On 5/26/09, mike wilson <[email protected]> wrote: > > ---- William Robb <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "mike wilson" > > Subject: Re: PESO - Baldwin Downunder > > > > > > > > Could end up as the closest thing to perpetual motion we have seen: > > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8067672.stm > > > > > > > Good Lord, if you can't do that, you shouldn't be on a bike.
I'll agree with that. > The whole point of motorcycle training here is to inculcate anticipation in > the rider. Ideally, you shouldn't be in the situation where you have to > swerve. Vehicle control is taught in a test needed before you can actually > ride on the road. > > Also, there is no avoidance maneouvre in the (much easier) car test. If a > test is causing crashes, for whatever reason, it's a bad test in my book. Perhaps the training process is at fault, rather than the test, though. Here in the US most States don't require a motorcycle training program. Tests vary from ridiculous (come to a complete stop without putting your foot down and then go again) to worthless (maneuver your bike around an obstacle course that's too tight for anything other than the smallest street legal dirt bikes) to just silly (accelerate to 15mph and then stop in the box). About 14 or 15 years ago I took a bike trip from central Missouri to San Antonio, TX. Since I wanted to see Dallas I chose to drive straight through. Traffic there was bumper to bumper and rarely exceeded 10mph. Upon arriving in San Antonio I learned that bumper to bumper traffic traveled at about 70mph. Shortly after leaving I-35 for the loop toward Converse the cars in front of me started to bail out of the lane. Once there were no more cars in my lane I saw the ladder laying across. I swerved to the right, missing the ladder by inches and close enough to a car that I could have tapped on the driver's window. I credit off-road riding since age 12 with the ability to do that. Had I relied on a little DOT booklet and a driving course in a parking lot I'd probably still be part of the pavement in San Antonio. Testing needs to be harder and it needs to actually test a driver's ability. Parallel parking should not be the most difficult aspect. -- Scott Loveless Cigarette-free since December 14th, 2008 http://www.twosixteen.com/fivetoedsloth/ -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
