Five Riding Skills You Can Practice Every Ride

[Bill_Walker]

I just read this, and I think it's really, really good.

 

Five Riding Skills You Can Practice Every Ride

[Bill_Walker]

I especially liked this one:

 

Target fixation can be deadly, so I practice avoiding it in turns or on straights by visually selecting something on the road (debris, dark/light patches, etc.) and immediately looking farther down the road. The brain retains a short-term map of what was just seen and the rider then guides the bike around the imagined hazard. With enough practice, you don’t even have to think about it, and your reactions kick in to steer you away from trouble.

[basilr]

Since I live in B.C., I get lots of twisties. My cardinal rule is:

 

"If you flinch in a left hand turn when traffic is coming towards you, you are too close to the yellow line".

 

After a while, just being close to it makes you paranoid without thinking about it. You automatically move right,knowing you were too close for comfort.

[Mike]

This is good advice. One of the things I practice often is maximum braking. If you're uncomfortable doing it from 80 mph, then start at lower speeds and work your way up. It's a surprisingly jarring experience if you never do it, but it's one of the survival tactics that I would guess is vastly underused--people either don't brake or they brake moderately, when aggressive, full emergency braking might save them from a collision.

 

Another tactic I engage in is war-gaming potential SHTF scenarios. "If that car crosses into my lane, I'd do X." "If a boulder comes crashing down that hill, I'd do Y." Mental rehearsal isn't a substitute for muscle memory, but I think it's important, and it helps avoid brain freeze when the unexpected occurs.

 

I'll admit, though, that my present ride--an RTW--is so flipping competent and responsive that I often fall into the trap of riding with my brain engaged at about 25%, confident in the ability of my moto to get me out of trouble. It's a dangerous pattern to fall into, and I'm thankful for nudges like this to get me back into the mode of riding more consciously.