I read that one [smiley=thumbup.gif]
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I read that one [smiley=thumbup.gif]
I think my story is a very common one of those that started riding in the 70's except that I missed out the moped stage. My first bike was a CB250N and within two years had progressed through a CB550, Z650 to a CB900F which I bought in 1980 and that was a 140mph capable bike. Of course by that time I was a riding god just like everyone else ;D :D
In the early years I had a couple of "offs" and many close shaves quite a few of which I can still recollect very vividly even now. Looking back, every single one of these incidents had an element of my own fault as to the cause, some partially and some completely down to my own stupidity and lack of fear. The common denominator was typically excess speed. Also, and completely unknowingly to me at the time, my lack of knowledge and experience played a major part in getting me into each of those situations. The problem is, when you don't know what your missing, you don't realise that you're actually missing anything. We all rode like gods at the time - those of us that were lucky survived but many didn't - I lost a couple of good friends during this period of my biking career.
Of course now you can't just get on a bike and ride it without going through a training process which I think is a good thing and there's further training available to those that want to go that route. A few of the hard lessons that we learnt in the 70's and 80's could have been avoided if the training had been available or had been compulsory at the time. However, you simply cannot train people to know how to react to every single situation they are going to be faced with on the road. There are simply too many variables to be able to do that. What training can do is give you an insight into the sort of things that you don't realise that you don't know and open your mind to look out for things that once upon a time could only be learnt the hard way.
Youd also be forgiven for failing to mention accidents caused by poorly serviced bikes too, I noticed my front brakes werent feeling as effective they should, typically as we all do lowered the speed and broke sooner, got home and rolled the bike into the garage with the intention of giving then a good going over across the weekend.............. so glad I did, a third of each front pad was missing, there was no way in hell they would work effectively, and the rears are as much use as a chocolate teapot in this weather, then theres the other..... ahh its got a few more miles left in it yet when dealing with tyres, in this weather ............ madness, brakes steering and traction all require a decent footprint on the road enough rambling but do yourselves a favour just check them over, wet weather gremlins get into everything and a morning of maintainence could save your life :)
Agreed - just goes to show how many variables there actually are that can affect our survival on the road. Whilst risk cannot be eliminated in any walk of life, there are certain risks we as bikers take in order to have the fun we enjoy. With effort, the risks can be made to be acceptable although we all have different ideas of what's acceptable and what isn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by RobGoozee
It's interesting to see that tack that this thread has recently taken, now focusing on what we as riders can do to keep ourselves alive in the face of hazardous circumstances.
Del is correct, motorcycling is a risky pastime, but life itself is also risky, and everything we do is about managing risk. Most of it in our daily lives is subconscious, learnt through instruction and repetition, even mundane tasks like walking down stairs. Driving, riding or walking to work today for those of us who've done it involved assessing and dealing with risks all the way. The point that Del repeatedly stressed in his excellent post was that of experience, and it's true how much it helps us in all aspects of life, not just biking.
I was fortunate enough to have learnt biking by doing an "apprenticeship" on a 'ped at 16, an L-plated 250 at 17 and on from there, gaining invaluable experience along the way, and those of us that did it that way are still here by virtue of ability, luck, judgement and experience. Teenage mortality was a fact of life in those days, though I was fortunate enough not to have anyone I knew actually perish on a bike, but two of my contemporaries died in separate car accidents within the space of 1/4 of a mile on the same bit of road.
Those of us who've served the biking "apprenticeship" will doubtless be a small minority within the WB ranks, which is a shame really. It is sad not to see loads of 16 year-olds on mopeds any more. Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing whatsoever against people taking up biking after their teens, the more of us there are, the better, but in doing our "bit" to keep ourselves alive, relative newcomers on big bikes really do lack experience, but not necessarily confidence. The latter without the former is a bad combination. For this reason I've never considered Direct Access to be a good idea, for despite the best efforts or Mark Able et al, three of four days being trained in order to pass a test does not teach anyone how to actually ride a bike, and it's too much like a modern day equivalent of the lad that Del described with the GS750 at 17 for my liking.
I'm of the same belief as Scotty and Snowy that us that grew up riding bikes of different sizes and abilities are here still due to experience. In the 80's (oh gawd i'm old) i had the unpleasant experience of going to 3 bikers funerals in the same year. Like me, they were all young and invincible. As i've got older the signs, the movement around me, even the type of car tends to throw my survival instinct into overdrive somewhat subconsciously.
I've noticed in the past few years that motorists not only don't see us but, a lot of the time, do see us but are willing to risk it in order to make it to their destination 3 seconds earlier.
Im in total agreement but please do not think that age/experience is always going to be able to help you in moments of other peoples stupidity, you can only react, unfortunatelly in that split second your life is normally no longer in your hands, if your in, then sorry your already in too deep, I buried a good biking freind of mine last year, with years and years of experience, He had an rtc on the straightest bit of road you ever saw, and manage to hit a pedal cyclist, killing them both almost instantly, to this day nobody fully understands the what ifs and wherefores and the only people who understand truly what happened are unfortunately no longer with us, He left behind his family, his band, his freinds and all of his experience. RIP Rob, Rock on dude !
Sometimes we have no control over our destiny. Our bikes are vulnerable but life is more so.
I had a bit of a fright a few months back.
I approached a round-a-bout in my van, saw the car next to me stop, looked all round, nothing coming so went to pull out and missed the back of a cyclist by inches!
I couldn't believe it. How the hell could I have missed that? He was even wearing a hi-viz vest.
I got my first motorbike when I was 11, I've toured around Europe and ridden the TT circuit.
I used to race in bicycle time trials as a teen and still regularly go mountain biking.
Yet I still missed this cyclist.
The problem was I believed what my eyes were telling me and ignored my senses.
The car next to me stopped. He'd obviously seen what I hadn't and that should've set the alarm bells ringing.
It can happen to any of us.
My OH did DAS and went on to get a Rospa gold first time (I've never heard the last of that ;) and become a tutor. He was mature and had plenty of driving epxerience.Quote:
For this reason I've never considered Direct Access to be a good idea
I am suprised that some of you don't agree with freedom of choice on this issue especially Scotty who is usually very pro freedom of choice.
If we should be free to ride, race, not wear high-viz etc. then we shouldn't stop suitably competant people from taking a DAS test when they may be sensible, mature and have lots of experience as a road user.
I don't entirely agree that it's all down to experience. It's how you deal with that experience that's important.
If you ignore it then it doesn't matter how much you have.
If you are the sort of person who careful considers, reflects and learns at every opportunity then you can gain the benefit of leaning very quickly.
I don't think anyone is saying that experience alone is the be all and end all. Its been a common theme in this thread that there are many different factors that can affect personal risk of which experience is one of them. Its all in the name really "experience" - you have to have experienced something in order to learn from it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducatista
We all know that locking the front wheel under panic braking is a bad thing and usually ends up in a crash. But how many people on here have actually done it? Out of those that have (I include myself here having binned my bike and wrote off a car in the process) have learnt a lesson for life that no amount of theoretical classroom or personal tuition can truly replicate. I would not recommend anyone to do it on purpose - it hurts a lot and there's a good chance that you might not get up from it. But having done it, that experience can be added to the other experiences you gain by putting mileage under your belt.
You never stop learning by experience - none of us will ever get to the stage where we know everything. And yes, we all then have a choice over whether we use that experience to our advantage or not, but I would add that when you have done something that hurt a lot (either physically or financially) we tend not to do it again or at least try not to.