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APRIL  2008

    THE SAN DIEGO WANDERERS  NEWSLETTER

        Editor  John Del Santo                                      www.sdwanderers.org                                                                                                                                                                                                          
 

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MOTORCYCLING  MYTHS  (BORROWED FROM The American Motorcyclist Magazine)

NEVER TOUCH THE FRONT BRAKE (On pavement)  you might get thrown over the handlebars. FALSE  Because you are moving forward, most of your braking power comes from the front wheel.

NEVER TOUCH THE FRONT BRAKE (In  Dirt)     FALSE  In dirt, the front brake is even more effective than the rear which can break loose and slide easily,  particularly in corners.

THE SAFEST PLACE ON THE ROAD IS IN THE LEFT WHEEL TRACK.   Well sometimes this is true…and it’s not a bad default position,  all else being equal.  But smart riders think in terms of maximizing the cushion of space between them and potential dangers on the road.

“I HAD TO LAY IT DOWN”     FALSE     Often uttered by riders who are justifying a crash,  this statement is frequently passed off as an inability to assess a bad traffic situation and deal with it appropriately by bailing off the bike.  The truts is that the vast majority of such crashes (and some would say all  of them) could have been avoided by swerving, hard braking, or scanning far enough ahead to avoid the problem in the first place.

I came across this statement from Malcolm Forbes, billionaire, founder of The Capitalist Tools MC”.    Forbes made his thoughts on motorcycles and politics quite clear.

"I think legislative assaults on motorcyclists are totally emotional, disproportionate and totally unfair... They are instigated and implemented by people who know nothing about motorcycling, but have a prejudice. It's easy to curb the freedoms of others when you see no immediate impact on your own."

A  GOOD  READ

OFF  THE  BEATEN  PATH”   IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

                                       A GUIDE TO UNIQUE PLACES

This is the essential guide to extraordinary travel.  Tired of the same old tourist traps ?  Take the road less traveled and discover the hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales other guide books just don’t offer.  “Off the beaten path”  shows you the Golden State you never knew existed.   Go ghost hunting or try a Gondola ride in Coronado.   From the Central Coast to the Inland Valleys and Southern Sierra Nevada and from the Inland Empire to El Centro.                                            The Mountain Empire

ISBN 0-7627-3471-X  BY Kathy Strong   $13.95 ***THREE STARS  AVAILABLE AT BORDER BOOKS,  OR THROUGH YOUR WANDERERS LIBRARY.  

------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------CLUB   ANNUAL DUES  ARE  DUE…..(that’s why they call them “dues”)

                      PLEASE SEE YOUR MEMBER                                                    .                                     REPRESENTATIVE.

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THE SAN DIEGO WANDERERS ANNUAL ELECTION FOR THE BOARD OF OFFICERS IS APPROACHING.  “Ride to Eat…Eat to Ride” is cute,  but it doesn’t make things happen  ….. HELP OUT!….. RUN FOR AN OFFICE !…….VOTE !…

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“GIVE  ‘EM  A  BRAKE “

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PLACES  WE  RIDE____   CHASING THE COLORS JOIN AMA TOURS AS WE GIVE CHASE to the spectacular north-to-south parade of the changing autumn colors through the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains.  Relax, ride and let AMA TOURS handle all the arrangements and details of your trip.  DATES: OCTOBER 11-20, 2008  Contact AMA TOURS at:  (800) AMA JOIN,  ext 1190.

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                                              THE WANDERER’S CHOICE

THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN THE SAN DIEGO AREA

The Miramar Café,   Miramar road,     good breakfast

Montana’s   (Janet’s ?)  in Alpine   (GREAT breakfast,  plus)

Hodad’s Hamburgers   Newport Av, OB. Voted best hamburgers in San Diego.

Golden Moon,  Asian buffet,  Garnet Av & Lamont St  PB

Onami,  seafood buffet,   Mission Valley

Bully’s,  Mission Valley,  La Jolla,  on the Coast (try the Prime Ribs !)

P.F. Chang’s  La Jolla

Connie’s Oakvale Bar & Grill,  Oakvale Rd.  overlooking Lake Wohlford

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. 

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MOTORCYCLE  SAFETY  DAY !             SATURDAY MAY 17TH

9AM – 4PM  AT CASINO PAUMA  PRIZES  DRILL TEAM DEMOS

$ 5 REGISTRATION INCLUDES LUNCH  INSTRUCTORS & COACHES             VENDORS

    RIDING SKILL GAMES and access to a Great Casino

WATCH THE WANDERER’S “UPCOMING  RIDES” FOR MORE INFO  sdwanderers.org / rides / upcoming rides

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A  COOL  VIDEO

http://youtube.com/watch?v=x4mU8ZqMZPU

“ THAT  OLD  TIME  ROCK  AND  ROLL “

by  John Del Santo

The temperature is warming, and rocks are falling onto the roads from the mountain face above.  Depending on the State where you are riding, you may see signs that read “Falling  Rock”,  or signs that read “Fallen Rock.”   I would guess that if we ride along looking up…watching for Falling  rock,  we might miss seeing any number of things in the roadway, such as curves, deer and Fallen rock.   And of course,  there will be plenty of places where there are no warning signs.

So….. As we ride along, we will want to keep our attention open for rocks lying in the roadway.   We keep in mind the biker rule ‘Where you LOOK is where you will GO ‘   So saying  “Hey….Wow…..Look at that Big Rock in the Road” …. would NOT be a good observation to make).    Curvy mountain roads seem to have just been made  for motorcycles !  Ya gotta love ‘em ! ….The Angeles Crest Highway,   Rim of the World,   Route 89-A through Sedona,   The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap,  Wow !     What a Rush !                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

We can program our speed coming into the curves to account for Braking Visibility.  If I come into a right-curve at 40 MPH, I will be traveling at about 60 Feet Per Second… If I spot something in the road,  It will take me about 100 feet to come to a full STOP….. If I cannot see 100 feet around that curve,   Then I will not have enough room to come to a stop.  Fortunately for us,  we can usually swerve around  something quicker than we could stop  for it.   Let’s practice that in a parking lot or at an Experienced Riders Course before we need it up in the canyons.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

And, just around that next bend in the road, we should anticipate oncoming cars moving into our  lane as they swerve around fallen rocks in their  lane.  The drivers we share the road with tend to overreact to hazards.

The same weather conditions that create falling rocks also causes sand and gravel to spill out onto the roadway.  A proper approach to a curve would include making a wide entry so that we have an early view of what is around the curve….and we’re watching for the fuzzy look of gravel in the corner.  At this point we could say ‘good-bye traction’ and ‘hello ditch’ unless we can make proper speed and direction adjustments before we reach the sand or gravel. ..Slow…Look…Press…Roll…….Whew !     

Expect the Unexpected !      Constant Surface Appraisal                                       will get us where we want  to go.       Rock On !

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