How do you

[bentnail]

How do you reel yourselves in when you get to riding faster and harder than you should?

 

I have found if I read the “Face Plant” forum on ADV it brings me back into line very quickly.

Most of them are far far better riders than I ever will be. I find if I read it every two or three

week it will help me ride safer.

 

Guy

 

[CoarsegoldKid]

I'll get back to you when it happens. But the thought of broken bones and road rash have a calming effect.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I just run the movie of my last off through my head. First the feeling with the bike way off the ground and coming down sideways at 70+ mph, then the tumble and hearing my face shield scraping the ground, then the slide, then the re-tumble. Then the feeling, when all has come to a stop, while checking function of my extremities and waiting for the Wiley Coyote dump truck to take me out. The weeks of recovery from my broken ribs and the tweaked upper back that still bothers me two years later.

 

No trouble reining myself in.

[SageRider]

Nothing quite like the experience of seeing road scraping past a couple of inches in front of your face....

Unless one isn't wearing a full face helmet, in which case there isn't much face left.....

[MotorinLA]

A mental replay of previous crashes is definitely a great motivator. Mentally playing hypothetical crashes, by imagining the noises, sights and feelings of what would happen if you were to go down (again) also helps.

[Paul Mihalka]

I don't have to go to any extremes of self-warning. When I go through a few turns or places a bit over my head, all I do is tell myself "Now don't be stupid". That usually does it.

[upflying]

Drivers turning left in front of me or pulling out of driveways and sides streets is a frequent reminder to slow down.

[Quinn]

Very vivid imagination. I just have to realize that I'm going too fast to read the road surface or stop in time if someone suddenly appears from around the curve on my side.

 

---

 

 

[Whip]

First...I have a recording in my head that says..."never go into a corner too hot"....then the other side of the 45 says, "bring em back alive"

 

 

Second...The thing about boxers and other twin motors is you can use the engine brake to slow the bike down. If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard.

 

Third(most of the time first)....Mrs Whip will pinch me or slap me up side my helmet if she feels unsafe in anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[10ovr]

First...I have a recording in my head that says..."never go into a corner too hot"....then the other side of the 45 says, "bring em back alive"

 

 

Second...The thing about boxers and other twin motors is you can use the engine brake to slow the bike down. If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard.

 

Third(most of the time first)....Mrs Whip will pinch me or slap me up side my helmet if she feels unsafe in anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I bet you get hit a lot

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Second...The thing about boxers and other twin motors is you can use the engine brake to slow the bike down. If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard.

+1. That seems to be my best wake-up call. At least it always gets my attention focused on the immediate tasks at hand!

[Ken H.]

Third(most of the time first)....Mrs Whip will pinch me or slap me up side my helmet if she feels unsafe in anyway.

I can relate! Right after the slap, the next thing I usually here in the intercom is, “Well that was stupid.”

[AviP]

It's a very good question. I did some riding around Newfoundland that went from fast to aggressive to insane in the week I was there. There was some gravel, night driving on moose infested roads and lots of wet weather. I survived without an accident but if ever there was a lesson to be learnt, that was the place and time. This was back in 2005 on my RT. I also realized that staying in one place, in this case Rocky Harbour, made me more familiar with the roads and hence more daring in search of the perfect corner. When I went back in 2010, just the recognition of my stupidity was enough to keep me in check. My takeaway is don't stay in one place more than 2 days. It helps me reign in the adrenalin by dialing in a healthy dose of safety.

[VinnyR11]

The bike I'm riding has a great effect on my riding intelligence.

 

When I had my Kawasaki Ninja the only solution was to sell the bike. The bike was no fun unless I was driving too fast for public roads. In my entire ownership I never road that bike where I didn't hit 100mph at least once during the day. I finally grew up, came home and told my wife, "I'm selling the Ninja, because I'm going to kill myself with it."

 

That's why I love the RT. It's a lot of fun in the twisties at practical speeds, and when I find myself going a little too fast, when I slow down it's still a terrific ride and tons of fun at normal speeds.

[notacop]

"If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard."

 

I hope you have the courtesy of watch your mirrors so you can let the rest of the world pass you. Some of us aren't quite dead yet and like to romp about the back roads, not necessarily the posted speeds.

Otherwise using the look ahead approach to traffic, one could moderate their speed with the throttle only. I do that with the cruise control in the car. I use throttle control to steer the sidecar.

[CoarsegoldKid]

"If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard."

 

I hope you have the courtesy of watch your mirrors so you can let the rest of the world pass you. Some of us aren't quite dead yet and like to romp about the back roads, not necessarily the posted speeds.

...

I don't think you have to worry about Whip being a rolling chicane.

[dhanson]

Now that is funny for sure, ROTFLMAO!!

 

Most likely if Whip hits the brakes, you already have more to worry about than him braking in front of you! BAAAHAAAAAAAA!

[dhanson]

I did a big loop in the backroads this morning on my Duc, I used the mental image of only having 110 HP on the new S10 and enjoying the ride. Only had 2 trucks pull out in front of me on blind hills and corners and only saw 1 deer that entered the woods before I made it to him.

 

It all worked because I was only 10 over instead of +40.

[outpost22]

How do you reel yourselves in when you get to riding faster and harder than you should?

 

I wasn't riding fast at all, but I just refer to these pictures for a refresher course: OUCH

[basilr]

I hope you did Hwy 470 from Port aux Basques to Rose Blanche. It has to be the best road in NL and maybe the Maritimes...and maybe.....

 

A great 40km ride. I can't remember what I did to slow down because I don't think I did. What a rush.

[tallman]

"If I have to use the bikes brakes I know I am pushing too hard."

 

I hope you have the courtesy of watch your mirrors so you can let the rest of the world pass you. Some of us aren't quite dead yet and like to romp about the back roads, not necessarily the posted speeds.

[/quote

 

And that is why some people have negative attitudes about mc riders.

You want to romp? Get on a race track.

Just because one can do doesn't mean one should do.

Best way to avoid having to reel your self in is to not get to the end of the line on public roads.

 

One isn't dead because they choose not to ride that way.

 

One might get dead quicker if they do.

[notacop]

Tallman...

Going for a "romp" as I ride now usually means riding the speed limit and maybe +5. Hardly fodder for race tracks. Folks who may be using their engine braking may well be going a lot less than the posted limits.

Highway courtesy, watch your mirror and let traffic coming up behind you go by when the road was offers the opportunity. My license fees and gas taxes only pay for my use of the road, not a right to block it.

You suggest we all mosey along at the slowest slugs pace?

I've got the decency to pull over for the Frito Lay truck going up mountain roads because I was slower than traffic on my sidecar rig.

 

Sign seen on side of road, "slow traffic use pull outs". I'm not fast but I like to go the speed limit.

I would argue more road rage is caused by inattentive sluggy folks refusing to be considerate and let folks go bye than the guy that zips past and goes on his way.

[Paul Mihalka]

There is some kind of a misconception here. Riding on a nice twisty/sweepy road smoothly nicely pre-judging the coming turns, riding it on a BMW boxer without touching the brakes is not riding slow, definitely not holding up any normal traffic. Normal riding can be around 4000/5000 rpm. At that point engine braking is very solid. If the rpm would drop below that range you want to shift down to be in the right gear for the turn exit. I like to ride like that. If something closes up behind me (seldom) I let it go as soon as I can.

[pmdave]

The biggest hazard for me is to join a group. When I'm riding by myself I don't have any problems maintaining a suitable pace. But when other riders are present, especially skillful riders, I'm more likely to find myself wicking it up.

 

It's not just that being too fast for the situation of the moment can cause a crash--it's also that dicing with other riders puts me in a mood for more aggressive riding. So, even after the group splits, I'm still more likely to be juiced up and willing to take chances.

 

I'd like to feel that the memory of smacking into the pavement will cause me to ride my own ride, but that remains to be seen. For those who haven't yet had the experience of that sudden slam into a hard surface, it's an education. The feeling of the impact is more than pain. It's the knowledge that various parts of your body are instantly broken/bashed/smushed--even if you're wearing ATGATT. And while you're lying there knowing you'd better stay still, you're wondering if the other drivers on the road see you.

 

I'm hoping those valuable memories will serve as a reminder to avoid getting suckered into something stupid. (again)

 

pmdave