Confidence

[Mattberkshire]

I hadn't ridden for 2 weeks. Various reasons but whatever I hadn't taken the FZ6 out for a couple of weeks. So on the 24th my wife decided we didn't have enough xmas booze in and could I get a couple of bottles of spirits. Hmm thinks I. I'll take the bike. Now I've been doing some major carpentry in the garage so the bike was covered in sawdust. OK, cleared that off. On with the leathers. Gave the visor a quick wipe (helmet lives on a shelf in the garage) and I'm off. It was wet, dark and my visor was filthy. The wipe had just smeared crap all over it.

So, I set off and it wasn't until halfway back, over 15 miles, that I recovered the confidence I had had when I parked up 2 weeks ago after riding my bike every day all year.

Every roundabout, I sat upright fearful of a rear wheel spinout that would lay me flat, every corner exit I wa fearful of losing the front end and laying flat out.

I wasn't until I was nearly home I rediscovered the old knack and I rode like I should have for the last 15 miles, despite the woefully smeared visor.

Wierd isn't it??? I can get in a car with kids braying at my ear and happily drive for miles but bikes demand the utmost concentration and skill.

(ps, I have taken the visor out, cleaned it thoroughly and put it in a helmetbag ready for next time)

 

[Botch]

Better that your nervous system holds back until its sure you remember the skills, than the other way around!
I do the same thing, especially now when I have to wait for a day where the roads are clear and its not too cold.

 

[wrightme43]

That makes perfect sense though. The first thing I force myself to do when I go riding is to a parking lot to practice. A car the controls all make sense. A bike the controls dont make sense. Push away from the way you want to go. Gently apply the brake then apply then apply the brake.
I know the exact feeling your talking about, and it kills riders. When I or any other rider is in that mode, a cager can get us easy. When we have just went and practiced our sharp turns, and hard braking, we are ready.
Lee Parks and Pat Hahn both talk about this in their books.

 

[HavBlue]

I don't know about you but I had been on 2 wheels long before I had been on 4. When I did learn to drive I felt much like you with the bike. I will however say that after 44 years of riding I still take it easy for the first few miles until I get settled in to my grove. Then I'm gone.......

 

[Bo67]

Yep, use caution when in doubt. I rode 2 days ago in 18 degree weather and to be honest it felt like I was riding a dump truck. The tire grip was poor, the throttle was a little jerky, the suspension felt muddy, and the brakes felt kinda mushy. All related to the temperature so I went into the "safe is sure" mode. I only rode 8 miles before I headed back home; it was just too cold.
You react to your bike as much as it reacts to you so when in doubt, take it easy.

 

[reiobard]

better safe than sorry, if you don't feel safe it is better to ride cautious since a lot of bike riding is confidence and not just skill.

 

[HavBlue]

The other thing to think about is most accidents happen within like 10 miles of the home....

 

[Nelly]

The other thing to think about is most accidents happen within like 10 miles of the home....

That is very true, UK stats reckon most bike fatalities happen within three miles from home. Thr rider enters a state of concious incompetence.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

That's why I ride EVERYDAY! Rain or shine, hot or cold. Right now, it's on the chilly side, the low's have been hitting below the freezing mark.

 

[pedwards89]

That is very true, UK stats reckon most bike fatalities happen within three miles from home. Thr rider enters a state of concious incompetence.

Got to disagree with you mate. I don't doubt the statistics or the altered state of conciouness, but it's not concious incompetence. Concious incompetence is when 'You know that you can't do something.'

I don't know the technical term for the condition you are describing, but basically you just stop concentrating on the task in hand because something else is occupying your thought processes: Seeing the wife & kids; or that new baby of yours; the cold one in the fridge with your name on it, or whatever.

The term 'concious incompetence' is usually associated with the 4 stages of learning.

Unconscious incompetence - you don't know that you don't know (e.g blissful ignorance)
Conscious incompetence - you know you don't know
Conscious competence - you know it, but only with effort (e.g. looking at the gear stick when you're just learning to drive)
Unconscious competence - you don't know you know it (e.g. driving somewhere & not remembering the journey)

From some of the articles I've read recently, I don't think bikers ever achieve Unconscious competence. Sure you can learn to do the actions 'automatically', either through experience or by practice such as Steve's incredibly disciplined approach. But such is the outside stimuli that the rider has to process & react to, the level of concentration required to ride safely means that Unconscious competence is never achieved.

OK so I'm on holiday & have got too much time on my hands. Here endeth today's lesson. :Im With Stupid:

Edit: Did more or less the same thing on Christmas Eve Buggerlugs, only I was out for a pleasure jaunt of 80 odd miles. The first few miles were very tentative.

 

[reiobard]

Got to disagree with you mate. I don't doubt the statistics or the altered state of conciouness, but it's not concious incompetence. Concious incompetence is when 'You know that you can't do something.'

I don't know the technical term for the condition you are describing, but basically you just stop concentrating on the task in hand because something else is occupying your thought processes: Seeing the wife & kids; or that new baby of yours; the cold one in the fridge with your name on it, or whatever.

The term 'concious incompetence' is usually associated with the 4 stages of learning.

Unconscious incompetence - you don't know that you don't know (e.g blissful ignorance)
Conscious incompetence - you know you don't know
Conscious competence - you know it, but only with effort (e.g. looking at the gear stick when you're just learning to drive)
Unconscious competence - you don't know you know it (e.g. driving somewhere & not remembering the journey)

From some of the articles I've read recently, I don't think bikers ever achieve Unconscious competence. Sure you can learn to do the actions 'automatically', either through experience or by practice such as Steve's incredibly disciplined approach. But such is the outside stimuli that the rider has to process & react to, the level of concentration required to ride safely means that Unconscious competence is never achieved.

OK so I'm on holiday & have got too much time on my hands. Here endeth today's lesson. :Im With Stupid:

Edit: Did more or less the same thing on Christmas Eve Buggerlugs, only I was out for a pleasure jaunt of 80 odd miles. The first few miles were very tentative.

HEY!!! i don't come on here to LEARN anything... Jeeze!

Merry Christmas

 

[Botch]

The other thing to think about is most accidents happen within like 10 miles of the home....

I've seen that quote similar for private aircraft accidents (albeit 25 miles).
As an engineer and former statistician, I'd like to see an answer to this: I'll bet most miles are driven within 10 miles of the home, too!

 

[codeblue]

The other thing to think about is most accidents happen within like 10 miles of the home....

I agree with that. I was in a car accident back in college just a few blocks away from home. Ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.