Has your confidence in your riding skills ever turned you nutter on your bike?

[virgilsc]

I am going to stop running red and orange lights!

[kkim]

sigh... isn't this what kawiforums is for?

[JMcDonald]

No red lights, but when in a hurry I have passed through yellows. But I've never done this is there was a cager waiting to turn left across my lane. I've seen several dozen wrecks happen in precisely that manner: turner thinks the strait-througher is going to stop at the yellow, and the straiter thinks the turner is going to wait--Bam!



But I will admit I am far more aggressive and fearless on my bike than in any car. I was always the guy during cruise meets who would stop and yellows and get lost...

[spooph]

Originally Posted by kkim

sigh... isn't this what kawiforums is for?

+1

[scotty]

Originally Posted by kkim

sigh... isn't this what kawiforums is for?

My 250 is faster than your 250..

Lol You shoul ride safe, and there are places you can go to have fun..tracks..

[bluepoof]

Originally Posted by JMcDonald

But I will admit I am far more aggressive and fearless on my bike than in any car.

I'm the opposite. I wouldn't say I'm overly cautious (I'm not trembling in my boots or anything) but the stakes are so much higher on a motorcycle that I can't help but be more careful and calculating on the bike. I think my years of riding has made me a better car driver too...well, at least I look out for pedestrians/bicyclists/motorcycles (i.e. "things smaller than me") more than other car drivers seem to.

I guess the point for me is that it isn't that my confidence in my riding skills makes me more aggressive -- it's that my LACK of confidence in OTHERS' driving skills makes me more careful.

[rockNroll]

I only run the red/orange intersections when I'm doin' a wheelie.

[Blackwidow]

no way...no matter how high my confidence level gets, I will ride super cautiously.

The last time I ran a yellow I saw my life flash before my eyes.

[CZroe]

I don't even understand the OP/topic. "Turned you nutter?" Does that mean "turned you into a nut?" Even then, a crazed unsafe nut or a overly-cautious nut or just a confident normal nut? When he says he's going to stop running red and orange lights, is that because he was "turned nutter," which makes him overly confident and he runs them, and now he recognizes the need to stop?

[Blackwidow]

i think he maybe meant nuttier...like since he's confident he isn't as cautious at times.

[scotty]

I don't understand how he runs red lights and it shows he does'nt own a bike. BTW, Welcome to the site. I just saw it's his/hers 1st post!

[JMcDonald]

Bluepoof, I meant to say fearless as in for legal repercussions, not as in doing generally stupid things haha.
Posted via Mobile Device

[SVBS]

yep, I actually start going faster than I use to, I actually go +6 over posted limit as opposed to +5 in the past,

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by SVBS

yep, I actually start going faster than I use to, I actually go +6 over posted limit as opposed to +5 in the past,

It starts to get dangerous when you play X2. That is twice the speed limit sign going into the turn.


I had to sell my Aprilia SR 50 Scooter. I became a TOTAL hooligan on the thing . Wheelies in traffic and stupid stuff I would never do on a motorcycle.

Hopefully you get a wake up call that just leaves you shaking and not dead.

[Misti]

Originally Posted by CZroe

I don't even understand the OP/topic. "Turned you nutter?" Does that mean "turned you into a nut?" Even then, a crazed unsafe nut or a overly-cautious nut or just a confident normal nut? When he says he's going to stop running red and orange lights, is that because he was "turned nutter," which makes him overly confident and he runs them, and now he recognizes the need to stop?

It is a confusing post and I'm not entirely sure what he meant by it either. I have talked to some riders who have said that improved riding skills caused them to ride more aggressively on the street because they felt more confident in their riding ability and therefore more willing to push the envelope. I've also had people say the opposite though, that improved riding skills made them more cautious and careful on the street because they were more aware of the risks and dangers.

For some people, confidence in their ability makes them ride faster and perhaps nuttier while for others it makes them ride safer.

Has anyone come back from a riding school or track day with improved skills and felt like they began to ride "nuttier" on the street or did it calm you down on the road?

Misti

[Cab305]

Good question.

In my case, I have gotten a bit more aggressive as I've improved. Chalk it up to confidence, however I still ride way within the limits of the bike and weather conditions.

I absolutely go ATGATT without fail. (pay no attention to that guy in the picture over there.)

Problem is whenever i have to go on the highway. It's a balls to the wall full throttle affair. Not that I consider myself skilled on the contrary I still feel noobish as can be. It's the insane traffic in South Florida. EVERYONE speeds 70+ and nobody pays attention. So I try to stay a little ahead by going 80+, which is almost top speed, in a tuck.

I avoid it as much as possible.

[TenaciousD]

As a fairly new rider I can say that as I've gotten more comfortable on the bike I've raised my speeds up a bit and am less apprehensive about dealing with every situation that comes up. I'm more confident. I'm also about 10x more cautious on the bike than I am in a car. I didn't start riding until age 39, and as such I am under no illusion that I am immortal or unbreakable.
I've not taken my Ninja to the track yet but I do drive cars on the track and used to race competitively. It made me drive a lot LESS aggressively on the street. I simply no longer needed to get my yayas out on the street. Anything you can do on the street is nothing compared to the thrill of driving balls-out (sorry ladies) on the track, so I don't take risks.

[Rosie]

Originally Posted by Blackwidow

no way...no matter how high my confidence level gets, I will ride super cautiously.

The last time I ran a yellow I saw my life flash before my eyes.

[Misti]

I found that once I started improving my skills and riding on the track I slowed my riding down considerably on the street. I rode better and safer as my skills were much improved but I became much more aware of all the dangers of the road (as compared to the track) and decided that I didn't want to push the envelope so much.

Overall I was a much better and safer rider, much faster on the track but slower and more cautious on the street.

misti

[backinthesaddleagain]

I thought maybe it was a foreign language term.
Posted via Mobile Device

[coondog]

Originally Posted by Cab305

Good question.

In my case, I have gotten a bit more aggressive as I've improved. Chalk it up to confidence, however I still ride way within the limits of the bike and weather conditions.

I absolutely go ATGATT without fail. (pay no attention to that guy in the picture over there.)

Problem is whenever i have to go on the highway. It's a balls to the wall full throttle affair. Not that I consider myself skilled on the contrary I still feel noobish as can be. It's the insane traffic in South Florida. EVERYONE speeds 70+ and nobody pays attention. So I try to stay a little ahead by going 80+, which is almost top speed, in a tuck.

I avoid it as much as possible.

My wife hates me on the I, in miami i would listen as you could decorate and even furnish your pad with what's in the road sometimes. How about riding behind a tractor trailer in a cage on the left and seeing the tornado of litter/stones /garbage coming at you. where do you go flat out down there, alligator alley? In palm beach there's less traffic so at 80 you've got a cling-on with their horn blowing making gestures. your right about how unbelievable so. fl. is. Stay safe dude.

[gfloyd2002]

It is an interesting question. As one gains confidence, it is natural to increase speed a bit, especially in the corners and still be within personal and bike limits. You learn to lean better, look through the corner better, countersteer properly, brake before the turn to avoid stealing traction, roll on the throttle to balance the suspension, etc. You may also learn that the ninjette has some pretty good cornering ability, and start to ride corners harder as you improve and learn more about technique and the bike itself.

The issue is, when do you know you've got to call it enough? Naturally, you will speed up a bit as you improve, but how does one learn the real limits of what can be done safely? Slowly, mph by mph, learning you can handle more . . . until you can't. I suspect the cause of many accidents by skilled riders is this incrimental push of limits until they are broken. In my view, this is the real benefit of track time, as it allows you to more safely push the bike to its limits, particularly if done with an instructors help, and know to ride beneath those limits on the street.

Another aspect of this is complacency over time. As one has ridden a road many times before, or put in many many miles, it could be easy to lower the guard and not pay as close attention. There has never been road debris here before, no car has ever pulled out from there before, etc. This is overconfidence, too, just a different manifestation of it as you ride, perhaps fairly slowly, but beyond your sight lines or your stopping distance if something unexpected happens. You can be going slowly and still be overconfident, riding like a nutter.

A "nutter" is British slang. Offensive term for the mentally ill, the generally harmless type of mentally ill person who does foolish things, adopted generally to persons who have done or are planning to do something exceptionally silly.

[maxwellca21]

as my skills improve i remind myself while riding to stay cautious.