flying_hun
Adverse Selection
Sing along with Tina,
What's luck got to do
got to do with it?
Luck is a hot button topic. Maybe you don't want to call it luck. Maybe you want to call it cosmic good fortune. Maybe you want call it surfing the space time continuum. Maybe you want to believe it's got nothing to do with you.
Cool. It's got something to do with me. I'm not fatalistic. I don't believe in pre-destination. I don't believe when "your number's up, it' up". But I see "luck" all over the place.
Some recent posts in which some experienced and respected riders have mentioned luck - and others have reacted adversely - got me thinking about it.
Here's the deal; I've been at this a while. I've pretty much always taken riding seriously, always wanted to be good at it, always wanted to do what I could to make myself safer. Read the articles, paid attention on the roads, went to riding schools, paid attention to the instructors. And for the most part, I've done okay despite being a daily commuter, a long(ish) distance tourer, and an enthusiastic weekend twisty rider. I'm still here. Been riding on the street since 1976, and only had physical contact with a car once (touch wood).
I believe that each of us has responsibility for our actions, and that it's up to each of us to make ourselves as safe as we can - with the knowledge that the safest motorcyclist is the one home in bed. I believe that each time something goes wrong, or I get surprised by something, that's a failure, and a failure is a learning opportunity.
So why do I believe in luck? This could apply in so many instances, and to so many people, but I'll use two as examples.
I used to sort of know this guy. Met him on a Doc Wong ride. He had an infectious enthusiasm for riding. He was a guy who did it all. He'd raced AFM, he'd toured all over hell and gone, including rides in Baja, and the farthest reaches of the Canol Road in the Yukon and NW Territories. He rode to work. He got other people into riding. He gave back to the community. He was a rider's rider. He was the kind of rider I aspired to be. His name was Craig Hightower and he was killed commuting to work.
I used to know this other guy. Met him on a tard ride on Mt. Hamilton. Guy was riding this little POS 250, and was effortlessly quick and smooth. He had raced AFM, been a class champion. He instructed at track days. He wrote books on better riding. He was featured in national motorcycle publications. He showed up for the community. He helped other riders improve. I rode with him occasionally, but only kept up when he let me, and I never saw him try to ride fast. His name was Gary Jaehne, and he was killed on a beautiful spring Saturday out riding with friends on a roads he knew like no one else is ever likely to know them.
We could go back through old threads and debate the "causes" of their crashes, but that's largely a waste of time. They were highly skilled riders who in each case got killed doing something they'd done many times before with no bad consequences, just like there are things I've done many times that could potentially kill me, but haven't. Just like I would wager there are things you have done many times that could kill you but haven't.
The point is, both these guys were far better riders than me, and both of them died riding. Bad luck vs. good luck.
I believe in doing what I can to be the best rider I can be. I don't believe in infallibility. I don't believe popes are infallible, and I sure as shit don't think motorcyclists are infallible.
There were enough Greek tragedies taught when I was in K-12 that I soaked in the lesson that hubris is a bad thing and will lead to a bad end. If you've got the hubris to believe you're infallible, well then, all I can do is suggest a little humility and awareness, and wish you good luck.
That's what luck has to do with it.
What's luck got to do
got to do with it?
Luck is a hot button topic. Maybe you don't want to call it luck. Maybe you want to call it cosmic good fortune. Maybe you want call it surfing the space time continuum. Maybe you want to believe it's got nothing to do with you.
Cool. It's got something to do with me. I'm not fatalistic. I don't believe in pre-destination. I don't believe when "your number's up, it' up". But I see "luck" all over the place.
Some recent posts in which some experienced and respected riders have mentioned luck - and others have reacted adversely - got me thinking about it.
Here's the deal; I've been at this a while. I've pretty much always taken riding seriously, always wanted to be good at it, always wanted to do what I could to make myself safer. Read the articles, paid attention on the roads, went to riding schools, paid attention to the instructors. And for the most part, I've done okay despite being a daily commuter, a long(ish) distance tourer, and an enthusiastic weekend twisty rider. I'm still here. Been riding on the street since 1976, and only had physical contact with a car once (touch wood).
I believe that each of us has responsibility for our actions, and that it's up to each of us to make ourselves as safe as we can - with the knowledge that the safest motorcyclist is the one home in bed. I believe that each time something goes wrong, or I get surprised by something, that's a failure, and a failure is a learning opportunity.
So why do I believe in luck? This could apply in so many instances, and to so many people, but I'll use two as examples.
I used to sort of know this guy. Met him on a Doc Wong ride. He had an infectious enthusiasm for riding. He was a guy who did it all. He'd raced AFM, he'd toured all over hell and gone, including rides in Baja, and the farthest reaches of the Canol Road in the Yukon and NW Territories. He rode to work. He got other people into riding. He gave back to the community. He was a rider's rider. He was the kind of rider I aspired to be. His name was Craig Hightower and he was killed commuting to work.
I used to know this other guy. Met him on a tard ride on Mt. Hamilton. Guy was riding this little POS 250, and was effortlessly quick and smooth. He had raced AFM, been a class champion. He instructed at track days. He wrote books on better riding. He was featured in national motorcycle publications. He showed up for the community. He helped other riders improve. I rode with him occasionally, but only kept up when he let me, and I never saw him try to ride fast. His name was Gary Jaehne, and he was killed on a beautiful spring Saturday out riding with friends on a roads he knew like no one else is ever likely to know them.
We could go back through old threads and debate the "causes" of their crashes, but that's largely a waste of time. They were highly skilled riders who in each case got killed doing something they'd done many times before with no bad consequences, just like there are things I've done many times that could potentially kill me, but haven't. Just like I would wager there are things you have done many times that could kill you but haven't.
The point is, both these guys were far better riders than me, and both of them died riding. Bad luck vs. good luck.
I believe in doing what I can to be the best rider I can be. I don't believe in infallibility. I don't believe popes are infallible, and I sure as shit don't think motorcyclists are infallible.
There were enough Greek tragedies taught when I was in K-12 that I soaked in the lesson that hubris is a bad thing and will lead to a bad end. If you've got the hubris to believe you're infallible, well then, all I can do is suggest a little humility and awareness, and wish you good luck.
That's what luck has to do with it.
