Interesting experience leads to interesting thought

**aff-man** · 18th August 2009, 12:30

Ok I suppose the title is a bit vague but here goes...

I'll start with the thought first and then with the experience that brought it on.

Thought: Does track riding/racing make you more blahsay when it comes to road riding.

Experience: Coming home the other day on the bike. I ride it most days and have had it on the track once or twice. So coming along the overpass in an 80km/h zone 2 lane road that has a downward sloping bend. coming up behind a car in the right lane doing like 75 or something before the bend so give it a squirt and change lanes. There is a set of traffic lights like 300-400m away . And as I switch lane for some reason a lot of traffic has built up and there is the back of the queue and she's pretty close. So I jump on the brakes. The bike gets all out of shape. I know how to brake as hard as the bike can from track experience but the back still starts to lift. It's quite slow motion and I realise theres noway i'm gonna stop before the back of the ute. Jump off the brakes.. massive wobble, point the bike towards the small gap on the left hand side of the ute and the curb and jump back on the brakes. Ended up going passed the ute and the next car before the bike stopped.
This all happened in under 2 seconds.

Sure my time on the track and road lead me to not panic and get out of a situation I would most probably ended up in the hospital if it had been 3 years ago...

But here is the crux of my thought.

It DIDN'T rattle me.

Time was that I'd have such an experience and my heart would be in my throat i'd be sweating like your momma last night and would have to burn my undies....
And due to this I would sit and examine what went wrong how I did what I did and it generally makes me a safer rider on the road by pulling my head in.

But has tracktime where your sometimes leaning on people and having the front and rear let go all the time and such lead me to not take heed of something like this. Unfortunately i'm still youngish so havn't managed to quite get the retrospective look at things going to well and only these sorts of things keep me in check. So is it making me more blahsay about situations which should for a better lack of words.. put the fear of god back in me?

Just a thought.....

oh and disclaimer:
Before all you wankers out there jump down my throat about being more aware and stuff on the road. Unless you've ridden with me you know nothing.

**Morcs** · 18th August 2009, 12:35

I know what you mean. I have incidents everyday which only as an afterthought I go ' whoa that was close'!

Keeping cool as a cucumber, using instinct and not consciously thinking at all about whats actually happening ftw!

**Maha** · 18th August 2009, 12:36

A thought is the quickest thing in the world, quicker than a blink/light and even a bullet, super sonic? meh, and often (as you have pointed out) a mere thought is undertaken/put into action in an unmeasureable time (quicker than a jiffy) and you life as changed.

**Drew** · 18th August 2009, 12:41

I tend to think yes. I can think of a couple recent things happening, that I barely registered, untill others have pointed it out and asked what happened.

**jellywrestler** · 18th August 2009, 12:51

Originally Posted by Maha

A thought is the quickest thing in the world, quicker than a blink/light .

absolutely incorrect, a human turd is quicker!!!
I remember once getting a bit of fright and before I could even think, blink or turn the light on I shit myself!

**imdying** · 18th August 2009, 13:07

Originally Posted by Drew

I tend to think yes. I can think of a couple recent things happening, that I barely registered, untill others have pointed it out and asked what happened.

No time to worry about mere nearly falling off when you're racing huh... that next corner is a coming like it or not !

**Quasievil** · 18th August 2009, 13:10

I havent ridden on the road for about 18 months, now I started on the road last week and Im scared shitless of it, so much happening cars in all directions all of them a stupid..................give me the track any day !

**YellowDog** · 18th August 2009, 13:13

When I used to drive back from go-kart meetings back in the 80s after a day of tough racing, when back on the road, I'd drive like a maniac. And the worst thing about it is that the car I was driving couldn't corner like a go kart, so I would get into all kinds of trouble.

The toughest part is slowing your brain down.

Best to be a passenger for a bit.

**sugilite:Me** · 18th August 2009, 13:28

Hmm, I think it is OK to feel blase in your physical reaction to having successfully taken evasive action to a given situation. (personally, as long as the front end is generally pointing in the right direction, I'm not too phased by what the rest is doing) However, I do not feel it is OK to feel blase mentally while riding on public roads.

Not judging you here AFF, or putting words in your mouth, just me generalizing. People seem to have this mindset that track days are somehow more dangerous and daring than riding on the public roads because speed is involved, in my view, nothing could be further from the truth.
Public roads are a minefield of disasters just waiting to happen, there is no comparison between the two. The race track is a race track, public roads are public roads, never the twain shall they meet. Both require very different mindsets. Where there can be a cross over on skills between the two, in my opinion, there is no cross over on mindset.

**CookMySock** · 18th August 2009, 14:52

Try driving a jet boat for about four hours, then get straight into a car on a wet road. First corner and you are going backwards.. whaaaaa??? How???

Once you have 20-30 thousand hours up your sleeve, all sorts of disasters fly past and you just hop from one to the next, most solutions are just how you hold your tongue, combined with a flick of the wrist.

It doesn't work long-term. You will get caught eventually, and then you will be sore. Or dead.

Steve

**hospitalfood** · 18th August 2009, 15:01

have done exactly the same thing on the road.
never been on a track so i guess it comes down to time in the saddle.

or perhaps as we get older we get dumber, to the point where we forget to freak on the close calls.

mind you, after riding straight off the road a while back ( the only option left but no damage to me or bike ) I have slowed down a bit, I consider myself lucky as in the past it has taken damage to myself or my bike to slow me down.

**sondela** · 18th August 2009, 15:36

Originally Posted by sugilite

Hmm, I think it is OK to feel blase in your physical reaction to having successfully taken evasive action to a given situation.

People seem to have this mindset that track days are somehow more dangerous and daring than riding on the public roads because speed is involved, in my view, nothing could be further from the truth.

Agreed on both counts.
The track riding has improved your reaction time and agility..
Adrenalin is quite good at making one feel a little elated after a close call, nothing wrong with any of it

You don't have to beat yourself up aff-man, you did good, it's experience and improving your skills as a biker, and doesn't mean you will go out and ride dangerously, I'm sure you're sensible enough not to...

**MSTRS:Me** · 18th August 2009, 15:42

Originally Posted by aff-man

oh and disclaimer:
Before all you wankers out there jump down my throat about being more aware and stuff on the road. Unless you've ridden with me you know nothing.

Spoilsport...

Originally Posted by Morcs

I know what you mean. I have incidents everyday which only as an afterthought I go ' whoa that was close'!

Keeping cool as a cucumber, using instinct and not consciously thinking at all about whats actually happening ftw!

Seems to me that your 'ftw' style of riding isn't working too well. I mean, 'incidents everyday etc'? C'mon.

**aff-man** · 18th August 2009, 15:47

Originally Posted by sugilite

Hmm, I think it is OK to feel blase in your physical reaction to having successfully taken evasive action to a given situation. (personally, as long as the front end is generally pointing in the right direction, I'm not too phased by what the rest is doing) However, I do not feel it is OK to feel blase mentally while riding on public roads.

Not judging you here AFF, or putting words in your mouth, just me generalizing. People seem to have this mindset that track days are somehow more dangerous and daring than riding on the public roads because speed is involved, in my view, nothing could be further from the truth.
Public roads are a minefield of disasters just waiting to happen, there is no comparison between the two. The race track is a race track, public roads are public roads, never the twain shall they meet. Both require very different mindsets. Where there can be a cross over on skills between the two, in my opinion, there is no cross over on mindset.

Hahaha agreed. Track days and such are probably the safest place in the world to ride a bike. And I tend to know what i'm doing on two wheels, and have saved quite a few things that I am not sure how I did (touches wood.... ).

And I wasn't in the racing mindset as I was just basically commuting (and yes you can get into that mindset while commuting but not this time). But there were still damp patches and such so was just...you know... normal riding. And yes I can get affected by activities like watching the motogp or stunt videos or go gocarting or whatever.

It wasn't even the save itself as I have said I have done some doozies it was more the lack of effect the experience had on me whereas similar experiences both on the track and road have in some way or another affected my mindset and subconcious riding.

But this was neither. thinking back on what actually happened I was almost ute smear yet there was no effect apon me good or bad. Is it because I got used to sticky situations happening and having to deal with them and forget them as the next corner is coming?? Or is it because I have had so many saves without a major bin (touches wood again) that I cannot truely appreciate the situation I was in???