Here's a scary statistic for you. More than 47% of motorcycle fatalities involve a rider under the influence of alcohol. In this day and age, it's hard to believe anyone could be stupid enough to get on a motorcycle after drinking a few beers, but the reality is, it happens everyday. While its bad enough to get behind the wheel of a car under the influence, getting on a motorcycle under the influence is sheer stupidity. Let's face it, riding a motorcycle involves a great deal more coordination and skill than driving a car. On a bike you have to balance, steer, counter steer, clutch, shift and use 2 separate brakes. The first thing alcohol does to you is affect your motor skills, in other words, your coordination. That's why field sobriety tests examine and test your ability to do two or more things at once.
I've heard people say many times, "I just had a couple of beers, I'm fine." The fact is, depending on your weight and how much food you have in your system, even 1 beer can have an effect on you. Alcohol is a sneaky drug. You may feel fine, be able to walk straight and not slur your words, yet, if you had to make a quick evasive maneuver on your bike such as a simple brake then swerve, you'd be in trouble with a capital T.
Remember, alcohol affects your ability to do more than one thing at a time and even a simple brake and swerve requires you to perform several tasks. First, you'll have to decide which to do first, brake or swerve. Once that decision is made you'll have to push on one of the bars to make the bike swerve. Will you remember which one you'll have to push on in a panic situation with a couple of beers in your system? Then, you may have to brake and even one beer can slow your reflexes. Now with your reflexes slowed, will you be able to brake in time? Will you remember to put more force on your front brake than the rear? Will you be able to keep that rear brake from locking? Most riders have a problem with the rear brake dead sober. Oh, and don't forget, you have to pull in the clutch and down shift as well during the brake and swerve.
The fact is, in an emergency brake and swerve maneuver, the average rider will be lucky not to crash. The even slightly impaired rider, the one who "just had a couple of beers" has NO chance. Think about it. Is it worth taking that chance?
So you’re the co-rider this trip. What could you do to make the ride more pleasurable for both you and the rider?
The Look
No, The Look is not a style of clothing. It’s even easier (and cheaper) than that. The Look is looking at the right place as the bike makes a turn. Why not take advantage of the same technique a trained rider uses to keep oriented in a turn? The place to look is over the rider’s shoulder in the direction of the turn. As you look over the rider’s right shoulder in a right turn, look all the way through the turn and keep your eyes level with the horizon. This means tilting your head away from the direction of the turn. If you’re turning right, lean your body right but keep your head vertical. Using The Look keeps you leaning with the rider and keeps you oriented properly so you can enjoy the turns even more.
A Sense of Direction
Wouldn’t you like your rider to pay more attention to the road and less to the map? If you think it’s hard to read a map while driving, it’s even harder to read a map while riding a motorcycle. The rider is usually glad to have someone else navigate. As a co-rider you can concentrate on the navigation, allowing the rider to concentrate on riding.
Preparation
A very short checklist can make any ride a lot more pleasant. Do you have rain gear, sunscreen, a map and sunglasses? These items are often not in plain sight but will be sorely missed if they are needed and not there. Of course, there is much more that can be put on your checklist for the trip. You do have a checklist, don’t you?
Not all preparation can be done just before the trip. Was the trip planned so the rider had a chance to get adequate sleep before starting? Working all day and riding all night is probably not the best plan for rider or co-rider.
Results
Investing a little time on preparation beforehand and a little effort on The Look and navigation during the ride can make it more pleasant for both the rider and the co-rider.
by Robert Vaughan
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