a couple recent posts made me think it may be a good idea to post this subject. with riding season heating up it's good to refresh our memories or learn if we're not aware that our mind can do some weird things when we are riding.
when we are riding and in control of our bike there are a lot of obstacles to concentration. beside the obvious of the road alignment and traffic there are the gauges, (now) radios, communications, external influences of road surface, wind, critters, signs, etc.
something to be very aware of, is we should be first concentrating on operating and properly controlling the bike. we all fall prey to distractions, talking to a passenger, waving to approaching bikes, looking at scenery, signs, checking blind spots and mirrors etc. let our distraction linger and well, we've all thought wtf after re-focusing the deed at hand.
especially important is being aware and remaining focused while cornering. becoming distracted by a sign, animal, guardrail post or anything when cornering can cause a mind to deviate course to that object.
keep your eyes to the road and the point you intend to end up.
If not one can become a incident or casualty.
Ride safe people.

 

While I don't talk to my wife when we're riding or have any kind of radio/GPS to worry about, the rest does effect me. I'm always looking to see who, what's and how close someone's behind me. And I watch the road for upcoming and merging traffic. But these things are what I do in my car and have since I started driving. Still, driving/riding defensively is something we all do or should.

 

I was about caught by the sand bug... you know the kind hides in the corners at a stop light. Body went into auto pilot and got through it with no issues. I wonder what the amount of crashes will be linked to the new Rushmore touchscreen this coming year? Hands off handle bars... hmmmm

 

In the MSF class, the oft-spoken phrase 'you go where you look' was interpreted by me as some type of cliche. I really didn't understand what this meant until I got seat time on real roads.

Sometimes I will consciouslly focus on this, especially in tight turns on the country roads. It really does hold true. If you are looking at the guard rail, you may not hit it but your line will start driftng towards it or have trouble tightening the turn. What I am concerned with most is target fixation in an emergency. That's a tough one to train for as there is an involuntary reaction to focus in on danger. Practicing in a lot where you know something is coming up just isn't the same thing. Neither is concentrating on looking where you want to be while riding.

Do you think constant practice and conscious focus on looking would override your instinct to focus on danger or will instincts kick in? I don't know, really. It is hard to tell how you will handle this in a real emergency situation.

 

Target fixation is true in any moving sport or condition. An advanced skier is taught or learns real fast, when tree skiing, to look between the trees.

Two techniques to help you learn to avoid hitting something in your path, would be;

Scan: Scanning with your eyes breaks up tunnel vision. This is taught in all combat shooting classes. You scan to look for the next target. Scanning on the road, leaned over in a turn helps you find a clear path and avoid an object. Rock, animal, car.

Riding (skiing) between the trees: When out for a ride practice looking for a clear path between things than don't matter. Going through a turn, alter your line and pass between two leaves or two patches of different color pavement.

Changing your line because you've scanned a different path will help it to become instinctive when you really have to.

Oh, of course this only works if your riding below 100% of your skill level. Which you should never be doing on the street.

 

I just ride, been doing it that way for a long time. over-thinking it like that would just cause my brain to freeze and wreck me..

 

Agreed. Some of these guys really like to over think. Just ride and be defensive.

 

All good things to remember, I'll say this much though at Harley cornering speeds with the boards scraping it seems like it takes forever to get through turns on the same roads that I used to buzz through on the RR, I feel like I am sightseeing. I ride year round unless the temps drop into the teens, or their is snow/ice on the roads. I don't really get out of practice.

 

i agree with that also,yet i agree with a lot of whats been said in this thread to a certain degree..i tend to think processing all that road info comes,and should come naturally after awhile,not that i cant become distracted, or fixated on something else from time to time...sidewalk boobies will be the death of me yet.

 

Infotainment screen: Possible negative target fixation
Hot Babe on side of road: Possible positive negative target fixation