Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well - 2nd Edition

• How motorcycles really work
• Riding city streets and country roads
• Dealing with common (and uncommon) hazards
• Avoiding manmade booby traps and canine pursuers
• Surviving nature's challenges (rain, wind, heat, cold)
• Safely riding in groups and carrying passengers
• Clothing offering the best protection

One of the big differences between how two-wheeled motorcycles and automobiles turn, is that a motorcycle must first be leaned over before it starts to turn.

An automobile starts to turn as soon as you yank on the steering wheel. The same is true for a trike or sidecar outfit, or for any other multitrack vehicle.

But two-wheelers are different.

Even with a flickable sportsbike, it may take a half second to get the bike leaned over before it actually starts to change direction. And with a heavyweight tourer, that initial lean may require more than one second.

A lot of arm-waving and heated discussion has taken place around the campfires and Internet forums about how we really cause motorcycles to turn.

The discussions always get around to countersteering, but there doesn't seem to be much common understanding of what we really mean by countersteering and exactly what the forces are that make it work.

Let's see if I can clean up some of the mystery.

Foreword | Preface | Introduction

Chapter 1: Risk!
Canyon Bites | The Taboo | How Far are You Hanging it Out? | Fixing the Odds | I Didn't See You

Chapter 2: Motorcycle Dynamics
What Keeps it Balanced? | What Makes it Turn? | The Lowdown on the Slowdown | Taking the Panic out of Panic Stops

Chapter 3: Cornering Tactics
Cornering Habits | Cornering Lines | Right Pace, Right Place | Homework

Chapter 4: Urban Traffic Survival
City Traffic | Snap-Jawed Intersections | Suburb Survival | Superslab Tactics | Aggressive Drivers | Evasive Action

Chapter 5: Booby Traps
Surface Hazards | Curbs Ahead | Running Out of Pavement | Deer, oh Dear! | Ferocious Fidos

Chapter 6: Special Situations
When it Rains | Rain Riding Tactics | When You're Hot, You're HOT | Running Cool | Dang Wind | Freezing Your Gas on the Pass | Night Owls | White Line Fever

Chapter 7: Sharing the Ride
Batches of Bikers | The Second Rider | Let's Get Loaded | Sidecars

The End of the Trip

Resources | Glossary | Index