Most riders pay close attention to their machines; inspecting, checking, making sure everything is working as it should. But how often do we look in the mirror and make the same critical assessment of our riding expertise?
It’s rare for me to meet a rider who questions their skill or ability. More often I hear stories of feats of speed or disaster averted. Long trips, great rides and recollections of weather, roads and people. Consideration of how good a rider one might be just doesn’t come up. Self-assessment in general is a cloudy and sometimes painful process. A lot of ego is tied up with riding and denial may be easier than honest reflection.
A look in the mirror doesn’t mean much to me unless I have some standard or definition of what it means to be a good rider. One man’s good is another man’s terrible. Looking at myself I see some riding experience – around 17000 miles on a Vespa over the past three years in a wider range of weather and conditions. Two MSF riding classes. And a running pseudo-evaluation of sorts through Scooter in the Sticks. But that’s probably not the level of assessment necessary to really make sure I’m as good as I should be on the road.
I’ve noticed that as time on the scooter increases so does confidence. But that confidence may be unfounded and even dangerous. The once complete feet down stops get replaced by slow rolling stops at an intersection I’ve seen a hundred times. Or riding faster through familiar territory because I know what to expect. The guy in the mirror isn’t too bright. Still, there are things I consider positive.
Dress for the Ride
What does that actually mean? If I pretend to be an outlaw biker does it mean jeans, t-shirt, sunglasses, and boots? And if the need arises for head protection a bandanna neatly tied over the top of my head? Or shorts, t-shirt, and flip-flops for a sunny Sunday scooter ride? Both costume choices fit the stylization of some in those riding cultures. I’ve always thought physics trumps culture and make my own choices accordingly. Regardless of your choice of two-wheeled conveyance the physics are the same.
A body falling onto pavement at 45MPH pays the same price whether delivered from a Goldwing or a Vespa. A head meets a curb or tree. A knee or elbow bangs the asphalt. All possible events for any rider. Not inevitable but possible. When I look in the mirror the rider I see always has a yellow and black armored jacket, over the ankle boots, full helmet, gloves, and long pants (and usually armored ones on top of those). Dressed for the possible physics of the ride.
Noticing Stupid Things on the Road
I don’t mean bad spelling on yard sale signs or the price of gas. For me it’s: 1. speeders, 2. tailgaters, and 3. the oblivious driver (usually connected to a cell phone). I always think individuals engaging in those behaviors are just sort of, well, stupid. But what really gets me chuckling is seeing items 1 and 2 performed by a rider. I just don’t have the degree of faith in my fellows on the road to do it and am happy to report the man in the mirror free of those defects.
Strategic vs. Tactical Riding
I’ve always felt there is more to successful riding than good tactical skills – being able to physically manipulate a machine on the road. All that’s important but those skills are like individual puzzle pieces – without them being put together to form a bigger strategic picture they don’t add up to much. Looking in the mirror for a while I realize that I think a lot about the rides I take. Where I am going, the characteristics or the roads I will travel, traffic patterns, road hazards I am aware of and those I could possibly encounter. Like the dump trucks that zip across the road at the quarry entrance in the picture below. When the weather is bad these considerations are even more intense. Riding may put me “in the moment” but my mind is constantly processing things into a larger picture.
How Do I Get to Carnegie Hall?
Practice, practice, practice. The rider in the mirror practices and experiments and pushes the skills envelop. I still seek out places to practice quick and sudden stops bringing the scooter to a halt right at the edge of skidding. I experiment with balance and slow tight turns. And I test my ability to manage the Vespa on a wide range of dicey surfaces. They keep my mind and body in tune with the machine.
Report Card
The rider in this mirror gets a C. I’m making good progress. I’m doing the things I should be doing to be a safe rider. I’m not trying to bring track skills to the highway or duplicate stunt skills in traffic. I want to continue to learn how to be capable and conscious of the things I can do physically and mentally to reduce risk and enjoy riding.
Good points. Great photos.
Good things to think about and you are right, we all need to constantly improve our skillset and hone the ones we have. That to me is one of the pleasures of riding.
Give yourself a c+ if when riding you remember you are enjoying yourself. Hugging yourself while riding and thinking, “after all these years this is still fun” gets points in my report card.
This was better than reading my MS course manual. Alot more fun when there are pictures….LOL
Just fine for some old broad in the Florida jungle who got her first moped ever. I’m practicing. My first ride was in a parade! Hard to drive when you have to crawl along at 3 mph or less. Shoe soles kept up, though, and spectators loved the whole idea.
Every morning, when I turn on TV, I’m being discouraged by another accident report. Belgrade has a horrible statistic of one dead biker daily and I keep asking myself when or is it going to happen to me one day. Is it going to be mine or someone else fault? Being 32 y.o. and just second year on the Vespa I can never relax enough and I can hardly allow myself thinking that I’m good. I’ll never be good enough in my riding skills apart that a great deal lies in a psychology and ability to anticipate the traffic and drivers around you. Luckily I got many thousands of km behind the wheel in this city and that helps a lot, but is it enough?
I’ll say that I’ve looked upon you Steve in many aspects of riding and I found encouragement, idea and inspiration for my riding in this blog… I hope that many others do. This is a great story, something I would recommend to younger, unexperienced odeon, those impatient, with more guts, eager to squeeze the throttle… naked in the saddle!
After a lifetime of self evaluation, I’d have to give myself a C.
“I know that I’ll never be as good as I think I am.” Does that make any sense? Whether it does or not, It’s what I remind myself of constantly.
As far as dressing for the ride, I still wear scars on my right buttock and elbow from a low speed, low side that I experienced over 20 years ago, and that was with denim jeans and what I thought was an appropriate jacket. That was my wake-up call, and I’ve worn strict riding gear ever since (ATGATT). Every now and then I still get cross looks from others, especially during the hot summer days, I’d be more than happy to show off my right cheek to explain why, but I’m afraid that would just attract more unwanted attention!
E.T.
Your blog is a completely enjoyable read. I have been riding since grade school and I still consider myself an average rider. From time to time I catch myself letting my attention wander only to be startled by brake lights in front of me when I look back.
As for wearing the proper gear, I…errr…uhhh, well I don’t wear shorts and flip flops!
John: Thanks!
Eric: The challenge of improving and working towards that is part of the pleasure. I hadn’t thought about it that way.
conchscooter: Sounds like grade inflation to me…*grin*
gary: Yeah, I like see pictures. When I read the Wall Street Journal it is a challenge to wade through…
wakullariver: Riding in a parade? I hope you weren’t hounded by those Shriners on go karts!
milos: The news has a way of distorting reality. For every 10 thousand safe rides you only hear about the one that went bad. Or the plane that crashed or the house that burned down. It may be news but it has a subtle influence on perception.
Sounds like you have your head in the right place while riding. Glad you can find something helpful here.
Ride safe!
Earl: I too get weird looks sometimes when it is hot and I am wearing what looks like the same stuff I wear when it is 10 degrees F. And some riders have pointed and snickered. But I just smile and keep riding. Most of the time anyways.
r.g.: I’m not sure how one gets beyond being an average rider unless they study and practice. Riding to work isn’t practice. Practice is doing some technique over and over again. And then some more I guess.
I’m sure there are a lot of excellent riders around. The one I have lifted much of what I know is Dan Bateman at Musings of an Intrepid Commuter. He has some excellent technique discussions if you search through his blog.
Steve,
I agreed with your assessments – and the news. There are car incidents very night; will that stop people from driving cars…of course not. But you will hear those alarmist indicating otherwise. For me my grade may even be lower but to reiterate my MSF classroom instructor “Practice…Practice…Practice” and never stop practicing.
Great observation and I really appreciate your eye for photography.
If you know so little that you can’t see what you need to improve, you’re in real trouble. If you know enough to identify those things that you need to work on, you’re way ahead of the game.
I used to interview students to work at a computer help desk. The kids who rated themselves “10 out of 10” on technical knowledge were almost always technically horrible, except for the rare exception that really was a 10 (and you bet I hired them instantly). The kids who rated themselves 7 or 8 out of 10 were usually very strong on technical issues, and they understood that there was a larger universe of things they didn’t know. Even the kids who rated themselves 4 or 5 out of 10 were usually stronger than than the 10s, precisely because they knew when to say, “I don’t know”.
Long story short: self-assessment is full of pitfalls. There is no shame in grading yourself “C”; it shows a deep understanding of the challenges.
RR
Hi Steve
I am glad you started posting regularly again!
Very nice photo’s; everytime I am amazed how much your region looks like where I grew up in the south of the Netherlands.
Your story on riding gear is very much true. I always wear the same gear whether I am riding my BMW K75RT or my Vespa Lx 50 (well, 80…), summer or winter time.
I always struggle a bit between heart and mind. An example: I just ordered a new GTS and will trade in the LX. The question was either the Vespa GTS 250 with ABS, or the new GTS 300 Super without ABS, but with a delicious new engine. The most sensible option is the 250 of course. I however ordered the 300. I guess I now will be more aware of the dangers ahead and will ride more carefully than with ABS, I say to my wife…
Ride well!
Nice blog! Love tho photos as well. I am new to blogging and scootering, but do check us out at
http://www.noton95.blogspot.com/
Happy scootin!
I love the photos! Of course you had great points, but the photos were especially great.
I agree with the practice practice practice Steve. I try to continually improve on my riding skills. You won’t see me riding in shorts and flip flops. Great read as always my friend.
Ronman
Hi, That was a good read about your scooter ride. And you have a great photos that tells that you enjoy your rides.