The Norwegian Motorcycle Union once commissioned an advertisement to raise motorcycle awareness. This was the result. Is it distastefully literal, or an effective advertisement? It certainly had a polarising effect on the motorcycling community…Judge for yourself!
As potentially the most important piece of motorcycle safety apparel and the only item required to be worn by law, buying a helmet can be a daunting task.
A huge variety of helmets exist in the market, ranging from open face scooter helmets, to feature packed full face racing helmets.
All helmets sold in Australia are compliant with the Australian Standard and are marked with a sticker to indicate this. No matter how fancy or pretty the helmet, the one crucial factor is how it fits your head.
Here are some quick pointers to keep in mind when looking for a helmet:
How big is your head?
The first step in determining the correct fit is to measure the circumference of your head. Use a tape to measure around the largest part of your head (just above your ears). This measurement will give you an approximate idea of which size should suit you in a particular model range.
Snug!
Once you have obtained the correct size as a starting point, put the helmet on your head and do up the chin strap firmly. The helmet should make contact with all parts of your head and should feel nice and snug (it will also push firmly on your cheeks).
Slide test
The next step is to try and move the helmet around on your head, firstly side to side and then back and forth. The helmet should not slide in any of these tests. If it does, it is likely that this is the incorrect fit and you may need to choose a different brand/model (after trying on a few helmets, you will notice each brand fits your head differently and often each model may have a different fit too).
Crash test – without the crashing!
To test that the helmet won’t come off in the event of a crash, you should have a friend try and roll it off your head by pulling from the base at the rear of the helmet. The helmet should not come loose from your head.
Pressure points
Finally, keep the helmet on for a period of time to ensure it is firm yet comfortable, with no pressure points on any part of your head.
That ain’t cool
If you keep the above in mind when buying a helmet, you will surely find the right fit for you. Don’t be tempted to buy a helmet just because it has a cool graphic or design; remember the most important feature is CORRECT FIT! After all, it’s much cooler to keep your head safe in the event of an accident!
You can browse helmets on Parts Market
Just a quick update to Friday’s post…Stoner has officially signed with Honda Racing for 2011. The 2007 champion began his MotoGP career on an LCR Honda in 2006, so it will be interesting to see how the season pans out for him aboard the Repsol.
HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto expressed his excitement about the deal and also suggested that they would like to keep Dani and Andrea aboard Honda machines – Final details of the lineup will be announced later in the year but this leaves open the possibility of a 3 bike line up.
No confirmation yet on Rossi’s deal with Ducati, but amazingly he was out testing a Yamaha Superbike at Misano a couple of days ago. For a guy that broke his leg and had 2 surgeries only recently, this seems like an unbelievably brave move. Perhaps he was just itching to ride a race bike again or maybe he’s trying to prove to Ducati that he’s still fit and determined. Either way, I wouldn’t rule out a return to his Fiat Yamaha MotoGP bike sooner than later this season.
Lots of movement happening with the riders and teams, so the 2011 season is sure to be a cracker.
There has been mounting speculation in the paddock that Valentino Rossi has signed with the Ducati MotoGP team in a 2 year deal worth $18 million.
Rossi seems to have been feeling somewhat neglected since Yamaha recruited young superstar Jorge Lorenzo, who is now leading the championship and has dominated every race since Rossi’s season came to an abrupt halt at Mugello (where he broke his leg).
While no official announcements have been made, such news would be no surprise as the chatter is certainly getting louder and louder in the paddock. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see the legendary Italian on a purebred Italian machine?
In other news, to make room for Rossi at Ducati, Casey Stoner is rumoured to be doing a deal with the Repsol Honda factory team – would this mean they run 3 bikes, or send Dani Pedrosa on his way after a seemingly lacklustre season thus far?
Stay tuned…
As if the Brutale 1090RR isn’t desirable enough in standard guise, MV Agusta Corse has released a Cannonball Kit which according to them, is for “racing use”. It seems they have conveniently set it up for tracks that require headlights, indicators and pillion pegs, so we’re thinking there might be more than a few who will unleash this beast on the street.
A revised ECU, cylinder head, camshafts, valves and a handmade titanium exhaust system all add up to less weight and more power (20 horses more than the standard bike, bringing it to 165hp).
If your pockets are even deeper still, you can customise your Cannonball with enough carbon fibre and aluminium components to build a space shuttle.
For more info and a cool 3D bike builder, check out www.mvagusta.it
The following is an article written by Nick Ienatsch (of Sport Rider magazine) that has been doing the rounds on motorcycle forums worldwide for some time now. Although it was published in 1993, it is a timeless piece that is worth reading and revisiting. Enjoy…
The street is not the track–it’s a place to Pace
By Nick Ienatsch
Two weeks ago a rider died when he and his bike tumbled off a cliff paralleling our favorite road. No gravel in the road, no oncoming car pushing him wide, no ice. The guy screwed up. Rider error. Too much enthusiasm with too little skill, and this fatality wasn’t the first on this road this year. As with most single-bike accidents, the rider entered the corner at a speed his brain told him was too fast, stood the bike up and nailed the rear brake. Goodbye.
On the racetrack this rider would have tumbled into the hay bales, visited the ambulance for a strip of gauze and headed back to the pits to straighten his handlebars and think about his mistake. But let’s get one thing perfectly clear: the street is not the racetrack. Using it as such will shorten your riding career and keep you from discovering the Pace. The Pace is far from street racing-and a lot more fun.
The Pace places the motorcycle in its proper role as the controlled vehicle, not the controlling vehicle. Too many riders of sport bikes become baggage when the throttle gets twisted-the ensuing speed is so overwhelming they are carried along in the rush. The Pace ignores outright speed and can be as much fun on a Ninja 250 as on a ZX-11, emphasizing rider skill over right-wrist bravado. A fool can twist the grip, but a fool has no idea how to stop or turn. Learning to stop will save your life; learning to turn will enrich it. What feels better than banking a motorcycle into a corner?
Using all of the available lane while entering the corner (square line) provides a number of benefits. It allows you to brake while upright, see farther through the corner and use a later corner apex. With a later apex, you can get on the throttle earlier as you stand the bike up out of the corner. The low entrance line (dotted line) forces you to lean over even after the apex and is a major contributing factor to overshooting a corner. Always give the centerline some room: stay right except to pass.
The mechanics of turning a motorcycle involve pushing and/or pulling on the handlebars; while this isn’t new information for most sport riders, realize that the force at the handlebar affects the motorcycle’s rate of turn-in. Shove hard on the bars, and the bike snaps over; gently push the bars, and the bike lazily banks in. Different corners require different techniques, but as you begin to think about lines, late entrances and late apexes, turning your bike at the exact moment and reaching the precise lean angle will require firm, forceful inputs at the handlebars. If you take less time to turn your motorcycle, you can use that time to brake more effectively or run deeper into the corner, affording yourself more time to judge the corner and a better look at any hidden surprises. It’s important to look as far into the corner as possible and remember the adage, “You go where you look.”
DON’T RUSH
The number-one survival skill, after mastering emergency braking, is setting your corner-entrance speed early, or as Kenny Roberts says, “Slow in, fast out.” Street riders may get away with rushing into 99 out of 100 corners, but that last one will have gravel, mud or a trespassing car. Setting entrance speed early will allow you to adjust your speed and cornering line, giving you every opportunity to handle the surprise.
A tire has a given amount of traction that can be used for cornering, accelerating, decelerating or a combination of these. A tire that’s cornering hard won’t have much traction left for acceleration or deceleration. Imagine a linkage connecting your rear tire to your throttle hand. As the tire stands up from full lean, your throttle can be rolled open; the tire’s traction used for cornering can now be converted to acceleration traction.
We’ve all rushed into a corner too fast and experienced not just the terror but the lack of control when trying to herd the bike into the bend. If you’re fighting the brakes and trying to turn the bike, any surprise will be impossible to deal with. Setting your entrance speed early and looking into the corner allows you to determine what type of corner you’re facing. Does the radius decrease? Is the turn off-camber? Is there an embankment that may have contributed some dirt to the corner?
Racers talk constantly about late braking, yet that technique is used only to pass for position during a race, not to turn a quicker lap time. Hard braking blurs the ability to judge cornering speed accurately, and most racers who rely too heavily on the brakes find themselves passed at the corner exits because they scrubbed off too much cornering speed. Additionally, braking late often forces you to trail the brakes or turn the motorcycle while still braking. While light trail braking is an excellent and useful technique to master, understand that your front tire has only a certain amount of traction to give.
If you use a majority of the front tire’s traction for braking and then ask it to provide maximum cornering traction as well, a typical low-side crash will result. Also consider that your motorcycle won’t steer as well with the fork fully compressed under braking. If you’re constantly fighting the motorcycle while turning, it may be because you’re braking too far into the corner. All these problems can be eliminated by setting your entrance speed early, an important component of running at the Pace.
Using your brakes entering a corner, or trail braking, takes a delicate touch on the lever. As the bike leans in and the tire begins cornering in earnest, there won’t be much traction left for braking. Imagine a connection between the front-brake lever and the front tire: as the tire goes to full lean, all traction will be used for cornering; grabbing the front brake at this point will lock the wheel.
Since you aren’t hammering the brakes at every corner entrance, your enjoyment of pure cornering will increase tremendously. You’ll relish the feeling of snapping your bike into a corner and opening the throttle as early as possible. Racers talk about getting the drive started, and that’s just as important on the street. Notice how the motorcycle settles down and simply works better when the throttle is open? Use a smooth, light touch on the throttle and try to get the bike driving as soon as possible in the corner, even before the apex, the tightest point of the corner. If you find yourself on the throttle ridiculously early, it’s an indication you can increase your entrance speed slightly by releasing the brakes earlier.
As you sweep past the apex, you can begin to stand the bike up out of the corner. This is best done by smoothly accelerating, which will help stand the bike up. As the rear tire comes off full lean it puts more rubber on the road, and the forces previously used for cornering traction can be converted to acceleration traction. The throttle can be rolled open as the bike stands up.
This magazine won’t tell you how fast is safe; we will tell you how to go fast safely. How fast you go is your decision, but it’s one that requires reflection and commitment. High speed on an empty four-lane freeway is against the law, but it’s fairly safe. Fifty-five miles per hour in a canyon might be legal, but it may also be dangerous. Get together with your friends and talk about speed. Set a reasonable maximum and stick to it. Done right, the Pace is addicting without high straightaway speeds.
Riding fast everywhere hurts our image, your license and eventually your bike and body. Set realistic freeway and city speed limits, stick to them and save the speed for the racetrack or dragstrip.
The group I ride with couldn’t care less about outright speed between corners; any gomer can twist a throttle. If you routinely go 100 mph, we hope you routinely practice emergency stops from that speed. Keep in mind outright speed will earn a ticket that is tough to fight and painful to pay; cruising the easy straight stuff doesn’t attract as much attention from the authorities and sets your speed perfectly for the next sweeper.
GROUP MENTALITY
Straights are the time to reset the ranks. The leader needs to set a pace that won’t bunch up the followers, especially while leaving a stop sign or passing a car on a two-lane road. The leader must use the throttle hard to get around the car and give the rest of the group room to make the pass, yet he or she can’t speed blindly along and earn a ticket for the whole group. With sane speeds on the straights, the gaps can be adjusted easily; the bikes should be spaced about two seconds apart for maximum visibility of surface hazards.
It’s the group aspect of the Pace I enjoy most, watching the bikes in front of me click into a corner like a row of dominoes, or looking in my mirror as my friends slip through the same set of corners I just emerged from.
Because there’s a leader and a set of rules to follow, the competitive aspect of sport riding is eliminated and that removes a tremendous amount of pressure from a young rider’s ego-or even an old rider’s ego. We’ve all felt the tug of racing while riding with friends or strangers, but the Pace takes that away and saves it for where it belongs: the racetrack. The racetrack is where you prove your speed and take chances to best your friends and rivals.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time writing about the Pace (see Motorcyclist, Nov. ’91) for several reasons, not the least of which being the fun I’ve had researching it (continuous and ongoing). But I have motivations that aren’t so fun. I got scared a few years ago when Senator Danforth decided to save us from ourselves by trying to ban superbikes, soon followed by insurance companies blacklisting a variety of sport bikes. I’ve seen Mulholland Highway shut down because riders insisted on racing (and crashing) over a short section of it. I’ve seen heavy police patrols on roads that riders insist on throwing themselves off of. I’ve heard the term “murder-cycles” a dozen times too many. When we consider the abilities of a modern sport bike, it becomes clear that rider technique is sorely lacking.
The Pace emphasizes intelligent, rational riding techniques that ignore racetrack heroics without sacrificing fun. The skills needed to excel on the racetrack make up the basic precepts of the Pace, excluding the mind-numbing speeds and leaving the substantially larger margin for error needed to allow for unknowns and immovable objects. Our sport faces unwanted legislation from outsiders, but a bit of throttle management from within will guarantee our future.
The Pace Principles
1 Set cornering speed early.
Blow the entrance and you’ll never recover.
2 Look down the road.
Maintaining a high visual horizon will reduce perceived speed and help you avoid panic situations.
3 Steer the bike quickly.
There’s a reason John Kocinski works out-turning a fast-moving motorcycle takes muscle.
4 Use your brakes smoothly but firmly.
Get on and then off the brakes; don’t drag ‘em.
5 Get the throttle on early.
Starting the drive settles the chassis, especially though a bumpy corner.
6 Never cross the centerline except to pass.
Crossing the centerline in a corner is an instant ticket and an admittance that you can’t really steer your bike. In racing terms, your lane is the course; staying right of the line adds a significant challenge to most roads and is mandatory for sport riding’s future.
7 Don’t crowd the centerline.
Always expect an oncoming car with two wheels in your lane.
8 Don’t hang off in the corners or tuck in on the straights.
Sitting sedately on the bike looks safer and reduces unwanted attention. It also provides a built-in safety margin.
9 When leading, ride for the group.
Good verbal communication is augmented with hand signals and turn signals; change direction and speed smoothly.
10 When following, ride with the group.
If you can’t follow a leader, don’t expect anyone to follow you when you’re setting the Pace.
This article was originally published in the June 1993 issue of Sport Rider.
Just a quick note that there is word on the street that BMW is developing a baby brother to the hugely successful S1000RR superbike. Logic suggests that having conquered the 1000cc class, they will turn their attention to a 600cc supersport version…
If this is true, it’s sure to be a cracker of a bike. Apparently they’ve already hired a test rider to assist with the development of such a machine.
Keep your eyes open for more news…
Late May sees the arrival of the much anticipated Honda CB1100F, which is sure to please some of the old-schoolers out there. The new CB is a tribute to the infamous CB750 Four and promises to carry on the tradition of a solid all rounder with simplicity as one of its key philosophies.
The heart of the new CB is a fuel injected 1140cc inline four cylinder engine which is sure to deliver smooth, effortless power while the classic retro design of the frame and bodywork and wheels stays true to its origins. Springy bits consist of 41mm standard forks up front, with a pair of Showa dampers at the rear, preload adjustable, of course.
The CB1100F is sure to be a hit with the Honda faithful, and a low seat height of 775mm will also widen it’s appeal as a user friendly all rounder.
Initially available in Candy Glory Red and Pearl Milky White, the new CB will have a pricetag of $14990 (plus on road costs).
Keep an eye on www.hondamotorcycles.com.au for more information.
To update last month’s post about the anticipated Monster 796, Ducati has officially released the bike with first units expected to reach Australia by July this year.
The mid-range Monster is fitted with the all new Desmodue motor, pumping out 87HP (64kW). With a dry weight of just 167kg and a seat height of 800mm, it’s sure to be an agile and confidence inspiring ride. Braking is handled by two 320mm discs up front and a 245mm disc at the rear. The new middleweight Monster looks the goods with a single sided swingarm borrowed from it’s big brother and lightweight 5 spoke wheels shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso tyres. A 6 speed gearbox coupled with a hydraulic wet clutch ensure that this bike will be tractable enough for all types of riding.
While the bike comes in 3 traditional colours (Red, White, Black) each set against a red Trellis frame and black wheels, customisation options are aplenty as Ducati has announced a Monster Art program which allows all Monster owners to interchange tank covers, mudguards, bikini fairings and seat covers in one of ten available liveries.
For full details and specifications, visit www.ducati.com/bike/monster/796
Since the release of the Ducati Hypermotard 796, there has been talk of using this new powerplant in the Monster range…The result is claimed to be a Monster 796 that will sit in between its Monster 696 and Monster 1100 stablemates.
The new mid-level naked is rumoured to use the frame of the 1100, providing a logical option for intermediate to advanced riders that love the classic Monster series.
Stay tuned for more news as it’s released…