After just reading a thread(im not saying wich one) i got to thinking, what do we all think about riding? think about the forum? each other? I have been a member for quite a while now, Admittedly i dont get involved in all the meets(carousel,mmc bowling ect ect) but i have probley put more miles in this year than a lot and maybe not asmany as others. I have only been riding 2year10months so i dont have a wealth of experiance to share(not that i would) the vast majority iv spent time with, have been great people. I completed the beast run this year and met some great guys/girls had a good laugh(most of the time) so im a little confused when i read the thread in question as it rapidly decended in to a d*ck measuring exercise. I myself will never judge a book by its cover,in fact i see myself like those see all monkeys, i dont sit in judgment over anything because who am i to judge. In a long winded way what im trying to say is there are a lot of preachers on this forum and an old friend of mine used to say teaching not preaching is better for comunication. I can see there is a wealth of experiance on this forum,and most of it is wasted. What do people think ? if you have been riding 20 -40 years does this make you a better rider? if you compete in racing does that make you a better rider? what if you do do track days ? complete the IAM? can ride fast and have never had a n off? if you ride slow and cautious? if you do 50 mile a year or 500? do all these things make you a better rider ? or do none? Iv have taken tips from people off this forum and im a better rider for it, but in all honesty i dont know sh*t! let alone preach it. In my time on here iv have honestly only met two guys that id say "yep listen to what they have to say" do you think your a great rider? could you give tips Come on people whats your views
Im Fucking Awesome :shades: LMAO well this is very thought invoking isnt it, I have to say that I know everything about f*ck all but as a collective I think we can get to conclusions if we talk and discuss but yeah there will always be conflict as in any society, however Id like to think were all man enough or lady enough to admit we make mistakes and appologise if were out of line. As for what makes us better riders in my opinion its having the ability to see things before they happen then your ready to react and you can use that in any situation wether its on a track a road or in your car!!!
I think being a "great" rider is all about the experience and being constantly aware. There's a Great track rider, who's fast and doesn't come off, then there's a great road rider - who reads the road properly, can spot hazards and has the experience to avoid or handle them safely and efficiently. There are a lot of guys (both on here and all over the world) who have a slightly large ego, just because they have fast bikes. Just because you have a 600cc/1L sports bike, it doesn't mean you automatically become a riding gode. We all have to learn and gain experience by putting miles on our bikes. The more years served behind handlebars usually means that that rider has more road experience, and has had his/her fair share of near misses. It's these near misses that make us think what just happened (and how can I spot/avoid in the future) Just like if Woody was to see a pot hole, he'd swerve to avoid it, due to his accident last year. Just like Ninjafish may see some diesel in the future. Just like I am in the wet and windy. We all have our own experiences that make us good in some situations, but not too good in others, due to us not experiencing them. My idea of a good rider is someone that can ride safely without putting themselves or any others in danger. To some, a good rider is someone who can weave in and out of cars on the Motorway at 150mph without wasting themselves. I say each to their own, I'll take on advice from anyone if it makes me a more efficient rider. Things like using the back brakes around corners, rather than front. I would only have found that out if I were eating dirt on my first wales rideout back in 2009, if it weren't for another rider explaining it to me. /Long post. I will shut up and go home from work now!
I have noticed this over the past year, on a few ocassions simple discusswions can turn rapidly when someone disagrees. everyone has there own opinions, we should respect each others rather than insist ours is right. I agree with Sponge, experience comes from putting in the miles like anything else if you do it more. Though during this experience you encounter various things, if you take on the hazards and warnings life throws at you then you will become a better rider, if you ignore them you wont. A good rider changes in the environment but on a road, and in my eyes personally a good rider reads the road excellently and navigate their way along whilst keeping them and all around them safe. Yes some people may be able to wheelie a long way, it can be a bit of fun but there's a time and a place for things like that. Yes mozz, i think the iam can make you a better rider, several people i know that have done it have said how helpful it is, how much more confident they feel and how bette3r they can now read the road. However, if people do it just to say they have passed and don't take on what they been shown to continue it in normal riding then i wouldnt ever take on board their advice and probably wouldnt want to be on the same road. The short of it: my opinion is more experience= better rider but only if you take on board what has happened in that time and act on it.
ok ok ok so sponge great post, some great points,, matty, good lad now im starting to read into your thoughts, heres a curve ball, both of you say time behind the bars BUT what if your doing it wrong? is time behind the bars not a bad thing. Matty i did the IAM and i did take somthing out of it for sure, it has made me a better rider. but would it you?
Whilst I agree training helps and that so does experience I feel that we all ride on luck and that I'd you use your bike (like me just under 16k this year) alot you are gonna have some heart stopping moments or even falls. If like someone to stand and say they could ride every day in a year and not bin it or be close to once? I will also add that some people on here that I have seen are very very good riders, however some are lunatics too. In a good way of course
come on peeps, this isnt a trick question, i am genuinly interested in what makes us tick, and why some think they ride better than others?
elliot, hope your feeling better pal. Luck mmmmmmmm i dont believe in luck, fate not luck. but there again is it even fate? I cant remember his name im sure rob j or dave (winkmaster) if they see this will tell you. Theres this guy who used to give us a pep talk before we did our riding lessons, i can see him thumping his fist into his palm, PLANNING PEOPLE!!!!!!! what you can see! what you cant see !and what you might reasonably expect to happen! ha ha ha i used to think " C'mon hurry up for f*ck sake i wanna ride" now i read this forum especially this year and its "rider down" now i regulary hear him in my head PLANNING PEOPLE!!!!! Im loving hearing your thoughts keep em comming
I'm afraid none of those listed will make you a better rider. There is however one thing that will make everyone a better rider instantly, and that's seeing those blue flashing lights in your mirrors. I'm shiterider, have done less than 500 miles this year and shouldn't have sold my Gixxer to Andy.
you have me thinking there, why would seeing blue lights in my mirror make me a better rider all of a sudden? aperbag: PS. I'm a shite rider so may try it on the way home :-D
ok mate were talkin instinct, and an ability to read the road yeah? can that be taught ? do you learn from your mistakes? Im guessing you only learn from your mistakes if you understand why you made them.
but experience isnt necesseraly what you've been doing, its developing an instinct and expectation of what others have been doing, not to mention a buildup of knowledge of how a bike will respond on different surfaces in different conditions.
whats make peeps a good rider thats a very tougth question like said just becouse you can go fast around every bend with knee down dose that make u good rider no not in my a pinion. some one who reads the road a head users the brain sell? we can all ride fast thats easy. riding fast and being safe is the hard one think think think if u gunner ride fast or even slow if your not switched on all the time sh*t will happen whether you have bin riding for 1 day or 40 years . as long as your always thinking a head it will help and remember every day you go out your learning .you never no whats out there and only ever ride to your own ability. not the person in front ride your own game .and HOPEFULLY YOU WILL COME BACK SAFE AT THE END OF THE DAY
It has actually amazed me how much ive learnt in the past 3 years of riding on those simple things alone
i.e. do not race from the lights in the rain lol. it goes all slippy slidy inch: not that you should do it in the dry either but hey, everyone gets an urge ocassionally
Mozz, the bloke your on about is Clive! For those who've never had the benefit of Clive's wisdom, I'll explain who he is. At Sefton IAM, most of the training is carried out on a Saturday. The first part of the session is theory, with Clive, before moving on for a one to one practical ride out. Clive is a retired Traffic Cop from Thames Valley Police. I've never actually asked him how long, but I do know that he was on e bikes for a good long period. His theory lessons are based on what the book says and his own vast experience, both as a rider and from his Police background. When you investigate an accident, you understand what happened and you can then usually work out why and try and teach people not to make those mistakes. Inmy opinion, what makes a good rider a good rider is they accept they don't know it all and are prepared to learn. Once you've passed your test, all you've gained is a piece of paper that means you met the minimum standard on the day, it DOSEN'T mean you can ride! Experience is good, but only if it's good experience! Modern bikes flatter riders into thinking they're better than they think which leads to a false level of ability. Some of the worst drivers I have ever met have been so called 'Professional Drivers' they make the same mistake to many times that it becomes part of eir driving and then all of a sudden it bites them on the arse. Prime example of this is watch how close people drive in e outside lane on a motorway. They do it all the time and it becomes the norm, but if the car at the front suddenly has to brake, you end up with a line of twatted cars! I've been VERY lucky with my job, which has meant I've received some of the best training money can buy. The Army taught me to ride a bike, which was 4 weeks of everything from basic maintenance through on road riding, off road riding and then off road in the dark, with no lights! Since then, I've completed another 11 weeks training, including Police Advanced motorcyclist. As said, I've been lucky and a lot of tax payers money has been invested in me. Does this make me a good rider? I'd like to think I'm above average, but if you look at the scuffs on the right side of my bike, even with the training I've been fortunate enough to have been given, I still get it wrong sometimes. I observe on the IAM courses, not because I'm trying to show I'm great, but because I've been unlucky enough to have seen first hand what happens when things do go wrong! I never want anyone to have to go through what I and the others from this forum went through last year ever again! To sum up, get further training and LEARN FROM IT! Just because you've been on a course DOSEN'T make you a better rider, UNLESS you use the lessons from that training.
Thanks rob, clive ha ha didnt know at the time he'd taught me anything, but he sort of sneaks up on ya lol. interestin that with you training rob even you dont considder yourself to be more than "better than average" i wonder howmany without training think their better than average? I considder my self to be average for the time iv neen riding
