Intention, Attention, Duplication, Understanding

[David]

Welcome to our new forum. This "Ride Well" section fits "well" with "Ride Together" and "Ride Tales." In fact, you particularly want to "ride well" when you are "riding together," as the dangers get ignored, the self-instituted boundaries get forgotten, and the proximity of bikes at speed bring their own inherent dangers. For those of you who are interested, we are going to work through some of those issues in Gunnison.

 

In the past we have mixed Riding Well into all the other forums, but it seems appropriate to make it more important by setting it apart.

 

Our goal with this forum is to specifically get you to think about riding well. That doesn't mean riding slower, necessarily, but it does mean riding more aware, more deliberately, and hopefully it means hitting fewer things!

 

Eventually this forum will be just like the others in that members will initiate and respond as they wish. In fact, that's open to you now, and we are all looking forward to your participation.

 

But to get this forum started on the right foot, several folks will be contributing "essays" on a particular aspect of Riding Well. Dick Frantz, Master Yoda, is going to kick us off as soon as I get out of his way in a moment. He Rides Well, has helped many others do the same, and also understands the process as one big intentional whole. And this is the place to point out what Dick has said many times--it's not a checklist to be mastered, but rather a way of doing things where each (potentially) critical skill interacts constantly with the others. You'll get that sense as you look over his shoulder while he negotiates one specific corner, somewhere between "here" and Cleveland.

 

Then Gustavo (GJBike) is going to talk to us about what it's like for a good rider (which he is) to go down. He's a medical doctor and so you'll enjoy his perspective. Then I will talk about negotiating obstacles. Then Sean and Arch are going to really stretch us with two more topics.

 

As much as we all enjoy hanging out here, the vast majority of us enjoy riding far more than reading and typing. I know I do. I just canNOT wait to get on the bike and work at Riding Well. Here's a (non-alcoholic!) toast to the fun of learning something new. Dick, take it away.color=blue>

 

ESSAY #1 by Dick Frantz

 

ATTENTION !!

 

Hi, there! Where ya goin'? Uh... How will you know when you get there?

 

When I head off on a trip, I certainly have a Destination. But, I like to think of it more in terms of an Objective. Most Riding Objectives do have the qualities of a Destination, it IS "somewhere", but it has other qualities too. Alone, "Cleveland" usually doesn't well describe why I loaded up, mounted up, and headed out. When I've got there, met Karl, eaten those ribs at Johnnie's, and seen the Indians whip the Yankees, well, THEN I'll have accomplished my objective. I'll know because I stated it before I started.

 

Without The Objective, hanging out there somewhere in my mind, a departure could wind me up anywhere. Hanging out there, "in front of me,” it allows me to set a direction, and even colors how I might conduct this activity, seeking to achieve it. And, it gives me something to measure my progress, toward it, and to measure how well I went about it when it's over.

 

Big trip that, California to Cleveland. Perhaps some "sub-objectives" along the way could keep me from wandering around, covering extra miles that don't cleanly lead to where I'm headed --Where, and perhaps How I want this to end up. That's it! Las Vegas, Denver, St. Louis, Indianapolis...and THEN Cleveland. Now, I've got Bite Sized Chunks I can easily deal with. I can use them to more finely direct my actions, and to more accurately measure how I'm progressing. And, I can easily keep them in mind, and say, keep my attention on The Rockies while I'm headed to Denver, and not have my mind cluttered with stuff that might arise near Indianapolis. Cool. And, with the "Big" Objective always in mind, how I do these little ones can be more clearly directed toward it.

 

Hmmmm. Big freeway miles in there somewhere. Straight, long, same. I wonder...?

 

Yes, I do apply that concept to the rest of my riding. I do follow a unified approach to how I conduct all the aspects of my Riding: An Integrated Methodology. I've found I can simplify things (and thus achieve greater success) by doing them the same general way, adhering to the same principals, and in the same order.

 

Out on the freeway, I look well ahead. Sure, I'll be scanning the roadway and the general environment. But, the FIRST act is ALWAYS to set a point up there as an Objective. Primarily it's a spot in my portion of the lane, and I take a moment, whatever minimal fraction of time it takes to be CERTAIN it has been put there, so I ensure that I KNOW where it is. I decide that's where I'm headed ,and usually that I'll end up there in a state just like I am now, a FULL Objective, and not just a Destination.

 

I'll steer a course for that spot. Now, when some interesting piece of scenery appears, or a flatbed with an elephant lashed to it enters the roadway, I will turn my head and take it in. But, I'm still headed for "that" spot, that Objective. You see, we do NOT, and never have, AUTOMATICALLY "gone where you're Looking". But, we do go to some spot, or in the direction of it, where we have placed a greater, or lesser amount of our ATTENTION. These two things (attention and looking) are not necessarily the same.

 

In this case we've got our Attention spread around a little bit. Some is on holding the throttle steady, some is on maintaining our Riding Posture, we ARE hearing, we DO feel the bumps, and there's that elephant over there. Oh... and there's that Objective. So where WILL we "end up going"? To the "Point of Attention" we've assigned as Most Important.

 

It's when a rider "takes his attention off his Next Objective" that he ends up colliding with the elephant. He's RE-assigned that as "most important." Rightly or wrongly.

 

"Rightly" in terms of WHAT? Oh... You remember: The PRIMARY Objective. The one that should be clearly defined as to location and quality, and then "kept in mind."

 

So, that's how I can steer a straight course down the freeway: "Spot" after spot set out there as Objectives. And, each one aligned in direction and quality to my "final" Objective. Boy that's a lot of words to describe an Objective. Let's just call it Purpose, the "why I'm doing this" and How.

 

Works on curves too. Some folks have complimented me on how smoothly I get on down the freeway in staggered formation--especially when it gets curvy. I'm just doing the same thing. I'm setting Spots out there, Objective, oh, a hundred feet ahead and about a foot or so from the lane divider. I set one, and then another, and most likely, I'll look way "up" and set one way, way out there where the road straightens out again. That's the one that I'll put MOST of my Attention on because it's like a "final" Objective. And, what I notice is, I can still clearly see where the dividing line is "intersecting" with some portion of the bike, or how far it is from some portion of the bike. As I continue forward, most of my Attention still on that farthest Objective, I can see even the smallest departures in my distance from the divider--I don't need to "look" directly at it. I'll be making minute corrections based upon that monitoring of what I see in my peripheral vision, but more importantly, what I see in the periphery of my Consciousness, the sum of my Attention.

 

That process was kind of "building" that long sweeping corner when I started out, and then switched to "dragging myself along," "pulling" as if FROM my Objective. I like that concept. It has proven to be a powerful and successful director of what results in my riding. The other way is rather like trying to PUSH a hammer by the tip of its handle up a steep and undulating slope. This way is like tying a string to the handle and pulling it up smoothly. That's just like first setting the Destination and Qualities of a long drip before departure, and then "keeping some Attention on that." It's a magnet.

 

It works REALLY well in twisties. If I really am "A Smooth Rider," I'll bet that has a lot to do with it.

 

Cornering, carving them up, can be met with the same methodology of the rest of my riding. Cornering has aspects that deserve Attention if my riding is to be done well, a success. It doesn't have lane changing, people keeping even or uneven intervals, stopping and slowing, lane changes and merges in it. But it does have its own Qualities that can affect my "progress toward my greater and lesser Objectives." Each of the Corner's "factors" deserve an APPROPRIATE portion of my Attention. And, at an appropriate time.

 

As always, the one that deserves my unyielding Attention is the "final" one for this portion of roadway, this Corner. Loosing that is a loss of the largest Factor in getting where I'm going and HOW I arrive there --perhaps my very Well-being.

 

So, I get some very nebulous sense of a place I'm headed, and just like on the freeway, I "scan the environment,” looking for factors that might affect my journey. The Corner itself is part of that, and I'll take in as much it as I can perceive--by WHATEVER means.

 

I don't just "try to," I always DETERMINE The Exit Point, both its location, and the state I want to be in when I get there--The Objective. As far as Location goes, that's perhaps a 50/50 thing sometimes. If I can't positively see it, the point at the outside edge of the roadway away from the turn where, or slightly beyond where, the roadway ceases curving, I DO get a general sense of where it is. That's the first "50%". The second is I DETERMINE it’s there. I PUT it there. It is postulated. It's MY point, and even if "the real there" can be seen, I know it's important to put MY point on top if it. It's MY point that also has the Qualities I want when I get there.

 

Those could include a speed, one lean angle or another, how much on-power, and certainly, MY SURVIVAL. Boy, it sure seems I should keep some attention on that last thing.

 

Now, I use that point, however "well" located, to now DEFINE the Corner. I work my Attention back to The Apex, the point at the inside of the turn that's the farthest from both The Exit Point, and where I'll probably turn into the corner. I "mentally" draw a line back from The Exit Point toward The Apex, in a CONTIUOUS EVEN CURVE, that extended further toward me, intersects the outside edge of the roadway. From The Exit Point, to The Apex, that "MY curve" has now somewhat well defined. This is the Turn-In Point.

 

Aha!! I've now got MY Corner. At first it's kind of "airy," not distinct. So, keeping the shape of that curve in mind, I now run it forward from The Turn-In Point toward The Apex down at the inside of the roadway. The Line now becomes more distinct, as I extend it toward that Exit Point. And now, I have something to "shoot for."

 

What's left, as I roll up to this corner, is to set a speed, and determine a lean angle by which I conceive I can actually make the bike roll over that Line, that arc I've created. I brake or only roll off the throttle to achieve my speed as I put most of my Attention on The Turn-In point--my Next Objective, my Denver when on my way to CLEVELAND.

 

As I can see it will be, or is being achieved, I shift the majority of my Attention to The Apex. Just as when following the curve on the freeway, with the majority of my Attention on The Apex, I can still "see" peripherally, my rolling over The Turn-In point, just as I could "see" how far I was from the lane divider. So, as The Turn-Point is achieved, I...Turn-In.

 

I'll roll the bike, usually at neutral throttle, to the PRE-DEFINED lean angle, and then... Monitor how well I'm able to stay on my predefined Line leading toward The Apex. Perhaps I'll need more or less lean, or more or less speed to soundly achieve...where the majority of my Attention is--The Apex. Well, the ONE point of my Attention that I NOW have assigned as Most Important. I still have attention on The Line, how the bike is responding, and...The Exit Point.

 

As The Apex is achieved, I repeat this act of Shifting Attention, now assigning The Exit Point as Most Important. I will still be Aware of all those things that are part of this Corner. But each one is given only the Appropriate amount of Attention. That Most Important Point, what, where, and when, is the determinant of HOW I make the bike move, change its motions by Control Inputs...in order to achieve THAT Objective.

 

Perhaps The Exit Point will not yet be visible. So, I WATCH, most of my Attention on the farthest visible outside portion of the roadway, for it to appear. I will have seen, or still be seeing The Apex, and most probably will be applying power since I love to accelerate out of turns. How MUCH power gets applied is moderated by HOW WELL my definition of THIS Line is matching up with the appearance of The Exit Point. Clearly in view, and with good coincidence of MY Line with it, I'll probably have the throttle wide open.

 

Hoonish me. But, YOU get to choose what it will be like at YOUR Objective. You get to define WHERE and HOW. And, getting it WELL defined, and SOUNDLY put out there, it will act to "pull" you along toward your own success.

 

So, how'd your corner turn out? Compared to what?

 

If you're looking to Ride better, I'm certain it would help to set some Objectives and imbue them with Qualities you could compare your results to--whatever their nature might be. Any Result is a Sum. It's a sum of the actions taken in the course of its achievement. Those actions, even as simple Locations, are discrete. A strong final "coloration" allows defining the color for each discrete one, and easier monitoring of the effectiveness of the action toward it. It shows us where we did well, and where we could improve in order to be...

 

Riding Well.

 

 

See you down the road,

 

Dick Frantz rdfrantz@stmotorcyles.com

 

[dj_nj]

Here’s a notion:

In life and riding, keep your eye on the place you want to go. If you turn your attention away from your objective, that is where you will end up.

 

[GJBike]

Personal anectdote when Grasshopper showing Master Yoda the Texas Hill Country: Doing about 65 and come up to car doing 55. I know there is a 90 degree tight sweeper comming up. Dick had been passing with me and I accellerate to pass but notice the curve is comming up faster than I had predicted. I accellerate more to give Dick a chance to pass while thinking " he doesn't know what's comming". I normally use engine compression to decellerate comming into a curve so the rider behind me would not see my brakelights normally. I lean hard and start to worry that Dick may not have time to slow sufficiently. Needless worry. He carves through the curve no problem. Later during a break he smiles and says" you knew that curve was comming up didn't you -you SOB" and we both have a good laugh.

[rdfrantz]

Gustavo, you are one the greatest of the Brothers in my life.

 

Yes, I could perceive the urgency with which you made room for me to pass the car, and then concern and computation about the corner. Yes, I could see your "shut-down" for the approaching corner, but more evident was your stridency, both at that, and then your thrust into the corner, while still in that extreme smooth and controlled style of yours.

 

I had no problem with the corner because you did not. I simply made me feel, through the operation of my bike, just like you felt. It was the result that was attended to. We got the same result through achieving the same feelings. The same objective.

 

There is more to Attend To, than just what we "see".

 

MTFBWY