Blogs

Balance – Or “The Newbie Shuffle”

Saturday, 4 February, 2012 by Alan Hearnshaw

Reading time: 3 minutes.

I’m sure you’ve all seen it. A hesitant rider waddles their way round a parking lot, or shuffles their way through a slow manoeuvre – all the time pecking at the ground with their toes, or doing a fair impression of a penguin walk.

This is the Newbie Shuffle™ (in certain circles also known as “the Harley Shuffle”, but I won’t go there).

It stems from the rider’s lack of faith in their ability to balance the machine.

But here’s the thing: it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Following Distance

Saturday, 4 February, 2012 by Alan Hearnshaw

Reading time: 3 minutes.

I considered carefully what should be the first entry in this blog. I didn’t want to make things too difficult to start with, so I’m going to start with one of the most fundamental safety tips – following distance.

What dictates the distance you can see to be clear?

Well, the obvious one is the vehicles in front of you, but there are many other things that can affect how much of the road ahead you can see. Here are some of them:

• Curves in the road.
• Hills.
• Weather.
• Your own eyesight.
• Foliage (bushes, trees, etc…)

So, how much distance do I need to leave?

Other Road Users’ Attitude to Scooters

Friday, 3 February, 2012 by Alan Hearnshaw

Reading time: 2 minutes.

I was just on my way home, and experienced the all too regular attitude of some car drivers. This prompted me to put virtual pen to paper about the attitude of other road users to us scooter riders.

Sadly, there are two common attitudes to scooters on the road in the US. The first seems to be that you don’t really have any business being on the road with such a vehicle, and “real” drivers will tolerate you as a mild form of amusement – provided you don’t hold them up in any way.