Over 50s SAGA

It's no bloody holiday


At 40mph maximum (0.4Km to 800Km during running in)I felt quite exposed to other vehicles trying to pass me; the slowest was the weakest and I was near wiped off the road by selfish twots in (%&$£ing) dustcarts, trucks, and BMWs. Even the odd biker would take a snipe. Crap, at 40mph a snapping turtle stood a chance of pushing me out of the way. Overtaking was limited to two vehicles, both displaying yellow winky-pots. Now I'm able to do around the 50mph+ there's a new threat on the road; me.

What is it with the dynamic of centrifugal force, sucking gravity, and tyre foot-print? I know roundabouts and knee or foot-peg scaping was kindergarten for "bikers I know", but come on! What is it with crossing the boundary from 40 to 50 that ends up making quite sedate and safe corners into nothing short of a coronary waiting to happen?

The rear wheel is meant to act like a gyroscope: the faster it goes the more stabilising it gets. I don't mind having stabilisers. You enter a corner and compress the suspension and to some degree the tyre rubber. If you brake on the front you unload the rear wheel; brake on the rear and it becomes a drag, and the slower wheel will always overtake the faster one. Get into shit on a corner and don't brake, accelerate out of trouble. We over-steer when banking over in balance with all the other forces. I know the theory.

Back in the early 80's forray into the mysticism of 2-wheels and a motor I had 3 of my own bikes and never sold one of them. I kept falling off and it's no surprise a corner had something to do with most of my tumbles. I didn't know the theory then, just the consequence of getting your head stuck in a hawthorn bush where the barbs get inside your helmet and prevent you extricating yourself. Embarrasing. I'm older now and more fragile and I'm worried about dropping off.



So, oh wise ones, what's the business here. I have excellent wheel alignment, good tyre pressures (translated from the Chinese Kg/ps cm to 28psi front and 29psi rear), superb throttle control since my white-line crossing incident, and a healthy respect for what happens to a coin at the close of its roll as gravity finally beats centrifugal forces created by momentum in a spiral. And yet, some corners really feel hairy with a feeling I can only describe as rear-wheel steering and I know this is bad because Honda dropped the idea back in '93-odd.

I have the following theories:
    I'm young and have much to learn
    I'm tracking on uneven roads
    As it was mainly on tonight's trip:
      It was wind catchng the wheels
      The rear-wheel alignment (lovingly crafted last weekend) is off again
    The rear suspension is dodgy - or the frame warped



Of course, having now reached the over 50's it could just be an insecurity brought on by dementia?



(Incidentally, I'm now checking my nuts every trip because I'm getting used to the vibration, which shocked me yesterday, and I don't want anything falling off.)

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