On the Edge

Norm

Norm

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My friend Frank just traded in his BMW G650GS for a K1300 (ST at the end of that I believe). So of course we had to have a ride together. Afterwards we parted to return home and I pretended I was a track star as I leaned hard on the super sharp right hand turn entrance ramp to I 495. My knee was within inches from the ground. My usually firm and planted ride insidiously changed to an uncertain vague feeling like I was riding on a solid sheet of tar snakes. I immediately brought myself back up as I was hugging the inside corner and had plenty of road. Once I got up I knew what I had done...run out of tire. Sure enough:

No chicken strips

utf-8BSU1HMDAwMDYtMjAwOTA2MDItMTExM.jpg


For comparison:

A quarter inch of virgin rubber on the left:

utf-8BSU1HMDAwMDctMjAwOTA2MDItMTExM.jpg


A friend of mine observed that there is usually more unused tread on the right and I believe this as turning hard left has always been preferable for me...which is why I work hard to even that out. When I played tennis in high school it was considered good ethic to pound your weak spots till they no longer felt weak. Same with everything I guess.

Anyway, don't try this at home boys and girls. Go to a track. I may get there eventually. Until then I'll be researching my next set of aggressive tires.
 
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BroHay said:
a tad bit different from your scooter -- does \"mikey like it??\"
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Oh yea, Mikey loves it! You're right about the difference. I loved the scoots but once you've experienced the ride of a sport bike there's no going back. When I first got the FZ6 my first thought was "Wow, all I have to do is think about turning and Presto!" Among many other differences the rake and the shorter wheeler base are probably the biggest factors. Suspension was better but the FZ1 brings that to whole new level.
 
Well, congrats Norm! You've achieved sportbike nirvana! Well done! :tup:

Are you right-handed?

I am left-handed and I have a difficult time with right-hand turns. I believe the chicken strip theory follows your dominant side, meaning more difficult to lean to the weaker side because the mind refuses to go there.
 
I'm ambidextrous (but to clarify, principally a lefty) -- but I think there is a conspiracy here in the land of Mayana -- all turns that are fun to make -- are all right handers.....that are on my regular commute...
 
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I too have a harder time with right turns than I do with left turns. I thought it was only me, but now I see that I am not alone :LOL: And Eric I am right handed so how do you explain my situation?
 
FZ1inNH said:
Well, congrats Norm! You've achieved sportbike nirvana! Well done! :tup:

Are you right-handed?

I am left-handed and I have a difficult time with right-hand turns. I believe the chicken strip theory follows your dominant side, meaning more difficult to lean to the weaker side because the mind refuses to go there.
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I'm right handed. I've been part of several threads on this topic. I've seen many theories put forth but I believe for the most part it follows handedness. Right handers feel better going left and left handers usually feel better going right. Just an observation mind you. I don't know why it is opposite the handedness but this is the way I usually find it. Maybe we could start a thread on "which way do you prefer to lean and what hand dominant are you?"
 
It might be based on total body dominance... Some right-handers are left FOOT dominant. I am actually more like Adam. ambidextrous but left prevails. I play all sports right handed, but I shoot rifles, pistols and bows left. I can eat with either hand and cut with a knife in either hand. But I'll be damned if I can get the bike over on the right as far as I can on the left without feeling the same amount of control. I guess I need to take Norm's advice and pound the weak spots... I think someone taking a video of me while following would help me a lot.

NJFZ1 said:
And Eric I am right handed so how do you explain my situation?
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You've got me there... are you TOTALLY right, right foot too? Are you more analytical or more creative?
 
it might just be me.... but I see more rubber left on the right side... you haven't run out of rubber yet... I think the odd feeling you may have felt was from being on virgin rubber that still had mold release on it... but... looking at the first picture... you still have tire left...

it's hard to run off the edge of the tire... I've done it a few times... the result is wearing the tire so that there isn't a definite line between the edge of the tire and the sidewall...
 
FZ1inNH said:
...You've got me there... are you TOTALLY right, right foot too? Are you more analytical or more creative?
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Yes right side is the dominant one for both the arms and the feet. Oh come on now I work in IT so that's an easy one. Definitely more analytical, but I do have to come up with creative solutions sometimes :D
 
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NJFZ1 said:
Yes right side is the dominant one for both the arms and the feet. Oh come on now I work in IT so that's an easy one. Definitely more analytical, but I do have to come up with creative solutions sometimes :D
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:eek: Now, I work in IT but I am far more creative than analytical. I actually studied Architectural design and graphic arts. I only got into computers out of sheer curiosity, then someone PAID me to fix their PC one day and the rest is history! :tup:
 
Not to change the subject but im going to get into IT after a few years of pounding my body as a mechanic how do you guys like the field
 
Etroze said:
Not to change the subject but im going to get into IT after a few years of pounding my body as a mechanic how do you guys like the field
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It's a good field, but now a days I feel that you really need to specialize in something in order to be really successful in IT. There is so much new technology and things change so quickly that being a jack of all trades is not a good idea. When I started over 10 years ago it was a different story...
 
Thanks i was told that to and i figured going from one career field to another where technologies are changing all the time wouldn't be a bad thing
 
BroHay said:
I'm ambidextrous (but to clarify, principally a lefty) -- but I think there is a conspiracy here in the land of Mayana -- all turns that are fun to make -- are all right handers.....that are on my regular commute...
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Wow! I thought that I was alone in that as well. I am also ambidextrous and a left hander. I can write with both hands but primarily with the left. The only other thing I do with the left is brush my teeth. Everything else is done with the right hand. I have a terrible time with right hand turns, but feel like a pro on left handers. Go figure. When I was small I started out using my left hand but my father tried as he might to switch me over, hence the use of both hands.
 
Etroze said:
Thanks i was told that to and i figured going from one career field to another where technologies are changing all the time wouldn't be a bad thing
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If you are going to get into IT then you need to stay ahead of the technology curve.

What I mean by that is you need to realize that everyday more kids are graduating from college with a more recent OS etc under their belt putting you at a disadvantage. This being said, you will most likely need to learn the new operating systems as they come out in order to stay competitive and so that when the time comes you can integrate the new operating systems into the current networks you manage etc.

In conclusion, IT is a great field if you desire to constantly learn new things. The downside is that it's very competitive.

My advice to you (if you do get into IT), is make sure you can communicate well with others. It has been my experience that companies will hire you over someone else if they think you can communicate our techy lingo adequately enough to everyday technologically impaired people.

You usually need to get all of your certifications such as A+ etc.

Port8080
IT Manager
 
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Once you are truly comfortable with pushing right to turn right and pushing left to turn left, and the harder the more you'll turn, the leaning becomes secondary. Try it, if you really push hard in either direction you'll see how easy it is to get leaned over.
 
I love IT and my job. I have next to nothing for certs and zero schooling. Everything I know was learned by experience and hands-on with the cutting edge technology as I get my hands on it. I went from fixing PCs in my spare time to a system engineer, a school district technology coordinator to where I am today, the senior Server/Storage Engineer for both the company I work for and their parent company. We are also going to absorb three sister companies in this process.

I constantly stay up to date with emerging tech. I am fortunate to be in a job that has a lot of current tech installed and keeps letting me bring in new stuff and learning it to see how it will better our environment. There are days when I am in awe because I have THIS much fun daily and they pay me to do it.

I once, over coffee with my boss, told him that I can't believe he pays me this much to click next. He paused, sipped his coffee then said to me "We pay you this much because you know when NOT to click next." :D
 
FZ1inNH said:
I love IT and my job. I have next to nothing for certs and zero schooling. Everything I know was learned by experience and hands-on with the cutting edge technology as I get my hands on it. I went from fixing PCs in my spare time to a system engineer, a school district technology coordinator to where I am today, the senior Server/Storage Engineer for both the company I work for and their parent company. We are also going to absorb three sister companies in this process.

I constantly stay up to date with emerging tech. I am fortunate to be in a job that has a lot of current tech installed and keeps letting me bring in new stuff and learning it to see how it will better our environment. There are days when I am in awe because I have THIS much fun daily and they pay me to do it.

I once, over coffee with my boss, told him that I can't believe he pays me this much to click next. He paused, sipped his coffee then said to me \"We pay you this much because you know when NOT to click next.\" :D
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Not to start a fight and it's nice to know that you have that type of job security. However, for someone that is going into the field with experience or without and has no certificates will most likely not be presented with the opportunity to prove what he knows and therefore will have a hard time finding a decent IT job. This is the reason why certificates and degrees come into play.

People that are in their 40s and that have been in the field from the early beginnings have the experience without certs but they have job history and most likely job security.

Someone new to the field with no certs will have a hard time finding a decent job if they are looking at a resume. What would the employer look at? " I see here that you say you know what you are talking about" "YOU"RE HIRED!" NOT.

Put yourself in his situation. Say hypothetically you are fired from your current job or are layn off for whatever reason. Now when you interview for another job your only reference would be that one company. Now if you didn't have that reference, how could you prove to them you know what you are talking about? You can't. That is my point. It is important in this day and age to have certs to help insure job security etc. Experience will only help you once you have the job. Certz and degrees will help you get the job.
 
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