Gimme a Brake
The thought of a motorcycle brings certain images to the American mind. Perhaps a roguish figure clad in denim and leather. It's a man or woman leaning against their shining steed. Their faces wind hardened from a lifetime in the saddle. They rest at some diner in the middle of nowhere during their journey before riding down that dusty road into the sunset. And they don't always do so alone. The overall spirit of freedom condensed into a straightforward image.
But I caught wind of a story that most of you may have heard of. It came to me in the form of a text message forwarded many times over. I later found it has circulated the internet in e-mails since roughly 2005. I don't know the name of the story (if it has one) and I don't know whom the author is that wrote it. But I feel it is something I need to speak of. For those of you that recognize the tale, feel free to skip through it. For those that don't, I claim no responsibility for the resulting diabetes.
A girl and guy were speeding over 100 mph on the road on a motorcycle...
Girl: Slow down. I'm scared.
Guy: No this is fun.
Girl: No its not. Please, it's too scary!
Guy: Then tell me you love me.
Girl: Fine, I love you. Slow down!
Guy: Now give me a BIG hug.
- Girl hugs him*
Guy: Can you take my helmet off & put it on yourself? It's bugging me.
(In the paper the next day): A motorcycle had crashed into a building because of brake failure. Two people were on it, but only one survived.
The truth was that halfway down the road, the guy realized that his brakes broke, but he didn't want to let the girl know. Instead, he had her say she loved him & felt her hug one last time, then had her wear his helmet so that she would live, even though it meant that he would die.
Yes. Yes. It seems, to some, to be a sad tale of love and sacrifice. In fact, I could even expect some teen romance film to make this the pivotal plot point. But before my worst fears come to fruition, I must say that this fable is horribly inaccurate.
Let me first point out that the simple physics of the story do not work. At the speed of 100 MPH you would hear but the wind. Never mind that said wind would rip an unsecured helmet from your grasp; along with the girl that removed her arms from the secured man. But this is not what sticks in my craw.
This likelihood of this story becoming a grim front page article are infinitesimal due to the numerous, and I may say, obvious solutions to a problem such as this. It is my hope that none have read his story and it has deterred them from the wonderful experience that is riding a motorcycle. But then, my gut assures me that any who might be frightened from checking the facts may not belong on one after all. Here are some, I'll call them "fail safes".
1:The Brakes
The brakes themselves are two, independently functioning systems. I point this out first because there is the possibility this tale was involving a bike with integrated brakes. These systems engage the rear brake when the greater stopping power of the front brake is initiated. Though, if the front brake failed to respond on integrated brakes, the rear brake pedal will still function independently.
2:The Throttle
If the brakes-um-break, all that is necessary is to roll off the throttle. If these other measures were to fail to work, rolling off the throttle will at least cause the bike to stall from not receiving enough gas for its corresponding gear. In the case that the throttle is stuck, and you are unwilling feeding gas to your motorcycle's engine, you should see the next solution.
3:The Clutch
Any basic rider knows that when applying both brakes to slow, the clutch is to be engaged simultaneously. And in the abnormal event that both brakes have broken, the clutch disengages the engine. So any fuel that may contribute to increasing speed is now extra fuel to keep the engine running. Simply hold in the clutch. This will cause the bike to coast. You will slowly decrease in speed enough so you may skid to a stop with your shoes. It may not be as fast as a braking system. And you may ruin your new pair of boots that were a birthday gift from your mom. But you're safe.
4:The Gears
Though your motorcycle will not like it one bit, and you probably won't either, shifting down the gears will essentially force the bike to realize that it is traveling too fast for the gear that it is in. The best thing to do, I believe, is to shift it into neutral and coast as if the clutch were engaged. I highly recommend not doing this but in the most dire of circumstances. Without a clutch, the transmission will grind and the bike will lurch forward in its attempt to rectify the speed problem. At high speeds, the lurching may be violent, so it's best to brace yourself.
5:Engine Cut Off/ "Kill" Switch
Perhaps not the best time to think of that word. But I hope you'll agree that it's better used in reference to your motorcycle than to the rider. Every bike has one. And most, if not all, are located on the right handlebar with the throttle. The name should be self explanatory. Enabling the switch will kill, or shut off, the engine.
The ideal solution to the not-so-ideal situation of your brakes failing would be to use all of these in conjunction with each other. The clutch should be engaged when applying both brakes anyway. The throttle should be rolled off when intending to slow. Downshifting should be natural when keeping a stop in mind. And if something out of the ordinary happens, it is probably best to shut down the bike and investigate it.
But perhaps there is a chance I would be wrong. Perhaps this incident is not only probable, but it has happened. Though honestly, if a motorcycle failed all five measures, it is beyond me how they left home with it. It is my sincere hope that I may have helped to shed some light on this subject that, apparently, seemed plausible enough to circulate for 4 years.
It is also my sincere hope that you are not in this situation now; going down my checklist to try the fail safes in the article. Your voice would be hoarse from trying to scream instructions to your rider over the 100 MPH winds through his helmet. And your hands would cling to your mobile device as it tried to keep from losing it to the road behind you.
Ride safe.
