Has riding made you super?

[bugjuice]

Just pottering around, got me thinking - would I have seen that oil patch, or pot hole, or old lady crossing the road, if I was driving a cage and never been on a bike? Well, may be not the old lady bit (well, hope not..), but it got me wondering - all the years I've been driving a car, I kinda settled into it all. A road was a road, a corner was a corner, the tar is black. Some basic day to day stuff, like don't go to fast, and all the normal, but since I've been riding heaps (for the past couple of years hard now), I've noticed the smallest of things while riding, and not a 'bored' thing either, I've been concentrating on the ride, and found myself acknowledging the smallest of things, which I wouldn't have picked up on, if I hadn't have been riding. Also the same goes for reflexes and instinctive actions.. Not superman here, but they've definitely got sharper.

Just wondered if there were others who found the same. Riding is so much more involved than caging..

Think it'd benefit some boi racers to do the odd ride, make them realise what dicks they can be..?

[Gixxer 4 ever]

[QUOTE=bugjuice]Just wondered if there were others who found the same. Riding is so much more involved than caging..

QUOTE]
Yep you got it. That's why I ride. Riding is not just getting from one place to another it is an experience. All you say is true. Keeps you young and aware of what's around you. When I take new pillion that's the sort of comment you get back. Did you see that.........Did you smell that hay...............

[Sparky Bills]

You can always tell when a motorcyclist is in a car during a skid. They dont panic, and you can see them pump the brakes.
Most cage drivers just hold it full on and panic alot more.

We are a very switched on bunch us motorcycle riders!!
God bless us all!!
(the biking gods that is )

[jrandom]

Mmm, it's like that.

You know that thing that happens when you drive a cage somewhere and you know the way, where you arrive and can't remember actually doing the driving, or what happened along the way, because you were on autopilot?

Never happens on a bike. Not even on a commute you do every day on the same route for years.

[bugjuice]

Did you smell that hay...............

or smell that cattle truck we got stuck behind...
yeah, the smells you sometimes come across are often different.. I like riding past wood yards.. don't know what it is, just wierd. And bakeries..

[Dutchee]

What gets me is coming up behind a cage (you can smell it's in front somewhere) where someone is smoking. I'm hanging for a cig & start laughing at myself even noticing it.

That's a much more pleasant experience than the dead animals somewhere along the road - you can smell them, but not always see them.

[SuperDave]

HA HA, yep, just look at my username

But more seriously, I would agree with you on that, since riding I have certainly become more aware of my surroundings and have learnt to anticipate what could happen next. Even when I drive the car, it crosses my mind that the cage next to me might just decide to pull into my lane despite me being there, something which comes from riding.

But then again, if one doesn't improve their reflexes and analysis of the situations then you will be selling hello to the tarmac, or a cars bumper pretty soon enough.

[FEINT]

I have only been riding for 2 days, and I realised that I have to keep an eye out for every single car! They don't indicate, they do what they want, whenever they want, however they want. I think motorbikes have made me more aware.

I think everyone should be on a bike before they hop in to a car, then we hopefully would have more aware drivers out there!

Instead of the government handing out speeding fines, I think failing to indicate or failing to give way is just as important.

[Drunken Monkey]

You can always tell when a motorcyclist is in a car during a skid. They dont panic, and you can see them pump the brakes.
Most cage drivers just hold it full on and panic alot more.

We are a very switched on bunch us motorcycle riders!!
God bless us all!!
(the biking gods that is )

I know plenty of cage drivers who can drive like that. Hell, I could do that before I learned to ride a bike. Being road aware and having mechanical affinity isn't just exclusive to motorcycle riders.

[Waylander]

Cought myself looking over my shoulder in the cage today. Something I never did before I started riding. And we already know that bikers are more observant, you have to be else its your arse sliding on the road. Get so used to doing in on the bike that it becomes habit even when in a cage.

[jrandom]

Cought myself looking over my shoulder in the cage today...

You know, theoretically, people shouldn't pass a full car licence test here if they don't do head checks (instead of just using their mirrors) when changing lanes and turning into traffic.

Based on the number of times I need to brake and swerve for half-asleep cagers while filtering each day, though, I don't think the habit sticks.

[Waylander]

You know, theoretically, people shouldn't pass a full car licence test here if they don't do head checks (instead of just using their mirrors) when changing lanes and turning into traffic.

Based on the number of times I need to brake and swerve for half-asleep cagers while filtering each day, though, I don't think the habit sticks.

It's like folowing speed limits, you do it for the test then most of the rest of the time you just do what you feel comfortable with. Most drivers just get complacentand its the same with bikers, the longer a person goes before your first wreck the more complacent they get it seems. They get that "it'll never happen to me" attitude. Had the same sense of invulnerability till I had my first wreck on the rebel.

[justsomeguy]

I've come from India........ have to be super observant if you don't want to get run over by something bigger than you........

Apply the same principles here whether in a cage or on a bike....... and the way the JAFFA's keep disobeying the road rules looks like we'll be heading no where pretty, pretty quickly.

After riding a bike and having to keep all your senses alert, I find it hard staying awake while driving a cage...... matter of fact I feel as though I'm sitting on my couch playing a VERY BORING video game...........

I don't fall asleep ..... but do feel rather detached from it all...... any of you'll feel likewise????

[bugjuice]

You know, theoretically, people shouldn't pass a full car licence test here if they don't do head checks (instead of just using their mirrors) when changing lanes and turning into traffic.

Based on the number of times I need to brake and swerve for half-asleep cagers while filtering each day, though, I don't think the habit sticks.

in the UK when I was taking my test, my instructor told me I'd fail my license if I wasn't seen to be looking over my shoulder to check my blindspot. I thought it'd be the same here..

[Waylander]

I've come from India........ have to be super observant if you don't want to get run over by something bigger than you........

Apply the same principles here whether in a cage or on a bike....... and the way the JAFFA's keep disobeying the road rules looks like we'll be heading no where pretty, pretty quickly.

After riding a bike and having to keep all your senses alert, I find it hard staying awake while driving a cage...... matter of fact I feel as though I'm sitting on my couch playing a VERY BORING video game...........

I don't fall asleep ..... but do feel rather detached from it all...... any of you'll feel likewise????

Compared to riding, driving a cage is pretty boring but I'm still a fair bit more observant than other cagers, also a bit more relaxed and less inclined to get upset when someone does something stupid infront of me when I'm in the cage. Anybody else that way aswell?