Has riding made you super?

[Waylander]

Just giving this thread that extra boost to become a "hot thread" and uping my post count

[avgas]

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 )

Yeh i notice that alot of bike riders also know more potential in their cars too. Like i dont drive fast, but i accelrate hard and corner more accurate cos i learnt that way (riding bikes and racing cars), before i got my car licence.
Also in response to what bugjuice said, yeh, by learing to ride you do have better skill to those that just drive, this i because when riding - more is at risk. So therefore i think bikers take more care, and precision to the way they use the road. No shit here folk, straight up.
Anyone notice that it is actually harder to maintain a good, clear, focused mind while driving in heavy traffic? yet it is easier to do exactly the same on a bike?

[justsomeguy]

Go for a drive in Dallas, LA, Boston, Detroit, New York City, Miami, ect, ect, and you'll see Auckland traffic as nice open road. Did notice that there are also certain cars I feel more relaxed in like put me in a little shyte-box honda and I'm as stressed as I get but put me in my dad's old Jag and I dont even turn the radio up loud. Go figure:spudwhat: .

I know what you mean, I can manage driving in Bombay - India not Auckland. But I can't drive in delhi...

I'm the opposite to you...... when I'm in my old corolla I'm care free as I only need to make sure I don't make mistakes and I take a few more calculated risks....... where as in my MR2 which is a little more flash, I feel a bit more nervous and hope no one takes me out.... so drive a lot more cautiously until I reach some open road ......

[pyrocam]

I dont need bikes to make me super, they just enhance my superness

[Sniper]

You learn more, notice more, smell more, ect when you are on a bike because if you are not aware???

[PhilBilly]

I found i was more observant when i started to ride bikes. Love it, wouldnt give it up for anything. To me its like a drug, cant go 2 days without a ride or i get grumpy lol. Cars are so easy to be far too relaxed in as ya sitting inside and cars aint as fun.

[bugjuice]

also, not intending to offend those on our smaller cuz's amongst us, but you think the bigger the bike, the more aware? I found I was imensely aware on my CBR250RR, but then when I got the 636, it seemed like I had only just started! with the extra speed on tap, and power etc..

My instinctive reactions are sharper too. I remember riding from Takapuna over the bridge after work once (well, more than once, every week day..) and I saw a pile up happen right next to me. I could see the first car hit the brakes hard and stop, so I thought 'ere we go..' and sure enuff 4 or 5 cars went end to end. Normally, I love to watch that sort of stuff (when I'm not involved) cos crashes are cool. Yeah, shit they happen, but no one was hurt, and it's not my insurance, and it was happening, so why not. Anyhoo, as I saw the first car knock on, all of a sudden, I was accelerating hard and had turned my body away from the crash. Didn't even know I was doing it until I looked again and it was all gone.. awwwww.. and I wanted to see the bangs.. Anyway, the long winded point is, I didn't even know I had done it until it was all over. Thought that was pretty cool. A few things like that have happened that's made me think too. Not so many crashes, but various other stuff..

[vifferman]

Yeah, Super Duper.
Superdupervifferman!



Yeah, it makes me more observant, more aware, blah blah blah. I notice things like the little patches of oil when the road's wet, and potholes, and all the rest. Freaks my wife out (and me) when I'm driving in the car, because I'm just cruising through the traffic, noticing everything, making allowances, interpreting what people are going to do by the little nuances you pick up when commuting by bike, and she's sitting there going "Watch out!" and getting more and more tense, because she commutes by bus.
Of course, because she's going "WaaH!!", I'm thinking it's summat I haven't already noticed, and getting ready to swerve, brake, abandon ship, or whatever.

You just have to be more aware when riding a bike, or you're in big trouble. And like someone elses (or several someone elses) said, it's what makes biking better than car-ing. The concentration required makes taking the bike a really invigorating experience in the morning, whereas in the car (particularly stuck in traffic), it's a real yawn.

I enjoy driving...not as much as riding,but I don't mind driving a car,4X4,truck,whatever....I just love it all.I dunno - is it an alpha rythum thing? Y'know,you brain goes into a different state,I take in so much information,riding or driving...in the car I'm pointing things I see out to my passengers,there are a million things a minute going on - but at the same time I am totaly relaxed,in a totaly different state,sort of observing from afar....dunno,can't describe it.If I can't ride I drive,does the same job for me.

That's a right brain thing, Motu. Any time you're doing anything where your brain "goes into a different state", that's your right hemisphere doing the driving, as it were.
Are you left-handed?

[pyrocam]

also, not intending to offend those on our smaller cuz's amongst us, but you think the bigger the bike, the more aware? I found I was imensely aware on my CBR250RR, but then when I got the 636, it seemed like I had only just started! with the extra speed on tap, and power etc..

My instinctive reactions are sharper too. I remember riding from Takapuna over the bridge after work once (well, more than once, every week day..) and I saw a pile up happen right next to me. I could see the first car hit the brakes hard and stop, so I thought 'ere we go..' and sure enuff 4 or 5 cars went end to end. Normally, I love to watch that sort of stuff (when I'm not involved) cos crashes are cool. Yeah, shit they happen, but no one was hurt, and it's not my insurance, and it was happening, so why not. Anyhoo, as I saw the first car knock on, all of a sudden, I was accelerating hard and had turned my body away from the crash. Didn't even know I was doing it until I looked again and it was all gone.. awwwww.. and I wanted to see the bangs.. Anyway, the long winded point is, I didn't even know I had done it until it was all over. Thought that was pretty cool. A few things like that have happened that's made me think too. Not so many crashes, but various other stuff..

Ive noticed an almost instintual effect in close calls sometimes. also time seems to slow down.

When I had my crash I knew what was going to happen before I crashed. my bike flipped over to the left and my subconcious took over and made me roll down the road, it took ages for me but was only 1-2secs on the road. automatically got up swore and got my bike of the road before I knew what was happening.

I learnt the lesson of 'looking where you want to be going not at the curb / object you are about to hit' very well that day.

[Wolf]

I find that I go into "autopilot" on routes that I know well but I'm still subconsciously very aware of my surroundings and can snap out of autopilot at a split second's notice - have done so on a number of occasions - to respond to sudden threats.

I also slip out of autopilot when complications arise - decreased visibility, increase in traffic (seldom go on autopilot in town) - and am very conscious of every little thing.

Have not had a bike accident for years - not since long before I got my car licence - but have avoided quite a few. Haven't had a car accident for years either - but obviously it was more recent than my last bike accident (which was a deliberate laying-down of the bike to avoid t-boning a van that illegally U-turned in front of me).

I am positive that my riding bikes has made me a more observant road user - I would hesitate to call myself "super" - and has improved my "reflexes".

Inverted commas used for reflexes above as it is physically impossible to have faster reflexes than anyone else - the actual nerve signal transfers are a set speed. What we call "fast reflexes" is really "improved multitasking" - you react sooner than others because you were aware sooner and began reacting before other people were even aware of the threat.

Just goes to show - it's not only women who can multitask.

Going into "autopilot" is just a higher level of multitasking - you're daydreaming as well as noting all the possible threats. Generally only happens when there are fewer distractions/potential threats to note and goes away the moment your attention is required.

Singing ito the Helmet? Oh, yeah! Quite often. At one stage I tried putting a couple of headhones into a helmet but found that mucking about with the tape deck and the wires was a bastard so I went back to a cappella singing into the helmet.

[Waylander]

Is it just me or is the reason alot of us are biker the fact that we get a thrill out of being so observant? Not sure if I am exspressing that right but you should be able to get what I mean. Like with the wreck you sawa BJ did you feel exilerated when you noticed what you had done and that your "reflexes" were so much better?

( quotes in there to agree with Wolf now that I think about it)

[Pwalo]

I'm a bloody sight more careful after my accident. Don't know if that makes me 'super'.

But as no doubt has been said already being on two wheels makes you much more aware of your surroundings. Road surface, weather conditions etc. Must help with your driving!

[bugjuice]

Is it just me or is the reason alot of us are biker the fact that we get a thrill out of being so observant? Not sure if I am exspressing that right but you should be able to get what I mean. Like with the wreck you sawa BJ did you feel exilerated when you noticed what you had done and that your "reflexes" were so much better?

( quotes in there to agree with Wolf now that I think about it)

yeah, it did actually. To think that instinct took over to make sure I was doing everything I can to avoid damage to me or my bike, was pretty cool. I didn't even think about 'ooo, if it happens, should I turn away in case there's flying glass or plastic etc?', I just did it.

Someone asked me a while ago, what do you think of while riding? I ran off a huge list that I didn't even think I was thinking half the time. A lot of 'risk management' etc which just becomes instinctive. Escape routes if things go pear-shaped etc.. I think of heaps without even thinking about it. And that's mostly on surroundings. Then you've got the road it's self. Are the tyres over-loaded? Have I got any more braking left if I need it? There's the bike to consider too, let alone you and the road and surroundings.

I guess it just boils down to survival. Hate to 'blow me own trumpet' but if you don't tune in and tune up, you quickly cop out. I just thought the whole concept of it, being 'fine-tuned' so to speak, is quite fascinating..

[Wolf]

( quotes in there to agree with Wolf now that I think about it)

Who? Me?

I remember seeing something about it on a doco about racing drivers - can't remember what doco. Someone was saying that what is really happening is that those people accustomed to having to react quickly do so because they are processing more data than average.

Signals travel through our nerves at around 200 miles per hour - more than adequate enough for us to react to danger - so differences in reaction times are based purely on perception of that danger.

As motorcyclists, more aware of how vulnerable we are than car drivers, we train ourselves to be more alert for danger - owing to the fact that the consequences are higher for us - and tend to react quicker based on more subtle cues.

This does not mean that car drivers cannot be very good at perceiving, and reacting to, danger.

It means that the average bike rider has better reaction times than the average cager - but there will always be alert cagers and oblivious bikers as well.

[sAsLEX]

I remember watching a doco that had stirling moss driving some head doc guy around while they talked in his BMW, and as they approached an off ramp he got the back end out in a nice drift, about that time the tape stopped so without stopping the drift he calmy reached down removed the finished tape found a new one inserted it and carried on drifting.

To most people just changing a tape while driving far exceeds their mental capability, but as driving was near second nature to him it did not phase him.