Going up a hilly mountain terrain and coming downhill
demand skill from a motorcycle rider. You need to keep your balance, control
speed, stay in the right lane, judge well and ride safe. Please note, this is only a refresher for experienced riders.
Some key points include
Always be in control. The gear you use to go uphill should be
used downhill or an even lower gear if possible to get more control.
Keep close to the outer boundary of the roads, careful that
it’s not having skid gravel though which is common in the mountains.
Don’t speed up if you got a curved road or hairpin bend coming
ahead as you may not get time to slow down or control your bike according to
oncoming vehicle.
Watch out for blind turns, most of the time the other the oncoming vehicle does not honk, better you honk on each blind turn.
Roads can be bumpy and controlling a bike can be difficult, so lower gears and slow speed to maintain control and balance.
Local drivers or riders tend to be rash, probably having a mindset
that they own the place.
Riding uphill and having to stop? Check if the rear brake is
better to use or front brake for the terrain. If you want to keep both feet on
the ground while stopping, then the front brake is the option. If you can use the right
foot for the rear brake, then you can lean left to stop. Take care that bike
does not roll backward in the process.
It also depends on which one is easier to disengage while
starting and moving ahead again. Can you start the bike on a climb holding the
front brake? Preferably avoid stopping on too steep climbs..find a little less
steep road and park on the side.
Heavy bikes have a lower turning radius and rider tends to
lose balance on a hilly climb at a standstill position. If you wish to turn, take
a larger radius turn instead of a shorter one. Lean appropriately to the left or right
to maintain balance while turning. This is essential especially when one turns
or when one disengages the brake and gives acceleration to move forward relying
on the clutch.
And you thought motorbike riding was easy….
Thanks to Zubin for the video
Ride safe!
Cheers
Biker BT
Ghat image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valparai_GhatRoad.JPG
