Quote:
Originally Posted by gfloyd2002
Okay, confession time, I guess. Wish I could say I didn't struggle with some of these. Here are my top three weak spots:
49. Make your tires right: (Honestly, I don't do an airplane style pre-ride walkthrough on the tires each time before I ride. Check 'em every few hundred miles and call it good.)
41. Be smooth at low speeds: Take some angst out, especially of slow-speed maneuvers, with a bit of rear brake. (I know I should. Instead, I have a bad habit of engine braking at slow speeds, which is not nearly as smooth and it is bad for other reasons as well.)
20. Look where you want to go: Use the miracle of target fixation to your advantage. The motorcycle goes where you look, so focus on the solution instead of the problem. (I ride on VERY gravelly and unpredictable roads that go from pristine to dangerous to sandy to gravelly and back again with little warning. I find myself paying a lot of attention to road conditions and calculating traction. Doing that takes my gaze closer to the front of my bike and not looking through the turn as far as I'd like. I'm working on a better balance.)
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#20 is a very important one and I understand when you say that you often ride on unpredictable roads. While you want to make sure you are able to scan for hazards you want to be careful not to allow your gaze to get too close to the front of your bike or too focussed on potential danger (gravel on the road) because it can cause you to stare at it and end up riding right over it. The best way I can describe it is to keep your eyes moving in a steady sweeping pattern to scan for potential danger but to also have some of your attention on looking exactly where you want to go. You can "notice" the danger and then look where you want to go and that will help you get there.
Are there any other ways of working on improving your visual skills? Can you do it while driving or even walking around? What kinds of things have helped you get better with this (even if it still needs a little bit of work?)
Misti