LOL I know its junk but... I don't know where you are from but around here not all cars are new. Hell, I would be surprised if half the cars on the road are serviced properly.

I'm saying that it's foolish to rely on a car stopping faster than you when in reality they probably won't. Roll the dice if you like...

I am not a physics expert or something but I remember from highschool more mass equals more inertia when at higher velocity equals longer time to stop. I don't care if you got 1 wheel or 18 wheels, the heavier you are, the harder it is for you to decellerate.

By the logic of more contact with the ground = less stopping distance would mean that a semi with its (10?) tires can stop faster than a car... seems kinda off to me.

 

A semi with ABS can indeed stop faster than a car as long as the area of grip (ground contact) to inertia ratio exceeds that of the car. Rubber compounds will make a difference. A lorry can stop on a frigging penny at 5 MPH and that can be enough to catch you out if you're too close. They're pretty hard to see through so you'll get no warning.
There are so many variables to this argument that it's almost not worth having but getting back onto the thread, if you're on a bike, it would pay you with your life to believe that you can't stop as fast as anyone else. Can you guarantee there's no oil or other slippery substances on the surface at any given time. Nope! You can't.

My tip is, be proud to ride like an old woman until the odds are tipped in your favour. It's better to arrive at your intended destination than to be diverted to someone else's hospital or funeral parlour.

Shadow has spoken with the words of a wise and experienced rider.
D'fence. That's the way forward!

 

 

that Ducati ripped in the straights but even with perfect knee dragging the GTR still beat it, how sad.

I think ima have to go out and test this theory but from what i've heard a modern car can stop faster than a bike.

 

That was a great video. But what person really can spend the 50k plus on a sport car. I would like to see your average daily mobile out on the track vs. the bike. I understand the contact patch and all but really. A brand new focus has only 2 disc and 2 drum and thats a 2010 model. Please more info on this subject. I read numbers all day long real. My car sticker says i get 28mpg but in reality its only 21 or 22 on a daily basis. Can anyone point me in the right direction when it comes to stopping distance?

 

This is a very valid point, that everyone should consider. There are pros and cons to almost everything, and definitely in this instance. Yes, it's not good to speed up to make a yellow, but on the flip side, slowing down when a car behind you fully intends to MAKE the light can also get you killed.

I think all these rules are great to keep in mind, but ULTIMATELY, train yourself to be prepared for the worst scenarios, and as someone mentioned, train to consistently have an "exit strategy". It's too hard to generalize the many factors that play into a crash situation to come up with a set rule that will always work.

Ride safe!!!

 

haha, well put, HenryM.

 

When I took MSF, my awesome instructor told me to "always assume they ARE all out to get you, and ride accordingly".

I try to scan down the road and to my sides constantly. In FL people loove to just jaywalk, and by jaywalk I mean "jump the hell out in the middle of traffic without looking". We like to ride out in farm country and there can be cows, deer, pigs, whatever all of a sudden in a turn.

 

I deal with human deer constantly. Also know as UPenn Students. Any street or corner on / near the UPenn campus (where I live) is their natural habitat. The human deer is a curious creature, so completely focused on their future life that immediate danger often completely obliterated from their awareness. When faced with imminent danger, such as large or fast moving vehicles that far outweigh their their slight frames (thanks to diets consisting mostly of Ramen noodles and beer), they have an interestingly stupid survival instinct: They look directly at the danger and proceed to maneuver directly into its path.

Seriously, riding thru the UPenn campus during school often requires more attention to surroundings than regular street riding. Even with Walk / Don't Walk signs and directional audible signals for the visually impaired, these kids will do exactly what I said. Walk out into the middle of oncoming traffic and stare dumbly at the vehicle bearing down on them while continuing further into its path. The intersection at 38th & Walnut has given me great practice on increasing / decreasing lean angle in the midst of a turn.

There's a left turn onto Walnut there I have to take to get home / hit McDonalds. And while it's pretty damn clear that turning traffic has the right of way, the muppets start trying to cross as soon as the light on Walnut goes red. It's like riding in a randomly shifting obstacle course. Or a shooting gallery with popup targets where the objective is not to hit the silhouettes

 

i have a mcn 07 08 performance review of almost every bike, they had an 01 f4i 60-0 in 111 ft, a 06, 123ft, most performance cars do it in the low 110s an 120s, so its pretty even, a nissian gtr, 98ft

and kinetic energy is .5m(v^2), so speed is a much greater factor then weight, since it is being squared and your weight is constant