Hi, I'm Russ, a fully qualified, UK motorcycle instructor from beginner to advanced standard since 1984. I've owned my own training school since 1989 with over 10,000 customers training with me. Training since 1984 gives me 39 years of valuable teaching experience. I give motorcycle riding tips, maintenance advice, motorcycle, and gadget reviews on this channel.
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The rattle at tick over, is more than likely clutch rattle. They tend to do that when the rubbers in the clutch basket get hard over time. Nothing to worry about, but more pronounced when the carbs need balancing.
Wow…there is a lot of misunderstanding here. I’m a fairly new rider but I’ve trained daily, riding throughout the winter in Sweden, including trail braking on wet and dirty country roads. While I was training for safety on the road, I was also training for being able to go fast on track. They are the same thing - full control of the bike. I’m an engineer so I fully understand the basics of bike geometry, tire loading, grip and such. The fundamental fact is that if you need to start your turn, slow down or stop in a turn or change your line; then the optimal way to do that is already having the front brake engaged. Start your turn: if you let off the brake before turning in, you have to wait for the suspension to settle and you will never get as much grip as when the tire is already loaded. Also bear in mind that counter-steering actually unweights the front end - so losing traction on turn in is much more likely without trail braking. Slow down or stop in a turn: there are many reasons you may need to do this including a vehicle slowing in front of you or a tightening radius turn. The worst strategy for this is of course not slowing enough for the turn but Slow, Press and Roll puts you in the next worse position. As soon as you add maintenance throttle the front is unweighted compared to trail breaking, if you are starting to accelerate it’s even worse. Here the main factor is the time it takes to flex the front tire and spread out the contact patch. If you get on the brakes suddenly the tire will react as if it is hard as a rock. Change your line: we need to be able to do this to avoid road hazards. If the front is slightly loaded from trail braking you will simply have more grip. The trail braking technique was made popular first by racing schools and subsequently by less knowledgeable you-tubers, but the physics are undeniable. The application to road riding is simply that, with sensible use of the technique, you are trying to never approach the limit of traction allowed by the geometry of the bike and tire loading. This is not to say that everyone should just go out on highly trafficked roads and use trail braking. Like most riding skills, it should be practiced in a safe environment. You might ride a lifetime on the road without trail braking and never crash - but consistent and moderate use of trail braking will keep you more safe. If you want to ride on track, you should stay in the beginners group until you are comfortable and confident with trail breaking.
Hello, I just passed my cbt, can you reccomend or know of any 125cc scooters that hold full helmet under seat? I'm bit apprehensive to get chinese brand. Saw folk say terrible tyres. Thanks.
2 points here: first, there's absolutely no need to hang off at such a low speed. Second, if when hanging on you brace yourself properly with your legs and feet, you can relax more with arms. There is as little weight on the bars as you desire, you could lift your hands off the bars altogether and would still be fine in your seat. Obviously don't do that as you will crash. Your inside arm should be relaxed and bent with elbow pointing down and your outside arm straight. No need to cling on, relxi g will come with practice. 👍
I saw somewhere that you should push the arm more away from you, than 90 degrees. The reason they gave was that with the mirror pushed slightly further away it gave you a slightly bigger field of view and less elbow in the mirror. Seems to make sense. Thanks for your video, anyway...I will try both.
Thank you. Your presentational technique allows cars to consider bikes and vice versa. I’m not sure that all bikers appreciate that drivers even when aware can still be surprised when a bike filters at speed. Even after a couple of decades driving the last thing you expect is someone making 3 lanes when there is only 2 and zips past you. Your demonstration and explanation shows that everyone can use the road safely if speed is appropriate to the driving conditions. There are too many road users nowadays who put their lives in others hands by not driving defensively. Thanks again for a very well presented video.
I followed your link, 👍 Ive been riding years also, and agree with the advice...brake lights flashing etc. To me, thats aimed at someone with no roadcraft. I always sit in nearside drivers mirror view, or next to his window, slightly left of centre in the lane, if I cant get to front, so he can see me, and so can the car infront of him if there is one. Because he may change lanes as pulling off if im in blind spot. Now, having escaped by pulling of to that side (the left of the car infront) I have escaped a shunt, my friend who wasnt scaning his mirrors whilst parked got hit and hurt, i pulled down between the car in front and the one to his left. Because I didnt video it doesnt mean it didnt and doesnt happen. I think you are too dismissive of this posibility, especially as you say in video that it happened to you whilst a pedestrian was crossing. I dont obsessively scan the mirrors but I keep an eye in them if something comes up behind and doesn't look like he/she is aware of traffic slowing/stopping. To me, that is common sense self-preservation. Obs are everything. We shouldn't rely on others to be aware of what's going on, ever. Any way. Each to their own. You give good advice on the whole to pwople who need it. I juat dont agree with your dismissive attitude to being rear-ended thats all. Ill carry on as I am. Hope it never happens to you again. Stay safe.
I get what you're saying about most rear-enders being down to "you not being aware or warning them" but I disagree it's a "weak" argument. it's only weak until someone is that transfixed on their kids or their phone or whatever that they simply smack/bump into you regardless of you maybe beeping or flashing your brake lights and also finding your escape route has become blocked for whatever reason, since you had one available, being a driver sees you and deliberately closes the gap you had in mind, should you need it, by nudging forward a few feet and steering, blatantly towards the other car enough to close it as has happened to me many times. Or if another bike comes and sits in said gap. Or if the car behind you has parked but is then shunted by the one behind it, and then in to you. Causing you bike damage or injury. I personally always make my way to the front and make the drivers aware with a wave thank you or thumb up, as I stop, not once I've wound them up and after I start to move off on green, which is dangerous as you may need both hands on bars when pulling away, which chills them out...mostly. You'll always get one that doesn't like it and tries to boot it of the mark on amber/green to punish you but a bike accelerates faster than a car so you can mostly get ahead safely or even drop into the space provided when they "boot it" away from the car behind them if your obs are good enough. You can usually get a feel for how a driver reacts to your "pushing in", which I don't see as pushing in, btw. You're simply following legal road use as a biker. My safety comes first, instinctively, so I will never deliberately leave my self open for a rear ender by failing to get to the front if it is safe to do so, dependent on lights changing obviously. Also I wouldn't set myself up for a road rage from a fellow biker who wants to proceed to the front but can't because I'm adding to the number of bikes trying to filter but being held up by other bikers bunch parked behind a car at a set of lights.
I was really referring "weak" to the *real* odds of being rear-ended. Multiply the amount of stops per day by your life on a bike, add in the fact rear ender risks are increased by late braking which reduced the normal risks of being hit by proper planning, and you get the conclusion it isn't "reasonable" to assume you'll get rear ended. Regarding the pushing in, like buying a vip ticket at a fair, it's still pushing in, in some peoples eyes, whether legal or not. Here's a rear ender upload from me going into a little more detail ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TeJVKMKT7L4.htmlsi=xOeQofrA9XMj0LIp
And who's idea is it to put a parking space over there right after a blind curve? I swear these European countries purposely do thigs so they can push their propaganda and social engineering.
In Australia they don't allow Learners to filter. My motorcycle instructor never taught us how to filter. I've been doing it for years without proper training (never caused any problems, but having an instructor like this would have helped me so much!) Thanks for this video Sir
Nice video. Can I put forward a different point of view regarding positioning? I’ll start by saying that I ride most of the time in position 2, and I find it liberating and also safer than constantly switching across between positions 1 & 3. Here are my reasons: 1. On a single lane road like the one in the video, simple geometry suggests that positions 1 & 3 offer minimal increased vision around left- and right-hand bends. 2. Any increased vision is nullified by the dangers posed by oncoming traffic in position 3, and kerbside rubbish in position 1. I note that you were frequently forced to abandon position 3 because of oncoming traffic. Why not just stay in position 2 and reduce the risk? 3. Staying at position 2 gives a safety margin if the bend should unexpectedly tighten. In 1 or 3 there is no margin for error, you will either cross the white line or hit the kerb. Position 2 allows you to swing wider. 4. Not having to decide constantly whether to move from 1 to 3 leaves your mind free to assess the bend and oncoming hazards, to change gear and brake if necessary, and to watch following traffic in your mirrors. It is also much less tiring on longer journeys. 5. Switching from 1 to 3 can confuse following car drivers. I previously had drivers either trying to pass on the inside because they thought I had moved to 3 to turn right, or to overtake me at 1 because they thought I was stopping. Much better to occupy a steady position 2 and thereby make your intentions clear. Thanks again for your thought-provoking video
That's a very fair point and there's nothing wrong with that in modern traffic, and if you can't see, slow down. To be honest, with modern roads and speeds, it really comes down to "SSV" but if you want to stay in P2 and it's safe, don't bother doing the advanced test or you'll fail as they want to see your thought processes and see why you chose p1 or 3 etc if that makes sense? Thanks for your comment.
@@RoadcraftNottingham Thanks for your prompt response! Yes I realise that I might struggle now with the Advanced Test. Just for your interest, I passed the old “Star Rider” test at Gold (advanced) level in 1982, and subsequently became a Gold level instructor. Came back to biking in 2020 after a 30 year break.
@josephlarmor550 welcome back, yes, I passed gold in 84, not many of us left. I suppose if you absolutely had to choose an more extreme position, it would be with oncoming traffic, p1, especially heavies, to "present" yourself to any following cars that may want to overtake. But all depends on surface too.
Read......the......description. me... "are you ok Ian?"....Ian.. "this is a one way radio, but I'll answer anyway... yes, I think so, but petrol is pouring onto this hot running engi...AAAARRRGH!....". sheesh! and look up patronising. You do your job, whatever that is and I'll do mine. @jamessymes1
Got my A license 8 days ago. The way I see it - I now have a permit to go out and learn more on my own. If it's anything like the B license. It'll be about a year or two before I'm actually a fairly competent rider who is able to identify risks on the road quickly and stay clam and alert.
I have a 2008 Kawasaki Concours 1400 and have had it since new, now it has 122,000K on the clock. Despite the age and Kilometres on it, it always bangs going into 1st gear whether the engine is hot with thinner hot oil or cold with thicker cold oil.
I’m here (again) having just watched a dashcam clip thingy, one of which was of some poor fella, holding position 2, on a narrow, tree-lined country lane … must’ve hit a patch of oil. A couple of comments suggested it was ice but I’m not convinced. Still, can’t be too careful, eh! That said, I wouldn’t ride on ice these days. Ooh no. Not again. Not after that one time, back in the day, when I was young & didn’t know fear.🤨✌️
I found these the hardest when I did my CBT. My slow control wasn't good enough to be able to keep my head looking where I wanted to end up without worrying about getting the controls right.
Great video! As an IAM observer it’s refreshing to watch a safe, sensible, practical explanation of filtering. I have just one issue. . An electric bike, Really? . 😊
Dear Russ, being a trainee rider for a future IAM test, I have been learning extensively from your videos and this was again a perfect video to take many from. Thank you very much!
