Turning a Motorcycle

Turning a Motorcycle

            Riding a motorcycle has always meant a statement of freedom or rebellion. Knowing how to ride a bicycle will remain as one of the first steps of becoming free, for all children. Learning the basics of balance and needing to pedal at the same time, could have easily taken days to learn. Turning got a bit tricky because it was never the same every time, the were always little tremors of fear as you turned the handle bars for the first time only trying to avoid a tree or Fido as he chases your front tire. The bike continuously shook when the child first started out but they got some speed and confidence the bike smoothed right out. The confidence with turning came shortly there after, because Fido constantly tried to get that front wheel and they couldn’t run him over.

            Now as a grown up, that same person wants to feel that freedom again. The wind in their face, the road rushing by only inches from their feet, the feel of leaning into a turn, the closest feeling they get to flying without confronting a fear of heights. The problem now will take them back to learning to ride all over again. They’ll learn the basics of the clutch, twist throttle, front brake, rear brake, and may think they have the balance down. Now they get on the bike and start off to learn. Going straight down a deserted street dragging their feet in fear of falling over, shaking the whole time, and they decide to turn. Since they remember how to ride a bicycle they turn the same way and because that person is only traveling at about 6 miles per hour they turn the direction they intended. Doing this a few times around their block helps them build confidence and knowledge of riding. Having rode their block for the past 2 days they decide to go out exploring. They head out on the open road or at least as open as confidence and fear will allow to practice what they have learned. Riding down an open road with traffic at about 20 miles per hour they decide to changes lanes, so turning the handlebars just the way they did around the block and, surprise, they go the wrong direction! They quickly realize that all this time they had thought that turning a motorcycle was the same as turning a bicycle, although it’s completely different and involves many more inputs, knowledge and experience.

            It turns out that even though a motorcycle and bicycle look similar, they are actually completely different when it comes to turning. Turning a motorcycle can actually be explained with science, and Professor Joel Fajans discusses this science in his article in the American Journal of Physics titled “Steering in bicycles and motorcycles.” Joel Fajans is a Professor of Plasma Physics and Nonlinear Dynamics at the University of California at Berkeley. He is an avid bicyclist and wanted to try to explain how bicycles and motorcycles actually turn. Fajans explains the physics that impact the turn and the process of turning. He describes the mathematical calculations used to determine out the forces that act on the bike and the rider.

            Similarly counter-steering is turning the handlebars counter to the desired turn, which creates gyroscopic precession that leans the bike the opposite direction. The process of push left, go left and push right, go right is applied to motorcycles above 5 miles an hour to make them turn the correct direction. The mathematical equations Professor Fajans demonstrates to show gyroscopic torque and counter steer are extremely complicated. The weight shift method of assisting in turning a motorcycle can also be explained with the same mathematical equations. The hip bend is used to assist in turning sharper angles while maintaining maximum torque and speed. 

            The other methods that the professor gives examples of to initiate a turn are: uneven road surface, push harder in one pedal than the other, lean the bike over by the handlebars, accelerate with the wheel turned, or employ the growing oscillations.  These are all things that the rider can take advantage of to initiate a turn, but still need counter-steer to continue the turning process.

            The photo shown here (taken by Photographer Martin Heath at the Catlunya Grand Prix Circuit on June 14^th 2009) shows Valentino Rossi on the Team Fiat Yamaha rounding a lightning fast left handed turn. The track at this point angles slightly up and away from the turn so that the rider can achieve greater speeds during the turn. The crisp red and white lines are actually uneven rows of concrete called the rumble strip that are angled up slightly away from the track and used to outline the edge of the racetrack for quick identification and assistance in cornering. These two angled surfaces give the appearance that the rider is actually horizontal to the ground, when in actuality he is leaned over at about a twenty-five degree angle. The bright colors make the rider and bike look exciting like the bright neon lights of the state fair at night. The blurred asphalt and front tire give the picture speed and warmth. Having the grass in the corner of the picture just inches away from the riders’ head makes you aware of the danger inherent in doing this maneuver. The reason the rider can sustain a turn of this angle is physics. First the counter steer caused him to enter the turn to the desired angle that he thought was needed to complete the turn. Second his body position helped the bike keep a low center of gravity. Lastly the uneven angle of the pavement caused him to continue the turn through at such an extreme angle.

Now imagine that same rider scared, shaking with their confidence shot to hell after being scared half to death while changing lanes. That same learning rider decided to get off the main road and head back home on the back roads with less traffic. On the way home the rider decides to simply practice weaving back and forth in his own lane getting more comfortable with counter steer. Once they are comfortable with counter steer and the way the bike moves under them, then they can actually just ride and enjoy the feeling. Getting to the point of comfort on the bike will take a while but as long as they take it slow they’ll do fine and get to experience that age-old feeling of freedom. Rushing out on the first day of learning to ride a bike and being over confident cause a lot of problems. Knowing a persons limits and taking the learning process slow can really affect how they end up viewing motorcycles and the experience that accompanies them. So take it slow, ride at a comfortable pace and keep the bike rubber side down. 

Work Cited

Fajans, Joel. “Steering in bicycles and Motorcycles.” American Journal of Physics 68.7 July (2000): 654-59.

Heath, Martin. Elbow Down. 2009. Martin Heath Photography, London. Web. 19 Oct. 2011. http://www.martinheathphoto.com/gallery.php?s=392.

Becoming Illiterate

Becoming Illiterate

            Literacy in today’s society can be explained as a two edged sword. On one hand we all need to be able to read and write, and on the other we all in some way need to be “literate” with technology. As a child growing up technology was for entertainment, but not for daily life, so you didn’t have to know how to use it as frequently. Your parents could cut you off from the everyday world by sending you to your room, and they controlled most everything you were exposed to because technology was not so prevalent. Technology grows and evolves at such an astounding rate its hard for anyone that doesn’t use it on a daily basis to keep up with it at all.

            Knowing how to read and write is a tangible skill set that everyone needs in the world today. Jonathan Kozol explains this in his essay “The Human Cost of an Illiterate Society”, when he starts off with a simple set of instructions on how to use a common household chemical. To those of us that can read it may not seem like much, but to an illiterate person it’s a different language. The main idea to this essay is that an illiterate person cannot function as an effective part of our society. He gives many close to home type examples of an illiterate person’s day-to-day life: one of a man with a broken down car on the side of the road that can call the police for help, but can’t tell them where to find him so they can come help him, another is about a woman whose child needs help with her homework in a reading class, but she cannot help the child because she can’t read. When children know more about technology than parents do there will be little that a parent actually do to protect the child or to govern what the child experiences. Now take these examples and think what it would be like if you couldn’t read. Would you be able to enjoy the internet? Facebook?

            The other part of being able to read and write is being able to apply it everyday in society. Using technology is a good example of the tangible side of this skill set. With technology evolving so quickly parents need to be able to assess what their children expose themselves to. This is a problem with today’s parents slowly becoming Technologicly illiterate. Parents are progressively becoming unable to keep up with their children’s learning curve with technology. Gadgets, computers, game consoles, phones and other paraphernalia are all compromising today’s parents’ ability to parent.

            A parents’ ability to control what a child is exposed to is a way to protect a child from parts of the world until they are strong enough to learn about it on their own. In bell hooks’ book: “Learning in the Shadow of Race and Class” She explains how she grew up in a family that wasn’t “poor” but that didn’t have much left over for luxury items after all seven children and parents were provided the necessary things in life. The way she was brought up has actually made her a loner and that makes it somewhat easier for her to keep track with school and not worry so much about “who would pay for pizza and drinks in the world outside.”  She speaks of modesty in the way she was raised and how children around her acted during high school and how much that differed to university.  When she decided to attend Stanford in California her parents refused to give her permission which reminded her of all the other desires she told herself would never get fulfilled. This fueled her desire even more to attend a “good” school, a school “built by a man who believed in hard work,” a place to learn. At Stanford she had been looked at as a pitied little black girl that wanted to be like the privileged.  During her years at Stanford she learned how much the privileged class actually hated and feared the working class. She found herself alienated from everyone in the school; even the other black students that she actually thought would understand her situation. Because of her beliefs and steadfast attitude bell hooks never attended her own graduation ceremonies, not because she had been scared, but because to have degrees from schools where she was treated so badly on the basis of race, class and sex did not make her proud. hooks’ parents were able to shield her from most of the bad parts of the world until she was strong enough to learn about them on her own. Parents back in that day and age didn’t need to be concerned with technology, but they did worry about racism and drugs. During the time period covered by hooks culturally literate parents influenced their child’s lives by being involved in it. They didn’t need to worry about what type of music their child was listening to or who they were idolizing because they could control all of it with some effort.

            With technology constantly bombarding people with choices and with anonymity anyone can do anything with technology without fear of being judged. Other countries are dealing with this as well, its not just America. In Todd Gitlin’s book: “Media Unlimited: How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives”, he explains that “Hollywood is the global cultural capital” because it is the majority of influence seen by the rest of the world. Even when some parts of the world hate America, you will still see them drinking Coke-Cola, and wearing Levi jeans, this just goes to show you another example of how America influences almost everyone in the world in some way. Another example he gives it the very remote tribe of Tungusians that usually are known for their bearskin rituals but have been seen wearing reversed baseball caps. He explains why in a world of differences that American media can transcend the boundaries of country, language, beliefs, race, sex and class.  The supply and demand model sufficiently explained in detail about how American images and sounds are not forced on anyone but wanted by everyone because they are viewed as fun and exciting. The demand side being explained in terms that American pop culture is not popular because of availability, but because it is a polyglot of different styles and adapts with time and influence that attracts so many more people to it. This explains why everyone wants that new gadget or to be part of that new social networking site. Demand fuels the desires of so many and forces parents to have to learn about their children’s technology. When they take a break from learning they fall farther and farther behind and eventually will become “illiterate” in today’s society and not be able to parent as effectively as the parents in the past that didn’t have to learn about technology.

            Today’s parents have to fight with movie stars, pop icons, ever changing gaming systems, clothing lines, and the envy of their entire families just to keep in the game of parenting. The whole dynamic of parenting has evolved tremendously in the last 15 years. Can you imagine what parts of our culture will push more parents towards “illiteracy” in the future? Continuing to persue literacy in our society will always drive parents to learn about their children’s lives. They will need to do this to better protect and teach their children to make healthy decisions, without creating a young adult that can’t function on their own.

People

What kind of person are you? Ever truly asked yourself that question and answered honestly? I don’t really think that I have.  But if I had I think I am the type of person that is giving to a point, until I notice that all you are doin is taking all the time. Then I become somewhat “stingy” towards you. I am an upbeat fun loving person. I chaulk that up too my mom. I am also the person that my friends can call me for help anytime day or night and expect to get it. I enrich people’s lives… I think. Lol. I have been told I am a bad influence, I call it a fun influence. I give you the opurtunity to have fun, its your choice though. I have high morals, and a great sense of humor. I am fairly goal oriented, but not obsessive about them. I love traveling and experiencing the world and everything in it.  For some reason I always have to be doing something, its fairly hard for me to sit and do nothing… although I do try. I am very honest although I kinda try to protect my friends sometimes. Not saying that I lie to them but I try to hint around the truth so they can figure it out for themselves. I love animals more than kids. I think that’s why I don’t really want kids. That may change when or if I get married. My grandfather influenced me a lot in the sense of morals and standing up for what I believe in. I am also the person that you will never see at a funeral, I just don’t like them and would much rather remember the person they way they were not laying in some box with all their fake friends around. So what kind of person are you??

Sunset

         So when was the last time you took time to watch the sunset? Sunrise? When was the last time you took time out of your life to do something for yourself? It’s funny that where I am “currently” in my life I actually have a lot of time to do things for me. Back in a “real” life I don’t really take time out of my busy schedule for the little things. I’m not really sure why I don’t, maybe because I get caught up in the day-to-day mentality that “ I am busy”. Why is everyone so “busy”? Back in the day people weren’t as busy as we are today, were they? I thought that computers, cars, internet, prepackaged food, in door plumbing, electricity and phones were supposed to make us more productive while lessening, the work load. So when was the last time you “stopped and smelled the roses?”

Snooze………

For most people that have never had the opportunity to sleep in a room with 20 to 60 people you probably wont understand. Have you ever been awakened from a dead sleep by an alarm clock? That wasn’t yours!! The purpose of an alarm clock is to wake the person up that sets it, right? Does that person turn it off as soon as they hear it, you would think they would since they are sleeping in the same room with so many other people. How many times do they hit the snooze button, to do they just let it go off for like an hour? Is their clock set cast so they “trick” themselves into thinking it is later than it really is? If so, how much faster and do they just, over time, chalk that up to extra sleep time? Wouldn’t you think that a grown ass person would be able to get up in a timely manner? If it is a problem with not getting enough sleep couldn’t they go to bed earlier? It would at least be nice if their alarm device would get tended to quickly, because if I tend to it they seem to get broken, then I usually have to pay for them!!

Act your age!!

Ever been told to act your age? If you have what were you doin at the time? I bet you were having fun or causing someone to laugh or just being a jackass. Is that wrong and why does someone think they have the right to have an opinion on your life and tell you about it? You didn’t ask them. Why do we have to grow up and act a certain way? To be like everyone else your age would be pretty boring, wouldn’t it? I don’t consider my age to be old but a lot of people my age already have wives, kids, careers, homes, and bills and how do they act? Grown up? Do they have as much fun as me? The ones that are around me sometimes do, and for that I get called a bad influence. My single friends call me a fun influence and not once has a “single” friend ever told me to act my age, only the married ones tell me that. Ever had someone younger than you tell you to act your age? Haha!!

You asked me!?!

What’s your opinion on this? What do you think about…? Heard that before huh? People always want to be accepted by others or have their attitudes and judgments reaffirmed by someone else. So they ask these questions. Then why when they ask you for you opinion do they get mad when it doesn’t coincide with theirs? Not everyone has the same likes and thoughts. So why even ask someone’s opinion? I don’t think the person asking really even cares about your thoughts; I think they are more or less talking just to talk. Would you be able to decifer whether or not they did care or do you just assume that you “friends” care and the people that aren’t your “friends” don’t care??