How do you define and expert rider? Is an expert rider someone who can do amazing things on a motorcycle and possesses a high level of skill?
Here is my definition of an expert rider:
A person who consistently adopts his/her riding to match the existing conditions, highly skilled at identifying hazards, with the ability to control speed and position for adequate time/distance to react to any circumstance.
Safe riding is really all about being in control. Control of yourself (consistent with your abilities), your machine (each one is different) and the conditions around you (always changing).
What is the secret to riding safe? Answer: Leaving nothing to chance.
A rider needs to continuously assess conditions and manipulate what IS in his/her span of control to maximize favorable outcomes.
Much riding falls into the gambling category. Gambling while riding is any condition where you abdicate control by allowing other road users opportunities to encroach your path or by riding faster than you can stop within the assured clear distance ahead.
Often, even otherwise safe riders, will surrender to the compulsion to make progress while riding by taking “acceptable” risks.
So, how do you keep control of your motorcycle in every riding situation? Answer: Have a plan.
Since the majority of crashes involve human error, we need a strategy for helping us approach and negotiate hazards.
Gambling belongs in casinos not on the road.
You need a simple and consistent method of riding which ensures an essential aspect of safe riding – time to react. Conversely, anything that robs you of time to react places you at risk.
A hazard is anything that can be dangerous. It may be obvious, such as a car coming at you on the wrong side of the road, or may be subtle, such as a curve concealing a truck backing into the road.
One of the main causes of crashes is the failure to recognize hazardous situations – if you fail to see the potential danger you cannot take actions to avoid it.
How good are you at identifying situations that are potentially dangerous?
This blog is dedicated to providing you with that system of control.
Make up your mind today that you will always ride in control of yourself, your machine and your environment.
4 responses so far ↓
four bits // 07/23/2009 at 12:31 am
Thank you for a timely reminder. We are going to South Lake Tahoe tomorrow to celebrate my wife’s __ th birthday. It has been many years since I have traveled hiway 50, but I know it will be a beautiful and curvy ride. Might even encounter some thunder showers.
ryan // 07/23/2009 at 10:46 am
I find your posts and your website extremely valuable to me. I love the videos you find and the way you word these things that are known deep in the back of (most) careful rider’s heads.
As I continue to read my “Proficient Motorcycling” book, likely for the 8th time, I check your website with the same frequency. We can never have enough information when it comes to safety skills.
thanks for what you do. Keep it up!
hawktane // 07/24/2009 at 7:45 pm
Good stuff. Thanks for reminding us. A rider can never hear this enough.
Jophiel Wiis // 08/04/2009 at 9:01 am
Amen! I’ve been following your blog for a while now and, being a new rider, I have loads to learn. You have loads to teach, so I come here.
I’ve noticed that I sometimes ride above my skill-level, taking “acceptable risks” for the thrill of it. the short, clear, to-the-point posts you write is making me think differently. Not least the crash videos you’ve been posting (and the excellent in-depth analysis of same).
So I take you up on your challenge and make up my mind today that I will always ride in control of myself, my machine and my environment.
All the best
Jophiel
Denmark
PS: I continually recommend this blog to all the riders I know.