Riding under the influence... of RAGE (LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE)

[Milts]

I'm a student, and for income while studying I play online poker. Poker is a game of skill but controlling emotions is key, and much is said about playing your "A" game rather than your "B" game. Losing focus and slipping into your B game can be very expensive and so players do their best to avoid it. I've just learned the hard way that riding is exactly the same, except it isn't discussed as much.

I recently crashed my bike (the day before I sat my 6R...), and it was 100% my fault, which I can accept. What I can't accept is how I could be so bad as to put myself in this situation, but I suspect it happens more than people will admit. I'm writing this up in the hope that a few other beginner riders will read it and not make the same mistake.

The Crash:

I'd had an averagely bad day at poker and was riding to let off some steam. I rode along cost road, and a few Ks in I was passing a white van on a gentle curve. The van driver had clearly not seen me and opted to cut the curve (cross the centre line) just as I pulled up next to him. After forcing me right onto the shoulder of the road he noticed me and moved over, we both pulled over a hundred metres later and I indicated that he should use his fucking mirrors, before riding off in a huff.

A short time later I came across another van and, pissed as I was, opted to pass immediately rather than wait for a long straight piece of road. I pulled out and passed the van coming into a gentle right hander followed by a blind left hander further down the road. I wasn't focused fully on riding (instead still swearing at the other driver) and half way through I thought "shit, I'm not going to make this blind corner" which became "shit maybe I'd better stop here then" which became "shit well at least the ditch looks soft". This was followed by me drifting into the ditch (target fixation!) at probably 70+ ks an hour, going over the handlebars and sliding along in the muddy water for five or ten metres. Followed by me standing up and saying (loudly) "FUCK. FUCK. HOW CAN I BE SO BAD? FUUUUUCK!"

The Analysis:

Possible mistake 1: riding while not in the best mood. I'm not sure this is a mistake in itself though (see other points).

Mistake 2: hooning while in a bad mood. A cruisy ride on an empty road is fine but hooning requires real focus.

Mistake 3: getting worked up at van driver 1 and not stopping to let the rage out.

Mistake 4: riding outside my ability. I think I picked a legitimate place to pass for a skilled rider, and even when things started going wrong if I had really known what I was doing I should have been able to recover. Being a beginner, I wasn't.

Mistake 5: losing focus at a key moment and target fixating. This basically sealed the deal.

The buildup of events is easily preventable FROM AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE. From the perspective of the rider everything seemed fine, or at least not too far off it, right up until I was in the ditch.

I think this is very easy to do. It was bad judgment meets lack of skill. Good judgment wouldn't have put me in this bad position: more skill could have gotten me out of it. As it was, only preparation (ATGATT) prevented real injury (my helmet is a write off and my pants need repair).

DO NOT LET YOURSELF FALL INTO THE TRAP OF THINKING THINGS ARE FINE WHEN THEY AREN'T. ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE NEW TO RIDING.

Coz, like, it fucking hurts. (And my poor bike!). I'm just angry at myself for letting this happen. Don't become me, it's really not cool.

[The Everlasting]

Well at least your OK,but will take it on board,being a L-Plater myself!

I do sometimes get real bad road rage too.

[nothingflash]

Yep, road rage on a bike can be a dangerous mix. Glad your gears did the job.

[Laxi]

at least you walked away, and have the abillity to see the mistakes and learn from them, bling sent for the good attitude

[Ronin]

oh lordy.....

:jerry::jerry::jerry:

[CookMySock]

Good write up mate. Thats tough to watch you learn that the hard way.. Hopefully a few readers will watch and learn.

Lots of other things in life are like that too. Our feelings are not our actions, and must not be allowed to become them.

best regards bro,
Steve

[Hopeful Bastard]

Good to see you learnt from your mistakes.. But i am a cool head. Even when someone pisses me off while in my cage, Pull over for 15 seconds.. Count.. And off ya go again. Also, The music i listen to helps. Nice old school rock!

But when i am on my bike, I have had 1 shot at a old ditty already. Gave her "the glance" and took a deep breath and moved on as i know there is a better place for me at the end of this ride..

That, I guess, Is was keeps me calm while driving. Is seeing those Faces/Families/Friends/Free food at the other end of the Ride/Drive :)

[jrandom]

Nicely analysed. You will go far.

Now, get some trackdays under your belt!

[R6_kid]

Learn to lose better. :calm:

[Grasshopperus]

You must've been pretty worked up to do something that crazy. Glad you're OK though.

How's the bike?

[CookMySock]

[....] I have had 1 shot at a old ditty already. Gave her "the glance" and took a deep breath and moved on as i know there is a better place for me at the end of this ride..The Pub ? :calm:

Steve

[Milts]

Bike will survive. Needs RHS mirror indicator possibly rear cover and front cowl, but I'm working on getting those from a wreckers/trademe.

What surprised me about this crash was that before I went riding, I knew better than this. But once you're out and living it your judgment goes out the window before you realise it, and even if you have a nagging feeling that you're not 100% you have to consciously admit it and pull over. Better to be late than not to arrive imo.

[Mudfart]

Bro you're real lucky that your mistake was one you could walk away from.
My brothers both required serious hospital time when they have come off.
Me? I'm pretty cautious, although the other day going down the onramp at Hampton Downs headed for Huntly, a nissan murano was in the slow lane, looked right at me, and then proceeded to not even move into the COMPLETELY empty fast lane. I was right next to him!! I had to brake and pull in behind him.
I saw the red rage you mention.

[SPORK]

Wait, you were merging onto the motorway and expected someone to shift lanes to make room for you?

[Mudfart]

yep they always have when ive been in cars, doing it at exactly the same on ramp, at exactly the same hours of night/ morning.
Things are different down hee to Auckland, at 6am the expressway is pretty much completely empty, ergo my statement that the fast lane was ABSOLUTELY empty.
This is where having only a 250 on learners license sucks balls.
If I had a bigger bike, I could have easily throttled in front of him.

[Maki]

Bro you're real lucky that your mistake was one you could walk away from.
My brothers both required serious hospital time when they have come off.
Me? I'm pretty cautious, although the other day going down the onramp at Hampton Downs headed for Huntly, a nissan murano was in the slow lane, looked right at me, and then proceeded to not even move into the COMPLETELY empty fast lane. I was right next to him!! I had to brake and pull in behind him.
I saw the red rage you mention.

THAT made you see the red rage? Chill out man.

[vifferman]

Really, your mistake #1 was not going "Oh shit! A WhiteVanDriver! Danger! DANGER, Will Robinson!!"

You have to be very careful around them, even if they're stationary (might be a camera van).

Good for you owning up to your (other) mistakes though - gives you an opportunity to learn from them, and shows you're on the way to becoming a better rider.
Attitude is everything.

[Noidy]

Question about the target fixation. The few times I have pushed myself beyond my meagre limits and am thinking "this will hurt". I have always (tried) to keep my line and looked (instinctivley) for the softest place to end up. Thankfully I have not yet found out how hard the soft places are. How bad is target fixation in a situation like this? Should I force myself to keep my eyes fixed on the exit of the corner?

[Milts]

Question about the target fixation. The few times I have pushed myself beyond my meagre limits and am thinking "this will hurt". I have always (tried) to keep my line and looked (instinctivley) for the softest place to end up. Thankfully I have not yet found out how hard the soft places are. How bad is target fixation in a situation like this? Should I force myself to keep my eyes fixed on the exit of the corner?

This is something I'm curious about. If I'd looked through the corner, I honestly don't know if I would have made it or if I would have lowsided and hit something a lot more solid than the ditch. I think the best answer is "don't put yourself in this situation until you know the answer". Probably best to go to a trackday or two and find out just how well your bike can corner.

And thanks for all the 'good attitude' comments. It's nice to think I can salvage something from this fuckup.

[Laxi]

If I had a bigger bike, I could have easily throttled in front of him.

:shutup::gob::bye:

[vifferman]

I have always (tried) to keep my line and looked (instinctivley) for the softest place to end up. Thankfully I have not yet found out how hard the soft places are. How bad is target fixation in a situation like this? Should I force myself to keep my eyes fixed on the exit of the corner?


This is something I'm curious about. If I'd looked through the corner, I honestly don't know if I would have made it or if I would have lowsided and hit something a lot more solid than the ditch.
Yes, you're right - better to not put yourself in the situation in the first place.
Target fixation is bad: you tend to go where you look, but mainly because of focus.

But let me ask you both a question: do you think in the same corner where you went "Oh crap - I'm not gonna make it!" and looked for somewhere to crash, that if someone who was a really excellent rider was on your bike he/she would've done the same? Or would he/she have made it? Would Valentino Rossi for example, have made it around that corner at the speed you were going, or maybe even faster? How much of it is the bike and/or the corner, and how much is the speed, and how much is the rider's brain?

Apart from corners where the entry speed is WAY too high, or there's shit all over the road or whatever, an awful lot of it is your head, your confidence, your experience. Knowing you can make it, the bike can get around, there's enough grip, you can brake and scrub off speed, you can hang off more, whatever. When you lack that experience/head space/confidence, you tend to focus on NOT making the corner, and forget all about riding through the corner and out the other side.
In some ways, it's not because of where your eyes are looking, but all about your focus. Your eyes look through the corner, and they're not looking at the corner, but as far ahead as you can see: the next corner, and the corner and bit of road after that. You've already scoped and set up for the current corner before you entered it, and filed it away in your brain. You're not going so fast you can't make it or scrub off a bit of speed if you have to, or alter you line to avoid the squashed possum.

If you're inexperienced, and/or your riding is crap (maybe just because you're tired, hungover, or whatever), then your rhythm is off, your focus is off, and you're not "in the groove/zone/moment". Instead, you're focused on where you are in the corner, on your fears and doubts, and feelings. That controls you and then your focus is entirely off cornering and instead is on the part of the corner in front of you instead of the exit. You've programmed in a new route.

[Milts]

:shutup::gob::bye:

:clap: Glad someone said it I figured I didn't have the experience to say it to him. Also, Mudfart, there's nothing wrong with having to brake and pull in behind someone. Just because you're on a bike doesn't mean you have to be in front of everybody else on the road (despite how much fun it can be...)

@ Viffer: You're absolutely right. Like I said, I'm sure a good rider could have gotten out of the position I got myself into. I think going to a track day and working on your skills in a safer environment would help here. Even though I knew it was probably possible for the bike to get out of the situation I didn't have the confidence to even try. Not a good look.



If you're inexperienced, and/or your riding is crap (maybe just because you're tired, hungover, or whatever), then your rhythm is off, your focus is off, and you're not "in the groove/zone/moment". Instead, you're focused on where you are in the corner, on your fears and doubts, and feelings. That controls you and then your focus is entirely off cornering and instead is on the part of the corner in front of you instead of the exit. You've programmed in a new route.

This describes my headspace perfectly.

[Thaeos]

Quite a common theme, which basically boils down to 'don't ride if ALL of your attention is not ON the ride!'

[Ender EnZed]

I pulled out and passed the van coming into a gentle right hander followed by a blind left hander further down the road. I wasn't focused fully on riding (instead still swearing at the other driver) and half way through I thought "shit, I'm not going to make this blind corner" which became "shit maybe I'd better stop here then" which became "shit well at least the ditch looks soft". This was followed by me drifting into the ditch (target fixation!) at probably 70+ ks an hour, going over the handlebars and sliding along in the muddy water for five or ten metres.

Couple of questions: Had you finished passing the van before you got to the corner, ie pulled in front of it back into your lane? And, which side of the road was the ditch on?

[jellywrestler]

A short time later I came across another van and, pissed as I was,


Simple really, don't drive pissed!!!

[Milts]

Couple of questions: Had you finished passing the van before you got to the corner, ie pulled in front of it back into your lane? And, which side of the road was the ditch on?

Ditch was on the left. I was back in front of the van (moving left) coming up to a gentle right hander. I could make it through the right hand curve easily but I panicked about the blind corner ahead. If I'd focused, I could probably have even just sat in the middle of the lane and hit the brakes and stopped (mostly) before the corner. Dunno if that'd have been a good move with the van behind me though (although I was probably pretty far in front of it by then).

[BikerDazz]

But let me ask you both a question: do you think in the same corner where you went "Oh crap - I'm not gonna make it!" and looked for somewhere to crash, that if someone who was a really excellent rider was on your bike he/she would've done the same? Or would he/she have made it? Would Valentino Rossi for example, have made it around that corner at the speed you were going, or maybe even faster? How much of it is the bike and/or the corner, and how much is the speed, and how much is the rider's brain?

Apart from corners where the entry speed is WAY too high, or there's shit all over the road or whatever, an awful lot of it is your head, your confidence, your experience. Knowing you can make it, the bike can get around, there's enough grip, you can brake and scrub off speed, you can hang off more, whatever. When you lack that experience/head space/confidence, you tend to focus on NOT making the corner, and forget all about riding through the corner and out the other side.
In some ways, it's not because of where your eyes are looking, but all about your focus. Your eyes look through the corner, and they're not looking at the corner, but as far ahead as you can see: the next corner, and the corner and bit of road after that. You've already scoped and set up for the current corner before you entered it, and filed it away in your brain. You're not going so fast you can't make it or scrub off a bit of speed if you have to, or alter you line to avoid the squashed possum.

If you're inexperienced, and/or your riding is crap (maybe just because you're tired, hungover, or whatever), then your rhythm is off, your focus is off, and you're not "in the groove/zone/moment". Instead, you're focused on where you are in the corner, on your fears and doubts, and feelings. That controls you and then your focus is entirely off cornering and instead is on the part of the corner in front of you instead of the exit. You've programmed in a new route.[/QUOTE]

Excellent points, bang on :2guns:

[EnzoYug]

Bro you're real lucky that your mistake was one you could walk away from.
My brothers both required serious hospital time when they have come off.
Me? I'm pretty cautious, although the other day going down the onramp at Hampton Downs headed for Huntly, a nissan murano was in the slow lane, looked right at me, and then proceeded to not even move into the COMPLETELY empty fast lane. I was right next to him!! I had to brake and pull in behind him.
I saw the red rage you mention.

'Merge like a zip' dumbass.
If you must get angry, get angry at yourself for nearly running out of road. Also the Murano had right-of-way.

It's called a learner's license for a reason. Try learn something here, like the OP did - before you end up like your brothers.

[Toot Toot]

When I watch Air Crash Investigation on Sky, they always end up looking back at a string of events (errors) that lead up to the ultimate crash, it is never just one error a pilot made, it is usually a combo of weather, air traffic control, pilot, and aircraft faults.

So the same can be said for nearly all bike accidents. Mine included. Which was, tired from night shift prior, one beer, cold tyres, showing off = crash.

Good lesson, good attitude.

[Mudfart]

no, Im more upset I couldn't catch up to him, he was pulling away with me at 120kph, ringing it.
Perhaps my boosting testosterone levels are getting away from me. That means its working, MWAHAHAHAHA. (evil).

[Danae]

This is where having only a 250 on learners license sucks balls.
If I had a bigger bike, I could have easily throttled in front of him.


no, Im more upset I couldn't catch up to him, he was pulling away with me at 120kph, ringing it.
Perhaps my boosting testosterone levels are getting away from me. That means its working, MWAHAHAHAHA. (evil).

Oh god kid. Oh god.

It's called a learner's licence for a reason, and there is a cc limit for a reason. So you don't buy a GSXR thou and plaster yourself into a wall or something.

This is Auckland mate, worst drivers I've seen are here. But honestly, how can you expect a cager to make room for you? You have to think: who's going to come out better off, a little bike or a car? Assume you are invisible. I've only had a bike for six months and this has saved me countless times in Auckland traffic.

You were going 120kph onto an onramp on your learners licence, fretting about how some guy was pulling away from you? If anything you should at least be worried about getting pinged for doing 50k above what you are legally supposed to be doing. Lose the ego and grow some brains or you're going to get yourself killed you douche.

[magicmonkey]

Question about the target fixation. The few times I have pushed myself beyond my meagre limits and am thinking "this will hurt". I have always (tried) to keep my line and looked (instinctivley) for the softest place to end up. Thankfully I have not yet found out how hard the soft places are. How bad is target fixation in a situation like this? Should I force myself to keep my eyes fixed on the exit of the corner?

Target fixation is an interesting one, I'm sure most people here have learnt about it more than once in their lives. I first learned on a pushbike, then a canoe, then a car and now with a bike, the idea is the same but the actual act is slightly different for each as you need to take your own skills into account with each type of movement. Target fixation isn't about where you're looking, it's about where your attention is; it's fine to look other places but they should be glancing looks or peripheral vision looks with a low priority placed on them while maintaining an overall focus on the direction you want to travel in. I'll often look directly at a manhole I want to avoid and move my attention to the areas around it to discern the best path, my attention isn't on the manhole, that's just the centre of an area I'm paying attention to and once I have the best path that becomes the centre of attention, even if I am still looking straight at the manhole. I still have a lot to learn about target fixation on a bike but the basic principle of using your peripheral vision and shifting your attention, not necessarily your eyes, is something to be built on...

That said, don't ride using just your peripheral vision, you'll wind up under a truck or something!

[Spratt]

If I'd focused, I could probably have even just sat in the middle of the lane and hit the brakes and stopped (mostly) before the corner. Dunno if that'd have been a good move with the van behind me though (although I was probably pretty far in front of it by then).

Loads of good advice in this thread, which is great to see. I think trying to stop is not a good ting, you most likely would have crashed anyway or had a van up your ass - both probably worse that what did happen.

I jsut been lent a book - 'A twist of the wrist vol 2' by Keith Code, which has some very, very good advice. It is focused on track riding but all the advice is relevant to road riding as well. It focuses on survival reactions and how to overcome them. It seems you succummed to a number of these SRs. They are rolling off the gas (which reduces traction), tightening on the bars, narrowed and frantically huntinh field of view, fixed attention (on something), steering in the direction of fixed attention (read as ditch), no steering (i.e. frozen) and braking errors.

If you can get a copy (the Vol 1 is also meant to be very good) then I would highly recommendit. Also, having just done my first track day, with training by Brian Bernaurd, I would certainly recommend that, I feel mush more confident about what my bike and I can do.

[zeRax]

bugger, maybe you should have had a rum to calm down before you jumped on your bike!, that rage will get ya !..