Thanks very much. I've just returned to bikes after 27 years off, so this time round I'm equipping myself with some proper skills, next time out I'll have this echoing round my head! It's appreciated! Cheers
Great video and commentary. I never understand why proper training isn't valued by insurance companies more. Surely if someone invests their time in achieving IAM accreditation they deserve to benefit from a lower insurance premium than 'knee-down Nigel'. I think some companies offer a token 5% but nothing compared to the reduced risk this kind of riding deserves
Love the video and commentary. Great to see the theory in action. There is so much to do whilst riding if you do it correctly. I'd like to know more about engine braking and how you ride CVT vehicles that you can't change gear on. I have had to move to scooters (physical limitations after knee replacements) and find that I'm not so confident in corners because of the lack of gears. Love to see a video that address' this situation.
Blimey - that brought back a few memories - the Glynn Valley is a beautiful piece of road - I used to live in Liskeard and then St Neot and worked in Bodmin so travelled the 38 by bike a lot - don't you just love Colsloggett Bends :D
Superb ! I could watch and listen to the commentary for hours. The fore-site and knowledge that you show is great. This type of learning ought to be compulsory in the year before anyone attempts their CBT. Thanks, keep them coming.
When you slowed from 50mph to 40mph using engine braking alone, because of the car that slowly joined the road, isn’t that dangerous because you are slowing without showing brake lights, with a vehicle following behind? I remember a police training day video I watched, mentioning this. Great video, I learnt a lot. Thanks, Mike.
Great video Mark. I've just signed up with RoSPA here in Cornwall. Had my first observed ride last week. Ridden that route so many times and it was interesting to see how you ride and position yourself on that road. Surprised you didn't pop in for a coffee at the Chequered Flag!
Fantastic verbalizing what u r doing & y u r doing it . This video is a big reason y I watch everything u guys do . Plus u r funny . Thanks for another great RiderCam video.
Really good video. Allot of information provided that is crystal clear. Spot on. I am really happy to have found your channel and to see Cornwall in its biker glory on TH-cam. Anyone improving themselves and inspiring others to do the same is a good biker.
Hey Christian, thanks so much for the kind words, it means a lot to us both as we love to make the videos. We are lucky to live in Cornwall and ride the lovely coast roads :)
Good First class Mark. Just done two days BMW premier one to one training to sharpen my road skills and you are bang on with this video. The best example currently of how to, plan, position and ride bends. Safety, position and view was drummed into me for two days, at the end of that It became second nature. Excellent lesson of how to ride bends well, good stuff.
Very informative and educational video. I will practice the tips given at my next class. Also we have a road trip coming up so will apply the principles.
Loved this I am going to have to look at what gear I’m in As I typically get up those gears like a car Made me really think about how I get from a to b Cheers
Really good Mark and well presented especially whilst concentrating on the road. Maybe some overtakes would be good to demonstrate as its 18 yrs since I did IAM :)
Very good how you described each of the upcoming turns multiple times to help reinforce how to look at planning your turns. You only forgot to throw in a couple of wheelies as any motorcycle god would have done! 😄
Excellent video Mark, can I ask, do you need to lean your body away from the bike, off to one side when taking corners/roundabouts etc? Or is it fine to remain seated central (in-line with the bike) and just lean the bike? Thanks
Dave Day hiya! For the type of riding we are doing there is no need to slide all over the seat in my opinion, although other may differ. The bike will lean anyway because of the action of 'counter steer', its all just physics....
we've done videos on riding in the rain when looking at tyres etc, but that's something we could do when lockdown ends :) after all we get enough rain in Cornwall hahahahaha
Good Video thanks Mark. My nervousness comes on Right handers when I am over on the left. You make it look easy to be as far left as you are. Does that just come with practice? I worry that the slightest mistake I may make and I have nowhere to go, or do you rely on periphery vision of the Left Hand edge to remain on course? be interested to hear your (or Toby's) thoughts. Stay Safe.
I am the same I always worry about all he crap and drain covers on he left so I am overly cautious about going too far to the verge. The roads around my area have loads of gravel; muck and at this time of year leaves! on the far left. Surely your road positioning must take into account the state of the road surface (pot holes ect) when deciding which line to take?
Paul Hartwell hiya! The position adopted on the road is always dictated by the conditions etc. It's all about practice... Have you thought about joining an advanced rider group?
That's what observation is for, if there's oil and crap, stay off that position. However with modern cars these days, its very rare to see oil there in the dry. Having said that, you need to be a lot more careful of that position when there has been light rain as it tends to lift any oil up to the surface.
Is never touching your breaks actually a good thing? Don't get me wrong, I prefer to ease off the throttle and just engine break the majority of the times, however, I've watched so many IAM, Rospa, bike safe videos, aswell as bike fails/bad biker videos, it seems there is always conflicting information. That's very understandable because whilst we engine break to slow down we give vehicle the behind us no visual warning that we are slowing - Its literally down to their awareness of the situation, the fact they are getting closer to us, are they speeding up, are we slowing down, are they even paying attention? We can't answer any of those questions as the lead vehicle until the situation has already passed. So I question myself, sure engine breaking does us no harm and saves on brake wear, but is it actual the safest way of riding and something to be proud of? As others have said, this is a road you are familiar with, would you ride in the exact same manner if you had 0 familiarity of what is ahead. We should never compromise safety for a better view, yet at the same time people say a better view gives us more safety - sometimes that means breaking and going slower, its not about bad riding or nerves, its about letting other drivers know what actions you are carrying out. Don't forget speed limits are based on optimum weather conditions, optimum road surface conditions, optimum user awareness and "reported" accidents on that stretch of road.
Sorry for the late reply, I ride all over Europe and use this system of riding constantly. It doesn’t matter whether you have ridden the road before because advanced riding is about riding every ride as if you have never used that road before. Engine braking is safe and with good mirror checks will not cause other road users to panic. What you describe is what so many people do by waiting until the last minute before slowing down for example speed changes. If you plan your slowing down in plenty of time by having a good ride plan issues rarely arise. Read Roadcraft for advice and explanations. Ride safe.
Quite a lot of the time he was in position 1, close to where a cars nearside tyre would be on the road but he could have dominated his space or lane better if he had been to the middle of the carriageway in position 2, the sump line without placing himself at any greater risk and in any further danger. Probably by being in position 1 he could have encouraged some drivers to chance an overtake. If the road is well clear ahead or the limit point of vision is a good one there is little or no need to keep changing positions just to get a slightly better one. If we are talking Highway Code for overall stopping distance then at speeds in excess of 40 mph it can easily be seen that the safe stopping distance is actually greater than the 2 second rule and many police officers and emergency services adopt a 3 or even a 4 second rule., Its not just of keeping distance to the vehicle in front that is important, on a bend or curve it's the actual distance that one can see ahead. One could be keeping 2 seconds to the car in front but if it goes behind the hedge on a bend you might only be 1 second beindit when you round the bend. His speed at times was well slower than the speed limits for that road and being in position 1 as said he could encourage or enable some drivers to overtake him, hgv.s are well known to want to drive faster. That said if he had taken position 2 that would have been in a position that would have been directly in front of any driver behind and therefore he would be in the best position to be obviously seen and not closer to the nearside which ends up becoming more like a peripheral vision position for vehicles moving close to his rear. Some drivers have a limited time span and in seeing you from some distance away being to their nearside and they move closer it's more than likely that they do not look for you again and actually forget that you are there and plough into you. Being directly in front of them mean that you are always seen to be there.
You are all over the place with your advice. Rule one; never, never, never give up your buffer i.e. buffer away from on coming traffic. Rule two; be able to stop within the distance you can see. Job done.
Excellent video and commentary
Another excellent video, and most informative.
Thanks very much!!
Thanks very much. I've just returned to bikes after 27 years off, so this time round I'm equipping myself with some proper skills, next time out I'll have this echoing round my head! It's appreciated!
Cheers
Great video and commentary. I never understand why proper training isn't valued by insurance companies more. Surely if someone invests their time in achieving IAM accreditation they deserve to benefit from a lower insurance premium than 'knee-down Nigel'. I think some companies offer a token 5% but nothing compared to the reduced risk this kind of riding deserves
Love the video and commentary. Great to see the theory in action. There is so much to do whilst riding if you do it correctly. I'd like to know more about engine braking and how you ride CVT vehicles that you can't change gear on. I have had to move to scooters (physical limitations after knee replacements) and find that I'm not so confident in corners because of the lack of gears. Love to see a video that address' this situation.
Blimey - that brought back a few memories - the Glynn Valley is a beautiful piece of road - I used to live in Liskeard and then St Neot and worked in Bodmin so travelled the 38 by bike a lot - don't you just love Colsloggett Bends :D
they are great bends indeed.. lucky to be in a place with great roads :)
Superb ! I could watch and listen to the commentary for hours. The fore-site and knowledge that you show is great. This type of learning ought to be compulsory in the year before anyone
attempts their CBT. Thanks, keep them coming.
Has to be the best video on this subject on the net. Smooth ride with excellent commentary. Many thanks
thanks so much matey... glad it helped :)
When you slowed from 50mph to 40mph using engine braking alone, because of the car that slowly joined the road, isn’t that dangerous because you are slowing without showing brake lights, with a vehicle following behind? I remember a police training day video I watched, mentioning this. Great video, I learnt a lot.
Thanks, Mike.
This was a really nice one. Thank you for educating me in a very pedagogical way.
Great video Mark. I've just signed up with RoSPA here in Cornwall. Had my first observed ride last week. Ridden that route so many times and it was interesting to see how you ride and position yourself on that road. Surprised you didn't pop in for a coffee at the Chequered Flag!
Brilliant, thanks for that very practical and informative video 👍
Great stuff. Love how relaxed and natural your life savers are. Having said that I’d find a video on lifesavers and rear observation helpful.
Fantastic verbalizing what u r doing & y u r doing it . This video is a big reason y I watch everything u guys do . Plus u r funny . Thanks for another great RiderCam video.
Really good video. Allot of information provided that is crystal clear.
Spot on. I am really happy to have found your channel and to see Cornwall in its biker glory on TH-cam.
Anyone improving themselves and inspiring others to do the same is a good biker.
Hey Christian, thanks so much for the kind words, it means a lot to us both as we love to make the videos. We are lucky to live in Cornwall and ride the lovely coast roads :)
Good
First class Mark. Just done two days BMW premier one to one training to sharpen my road skills and you are bang on with this video. The best example currently of how to, plan, position and ride bends. Safety, position and view was drummed into me for two days, at the end of that It became second nature.
Excellent lesson of how to ride bends well, good stuff.
johnny woo glad you got something out of the video. Ride safe.
Great descriptions I really like the 1 2 3 position explanation
Very good video even for experienced rider
a really good video, thanks for taking the time to share. Cheers.
Great video. Very useful, thank you.
Cheers man - will use that great instructions
Excellent Mark, that was much appreciated. Always good to have a refresher video to watch which is very handy.
Very informative and educational video. I will practice the tips given at my next class. Also we have a road trip coming up so will apply the principles.
thanks so much for the kind words Patricia. :)
good tips for better ridding Mark
thanks Brent :) Ride Safe
Very good video - makes for a very smooth ride.
Good video Mark, the A38 changed a bit since I was at Poly in Plymouth in the early 80s😆.
Considering the content, I’m surprised that you haven’t got a bigger subscriber base.
thanks buddy...... going for quality over quantity :). only joking... thanks for the kind words....
Great vid and instructions, thanks for posting.
no probs buddy, thanks for the kind words
Excellent video Mark! 👍
Geoff Milne cheers.
Ride safe.
Nice tips great expectations and advice.
Much appreciated...👍🏻
thanks for the kind words Ravan.
Loved this
I am going to have to look at what gear I’m in
As I typically get up those gears like a car
Made me really think about how I get from a to b
Cheers
John Masson glad you enjoyed it. Ride safe.
Nice one mark that's a good ride perfect
Really good Mark and well presented especially whilst concentrating on the road. Maybe some overtakes would be good to demonstrate as its 18 yrs since I did IAM :)
we will look at that for a future video for sure :)
Thanks very informative.
Very good how you described each of the upcoming turns multiple times to help reinforce how to look at planning your turns. You only forgot to throw in a couple of wheelies as any motorcycle god would have done! 😄
hhehee, wheelies off camera . :)
I would have fallen off!!
Excellent video Mark, can I ask, do you need to lean your body away from the bike, off to one side when taking corners/roundabouts etc? Or is it fine to remain seated central (in-line with the bike) and just lean the bike? Thanks
Dave Day hiya! For the type of riding we are doing there is no need to slide all over the seat in my opinion, although other may differ. The bike will lean anyway because of the action of 'counter steer', its all just physics....
Mark Holroyd that’s exactly my thoughts too. Many thanks for your reply 👍🏼
Nice job.
Gave you done a vid on Riding in the rain wet weather
Sorry have not gave.
we've done videos on riding in the rain when looking at tyres etc, but that's something we could do when lockdown ends :) after all we get enough rain in Cornwall hahahahaha
Look forward to seeing that.
Super video.
Good Video thanks Mark. My nervousness comes on Right handers when I am over on the left. You make it look easy to be as far left as you are. Does that just come with practice? I worry that the slightest mistake I may make and I have nowhere to go, or do you rely on periphery vision of the Left Hand edge to remain on course? be interested to hear your (or Toby's) thoughts. Stay Safe.
Wayne Curtis its all about practise, sorry. Thanks for the nice comments.
I am the same I always worry about all he crap and drain covers on he left so I am overly cautious about going too far to the verge. The roads around my area have loads of gravel; muck and at this time of year leaves! on the far left. Surely your road positioning must take into account the state of the road surface (pot holes ect) when deciding which line to take?
Paul Hartwell hiya! The position adopted on the road is always dictated by the conditions etc. It's all about practice... Have you thought about joining an advanced rider group?
Great channel. Do you ride all year round.
hey buddy, thanks for the kind words. Yeah, we both ride all year round in most if not all weathers :)
nice!! thanks!!
Dual carriageway is a road with a dividing strip between opposite directions...can be single or multi lane
Do you not find position 2 to be too slippery due to oil and similar substance on the asphalt?
That's what observation is for, if there's oil and crap, stay off that position. However with modern cars these days, its very rare to see oil there in the dry. Having said that, you need to be a lot more careful of that position when there has been light rain as it tends to lift any oil up to the surface.
Becker Inal Kryten L says it all.
Hi , a dual carriageway doesn’t have to have 2 lanes. Just means it has a central divider between opposing traffic.
Johnathan Wright thanks for correcting me.
RiderCamTV love the videos, keep them coming. 👍
👍👍
Good points
Gopher Choker thanks.
Is never touching your breaks actually a good thing?
Don't get me wrong, I prefer to ease off the throttle and just engine break the majority of the times, however, I've watched so many IAM, Rospa, bike safe videos, aswell as bike fails/bad biker videos, it seems there is always conflicting information. That's very understandable because whilst we engine break to slow down we give vehicle the behind us no visual warning that we are slowing - Its literally down to their awareness of the situation, the fact they are getting closer to us, are they speeding up, are we slowing down, are they even paying attention? We can't answer any of those questions as the lead vehicle until the situation has already passed.
So I question myself, sure engine breaking does us no harm and saves on brake wear, but is it actual the safest way of riding and something to be proud of?
As others have said, this is a road you are familiar with, would you ride in the exact same manner if you had 0 familiarity of what is ahead.
We should never compromise safety for a better view, yet at the same time people say a better view gives us more safety - sometimes that means breaking and going slower, its not about bad riding or nerves, its about letting other drivers know what actions you are carrying out. Don't forget speed limits are based on optimum weather conditions, optimum road surface conditions, optimum user awareness and "reported" accidents on that stretch of road.
Sorry for the late reply, I ride all over Europe and use this system of riding constantly. It doesn’t matter whether you have ridden the road before because advanced riding is about riding every ride as if you have never used that road before. Engine braking is safe and with good mirror checks will not cause other road users to panic. What you describe is what so many people do by waiting until the last minute before slowing down for example speed changes. If you plan your slowing down in plenty of time by having a good ride plan issues rarely arise. Read Roadcraft for advice and explanations. Ride safe.
Quite a lot of the time he was in position 1, close to where a cars nearside tyre would be on the road but he could have dominated his space or lane better if he had been to the middle of the carriageway in position 2, the sump line without placing himself at any greater risk and in any further danger. Probably by being in position 1 he could have encouraged some drivers to chance an overtake. If the road is well clear ahead or the limit point of vision is a good one there is little or no need to keep changing positions just to get a slightly better one. If we are talking Highway Code for overall stopping distance then at speeds in excess of 40 mph it can easily be seen that the safe stopping distance is actually greater than the 2 second rule and many police officers and emergency services adopt a 3 or even a 4 second rule., Its not just of keeping distance to the vehicle in front that is important, on a bend or curve it's the actual distance that one can see ahead. One could be keeping 2 seconds to the car in front but if it goes behind the hedge on a bend you might only be 1 second beindit when you round the bend.
His speed at times was well slower than the speed limits for that road and being in position 1 as said he could encourage or enable some drivers to overtake him, hgv.s are well known to want to drive faster. That said if he had taken position 2 that would have been in a position that would have been directly in front of any driver behind and therefore he would be in the best position to be obviously seen and not closer to the nearside which ends up becoming more like a peripheral vision position for vehicles moving close to his rear. Some drivers have a limited time span and in seeing you from some distance away being to their nearside and they move closer it's more than likely that they do not look for you again and actually forget that you are there and plough into you. Being directly in front of them mean that you are always seen to be there.
You are all over the place with your advice. Rule one; never, never, never give up your buffer i.e. buffer away from on coming traffic. Rule two; be able to stop within the distance you can see. Job done.
The reason for the 10 mile danger zone is most bikers ride to Starbucks and go back home within 10 miles. The rest is a BS.