Motorman Mean Streets Feb. 2010

Here are a couple of questions I get asked over and over again. Since these questions are asked so much, I believe it’s worthwhile to answer them in this forum. 

Motorman, I’ve heard you say in some of your articles and your video never use the front brake while making tight, low speed turns. My bike has linked brakes, when I step on the rear brake; it also applies the front brake. Does that mean I can’t use the rear brake technique at low speeds?

Answer: As I’ve stated over and over again in my videos as well as my new book, linked brakes are designed to apply front brake pressure via the rear brake in emergency braking situations. In other words, when using a great deal of pressure on the rear brake, the linked brake system affects the front brake. The idea behind linking the rear brake with the front brake is to assist the rider that would normally try to perform maximum braking using just the rear brake. If you use light pressure on the rear brake, i.e., drag the rear brake during low speed maneuvers, it has little to no affect on the bike’s slow speed handling abilities. 

If you’re not familiar with the proper use of the rear brake while making low speed turns, what we’re discussing here is using a little rear brake pressure while putting power to the rear wheel with the clutch and throttle. By putting a little pressure on the rear brake and keeping power to the rear wheel, you will see how it aides in slow speed maneuverability. Combine those two techniques with the proper use of your head and eyes, i.e., look only where you want the bike to go, and low speed maneuvers will become extremely easy.

The second most asked question; Motorman, I just got a 2010 Road King and I can’t completely flatfoot the bike when stopped; how far can I safely lower the bike?

Answer: To answer your question directly, it would be safe to lower the rear of your motorcycle 1 inch. I say this because Harley-Davidson has 1 inch lower shocks as standard equipment on their Street Glide Model. Since your Road King is identical – suspension wise, I would say it would be safe to use the 1” lower shocks in the rear. Keep in mind, however, lowering the suspension even 1” will affect your lean angle. In other words, when you lean the bike at high or low speeds, hard parts such as the floorboard mount and the kickstand mount on the left side will now touch the ground much sooner. In addition, since your Road King only has 3 inches of suspension in the rear as it is, the shorter shocks will now limit travel to 2 inches. That’s not so bad if you ride solo, but if you frequently ride two up and with luggage your ride will deteriorate greatly. If you insist on having your feet flat on the ground when the bike is stopped, you’d be much better off narrowing your seat. You can do this by removing the seat cover and trimming the sides with an electric knife or have an upholstery shop perform this simple task for you. You’ll actually get your feet much closer to the ground than the lower shocks will. It will have no affect on your suspension, travel or lean angle and it probably costs about one third as much as one single shock absorber, let alone a pair of shocks. If you did it yourself, it wouldn’t cost you anything. 

Remember folks, cruisers were designed by the manufacturer to sit as low as possible while still maintaining a decent ride and cornering ability right from the factory. Hundreds of engineers had to spend thousands of hours coming up with the best compromise between ascetics, ride comfort and handling abilities. Do you really want to screw with something that so many professionals have spent countless hours and dollars perfecting? 

Here’s something you may aware of; the amount of rear end collisions has gone way up in the past 2 years. Rear end collision is defined as cars striking other cars in the rear, or cars striking motorcycles in the rear. While studies haven’t concluded why this is so, common sense tells me the reason for these rear end collisions are distracted drivers. I’m sure you’ve seen people texting as they’re driving, constantly talking on their cell phone, or doing both of those activities at the same time. Well someone has come up with a great innovative product to get drivers attention. No, it’s not a high caliper weapon, it’s a device called Safe Ride. Safe Ride is an LED light strip that mounts on the rear of the motorcycle or any vehicle for that matter, usually in the area of the license plate bracket. What’s different about this product is it doesn’t rely on your brake pedal to activate its flashing lights, but rather on the vehicle’s deceleration. This comes in especially handy on a motorcycle where many times you’re slowing down, sometimes quite rapidly using engine braking. This device works with any reduction of speed, such as, when downshifting or sudden throttle reduction. Of course, it also works when you apply your brakes. The LED strobes are extremely bright and will definitely get a drivers attention. I highly recommend this product and I personally use it. It installs in about 20 minutes. It’s simple, small and very effective. For more information on Safe Ride, log onto www.powersportinnovations.com 

Copyright 2010 Jerry Motorman Palladino
-Ride Safe… Ride Like a Pro Team
www.ridelikeapro.com