Motorcycling and An Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

8 September 2006

Total Distance 5637km [since 12 May]

Focus:
Slow Bike Control and Safety Strategies.

This week saw rides each day, including Whitemans Valley, Mangaroa and Maymorn, Rimutaka Hill, and Akatarawa Road out to Staglands.

First up there was a wee off - totally unexpected and out of the blue, slow u-turn and clipped the curb. At the time I was waving with my hand to my mentor not to turn into this street [dead end], so will blame myself for being distracted and mentor for just being there - and he is my mentor! Talk about one hell of an embarassment. Ah well these things happen and Cycleworks at Taita straightened out a slightly bent brake lever and even gave it a touch up of paint - thanks Cycleworks.

I have really enjoyed my afternoon trips out to Whitemans Valley and this week also ventured out to Staglands along the Akatarawa Road. Though this is on the way to Waikanae, Staglands is only 17km from the turn off just up from Caltex SH2 just up from Upper Hutt. The road in is quite good and scenic in parts, and the last 8km to Staglands does narrow and wind a bit so requires slower pace. Safety strategies come into play - being prepared for the unexpected, covering the brake and hugging blind left and staying wide on right corners. Taken at a good leisurely pace, it was a good run and a delightful place to journey to. I have posted this location in the Events Forum for Sunday rides from Silverstream.

Finally today was spent in the carpark revising - and though I was keen to go and practise, it was one of those days when I didn't feel at one with the bike, so cut it short after 15-20minutes and returned home. A case of listening to yourself and in my case perhaps it was a full week of riding, and though not too far overall, it was time to cut it short and go home. I hope there is a message there.

Hopefully Sunday will not be too bad weather wise.

Heads Up and Enjoy

8 September 2006
Don't worry about it BuckBuck.

Concentration is just as important as riding skills. The penalties of not paying attention while riding can be severe. A motorcyclist's ability to concentrate is his most important tool.
Keep all of your attention on what you are doing. This gives you a reserve of "what if" ability to deal with the unexpected such as another vehicle coming into your lane.

Good skills for listening to yourself.

20 September 2006

Total Distance 6185km [since 12 May]

In just over 4 months I am surprised at the ground I have covered and I only said 'hello' to Mother Earth twice, practising in the car park and the other time doing a slow u-turn [hit the kerb].

As this is the last update in brief I would like to say thank you all and in particular to my Mentor .

To all you newbie and wannabe riders out there - seek out a mentor sooner rather than later, and take it out of the family, though you may have siblings or parents that may be capable riders, seek out a respected rider that can observe your riding
skills and progress. Accept constructive points raised by your mentor, and above all listen, listen, and listen some more, then watch and take in the new techniques 'new' because you are learning. Above all practise, be patient, and listen to that voice inside you, and sense that pit feeling in your stomach - you'll know what I mean - it occurs when the unexpected is upon you.

I of course am in the 'older demographic' for a newbie ah hum after all 1952 was in the last century, I have been fortunate enough to commit the time and practise into my new found interest of motorcycle riding. Along the way these past four months I have had the opportunity to meet and observe numerous riders be them significantly younger than myself some not so young, also people my age and older - and here is an observation:

We are never too old or too young to learn continuously, learning never stops and the most intrinsic thing is 'being at one with your motorcycle'.

There will be days when you know deep inside after only being on the bike a very brief while that day, that now is not the time to ride - something may be distracting you, you know you may not be concentrating the way you know you can and should. That decision is yours and yours alone - be mindful of the choices you make for your choice will affect many.

Listen to yourself, and when riding with others listen to yourself, and when your day is good and you are at one with the bike - don't stop listening to yourself, get the feedback from the riding situation you are in and always be vigilant.

Thanks to all that have responded to this thread your comments and tips are very much appreciated.

For now I am going to spend the next few months until my restricted building on my skills. I have listened to my mentor, and listened to Golf November Two Five Zero as we cross the miles of enjoyment motorcycle riding has brought to me.

I will keep you posted on my progress periodically - the restriced, the full, and the next motorcycle in 2007 [whisper can't let Golf November Two Five Zero hear that.]

Heads Up and Enjoy Your Riding
Be Safe & Best Regards
Buck

When looking back now to September 2006 and the lead up to getting my Restricted, I have read with uncanny interest re-living the insight and determination I had. Uncanny in the sense that I know, that in not only riding but also in my interactions with other people, I have been able to 'check' myself and question my reactions - here some very good cognitive behaviour techniques were being implemented and the following two and a half years has enabled me to evaluate what were at times some very false logic thought processes....hey for some of you out there this may be a bit 'foreign', said in the nicest possible way, but for others I hope that what I have said makes sense.

Where one may draw a line between being a person with an obsessive compulsive personality disorder, or indeed looking at it now, in its broadest sense, the whole process of learning a new skill which in and of itself was very beneficial is intriguing - to me. For you the reader I think realising that, me as a newbie, who pretty much had unconditional opportunity specifically 'plenty of time to go out and ride', and as a consequence I tried be constructive, that is to say, to approach the learning process with a structure.

In the years following, it took effort on my part to recognise that I was a person that was 'too structured' and thanks to many individuals that went out of their way to tell me this in quiet confidence, and thanks also to those that were up front in your face in forum threads - sometimes a wakeup call is never too late, and that is precisely what occurred through 2007/08...I will address some of those issues later in the blogg.

Subsequent articles I will include in this blogg will address the progressive licence - going for the Restricted, the Defensive Driving Course, and the Full licence. Also, sadly the tragic death of my mentor - the immediate psychological impact, as well as the efforts undertaken to combat my personal challenges with OCPD.