[PorradaVFR]

Went for a nice ride up in the mountains today in the new leathers ( :waytogo: ) and even though I kept a conservative pace I had two pucker moments of my own creation. The first one I caught the high beams of a passing rider just before a turn. I allowed myself to get distracted then had that "am I going too hot, better grab a fistfull of front brake" instinct pop up for a nanosecond. Shouted at myself "RELAX" and just looked thru the turn and no biggie. Then about 30 mins later I was on a road FULL of those tar patch lines and given all the rain over the past weeks shady parts of the road were a little slippery. Went into a turn and again had to mentally kick my own ass from grabbing the brake.

Despite the rational me knowing that I have not ridden in the twisties much (yet!) and that I've had little bike time since the move these incidents bugged the hell out of me. I reacted correctly and nothing happened, per se, but still spooked me a bit.

Do you guys find that an occasional moment of SRs happens during your rides?

(FYI - SRs are Survival Reactions described in Twist of the Wrist. They're the instinctual, but completely wrong actions that we want to do; chop the throttle, grab the brakes, look at threats etc.)

 

[Canes]

Just like you said, they seem to happen more often when there has been some extended time between rides. The urge to use the brake at inappropriate times is something you have to practice to overcome. Simple as it is, my ability to tune into everything going on around me suffers after long layoffs.

I have managed to stain more than one pair of Underroo’s. :blush:

 

[wingswheels]

porrada, ive been there, scared teh [censored] out myself more then once, I remember one on hwy 130 south east bay I was going a fast(for me pace) and theres a hard right turn coming up, downshift, bleed off speed, and leaned it over, my peg made contact, and somehow my right foot came off the peg right at teh apex, and was sliding around on the ground up out it front of me like a dirt tracker, and for some reason I chopped and grabbed that front brake, needless to say I almost pushed the front right out from underme as the bike stood straight up and sent me wide into the oncoming lane(fortunatly there wasn't a car coming). just thinking about it my heartrate quickens.


only way to stop them is to get out there and keep riding, Come october when i get my license back, we gotta go for a ride up there(Ill be slow after being off for a year, so dont blaze to quick) :waytogo:

 

[PorradaVFR]

[ QUOTE ]
wingswheels said:
Come october when i get my license back, we gotta go for a ride up there(Ill be slow after being off for a year, so dont blaze to quick) :waytogo:

[/ QUOTE ]

(a) Get your license back? Where did it go? /wwwthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif I don't recall hearing about bad mojo.

(b) It's good to hear that even a flying nutcase like yourself can get spooked...I would think you'd have nerves of ice dealing with altitude and all that.

(c) You bet man. Hell, it may take until October for me to keep up with YOU! :tongue:

 

[terrasmak]

Little stuff like that happens to me once and a while on a ride , its like the brain shuts down and goes stupid for a moment .

 

[TravellinJones]

These internet acronyms and initials really aggravate me. I thought I was going to read about a squadron of SR 500's spanking Porrada on his VFR. I had to read to the bottom of the post to know what he was talking about. :crazy:

KIO! /wwwthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[wingswheels]

i love it
[ QUOTE ]
its like the brain shuts down and goes stupid for a moment

[/ QUOTE ]

porrada, i tell you, flying a hangglider is much simpler(and i think safer) then riding a mc, at the very least there aren't idiots all around you trying to kill you, and the ground is what hurts, and the hwole point is to get as high as possible (most of the time)

i made a mistake, Id had a beer, and about 1.5-2 hrs after I did, I took a really drunk "friend"(no more) home, she was puking out my window and I got pulled over because of it. id used my inhaler a few minutes before being pulled over, and the cop breathalized me and said .02, and since im underage, took my license. And they didn't believe a word I said when i went to appeal, so come october, i can drive again,

on the plus side, I now put in 15 miles a day or more on my bicycle just to survive, which is good for the health.

if you aren't as fast as me already, by october with your speed increasing, and my skills atrophying you will be :waytogo:

 

[1slowF3]

[ QUOTE ]
PorradaVFR said:
Do you guys find that an occasional moment of SRs happens during your rides?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, and just as you described....
1. pucker for whatever reason
2. force yourself to relax and not react
3. make it through whatever the "problem" was just fine
4. finally, be mad at yourself for puckering in the first place.

Ah, the joys of motorcycling. :waytogo:

 

[PorradaVFR]

[ QUOTE ]
1slowF3 said:
Yep, and just as you described....
1. pucker for whatever reason
2. force yourself to relax and not react
3. make it through whatever the "problem" was just fine
4. finally, be mad at yourself for puckering in the first place.

Ah, the joys of motorcycling. :waytogo:

[/ QUOTE ]

That's EXACTLY it! A dozen switchbacks - no problem. Then that one comes up that gets you in panic mode for a split second. I know I need to get in my comfort zone, but after a few years riding I would think that my instinct would be more established AGAINST SRs.

Still loved the ride, just found myself a little surprised. :waytogo:

 

[novos]

gotta take a weekend trip to go play with Porrada come this spring! :grin:

you ridden HWY 9 or skyline drive yet? :laugh:

I believe the last time I had a "SR" though I caught myself before my fingers even touched the brake lever was when I first switched from the VFR to the Mille, and wasn't used to the torque and slipper clutch, so I miscounted gears, dropped one too many, and sent the rear wheel wiggling like mad in a tight section we ride on. My hand moved for the brake, but I stopped myself... That one scared me good. :tongue:

 

[wingswheels]

hwy 9 and skyline rock, i definitly didn't make enough trips that way over the summer, i spent most of my time in the east bay hills, the roads are just as sweet, different scenery, a little warmer, and more dirt on teh road, but theres some kickass [censored] up there.

edit*
hers the picture i told you about porrada

 

[PorradaVFR]

[ QUOTE ]
novos said:
gotta take a weekend trip to go play with Porrada come this spring! :grin:

you ridden HWY 9 or skyline drive yet? :laugh:

[/ QUOTE ]

That's where I was this weekend, in fact. :waytogo: :809028-ridin:

edit: Wings - is that I130? Wow.

 

[novos]

FAWWK i'm gettin an itch to ride lookin at that stuff! Our local twisties are closed this week due to the weather!! :flame: :bawling:

Plus the 'priller is gonna need new rubbers soon. :tongue:

 

[wingswheels]

not interstate- hwy, but yea, thats it. it also makes for a great bicycle ride if you're into torturing yourself. I think the total climb from teh bottom is about 6000 feet(sum of all climbs) witht he peak being at 4200.


if you do it when theres snow on the road, look out for black ice, i did that ride on my bicycle once when it was like 22 degrees and there was ice on the roads, my friend hit a patch on the way down, how he stayed up ill never know, he was sideways, then airborn, then sideways. :crazy:

 

[FREAKNSTLR]

I always get the "i'm going in too fast" feeling. Anymore, when I ride on the road it is at a pace I can look around at the scenery and drive with one hand through the curves. I don't heal like I used to and pushing it in the mountains just doesn't do it for me anymore. I've had times where going across 268 in NC and come around a curve and a Bobcat :Wow1: (yes you read that correctly) was laying accross the middle of the road, it was by so quickly I didn't have time to react (which is probably good) but had I had a diffrent line through the curve my ass would have been laying beside that thing. And the times that I have wrecked (which are too many now) it happens so quick I usually find myself enjoying the sky thinking "wasn't I just riding my bike? what the F*@# just happened?" so i figure if you have time to get scared you have time to ride it out.

 

[ShadeTree]

[ QUOTE ]
FREAKNSTLR said:
i figure if you have time to get scared you have time to ride it out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I like that saying. Props for that.