Getting that bad feeling.

[FROSTY:Me]

Out for a ride the other day. Riding at the time with a group of guys whose riding I trust as consitent and smooth.
I got to a corner i've been round hundrreds of times and just plum freaked out. Got on the brakes and down a few gears.
No logical explaination. It just felt "bad"
Anyone else had this happen ?

[Headbanger]

Instinct will save you, Panic will kill you.

Shes a fine line.

(and I'm not saying you panicked, panicking is locking up the brakes and exiting the road.....)

But yeah, Plenty of times I've had a strong urge to knock speed off when approaching a safe corner for no apparent reason. The subconscious is a powerful thing. Just like the little alarm bells that go off about certain cars on the road.

.................Bike sense

[henry]

Yep. Usually a momentary lapse in concentration.

I used to have a really bad habit of checking my mirrors too much. A slight glance down at the wrong time and it was panic stations when I looked up. Doesn't take much and you end up in the wrong place on the road.

Then you tense up and jump on the brakes which makes the bike want to go straight ahead which makes the situation worse.

Motorcycling is mostly in your head.

[rocketman1]

I believe this is good for you.
I know you get that sick feeling like, Wow that was close, but this is all part of the experience that makes you a better motorcyclist.
Its these moments you tend to sometimes remember.

I have once come across a way tighter corner than I expected (on a back road) no speed warning signs, I am lucky there was no car coming the otherway hugging the white line. So I know exactly what you mean.

I am always a bit mistified about the saying slow in / fast out of corners?
this is OK if you know the road but how fast is "Slow in" it surely depends on the corner, in which case you havent yet been aroung the damn thing to know what speed to take it?
I guess again it depends on experience.

I know a strong gust of wind on a corner can push you wide, and give you a nasty feeling, maybe you have to wait for that 'Wow" experience also??

[fireliv]

Happens all the time. Somedays I'll take a corner I know without a second thought, other days I find myself hard on the brakes before it. I think it really is a reflection of your mental state at the time (not saying you are mental!) If I have a had a good day, or something else on my mind, then I tend to take the corner better. If I have had a stressful day I find that I'm really tense, so dont ride so well, and tend to be more cautious.

[Oakie]

Happens to me from time to time but it's usually to to with having a bad feeling abut the car in front of me about to do something silly.

Don't over-analyse what you did. Your reaction just may have saved you from something bad ... but you'll never know for sure. Possibly your sub-conscious recognised a bad situation that your active brain didn't recognise

I have heard of this sort of stuff happening in fire fighting. The story went along the lines of "everything looked under control and then the chief fire fighter pulled everyone out because he had an uneasy feeling. Next minute the building collapsed."

[ducatilover]

ive had it happen too. last time i slowed down like that a truck almost ate me. every other time nothing has happened. i prefer to trust my instinct

[riffer]

Yup. I agree with the previous posters. It's the spidey-sense.

If it ever happens on Paekakariki hill it's usually because a Pajero is on the wrong side of the road on the other end of the corner.

[FROSTY:Me]

Yup. I agree with the previous posters. It's the spidey-sense.

If it ever happens on Paekakariki hill it's usually because a Pajero is on the wrong side of the road on the other end of the corner.

yea well dont talk to me about Pie cock --$#$@#@$$
4 hours of good riding -stop for a cuppa tea (MY version ok) turn spidey senses off-- 7 corners later splatto
Still the view from that edge was pretty er interesting

[Ixion]

Yep. every so often. 'Tis the spidey sense. Trust it. It will save your life. May have a few false alarms, but I'll live (literally) with that.

My explanation is that an experienced rider processes a vast number of inputs relating to road, bike, surroundings, himself, that he's not even aware of. But the brain (a far more capable thing than we realise) monitors them all, looking for anything that is out of the way, doesn't stack up. When it detects something that 'doesn't fit' it sends a watch out signal. Sometimes of course, the 'trigger' is innocuous, just a shadow or something. Sometimes it's a warning of real danger.

When riding I think it important to use ALL your senses to the utmost. You can hear far more than you believe you do: like the sound of an SUV round that corner , f'instance. And smell more : like that hot rubber smell that says a truck has lost a tyre tread or is about to (if you ever smell that when next to or behind a big truck, get the hell out of there fast)

Trust the spidey sense. It works. Anbd the long you ride the smarter it gets.

[pzkpfw]

Happens to me on many rides.

Usually I learn either:
1: I should have been paying more attention in the first place (stay focussed).
2: That I can usually just ride through the corner anyway (don't get paniced into switching into "minimise the crash" mode - that might mean you do crash).

I'll always be a newbie, I think.

(Last time it happened, I slowed right down afterwards - and watched in my mirror as my mate rode his rented Harley off the corner and laid it down in the grass.)

[martybabe]

I have heard of this sort of stuff happening in fire fighting. The story went along the lines of "everything looked under control and then the chief fire fighter pulled everyone out because he had an uneasy feeling. Next minute the building collapsed."

Abso bloomin lutley, pulled a bloke off a ladder once, just reached up and yanked him off for no apparent reason, as the poor bloke turned to slap me upside the head I pointed up and the mother of all fire storms exited the roof right where his face had been.

Instinct, experience, spidey sense, who knows but only a fool wouldn't listen to it. You don't know why you did it, doesn't matter. what did you lose? bugger all, what did you gain, maybe you'll never know but if everything is telling you to slow down.......do it.

[CookMySock]

I got to a corner i've been round hundrreds of times and just plum freaked out. Got on the brakes and down a few gears. No logical explaination. It just felt "bad". Anyone else had this happen ?

All the time for us newbs. Happens for me when I am not mentally rehearsing corners and/or gazing off into space, or moving at 10/10ths and overcook it. I either slow down and nana-ride until I relax, or quit gazing around and watch what I'm doing.

You're ok bud. It'll come back.

DB

[Goblin]

Yup. I agree with the previous posters. It's the spidey-sense.

If it ever happens on Paekakariki hill it's usually because a Pajero is on the wrong side of the road on the other end of the corner.

Agree here too. Spidey sense made me button off rounding a bend I'd normally hoof it round and sure enough...there was a cock in a Pajero doing a U-turn mid corner.
Sometimes I button off a bit, not realizing it, and a cop will go by in the other direction.

[Marknz]

Yup. I agree with the previous posters. It's the spidey-sense.

If it ever happens on Paekakariki hill it's usually because a Pajero is on the wrong side of the road on the other end of the corner.

Ditto. What he said. and anything else to fill in the spaces