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nick_h.
pdlouche
This is partly about rider aids:
So literally the second roundabout before home, straight over, I was very very hot into it. Now, there may have been a margin of error on what the speedo says and what the speed limit might be…
The car entering the roundabout on my right was at that awkward “will they won’t they” pace. I wasn’t going hard enough to make it worth gunning and hoping. I closed throttle as soon as they were in sight, then full progressive brakes.
Problem was that they were positioned left to turn left, slowing, but no indicator. Okay, so no indicator means probably straight over? Nope.
Full U-turn around the roundabout and back where they came from. At walking pace.
In real terms (because they were lost) their hesitant speed meant I was fully using all of the brakes. Coming from fast A roads back into town traffic, I went back into town mode and didn’t want to second-guess anyone else by gunning it and chancing a t-bone from my left.
Anyway. As I was full progressive brakes I could feel that I wasn’t 100% on the front so I wouldn’t lock it, and I was adding rear as you would. I stopped literally on the line of the junction, and their pace around the roundabout was so slow, that I actually had to wait for a while for them to clear and go all the way round - I could see the person’s look of confusion talking to her passenger like “okay so where am I supposed to go?”
Hot-hot tyres (albeit old), relatively light bike, not toooooo fast (slow enough to stop, fast enough to be at fault). I was upright but braking heavy. Still felt the back end shimmy for the last few feet, or maybe yard or two.
Modern bike, abs would have kicked in, and I’d expect the stopping distance would be the same but no skid. However, it still relies on the rider braking early enough. Which relies on the rider paying attention. Which a lot of riders don’t.