1. So the MotoGP season completed recently
and Stoner romped to the title with 10 wins
in a season – please take note Nicky Hayden,
and Rossi has complained to Yamaka that
they need to be more adventurous in their
engineering decisions. As a result, there is not
much more to say about that apart from roll on
2008 season.
Just the other day I was driving (yes, I do
have to use a car) a colleague of mine to the
airport at Sepang. I was just feeding onto the
highway when I almost got the nose of my car
clipped by some dude on a fully kitted Honda
Pan European. I watched him navigate the bike
to the outside lane and speed away,probably at
170kph ;-). What struck me though,was this: his
riding was terrible. Mate, I don’t know who you
are, but get some lessons in road-craft before
you become a statistic and end up looking like
one of those monkeys that was too interested
in the discarded mango in the fast lane to see
the express bus coming.
His errors were many and one compounded
the other. First, he passed up the inside of me
on the slip road so was blind to, and could not
be seen by any upcoming vehicles. Secondly,
he had no speed control or judgment, the
subsequent weaving and braking was such that
should there be any foreign debris in the road,
he would be off. As a car driver and observer, I
thought he was a danger to himself and other
road users.
As motorcyclists, we have to be careful.
Careful of our own lives and our families and
careful of the impression we give to other road
users. I am not suggesting we all pack up and
buy BMW’s but seriously; we need to be aware
of ourselves and of those around us far more
than your average cage driver.
Let’s face it, we are mostly show-offs at
heart. If you have ponied up the cash for a
GSXR-1000 K6, a swanky Arai Race rep lid,
Alpinestars and a set of RS Taichi’s then you
haven’t done it to not be noticed. Riding a K6
at 110kph is also pretty tricky if you want to see
the top half of the gearbox or the rev-counter,
and believe me – you do, you doooo.
I have been riding bikes in Malaysia for more
than 10 years, and with one notable exception
in a deserted car-park (showing off), I have
not come off. Riding in Malaysia is fantastic
and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. We
have great weather, albeit a bit hot sometimes,
extremely tolerant authorities – believe when
I tell you they are, and some superb roads and
spectacular vistas.
I know bikes are expensive here, but
operating them and servicing them is not. If you
want this kind of performance and exclusivity it
comes with a price-tag.
High performance motorcycles and the
riders are extremely high profile. When a group
of 3 or 4 are together burning up the highway,
they make an impression. What we need to
ensure is, that it is a good one.
Be a better road user than the others. A
good fast rider makes things look easy, there
are no sudden changes in velocity or trajectory,
motorists should have seen and heard you
coming – yes I do advocate louder pipes.
Be considerate to others - If you are going
to speed, do it safely. Don’t buzz cars from
1foot away going 100kph faster than them – in
the event of a collision; it is you that is going to
come off worst. Don’t speed through residential
areas. If you have children, you know what I
mean. You do NOT want to be apologizing to
some poor injured child’s parents. If you want
to improve your riding – get some track time
with one of the many many helpful people on
the msportbike forums.
Be observant. Try to second guess that car
pulling out the side turning, give that taxi room
to randomly change lanes without so much as a
cursory glance in his mirrors. Remember, in an
accident situation, it’s not about who is right, it’s
all about who is left.
Be a good citizen. Take time out to learn
first-aid. One day, it may be you who needs
it. We need to be aware that when outstation
in Malaysia, accidents can and do happen, and
often, medical help may be several hours away.
Be Safe Be Seen. Make sure all your lights
are in working order and correctly adjusted.
Helmets, boots, gloves – a helmet is no use
whatsoever if its not strapped. Hand and
Foot/Ankle repairs are painful and expensive.
Obviously full safety gear is better, but we all
know how hot it is and the risks we take.
Be smart and react fast. Remember, it’s not
speed that kills, it’s stopping suddenly that does
it.
Finally, we are a community. Motorcyclists
face legion problems every day of their biking
lives, either from government legislation, other
road users, poor road quality, mechanical failure,
discrimination and the fact that a motorcycle is
by definition unstable when not moving. We
need to support and help each other every day.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a scooter,a hypersports,an
off roader or a Harley – we are all bikers together.
It’s us against the rest of‘em.
“Riding in Malaysia is
fantastic and don’t let
anyone tell you otherwise”
And so the 2007 season completes
www.msportbike.com
82 Motorsports Columnist
