept me alive .β CMA
Mike Phillips is a certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation ( MSF ) instructor in Arkansas .
Is there a specific safety subject you would like us to address ? Email your suggestions to heartbeat @ cmausa . org .
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