It's official: I've found the highway to hell, and damn was it fun! I was in Hartford, CT the other day, and I decided to try a different way back to the city besides I-95. I threw the coordinates into the GPS, and noticed this new highway that I'd almost forgotten about, which runs parallel to I-95 almost the whole way along the CT coast:
The Merritt Parkway, or Route 15
Hot diggity damn. This is the most fun I think I've ever had on a bike. How can I explain?
-Two small, narrow lanes
-Average speed of all traffic: 70 mph
-Tight, cambered turns
-Huge hills to climb up and down
-Traffic merging in from on-ramps on the right
-Scenic trees all around, with a nature (not rubber) scent in the air
-Picturesque, little roadway bridges crossing the highway
-Sharing the road with Porsches, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis
-No Jersey drivers
-Dodging and weaving traffic
-Super fast left lane speeders
Seriously, this was an adrenaline ride like none other I've ever felt. It makes I-95 feel sterile, neutered, and sedate. It's probably the closest thing NY and CT has to an official race track circuit, with the added benefit of having full, neck-to-neck traffic spinning around at insane paces.
I recall my youth, when I was driving around in a car in CT and NY, and how scared I used to be driving on the Merritt parkway. I remember dreading the on-ramps, because of having to time the acceleration perfectly (this is so much fun now on a bike). I remember the tight turns and blind hills used to frighten me as well, and I'd be pumping with adrenaline. And that was in a car!
I have three different kinds of advice, therefore:
-Advanced riders: no way, stay off this road. That way I can keep it to myself.
-Intermediate riders: no way, stay off this road, until you've driven a few days in Manhatten traffic - at night - in the fog - on Park Avenue - in rush hour - in the winter - after a light snow - (insert 1 or 2 more compounding factors). That way I can keep it to myself.
-Beginning riders: no one ever considers themselves beginning riders, so why does it even matter? I hate these sections. How about this: drive to the Merritt Parkway, and drive a few exist. If you're sweating like a madman, with heart palpitations, jitters, and dehydration after 3 exits, you're an intermediate rider. Otherwise, you're dead and now you know: you're a beginner :-)
Seriously, be safe.
I've found that the best strategy is to ride near the dotted line, and then ride a car gap when approaching on ramps. Cars tend to drift into the left lane at he last minute. I'm assuming, of course, that you're in the left lane, because trying to ride the right lane is sure catastrophe, especially near off-ramps, where cars in the left rapidly cross 2 lanes to exit.
Friday, July 25, 2008
NYC vs. Europe: A motorcyclist's perspective
I've now had a chance to visit Rome, Dublin, Athens, Paris, and London, and in each city I've spent hours observing how traffic evolves, is similar or different across cities, and especially how motorcyclists adapt to the different styles.
Here's a quick run down of my city-by-city comparisons:
Athens - in a word, "chaos" - I'll start with the most chaotic. This is because the streets are generally well paved, but mini scooters can be seen everywhere. Riders run down the middle of the lanes, lane split, and bunch up near the stop lights in droves. Cars and taxis are frozen in place until the lights change, packed in as though surrounded by styrofoam peanuts.
Rome - in a word, "bumpy" - far less chaotic driving patterns, but here the lane splitting rules of the game are similar. However, generally wider streets, and the fact that so many are cobblestone, means that motorcyclists have a painful time navigating around. When they do, you can tell their top speed is limited by how frequently they're willing to get slapped in the rear or groin by their bike seats. Here too, scooters are the vehicle of choice.
Paris - in a word, "zippy" - a combination of cobblestones and pavement, here we really see many more motorcycles. Though there are still many scooters, there are even more "super scooters", which are the length of motorcycles, but have foot rests like scooters. Traffic is oddly mild mannered here by comparison to the first two cities, and motorcyclists really tend to have their way.
London - in a word, "speedy" - narrow streets, and lots of mass transportation double decker buses make driving cars very difficult. Here, there are scooters, but not nearly as many as the previous cities. Instead, there is a new class that the other cities don't see: racers. It's not uncommon to see full-leather racing gear (kit as they call it) on riders aboard japanese racing bikes or ducatis.
Dublin - in a word, "docile" - not as many riders as I'd expect, but almost all of them wear bright colored safety vests to ensure they stand out. Maybe because of the constantly dull weather, and rain, these riders have developed a survival instinct. Though other cities wear safety vests too, almost every Dublin rider has one on. Otherwise, the driving is mild mannered, and in general, highway drivers tend to crawl along at superhumanly slow paces, making it a heaven for motorcycles to zoom past.
Summary of Europe
The odd thing is that in each of the European cities, you see many female riders as well. This is almost unheard of in NYC. And to an outsider like me, the traffic patterns of Athens, Rome, and Paris seem quite chaotic and unpredictable. I'd never ride there if I could help it, because there seems to be an unwritten law of tolerance for spontaneous chaotic dodging left and right, entering lanes without blinking, pulling out from lanes in spite of red lights, etc. It's a nightmare. Riders are like fish, constantly weaving back and forth, avoiding narrow escapes, and drifting everywhere. Riding is a constant act of avoidance and defense.
By comparison, London is about acceleration through small, narrow roads, and so here we see the emergence of "offensive" riding. Here, there is an explicit difference between defensive moves, and all-out acceleration and aggression.
Comparison vs. NYC
By comparison, NYC is quite safe. This initially seems incomprehensible, but I have several explicit reasons:
-Traffic is always predictable in its disorganization. It is bounded chaos. You know, for instance, that cabs will always swerve to corners, so you can easily look out for them. Pedestrians generally don't cut across the roads, just as cars generally abide by traffic laws.
-Drivers follow laws at intersections, and so traffic always self-organizes into structure at stop lights. In between intersections, it's a free for all, but this means the strategy for driving is simple: at any light, get to the front and stay at the front.
-Motorcycles are unique. Cars still dominate, and so motorcycles are a curiosity when spotted, and cabs tend to notice immediately and avoid you. By comparison, European drivers and riders have developed a mutual symbiotic relationship, whereby they each assume that each is looking out for the other. In NYC, bikers are the crazy, reckless ones, and so everyone looks out for them, and you're assumed to be unpredictable. Drivers keep their distance.
Here's a quick run down of my city-by-city comparisons:
Athens - in a word, "chaos" - I'll start with the most chaotic. This is because the streets are generally well paved, but mini scooters can be seen everywhere. Riders run down the middle of the lanes, lane split, and bunch up near the stop lights in droves. Cars and taxis are frozen in place until the lights change, packed in as though surrounded by styrofoam peanuts.
Rome - in a word, "bumpy" - far less chaotic driving patterns, but here the lane splitting rules of the game are similar. However, generally wider streets, and the fact that so many are cobblestone, means that motorcyclists have a painful time navigating around. When they do, you can tell their top speed is limited by how frequently they're willing to get slapped in the rear or groin by their bike seats. Here too, scooters are the vehicle of choice.
Paris - in a word, "zippy" - a combination of cobblestones and pavement, here we really see many more motorcycles. Though there are still many scooters, there are even more "super scooters", which are the length of motorcycles, but have foot rests like scooters. Traffic is oddly mild mannered here by comparison to the first two cities, and motorcyclists really tend to have their way.
London - in a word, "speedy" - narrow streets, and lots of mass transportation double decker buses make driving cars very difficult. Here, there are scooters, but not nearly as many as the previous cities. Instead, there is a new class that the other cities don't see: racers. It's not uncommon to see full-leather racing gear (kit as they call it) on riders aboard japanese racing bikes or ducatis.
Dublin - in a word, "docile" - not as many riders as I'd expect, but almost all of them wear bright colored safety vests to ensure they stand out. Maybe because of the constantly dull weather, and rain, these riders have developed a survival instinct. Though other cities wear safety vests too, almost every Dublin rider has one on. Otherwise, the driving is mild mannered, and in general, highway drivers tend to crawl along at superhumanly slow paces, making it a heaven for motorcycles to zoom past.
Summary of Europe
The odd thing is that in each of the European cities, you see many female riders as well. This is almost unheard of in NYC. And to an outsider like me, the traffic patterns of Athens, Rome, and Paris seem quite chaotic and unpredictable. I'd never ride there if I could help it, because there seems to be an unwritten law of tolerance for spontaneous chaotic dodging left and right, entering lanes without blinking, pulling out from lanes in spite of red lights, etc. It's a nightmare. Riders are like fish, constantly weaving back and forth, avoiding narrow escapes, and drifting everywhere. Riding is a constant act of avoidance and defense.
By comparison, London is about acceleration through small, narrow roads, and so here we see the emergence of "offensive" riding. Here, there is an explicit difference between defensive moves, and all-out acceleration and aggression.
Comparison vs. NYC
By comparison, NYC is quite safe. This initially seems incomprehensible, but I have several explicit reasons:
-Traffic is always predictable in its disorganization. It is bounded chaos. You know, for instance, that cabs will always swerve to corners, so you can easily look out for them. Pedestrians generally don't cut across the roads, just as cars generally abide by traffic laws.
-Drivers follow laws at intersections, and so traffic always self-organizes into structure at stop lights. In between intersections, it's a free for all, but this means the strategy for driving is simple: at any light, get to the front and stay at the front.
-Motorcycles are unique. Cars still dominate, and so motorcycles are a curiosity when spotted, and cabs tend to notice immediately and avoid you. By comparison, European drivers and riders have developed a mutual symbiotic relationship, whereby they each assume that each is looking out for the other. In NYC, bikers are the crazy, reckless ones, and so everyone looks out for them, and you're assumed to be unpredictable. Drivers keep their distance.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
New tires - initial reactions
I recently purchased new tires for my GSXR-1000, and decided to opt for the Pilot Power brand. My initial reaction is... odd.
See, I've never owned a bike for a long enough time to need to replace its tires. Instead, I always handed it over to the next owner with worn down tires, assuming they'd pay for them. So when I realized I'd put 10,000 miles on the GSXR and still hadn't replaced the tires, I decided to try it out.
The first thing to notice is that the dealer told me not to take turns too hard, because of the wax layer on the outside of the tire, and the fact that it reduces traction. Knowing this, I played it especially cautious, so I can't tell you anything about the incredible new lean angles, grip, etc.
When the dealer put the new tires on, they made the bike look brand new. It was impressive, because the tread on my old tires had worn down so much, they clearly looked old, and so it made the bike look dated as well. The new shine on the rubber definitely stands out. But that's just cosmetic.
As for the actual ride, the new tires have definitely more curvature to them, and so turning is so much easier than it was with the old tires. In fact, it's downright embarassing that I rode the old tires for so long, thinking they allowed me to turn quickly. Now, the bike feels incredibly "flickable" (that's one of those terms they use in the motorcycle magazines all the time), and just a small force on one side of the handlebars makes the bike turn immediately. This tells me - in retrospect - that my old tires must have been way long gone, if they actually made the bike harder to turn.
The new feel of the bike also makes me think about all those people who buy bikes with really wide tires. They have no idea what they're missing out on. Like the ability to turn :-)
So far, the new tires seem fine, make the bike feel flickable, and I'm now a total advocate for regularly changing out one tires!
See, I've never owned a bike for a long enough time to need to replace its tires. Instead, I always handed it over to the next owner with worn down tires, assuming they'd pay for them. So when I realized I'd put 10,000 miles on the GSXR and still hadn't replaced the tires, I decided to try it out.
The first thing to notice is that the dealer told me not to take turns too hard, because of the wax layer on the outside of the tire, and the fact that it reduces traction. Knowing this, I played it especially cautious, so I can't tell you anything about the incredible new lean angles, grip, etc.
When the dealer put the new tires on, they made the bike look brand new. It was impressive, because the tread on my old tires had worn down so much, they clearly looked old, and so it made the bike look dated as well. The new shine on the rubber definitely stands out. But that's just cosmetic.
As for the actual ride, the new tires have definitely more curvature to them, and so turning is so much easier than it was with the old tires. In fact, it's downright embarassing that I rode the old tires for so long, thinking they allowed me to turn quickly. Now, the bike feels incredibly "flickable" (that's one of those terms they use in the motorcycle magazines all the time), and just a small force on one side of the handlebars makes the bike turn immediately. This tells me - in retrospect - that my old tires must have been way long gone, if they actually made the bike harder to turn.
The new feel of the bike also makes me think about all those people who buy bikes with really wide tires. They have no idea what they're missing out on. Like the ability to turn :-)
So far, the new tires seem fine, make the bike feel flickable, and I'm now a total advocate for regularly changing out one tires!
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