How to keep up on a small bike

[Katman]

Collateral damage would be you calling me the names you do to my face, instead of behind the safety of your keyboard.

Stop embarassing yourself Deano.

[Deano]

Stop embarassing yourself Deano.

You have no form.

[FJRider]

Amen.

And furthermore, trying to teach it creates way more danger than it offers to avoid.

And what about the newbie ... that has heard talk of "the zone" ... and tries to emulate it ...

[Mushu]

GrayWolf and suglite seem to get it pretty well, and but I think you have combined it with the hypnotism effect you get while doing a repetitive task ( this is well documented, very common and not nearly as dangerous as it sounds)

As far as my 200k comment that was jumped on by a handful of people, I was pointing out that for a decent bike 200k is nothing and quite comfortable. Every time you hit a straight it's only your own self control that keeps you at or near the speed limit. The flow isn't about squeezing every inch of performance out of your machine (that is what a race track is for).

To the guy who wants to know what the flow has to do with brakes, it's about anticipating and staying smooth, if you anticipate a corner you limit acceleration or you back off so you can approach that corner at an appropriate speed. Then you roll on the throttle, tip it into the corner and smile cos its fun, having not used the brakes at all

Also the flow makes the ride more exciting thus keeping a higher level of concentration, I read some stats not long ago that said that vehicles are actually more likely to have accidents on the roads that have been made 'safer' because the drivers become complacent. There's nothing like the prospect of imminent death to keep people concentrating.

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[Mushu]

And what about the newbie ... that has heard talk of "the zone" ... and tries to emulate it ...

Thank you

Or what about the guy that bought a bike so he can push his limits and be a squid, probably without a licence at all, he may enjoy the flow and back off a bit. There are plenty of them out there. You can whine about that all you want, it's not going to stop those who do it.

And yes, I write that Tapatalk shit at the bottom of every post myself to be a cool guy, I don't even have a cell phone

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[Mushu]

You have to ... but if you don't even notice your own speedo. You wont see a sheep coming onto the road 20 metres to the front of you ....

don't know about you but I tend to watch the road and just glance at the speedo, and I'm not the only one, ever driven a car with HUD, makes watching your instruments far easier

The open road is not a racetrack (personal or public). And little comparison can be made between the two.
When did brakes come into the "zone" conversation .. ???

covered this in the last post

It's a poor example of a motorcyclist ... that relies on 200 km/hr capable straight roads to get their kicks.
I can do that on a 20 year old bike ... but thats not motorcycling as I know it ...

When did I ever say I do it all the time or that it's the part of riding I enjoy. Straight lines aren't fun at any speed

Being the free country that it is ... you CAN do it all on an L plate. The size of your gonads has little to do with it. No matter how long you've been doing it ... no matter how skilled you are at riding ... no matter how lucky you are to have/find a place to do it ... ONE mistake (and not always your mistake) and you are the subject of a small column on page three. And (maybe) the subject of a "Rider Down" thread on KB.

This is just part of riding. Up the pace and up the danger.
Would you like me to keep it in first (even in first gear I can go fast enough to get done speeding in town)

If you want that ... go for your life ...

Well if my options are live forever surrounded in bubble wrap, or go out in a ball of flaming glory, I'll take option 2 every time. But this is the real world so you don't have sit on a bubble wrap cushion in a padded room (but you can if you want) and I don't have to die to enjoy a ride.


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Also I reread my earlier post and understand why I was flamed, what I meant was physically comfortable with travelling at 200 mentally it's another story obviously I wouldn't have survived this long if I were doing those kinds of speeds whenever I get on the bike. Would I do it? I have and I will again (when I feel conditions are acceptable to me and I'll wear the consequences)

How many people on this biker forum can honestly say they have never exceeded 100ks on the road....... Katman???

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[sugilite:Me]

And what about the newbie ... that has heard talk of "the zone" ... and tries to emulate it ...

Just curious FJ, if you were a newbie, what practical steps would you take to try and achieve emulating it?

[Katman]

Blah, blah, blah..........

For someone who's only been riding one year you have a lot to say for yourself.

[Katman]

Just curious FJ, if you were a newbie, what practical steps would you take to try and achieve emulating it?

I could imagine the very real danger of a newbie thinking that if they just concentrate hard enough on what they're 'doing', they'll suddenly find themselves in some Motorcycling Nirvana. Unfortunately it's very likely to be at the expense of committing sufficient attention to what's happening around them.

Graywolf and Mushu will no doubt tell us that's not truly the 'Zone'.

Trouble is, there's probably still a newbie lying crumpled on the side of the road thinking they where 'just about there'.

[Owl]

First rule about the "Zone" is we don't talk about the "Zone"!

Fucking gay homo sensitive shite!

[Maha]

First rule about the "Zone" is we don't talk about the "Zone"!

Fucking gay homo sensitive shite!

Hey! I have been there...(NO, NOT THE HOMO PART) just the once, felt really really good and nothing was going to go wrong that day..why I never went for a ride is beyond me?

[Vgygrwr]

Perhaps "flow" and "zone" ought not be mixed
Csíkszentmihályi described flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost."
To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer. If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur. Both skill level and challenge level must be matched and high; if skill and challenge are low and matched, then apathy results.

So the opposite to flow are boredom and apathy, perhaps not the most appropriate for safety on the road. However I had understood flow comes with skill, unlikely for a new rider if they are still consciously learning basic skills such as situational awareness and bike control.

[MSTRS:Me]

The thing about The Zone is it can be, and is, elusive - it may find you, never the other way round.
Which is why so many deny its existence and none who experience it can describe how to achieve it.
We can describe (partly) how it feels, but that's it. We really have little to no control over when it takes effect. It's a lot like that odd human condition called love.

[_Shrek_]

The thing about The Zone is it can be, and is, elusive - it may find you, never the other way round.
Which is why so many deny its existence and none who experience it can describe how to achieve it.
We can describe (partly) how it feels, but that's it. We really have little to no control over when it takes effect. It's a lot like that odd human condition called love.

well said, when heading north from here we have several choices of which way to go the one I use most would be the Lindis Pass, Tekapo etc... & some times I've got to Fairlee & can't remember that part of the trip but the feeling is "what a ride"

& that is at a speed where you don't get pulled over, or a flash of lights now & then

[Ocean1]

I could imagine the very real danger of a newbie thinking that if they just concentrate hard enough on what they're 'doing', they'll suddenly find themselves in some Motorcycling Nirvana.

Yeah, you tend to imagine a bunch of shit.

And that's about as close to any understanding of cognitive anthropology as you'll ever get.

But, y'know, I'm not one to discourage people, if you wrote all of your imaginings down in a decent sized book with nice soft absorbant pages you could probably flog it OK at the local fair.