LordKeiella

I am going on a 2800-ish mile ride this summer and am doing it on a motorized tandem. I intend on splitting the ride between the meat motor and the gas motor.

While I am riding a tandem, there will only be the captain. The strokers bars and seat will be removed, and the crank modified to accept the gas engines power. The only reason for the tandem is because it gives me the load-carrying length, or more, of a Free Radical from xtracycle, and still leaves room for the engine, without the risk of 3rd degree burns from a hot exhaust pipe. Ouch!

I need defensive riding tips, evasive maneuvering tips, specific to a tandem. On a road or mountain bike, I can pretty much put it where I need it when I need it. But this tandem, because of its length, is much slower to respond in my opinion. I can not tell yet where the back wheel really is, and if I cant tell where my bike is, its hard to know where to put it!

So, braking, fast lane changes, like to avoid a cage door, hitting sand unexpectedly, tires locking up on unseen wet or gravel or sand over the road, how to ride out of a blowout at 30mph going downhill, and any other situations u can come up with that might need special skills to handle on a tandem. What changes to my riding style are needed to safely ride this rig?

Thanks