Tips that might help bikers stop doing little errors that can hurt man and machinery...
My tip for today: Test your brakes when you first set off on the day, rear first.
Why rear first? You should be able to control your rear wheel locking up at walking speed.
If your rear locks up unexpectedly you know your ABS is not operating correctly or you have your bike in an electronic mode you did not expect.
If you try your front brake first and that locks up, you might be in trouble.
You may be wondering why I posted this tip?
This morning when I tried my rear brake (on a gravel track), my rear locked up a bit.
Strange I thought, so I tried again but with more brake farce, and again I locked the rear.
Once I stopped the bike, looked at the dash and noticed the bike was in the “all electronic aids OFF (playtime)†mode. Not the mode I need to be on when I am rusty on the bike.
I often have a wee play in that mode, but I try and return the bike to “road (give me all the help you can)†mode after using “playtime†mode…but for some reason in January I did not do this.
ps:
Many people say “test your brakes ASAP after every rest stopâ€.
I won’t argue with that, but when just stopping for fuel or a bit to eat, often I don’t test the brakes as soon as I set off, especially when on a group run as that might cause a ripple effect with others thinking I am stopping, but I do test the brakes with a bit of caution as soon as practical without those behind thinking I am stopping.