Foot Position on Pegs

[Mr. Dazzle]

I don't think they get a free choice, I believe if you are 99RON for example you don't have to have ethanol. AFAIK Tesco Super achieves high RON with ethanol whereas Shell do it the old fashioned (more expensive?) way.

[Rockburner]

It's something that's advocated by the "tutors" on the speed awareness courses. Don't know where they get it from.

Blimey! What do they tell you if you have a seven speed auto? Just askin', like.

No idea, tbh it was a struggle to maintain my composure, the sheer ignorance of some of the other attendees was astounding.

[Rockburner]

Sorry, let me clarify the above. They weren't stupid, or particularly unintelligent, but poorly informed and very obviously completely uninterested in learning anything about safe driving at all.

[Mr. Dazzle]

It's something that's advocated by the "tutors" on the speed awareness courses. Don't know where they get it from.

Blimey! What do they tell you if you have a seven speed auto? Just askin', like.

I think the real question is: How do you drive at 70mph if you don't have a 7 speed?

[Horse]

Sorry, let me clarify the above. They weren't stupid, or particularly unintelligent, but poorly informed and very obviously completely uninterested in learning anything about safe driving at all.

Funnily enough, just been talking to someone who had to do a speed awareness course and thought it was great.

[Rockburner]

Sorry, let me clarify the above. They weren't stupid, or particularly unintelligent, but poorly informed and very obviously completely uninterested in learning anything about safe driving at all.

Funnily enough, just been talking to someone who had to do a speed awareness course and thought it was great.

The tuition side of it was ok (if basic), but the whole thing is dependant on the participants.

[Wossname]

20 in 2nd, 30 in 3rd, 40 in 4th etc

That’s not an IAM Roadsmart rule — no such IAM rule exists.

It might have been your Observer’s rule of thumb, but that’s the downside of amateur Observers as opposed to professional Instructors.

Those speed-to-gear ratios are meaningless. It depends on the circumstances, your bike, etc.

It's something that's advocated by the "tutors" on the speed awareness courses. Don't know where they get it from.

The context that that idea was used in on one of (!) my SACs was that if you find yourself going a bit quick, or creeping above e.g. a 30 limit, it may help to drop a gear. Engine revs rise, you become more aware of the speed you're doing, and simply closing the throttle will be more effective in keeping things where they should be. The 3rd in a 30 etc thing is nonsense, tho. MY bike (NB) is hard to keep in check in 3rd as it's on the edge of what the engine is happy with, so I'm generally in 2nd; in the car, which is usually what SACs refer to, it's quite happy at 30 in 3rd, and dropping to 2nd would be revvy and silly.

Some of this IAM doctrine is hard to shift. If you're "told" at an early stage to do or not do something, it tends to get imprinted and becomes hard to dispose of. 2 examples:
"Don't ride over manhole covers. It shows poor obs". (Swerve round them all instead).

"Showing a brake light shows poor anticipation". (Take a couple of gears every time you go down a hill).

I had a real problem getting rid of the second. But I'm all right now.

[Skub]

My 04 10R showed 104mph in first. I never accidentally did that tho...

[Yorick]

My 04 10R showed 104mph in first. I never accidentally did that tho...

My GSXRs did that. Even so, first gear was a bit too vicious on track and second gear pulled hard enough, even out of hairpins.

[Mr. Dazzle]

My 04 10R showed 104mph in first. I never accidentally did that tho...

Wasn't that the first bike where it was illegal to use full power on the road? By the time you hit peak power you're breaking the speed limit, even in first Or maybe I'm thinking of a certain R1.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

98 R1 would comfortably go past 70mph in 1st gear, but so would a 1988 RC30.

[Yorick]

98 R1 would comfortably go past 70mph in 1st gear, but so would a 1988 RC30.

I did a vid, and was roughly basically 100, 120, 140, 160, 180, 186

[Horse]

Some of this IAM doctrine is hard to shift. If you're "told" at an early stage to do or not do something, it tends to get imprinted and becomes hard to dispose of. 2 examples:
"Don't ride over manhole covers. It shows poor obs". (Swerve round them all instead).

I reckon more people will have fallen by panicking and clipping covers at an angle, or when closing the throttle/braking, than do by going over them.

Use the obs to determine whether they're level. If so, continue over them. Even in a corner, you'll be over and past in a fraction of a second.

[Wossname]

Just thinking about it again - the common feature of those 2 examples I gave up there ^^ is what they reckon "it shows". No mention of safety/stability/control.

[asmethurst99]

Sorry, let me clarify the above. They weren't stupid, or particularly unintelligent, but poorly informed and very obviously completely uninterested in learning anything about safe driving at all.

Funnily enough, just been talking to someone who had to do a speed awareness course and thought it was great.

The tuition side of it was ok (if basic), but the whole thing is dependant on the participants.

I’ve done 3(I know).
The first one was well taught but the other 2 were poor - other participants were a mixed bunch.
In London there’s always a cheeky black cabbie who pretends it’s all a game.
One had a Bus driver saying he couldn’t stop for traffic lights sometimes as he needed to stay on time.
Others felt they could argue their case as they weren’t really speeding even though they were there
Last one was online during the first lockdown and the person conducting seemed to think he was a kindergarten teacher …
It’s always better than points - I can have another one in January as it will be 2 years since the last one -

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Surely you just turn up, listen to what they've got to say, agree with it (regardless of whether you do or not) then leave at the end of the day happy that you've pretty much got away with being caught speeding?

[Rockburner]

Surely you just turn up, listen to what they've got to say, agree with it (regardless of whether you do or not) then leave at the end of the day happy that you've pretty much got away with being caught speeding?

They do ask for, and expect, some direct participation. That's when it all goes a bit kindergarten.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I've never done one - not been done for speeding since 2006* - but I know a few people who have of course. My colleague did one where the guy opened with a quesiton and said "if you all get this right, everyone can go". The question was "what's the speed limit on this NSL road?".

*come at me bro!

[mangocrazy]

I did one around 2010 and the main instructor was a bike cop and a decent bloke, so it was a (relatively) enjoyable and instructive day. I'd have preferred not to have been there, but seeing as I was I tried to get something out of the day and I did.

Can't remember what it was now, though...

I did ask about the questionable value of putting raised rumble type strips on the entrance to roundabouts when that could only impair braking efficiency and he wasn't able to justify it.

[Supermofo]

Some of this IAM doctrine is hard to shift. If you're "told" at an early stage to do or not do something, it tends to get imprinted and becomes hard to dispose of. 2 examples:
"Don't ride over manhole covers. It shows poor obs". (Swerve round them all instead).

I reckon more people will have fallen by panicking and clipping covers at an angle, or when closing the throttle/braking, than do by going over them.

Use the obs to determine whether they're level. If so, continue over them. Even in a corner, you'll be over and past in a fraction of a second.

Remember years ago my old boss came for a ride with me and he'd mainly ridden with IAM types. When we stopped at a set of lights he was raving like I'd nearly killed myself 'Cor that was risky you went over a manhole cover'. It was bolt upright on the empty slip road joining the North Circ in the dry Funnily enough I survived the 1000th of a second it took for the tyres to go over it After that I started deliberately swerving for em to wind him up

And that was before we went for a ride when I had my SMC and was scrapping the pegs, chamfering the soles of my skate trainers of doom