We welcomed our special guest speaker, IAM examiner Roy Stevenson to our club. There was a good turn out of existing members, but also new associates and protective new members who were looking at us for the very first time. I am pleased to say that we secured several new associate members because they liked what they saw and heard. We also had a mini drama – we were forced to use the garden! Fortunately the weather was fine and dry, so it actually made a very pleasant evening in the end, although the light and temperature faded quite fast towards the end!
Here is Roy talking to the group about ecco-riding, using the gears and brakes and the fine art of filtering, amongst many other topics such as which foot to put down!
DAM Club Night – Wednesday 21 May 2014
The Royal Oak (Garden!)
With a very warm welcome to our special guest, IAM examiner Roy Stevenson
- A VERY warm welcome to any new members here tonight.
- Potters 100. Email sent for a second time today. I have some printed copies with me if you need one. Let me know if you want to help out or take part or help out.
- easyfundraising.org.uk is a great, free way to raise money for our charity.
- Newsletter items to Annie please. We are about to publish the next edition of our newsletter.
- Welcome Annie as our new Group Secretary. Please, everyone get behind Annie and wish her well in her test!
- Pay your £10 fees NOW! They are overdue from January 2014… These fees are a vital revenue stream for our small club, so please get them paid – it is something that we all have to do.
- Our brand new Website is attracting over 500 hits per DAY!
- Take our Club Night Survey NOW! Only 22 responses so far… Tuesday or Wednesday – YOU decide! The current trend is moving towards a Tuesday night, starting in january 2015..
- London trip this Sunday. Changes to the original programme means that we can no longer visit The Chelsea Pensioners. We will be riding to The Ace Cafe, and then possibly in to central London or to the London Motorcycle Museum in Greenford.
- I have with me a box full of the new magazine that was published by Derby & Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership. Our club played a big part in contributing to this magazine, so it is well worth a read. You can also take some away with you to distribute when you are out and about our region.
- I also have a selection of our new club advertisement flyer. Again, please take some away with you to hand out.
- I will now hand you over to our special guest this evening, local IAM examiner Roy Stevenson
Roy discussed ecco-riding:
- If you will always ride to the system, you will always be in the correct gear, travelling at the right speed and be in the correct position for the circumstances. Therefore, you will meet the criteria for the ecco-riding assessment.
- Ecco-riding is not a pass/fail aspect of the test.
- Brakes are for slowing down, not gears. So, reduce your speed using the brakes and match your gears accordingly.
- Use the front brake to slow down because it offers more grip.
Roy also discussed the fine art of filtering:
- Filtering is an overtaking manoeuvre.
- Filtering is an accepted practice.
- Filtering can be dangerous and must be done with great care and at slow speeds.
- Do not use a lane that is marked with direction arrows to filter in. You are giving the information to other road users that you are going to turn in the direction of the marked arrow, when in fact you are using the lane to filter in. This is wrong and you will fail the test if you do this.
Roy also discussed which foot to put down:
- Using the right foot down technique looks far more professional, skilled, is far more practical and makes the most sense.
- You should finish your braking sequence on the front brake, put your right foot down and select neutral with your left foot, if appropriate for the circumstances.
- Keep your right foot on the floor and cover the gear pedal with your left foot.
- To move off, select first gear with your left foot and ride away.
- Using the left foot down techniques looks untidy, messy and creates more work for the rider.
- You must decide which foot to put down taking in to account all circumstances, i.e. the road surface and camber, the load on your bike, the weather, the position or movement of other road users etc.
- It may be appropriate at times to put both feet down.
- Don’t put you right foot down if is going in to a pot hole!
- The correct foot to use id determined by ALL of the prevailing circumstances.
- You cannot fail the test for using the ‘wrong’ foot.
- You must be in control of the bike at all times.
- The bike must be stable at all times.
Roy talked to us about ‘straight-lining’ bends and roundabouts:
- The IAM want you to stay on your side of the road at all times.
- The technique of riding on the opposite side of the road is dangerous and unnecessary.
- You can ‘trim’ a bend in the absence of all other road users.
- A roundabout is a one way street.
- In the absence of all other road users, you can ‘straigh-line’ a roundabout, providing you do not use a lane that has directional arrows indicating a direction to turn. If a lane has a directional arrow indicating a direction to turn, you must not use that lane unless you are turning in that direction.