Tips for the start of the season

Posted on by admin

Table of contents

Tips for the start of the season
Jahn

to travel

Tips for the start of the season

Tips for the start of the season
Start your engine

Finally! The mega winter is packed. When dry roads and mild temperatures lure you back onto your motorcycle, you have to be ready to go. This not only applies to machines, but also to people. We give tips for optimal starting.

Annette Johann

03/29/2005

And how is it? To feel the familiar handlebar stumps in your hands again, your fingers on levers and switches, your butt in the hollow of your seat? Is everything still there that was so fun last summer? Really everything?

If you just press the starter button, you will miss the most important thing: the warm-up. Pay a little more attention to your motorcycle, but not least to yourself, in the spring. Riding a motorcycle is a complex matter that requires extensive skills, fine sensors and a good measure of intuition. Things that get lost after a long period of abstinence. The behavior researcher Bernt Spiegel illustrates this in an interesting scenario. In his book “The Upper Half of the Motorcycle” he imagines that the motorized single-track vehicle has only just been invented and is now being assessed with regard to its marketing opportunities.

The committee is appalled: “… What is particularly confusing is the extraordinarily large number of controls that the driver has to operate with hands, feet and sometimes at the same time while still holding a handlebar. We count a total of more than a dozen functions … plus the balance that has to be kept incessantly … The main objection of the Industry Commission, however, relates to the systemic instability caused by single-track operation. Especially the slow drive is inconceivable without long artistic training. And when driving through a bend, the demands of the driver would grow immeasurably, because with a given bend radius and every speed a very specific lean angle would have to be taken and strictly adhered to … The industrial representatives thankfully declined the project and denied any need. “

Thank God we know that motorcycling is practicable after all. Nevertheless, it demands many skills that we have learned and automated over the years. Without constant training, however, a lot is lost again. Perhaps not exactly switching, flashing and honking, but for example the assessment of curves, road conditions and lean angles, braking distance, speed or other road users. Beginners suddenly describe a queasy feeling on the curves of their home track or in the narrow courtyard entrance after taking a break, while racing professionals who take a break register a significantly lower basic speed at the start of the season.

The professionals refer to this as the loss of driving skills due to the loss of unity with the motorcycle. “You are no longer in it, the river is gone,” observes MOTORRAD tester Werner “Mini” Koch. “The interaction between head and body has to be restored first.” While some drivers worry about significantly longer reaction times, ex-test editor Monika Schulz, for example, is particularly annoyed by the changed way of seeing: “You perceive the whole driving differently. Bends that I stuck into completely automatically and without thinking in October are suddenly much tighter or tighter in March. I start to drive my head. Wonder if the tires hold up, the road has grip. When I’m fit, I just try it out. ”

The German Superbike champion Michael Schulten is therefore trying to avoid breaks in order to be fully there for the first races in April. “If there is no race track available, I drive off-road. For me the best winter training, both mentally and physically. Only on a motorcycle can you keep the movement sequences, the quick reactions and the sense of tempo right. ”At most, he considers mountain biking to be an efficient complementary sport. Conversely, how ski champion Hermann Maier trains in summer on mountain bikes, trailers and enduro. “It’s fun and gives you a sense of balance.” How a program for normal recreational bikers can look like can be found on page 141. And now you have fun with spring.

MOTORCYCLE tips

Not only humans have to get in shape, but also the machine. In addition, resuscitation is usually great fun and encourages the warming up process between both parties.

Especially since most of the work does not require any great screwdriving skills. If you did not change the oil in autumn, you should treat your engine with fresh lubrication now at the latest. It is best to let it warm up briefly beforehand so that everything flows off. A candle check is rather optional and only recommended for poor starters or a close replacement interval, as some modern four-cylinder engines have to be half dismantled. (Incidentally, as well as starting pilot, warming up candles is still THE tip for starting difficulties.) Then check the chain, including the sprocket and pinion, for wear and spray it well. The most important point of view is the wheels. Are the tires still okay (1.6 millimeters minimum tread depth), is the air pressure correct, and how are the brakes? Here the discs and linings provide information about wear. And take a look at the level and color of the brake fluid. If it is dark brown, a swap is due. If the system is intact, the water level at the minimum indicates worn surfaces.

In the case of carburettor engines, drain the old fuel from the float chambers, as the fine nozzles quickly stick together and fresh gasoline ignites much better. Put the charged battery in and you’re ready to go.

Training tips

If you want to bring your stiff muscles and tired reaction times back to the top level quickly after the winter break, you can quickly restore the “contact” you lost with the motorcycle with a few specific exercises.

All you need is a dozen tennis balls or the like (instead of pylons), an empty parking lot, a bicycle – ideally a mountain bike – and some time. The first exercise can even be done at home. Stand next to the jacked off motorcycle and carefully try to hold it upright with your finger on the tank or fairing. Then move around the machine during the exercise (see MOTORRAD 3/2005, page 115). Do you feel the balance? Then look for a parking space, place a figure eight with the halves of the ball and start driving them at a slow pace. Gently increase the speed, switch from rolling to active braking and acceleration. Then it’s all about braking. Mark where you want to come to a standstill and gradually increase the approach speed.

Very important: Start all exercises slowly, stay relaxed (how loose is your lower jaw?), Do not drive with “force” and only gradually increase the speed or level of difficulty. And practice without social pressure – that is, alone. Therefore, it is better to schedule the trip with the buddies for the next weekend. Finally, grab your mountain bike and really dash through the forest!

Overbrake, drift, let it slide. The optimal exercise for balance and safely re-feeling the limit area. Now all that remains is to take the changed road and traffic conditions into account on the first tour. Drive carefully and be prepared for the onset of frost as well as remains of ice or gravel. As well as for drivers who do not expect fast motorcycles yet.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *