Munich/Essen (dpa/tmn) – The last of the snow has melted, and there is only a little salt and rolling grit left on the asphalt: soon the time will come again for the good six million motorcyclists in Germany to get on their machines.
But before they start into the season, a thorough check is due for machine and man.
Is the bike fit for spring??
Safe into the motorcycle season. Checklist
1. Start 2. Guide and tips 3. Motorcycle tips 4. Start into the two-wheeler season
The long wait is finally over – the days are getting longer, the sun's rays warmer. Wake up your bike from hibernation. For those who are not hardcore all-season riders, now is the time to properly prepare for the new season. In order to be safe on the road even without a crumple zone, it is advisable, especially for motorcycle riders, to carry out an thorough check of man and machine.
Sandboxes, soccer practice, playing dress-up, or perhaps early musical education: hobbies that would light up many children's eyes that didn't spark jumps of enthusiasm in Sarah Göpfert, who was once eight years old. She had her sights set on a completely different pastime, because at the latest when she watched MotoGP on TV with her grandfather in 2006, it was clear that her path should lead her to the racetrack. "It all started with a taster training session, then I started quite quickly with one or two regular training sessions per week. For this I got a pocket bike, which is virtually a motorcycle in miniature format. 50 centimeters high and a maximum speed of 100 km/h," recalls Göpfert. Her parents have always supported their daughter's unusual choice of hobby, despite initial concerns.
Man's world racetrack – women are still rarely active there
In the meantime, the pocket bike has become a motorcycle with 320 cubic centimeters of displacement, 42 horsepower and a maximum speed of 200 km/h. That's what Sarah Göpfert, now 23, is riding with 19 fellow competitors. A fellow competitor in the Yamaha R3 Cup. "You can compare it more or less with the league in soccer," explains the female motorsport athlete. "We all ride the same vehicle to ensure equality of opportunity." Currently things are going more than well for Sarah. At its last competition in Schleiz, Thuringia, on 24. And 25. July 2021, she took first place in two competitions. And 4. Place. This puts it within reach of its self-imposed goal of making it into the top 5 this season. "I must say: It was a fantastic feeling, especially since for the first time again spectators could be present. There came 30.000 people."
In hardly any other type of motor sport are the material requirements in terms of reliability. Performance as extreme as in motocross. And just here the Yamaha YZ250F set standards again and again not only in technical regard. Since its brand launch in 2001 and debut in the 2003 FIM World Championship, the YZ250F has marked the benchmark in four-stroke technology. In 2003, none other than motocross legend Stefan Everts even managed the feat of winning all three championship rounds held on one day – in other words, all classes – and in the following five years, the four-stroke Yamaha helped seven riders to notable successes – including two world championship titles for the fabulous Antonio Cairoli. To this day, the YZ250F has remained the sports bike for winners. This is demonstrated by such talented young riders as Zach Osborne and Loic Larrieu in the MX2 World Championship; or Christophe Charlier, who is currently dominating competition in the MX2 European Championship. Also in the 2010 model year Yamaha relies on the incomparable racing genes. Sends the four-stroke to the track with once again optimized performance. This means that the best-equipped YZ250F remains the first choice for young riders who want to be at the front of the pack on the race track.
Curve potential as the key to faster lap times
Yamaha's race development engineers know exactly why motocross races are won or lost in the corners. Pilots also favor a machine that allows them to turn into corners faster and accelerate out sooner. And that's why the YZ250F was designed from the start for maximum cornering potential. A well controllable engine performance designed. Of course, these talents do not mature overnight, but require integrated, coordinated development of the engine, frame, suspension and other components.
He tells us for the first time why the record was on a knife's edge just minutes before and how he inherited the stunt-driving gene that day. Flashback: Hundreds of thousands of visitors. Visitors stop at 13. August 1993 at 5 p.M. The breath. Only the roar of the stuntman's modified KTM can be heard from far away. The machine resembles a fiery hell-beast, impatiently waiting to be let off the chain. At the last moment, the public learned about the record attempt at a press conference scheduled at short notice. The destination of the 46- and 19-meter-long, respectively, and more than 10-meter-high wooden ramps on the two opposite banks had been a subject of speculation for weeks, accordingly. But no one could even dream of such a death leap.
The preparations were carried out in the style of a commando operation, says Brutus Bildstein, who witnessed the operation as a youngster. He welcomes us to the lakefront estate, pours everyone an old bourbon. Brutus Bildstein followed in the footsteps of his father Felix after his retirement. He has also been marketing his father's brand and pop culture heritage since he retired from the public eye to run a winery in Piedmont. Brutus is an agile giant, ageless, wears his white shirt open that the painful traces of his breakneck actions are exposed. He is a global citizen between Maui, Mumbai and Miami, he said. He bought the house on Lake Constance out of nostalgia, perhaps even homesickness.
"It was still adventure in 1993, without computer simulations, with a small secretive team," he says nostalgically. "We told the carpenters, told them it was avalanche shoring. For a long time, we were looking for a large space for the G-force test facility. Via the former director of the Kartause Ittingen we then found the widely ramified catacombs of this monastery complex."Disguised as roofers, they entered the cellars through the so-called "murder hole" in the northeast wall. The fact that today his G-force testing equipment is installed in the cellar as part of an exhibition makes stuntman Brutus smile. "History repeats itself," he says meaningfully and laughs.
Tips for motorcycle riders
This will make your motorcycle tour an unforgettable experience…
Even when planning a motorcycle tour, there is a lot to consider in advance, so nothing stands in the way of a carefree touring run!
The following checks are all the more important, the longer it has been since the last inspection date. However, the tests should only be carried out by yourself if sufficient experience and skills are available. Tire tread. Check air pressure. Adjust tire pressure to higher loads. Estimate the planned distance and expected remaining tread depth on the journey home and, if in doubt, replace tires, since tires of the correct dimension are often not available abroad, or are only available at great expense. – Check all oil levels (engine, if necessary gearbox and final drive on cardan machines) – Check drive chain (if available) If in doubt, fit a new chain instead. Because drive chains degrade very quickly with advanced wear, they then lengthen rapidly and can break in extreme cases. The chain must be adjusted correctly, taking into account the higher load from the passenger and luggage. – Check brake function
– Check brake and hydraulic fluid levels – (hydraulic clutch). If necessary, top up to the prescribed fill level. Change brake fluid in a timely manner if it has been in the system for two years or more. Brake pad thickness. Check your condition.
– Check the fork and suspension struts for leaks. Replace sealing rings and fork oil if necessary. – Adjust spring preload and damping to increased load.
– Check the lighting system.
– If necessary, adjust headlight setting to increased load.
– Instrument lighting and the rest of the electrical system.
– Observe the permissible total weight. Weighing the motorcycle and luggage is possible with most personal scales. To determine the motorcycle weight is front-. Rear wheel load measured separately on the personal scale. The sum gives the total vehicle weight.
The driving stability of a motorcycle becomes more critical the more load is taken along. Packing correctly is therefore the top priority! The motorcycle should be loaded with as little luggage as possible. In addition, you should pay attention to the permissible total weight, because after all, the driver and passenger, in addition to luggage, also count towards the payload. The maximum total weight can be found in the old vehicle registration document under number 15, in the new documents under F1.
Honda motorcycle rider Justin Morgan, on a CRF450X, crossed the finish line in Ensenada in sixteen hours, 23 minutes and 26 seconds to take first place in the 51StSCORE Baja 1000 off-road race.Morgan and co-drivers Justin Jones and Mark Samuels had the advantage of leaving the starting line ahead of everyone else to.As such, they had the best course conditions and didn't have to contend with any dust from competitors throughout the day.The team never gave up the lead, not on trucks, motorcycles or ATVs, throughout the day, sailing across the finish line ahead of everyone for a flag-to-flag victory.
According to race organizer SCORE International, it was the first time since 2013 that a motorcycle had the fastest time of any vehicle in the race.In the course of the event, motorcycles have now completed the first 38 times compared to just 13 for the 4-wheelers.This year was also Honda's 28Th overall motorcycle win in the Baja 1000.
Cameron Steele at the end
The spread of ABS in motorcycles, especially in the middle class, has made motorcycling and motorcycle training in driving schools much safer. However, I am concerned about the tendency to lose sight of the learning objective "emergency braking without ABS" in driver training.
Fact is:
– Only ca. 60 percent of newly registered motorcycles have ABS. – Only ca. 25 percent of the motorcycles used in road traffic (stock) have ABS. – From this it follows statistically that about 75 percent of new license holders ride a motorcycle without ABS.
Driving a scooter with a car license – Or: Is it worthwhile to get a motorcycle license??The car driving license is securitized freedom, with which you can move motor vehicles up to 3.5 tons. The driving license category B, i.E. The driving license for the car also includes other driving license categories, such as the driving license category M. But with this, the freedom for you on the motorcycle is limited.
Strictly speaking, the category B of the driving license in Switzerland also includes the categories B1, F, G and M. And for driving a scooter with a car license you need the class M, which is included in the car license. This allows you to drive a scooter up to a maximum design speed of 30 km/h. And here's the main problem for driving a scooter with a car license: you'll only get off the ground very slowly with your scooter. The same freedom as a car from the mobility point of view you have with a driver's license of the A classes. It is recommended for you, if you are 16 years or older on the day of the exam, the driving license of the category A1 . The A1 category, which you can drive from the age of 16, is only recommended if you have not yet reached the age of 18. In category A1 you can drive a motorcycle only up to 125 cc (cubic capacity) and maximum 11 kW. This will not be as much fun for you in the long run as driving a scooter with a car license. Therefore, it is recommended for you to take a driving license in addition to the car in the category A2. Because if you have driven 2 years without complaint, so "complaint-free" according to Art. 8 Abs. 6 VZV, then the doors are open to you for the driving license of the category A2 !
Riding a scooter with a car license is therefore only recommended to a limited extent. Because experience shows that older people tend not to want to take a motorcycle license later on. But if you decide to get your motorcycle license at a young age, preferably at the same time as you get your car license, you will be glad you did it later. And: You already have more experience on the bike than other people who start their driving lessons 5 or even 10 years later and catch up their motorcycle license. It is a great experience, for example, with friends to make a trip with the motorcycles in the Alps, which is denied to you with the car license without a motorcycle license. Riding a scooter with a car license is therefore not worthwhile!
Bicycle course
The bike course consists of a large number of individual elements that can be set up to form a course to be ridden through. In the course the participants can practice the use of a bike. Improve your own skills in doing so.
The task is to ride through different obstacles within the course, to test the skill of steering the bike and to train the sense of balance.