Re: UNCONSCIONABLE ACT OF BRAKING!!!!!!

[dan_masi@MENTORG.COM (Dan Masi)]

On Jun 19,  8:21am, Arun Rao wrote:

> 	But seriously, "white-lining" seems like a really bad idea
> 	for both parties concerned.

Absolutely.  Perhaps it's warranted in some cases, like a 5mph creep
up through a major traffic jam (if legal).  I believe it's
illegal here in NJ, and I have no qualms about actively discouraging
it in a safe manner.  Hey, while I'm driving, I *work* at maintaining
space around my vehicle.  You do *not* have a right to drive your
bike inches away from my car at a 20mph speed differential.

Bikers, flame me as hard as you like. I'm a motorcyclist, too.  Or,
at least, I was a motorcyclist, until I realized how much animosity
there was towards bikers, in part created by the idiot bikers who
do the stooooopid things that we're talking about.  I've since
sold my bike.

> As far as braking is concerned, I find it hard to believe
> that a modern motorcycle would ever have trouble stopping
> faster than *any* car.

Yep.  But there's a lot more skill required to effectively
brake a bike.  A car driver who's not trained in panic stopping
may lock up the brakes and suffer little more than some
heart palipitations and a look 180 degrees in the wrong direction.
But on a bike, things are much different. Lock up the rear wheel,
and if you've practiced doing so (most bikers probably haven't),
you may stay upright. Lock up the front wheel, you'll become
one with the road.  In a car, you get to go past the threshold
temporarily and back off.  Not on a bike.

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q
ex-Honda Sabre bike (sold)
ex-Nishiki 12-speed bike (demolished... don't get me started on
                          cars and bicycles, I've got scars and
                          medical bills to show...)