Ride to Live or Just Crazy?
How many times do we hear from people that you must be crazy to ride a motorcycle? Yes it’s danger-ous. Yes it’s invigrating. Yes we are exposed to all the elements in lieu of the comfort of a climate-controlled, stereo-filled car and yes, above all, it’s a hell of a lot of fun! Many folks are unnerved by bikers, especially when encountering us at a rest stop.
We’re viewed as renegades and, most likely, lawless. When people I encounter find out that I am part of a motorcycle club, they are awed, as well as very curious as to how I can engage in such a dangerous passion. What I tell them is that it’s a heck of a lot of fun and it all comes down to knowing your risk limits and managing your environment accordingly. In the following article I recently read authored by Jackie Vaughan of Wheels in Motion, she clearly articulates the necessity to obtain training combined with sensible risk behaviors in our ever-changing environment. The article aspires to sensible behaviors that will make riding more predictable as we rack up those miles.
Dom Mozzone
Safety Officer
Fellow Squire
You Must be Crazy to Ride a Motorcycle
“You have to be completely crazy to ride a motorcycle. Those things are dangerous!” How often have we heard that?
Zealous four-wheelers are bent on saving us from our own stupidity. Of course, our bulbs are dim. Anyone bright wouldn’t go near one of those two-wheeled death machines. “It’s too risky,” they intone piously.
In a small part, they are right. There is risk involved in operating a motorcycle. There’s also risk involved in driving on a freeway, even in a tank. And it’s purely insane to sleep on a waterbed if we have cats. The trick is to manage the risks and to not take dumb risks.
One of the main keys to managing risks is to take a motorcycle rider course, and to keep the mental and physical skills we learn sharp. Many skills are lost in six months if they aren’t practiced. Knowing good cornering and curve-riding techniques doesn’t do us any good if we don’t practice them. Knowing our limits, the limits of our machines, and the limits of our environment and riding within those limits is also critical. We must remember that those lim-its change constantly and adapt our riding style to conform to them.
Superior riders never get themselves into situations requiring superior skills. Taking dumb risks is asking for trou-ble. If we keep pushing our limits, we will eventually exceed them, and the consequences can be devastating or even fatal. Riding faster and faster though a familiar curve can spell disaster when we’ve pushed our traction to the limits and there’s something unexpected in the road halfway through the curve. Riding fast in the rain just be-cause we’re in a hurry makes no sense when we know we can’t stop quickly. Slowing down and putting distance between us and a hazard is sensible risk management. Replacing worn tires helps keep us safely stuck to the road.
Part of the challenge of motorcycling is risk management, and the sport wouldn’t be very enjoyable if we wrapped ourselves in cotton and surrounded ourselves with a cocoon of safety devices. However, the sport is more fun if we don’t have to worry about dangers we create for ourselves.
The above sounds simple enough and certainly makes a lot of sense. As active riders, we all should make a point to get regularly-scheduled training to keep our skills sharp. Just as important, with our 2012 riding season upon us, it is very important to maintain your motorcycle.
Are we crazy to ride motorcycles? Hell no! We live to ride, eat and have a great time with our club … as always.
Jackie Vaughan
