VaderSS
Skill Seeker
Thanks. Having a few years under my belt helps.
Years certainly help, but I know people who are way older than me who still have not learned...
Thanks. Having a few years under my belt helps.
Some attitudes commonly held by motorcyclists contribute to giving up too early:The most common rider error, in my opinion, is giving up on a situation before it is over and done. If you think you can make it, you'll have a heck of a lot better chance of actually making it than if you decide you can't make it. Once you make the decision that you've exhausted your options, you have. If you leave yourself open for another solution to pop up, then it probably will.
This is just semantics, but anticipation can mean recognizing a developing situation and projecting the outcome. We all do that all the time to great benefit. If you see a car ahead merging carelessly, you can anticipate that a driver forced to take evasive action will end up in your lane. He may or may not, but by acting as if he will, you ensure your own safety.A skilled motorcyclist is prepared for almost any eventuality. "Prepared" does not mean anticipating though. It is impossible to anticipate every eventuality, and trying will only cause you to miss what actually happens. "Prepared" means that you have considered the possibilities, came up with solutions for the problems, and practiced the solutions.
I would rather wear protective gear but ride as if I were in a t-shirt and flip-flops. If I lowside in a turn, I might just slide harmlessly across the pavement to a soft dirt shoulder and be protected from injury by my gear. But then again, I might hit an oncoming vehicle, and gear provides no significant protection in that kind of impact. I will not let my protective gear influence my perception of injury risk in the event of a crash.I am a firm believer in ATGATT for several reasons. The obvious one is that it protects us if we fall. Another benefit is that it allows us to practice another rule of life that will take you far;
Care, but not too much. This is my number one rule for everything I do in life. I can't say that I manage it all the time, but I try.
In motorcycling, "Care, but not too much" means this; recognize the risks and prepare for them, but don't give them so much weight that they paralyze you. ATGATT goes a long way toward making this possible. Being prepared will help keep you from using the gear.
Oh, and both my mentor and Lee Parks, the writer of the book and main instructor for the Total Control ARCs, feel that trail-braking is one of the most important skills a rider can learn, because it gives you the ability to radically change your line in a curve. They both say that individuals have contacted them to let them know that it saved them.
I now feel that the $650 cost of the TCARCs(both together) was more than worth it for giving me this one skill.
Here's my list that keeps me lucky.
(1) Never ride after drinking, even a small amount of alcohol
(2) Leave the ego at home. Don't race cars or other riders.
(3) Never daydream while riding. I've done it in the car, but make a point to stay focused on the bike.
(4) Ride defensively. Ie do not protect lane position against an aggressive driver. Be Evasive rather than aggressive.
(5) Don't flip the bird to a driver. To use an analogy : You're bringing a knife to gun fight.
A problem I have with Gary J's article is that he fails to distinguish between dirt, track, and street crashes.My only point in posting garyj article is that you will crash unless you just put along on the freeway and only on sunday when its noon and ninety degrees.
I would rather wear protective gear but ride as if I were in a t-shirt and flip-flops.
I will not let my protective gear influence my perception of injury risk in the event of a crash.
Crashing should always be regarded as unacceptable because injuries are to a great extent a matter of luck.
So what's the point of this thread?
Learn to ride so you won't crash? Practice your skills and learn new ones?
Crashes happen. Sometimes it is the rider who is at fault. Sometimes it's another motorist or a critter or same crap in the road. Sometimes the bike fails. And sometimes lightning strikes.
That's life. Deal with it. And strive to be positive when the going gets tough. Just don't give these platitudinous sermons on not thinking luck had anything to do with me saving my butt on a ride just because you took some street skills class and think preaching to the choir is the way to go.
So what's the point of this thread?
The point of the thread is that if you have the attitude that "crashes happen", you're more likely to crash than if you accept 100% responsibility for your fate and actively look for ways not to crash.masameet wrote: So what's the point of this thread?
Learn to ride so you won't crash? Practice your skills and learn new ones?
Crashes happen. Sometimes it is the rider who is at fault. Sometimes it's another motorist or a critter or same crap in the road. Sometimes the bike fails. And sometimes lightning strikes.