If you ever start thinking you're safe...

[Learner Zealot]

Very true. At the same time though, if you only had fear you wouldn't do anything. You need to push through the fear to get on with life. This combination of fear and motivation results is what is commonly known as a healthy respect.

Agreed. The trick for me is using fear as information. Fear of fear creates panic. When fear is just information you can interpret it however you see fit and act in your best interests. Same with all emotions - your job isn't to control them (which leads to problems), its in controlling your actions in response to the information they provide.

[swbarnett]

Agreed. The trick for me is using fear as information. Fear of fear creates panic. When fear is just information you can interpret it however you see fit and act in your best interests. Same with all emotions - your job isn't to control them (which leads to problems), its in controlling your actions in response to the information they provide.

Seems like we're on the same wavelength after all. Just our understanding of the language is a bit different.

[Learner Zealot]

Seems like we're on the same wavelength after all. Just our understanding of the language is a bit different.

Yeah - happens pretty frequently. Semantics. Occupational hazard.

I'm always on the look out for fear (or any emotion) being labelled as bad. It's a societal thing, we don't really get taught how to use emotions very well, I see it all the time and I probably over emphasise it.

[Subike]

What sort of rider am I?
A below average learner.
Do I ride with fear?
No, respect, Respect for myself and my enviroment
Every other vehicle on the road that I am on is a potential accident, so I treat them as such, make judgements, take risks, be cautious, ride slow or fast depending on my evaluation of the given situation relevent to the road I am riding on at the time. Each kilometer of road is different than the one before. I never assume that its the same old same old, even those long straghts. ( bunnys , possums, hawks, all use them too you know)
Could I be a better rider, Hell yes.
Does my bike scare me, sometimes.

As for bad habits that Cage drivers bring to bike riding One huge one
Braking! In a cage, you reaction is to step on the brake when an incident happens, usually with the desired result of saving you ass.
BUT Stomp on the foot brake on a bike, with that same learnt reaction!
No need to tell anyone here the result


Now as for the inevitable event that you will fall off your bike at some stage of your life,
Buddy go believe that ....and it will happen....what you believe will come to pass.
I dont think that it is inevitable that I will fall off my bike, or have a crash, It might be probable, but its not inevitable, so I ride accordingly

[Learner Zealot]

Don't know the name of the doc but the affect is called Risk Homeostasis for those that want to Google it.

Thanks for that by the way, I'd forgotten the term. It's not an uncontroversial theory but it makes some sense on the surface.

[Jiminy]

This is actually a legal requirement in Switzerland. The stated reason is that you can't have a licensed driver on a bike with you to teach you road sense.

I don't recall it being the case when I passed my car license about 15 years ago, but I could be wrong. It certainly is not the case anymore from what I read (on the Internet, the source of all truths...). The law has changed in 2002 or 2003.

[Jiminy]

And what's wrong with braking in a curve ? I do it quite often. Depending on the bike I'm on. Wouldn't do it in a car. So I guess that's one thing that a rider turned driver would have to unlearn.

Ok, I rephrase. I always try to take a curve so that I don't have to brake once I've entered the curve. If I do brake, I do it gently, even more so on a bike than in a car.

The bad habit I was referring to is coming too fast into the curve and piling on the brakes while you're turning. Less risky in a car, btw, but I'm glad I've learned the 'right' way before taking on motorbiking.

If that's true then I'm glad to be in the minority. Binning isn't inevitable unless you make it that way.

You're right, but I like the slightly altered version best: binning IS inevitable unless you do everything you can to prevent it, in which case it might never happen.

[swbarnett]

I don't recall it being the case when I passed my car license about 15 years ago, but I could be wrong. It certainly is not the case anymore from what I read (on the Internet, the source of all truths...). The law has changed in 2002 or 2003.

I left in 1998 so my information is a bit old. Thanks for the update.