And today's commuting highlight is...

[Cbull]

Admittedly I've gone through 3 blatant reds over the last few weeks on the bike. Not because I couldn't be bothered stopping, mostly because I'm scared of skidding and coming off in them particular circumstances. One of them I almost stopped a good 5-6 metres past the light and thought fk it may as well flipping go now and just put my hands up for a sorry. Poor judgement in all honesty, especially as I'm first to moan about red light jumpers.

[black-k1]

Cbull said:

Admittedly I've gone through 3 blatant reds over the last few weeks on the bike. Not because I couldn't be bothered stopping, mostly because I'm scared of skidding and coming off in them particular circumstances. One of them I almost stopped a good 5-6 metres past the light and thought fk it may as well flipping go now and just put my hands up for a sorry. Poor judgement in all honesty, especially as I'm first to moan about red light jumpers.

Either get a bike with ABS or do some advanced training where you will learn just how far you can really push your brakes, and just how to handle a front wheel lock up.

Are you using your rear brake? Rear wheel skids are easy to manage should they happen and if your not braking really hard on the front (to the point of rear wheel lift off) there's lots of braking available from the rear wheel.

Not stopping in time is going to end up very painful and costly very soon.

[xeny]

black-k1 said:

Either get a bike with ABS or do some advanced training where you will learn just how far you can really push your brakes,.

I'd say just get a bike with ABS - discovering how hard you can push your brakes is a "long is a piece of string" thing as it depends entirely too much on current circumstance.

The lack of ABS is the one thing I dislike about commuting on my otherwise very practical Fazer 600.

[sjtscott]

black-k1 said:

Cbull said:

Admittedly I've gone through 3 blatant reds over the last few weeks on the bike. Not because I couldn't be bothered stopping, mostly because I'm scared of skidding and coming off in them particular circumstances. One of them I almost stopped a good 5-6 metres past the light and thought fk it may as well flipping go now and just put my hands up for a sorry. Poor judgement in all honesty, especially as I'm first to moan about red light jumpers.

Either get a bike with ABS or do some advanced training where you will learn just how far you can really push your brakes, and just how to handle a front wheel lock up.

Are you using your rear brake? Rear wheel skids are easy to manage should they happen and if your not braking really hard on the front (to the point of rear wheel lift off) there's lots of braking available from the rear wheel.

Not stopping in time is going to end up very painful and costly very soon.

I'm sure ABS is there for those real emergencies but in all honestly agreed the OP needs to learn just how hard he can actually apply the brakes in the cold/damp/wet. Quite a lot of this just comes from experience over the years and is learnt as you go. If your bike has ABS you should never be triggering it day to day - if so you need to learn to brake properly. Front wheel lockups are never ever nice but instinctively knowing what you need to do i.e. release the lever is vital - I haven't owned any bikes with ABS so far but ridden plenty with it but never once triggered it. Riding on snow with no ABS is interesting, that probably triggered more front wheel lock ups on those couple of occasions that I've been really caught out - you literally have to tell yourself not use the front brake lol Somehow amazingly didn't bin it despite coming very close, 250kg Blackbird on packed down snow really isn't nice.
I can think of one situation since I've been riding in London that ended up with the bike on the floor where having ABS might have prevented that - full on emergency stop for a mini cab turning across my path in Dec 2007.. so damp/wet/cold/greasy roads, I'd got my CBR600 95% stopped and literally the front locked just before stopping effectively with the bike going over on its side at less than walking pace with me still straddling it so I just stood up, still not sure to this day how I was able to do this - so the bike just tapped the minicabs door with its front wheel.

[anonymous-user]

Agree with everyone else. Learn how to maximise your braking. Go find an industrial estate to practice.

I spent ages doing this with my first fjr1300. A bike that heavy without Abs was scary in the wrong circumstances (ie 2 up, fully loaded luggage, and slimy roads)

[nonsequitur]

black-k1 said:

Cbull said:

Admittedly I've gone through 3 blatant reds over the last few weeks on the bike. Not because I couldn't be bothered stopping, mostly because I'm scared of skidding and coming off in them particular circumstances. One of them I almost stopped a good 5-6 metres past the light and thought fk it may as well flipping go now and just put my hands up for a sorry. Poor judgement in all honesty, especially as I'm first to moan about red light jumpers.

Either get a bike with ABS or do some advanced training where you will learn just how far you can really push your brakes, and just how to handle a front wheel lock up.

Are you using your rear brake? Rear wheel skids are easy to manage should they happen and if your not braking really hard on the front (to the point of rear wheel lift off) there's lots of braking available from the rear wheel.

Not stopping in time is going to end up very painful and costly very soon.

I was taught to approach a green light with caution. ' Don't try and beat the lights' I believe was the phrase used. (no, that doesn't mean slow right down in expectation.)

[pessimal]

fing cold weather and slightly duff battery

hows best to charge a new battery, stick it in the bike, plug the optimate in and leave overnight?

[Cbull]

pessimal said:

fing cold weather and slightly duff battery

hows best to charge a new battery, stick it in the bike, plug the optimate in and leave overnight?

I believe they advise you to take the battery out and charge in a safe place. Personally I've charged mine whilst still in the bike, but not for too long and while I've been around it.

With regards to braking. 2 of the instances were on a corner and I just visualised the worst happening if I 'slammed on' so to speak. The more blatant and worse one were I nearly stopped, I was still accelerating just over 60mph, the car in front slammed on as did I but it just felt like there was no more allowance for harder braking. All instances have been cold, wet, little icy mornings but I've never done it before.

ABS would undoubtedly of helped but a as mentioned, a little anticipation of the light changing would probably have gone a long way too.

I ain't practising on pushing the limits. Fk that

[Dakkon]

It was a tad nippy this morning, but should warm up a little from today

[wjb]

Been on the train/driving as Yorkshire has been below 0° all week.

Doesn't look set to improve either

[CaptainSlow]

When do the Northerners start back contributing? Julyish?

[Tall_Paul]

Horrible commute home tonight, horizontal rain, getting blown everywhere and not in the valentines day way!

Still, looks like my 35 mile round trip/40 minutes each way commute will soon be going down to 5 miles a day That's if I take the VFR, I'll be on an MTB or walking it most days, think I might even turn into a fair weather biker and get myself a car for the winter days when it's too cold/wet to ride or walk

[kiethton]

I'll second that, weather this evening was horrendous!

Also when putting on my waterproof trousers to leave I've seen why they're leaking:

[wjb]

CaptainSlow said:

When do the Northerners start back contributing? Julyish?

July 21st - 25th

To be fair, I've been commuting all winter, unless it's silly weather.

[wjb]

Nice ride in today, no dramas

[pessimal]

ahhh, new battery and an easily started bike

it was even up to 2 degrees on the way in this morning, nice and warm

[Biker 1]

kiethton said:

I'll second that, weather this evening was horrendous!

Also when putting on my waterproof trousers to leave I've seen why they're leaking:

Was that pie-induced?

[kiethton]

Biker 1 said:

kiethton said:

I'll second that, weather this evening was horrendous!

Also when putting on my waterproof trousers to leave I've seen why they're leaking:

Was that pie-induced?

Unfortunately I think so

[Cbull]

wjb said:

Nice ride in today, no dramas

Certainly was

It was a wee bit windy last night thats for sure. Just as I joined the M56 there had a 3 car pile up, motorway blocked off by police. Wouldn't like to be in that traffic, on the flip side I had an open motorway which woke me up a little

[Dakkon]

Agreed on last nights ride home, serious rain for about 3/4 of the journey, working from home today, so just a short trip down the stairs