Another Lesson We Can Learn From Our Pilot Friends

You've probably heard this bit of pilot wisdom before: Stay Ahead of the Airplane. In other words, look ahead and have a plan for every maneuver. If you don't the plane will happily fly itself, straight and level, into a fiery volcano, or any of a thousand other nightmarish scenarios that end in your screaming, flaming death. The plane doesn't mind, it's just going to do whatever you tell it to.

Stay Ahead of the Bike.

You should remember SIPDE from your rider training - Scan, Identify, Plan, Decide, Execute. I think Stay Ahead of the Bike is catchier. All it really means is pay attention to what's going on, decide if that fiery volcano is going to come to a complete stop at the intersection you're approaching, and maneuver accordingly.

So, imagine you're riding along and there's an SUV slightly ahead of you on the freeway, in the lane to your right. If you're like me, your first thought will be something like "What is this knob going to do to make my morning extra special?" The SUV driver could change lanes without signaling, swerve to avoid an invisible dog, throw rocks at you, explode for no apparent reason or, least likely, continue driving carefully and responsibly in his or her own lane.

You know something could go wrong, so what are you going to do? There's a breakdown lane to the left you could escape into if a collision is imminent. You could lose some speed in anticipation of getting cut off. What you shouldn't do is just assume everything will be OK without identifying a Plan B. The bike itself will be more than happy to ride into the SUV.

Aside from idiots in trucks, you need to plan ahead constantly. Let's say you're coming up on a right turn. Is your speed appropriate? Is there gravel strewn about? How speedy does that zombie sitting on the curb look?

The worst time to figure out how to deal with a bad situation is in the middle of it. Stay ahead of the bike. If you don't, it will be more than happy to keep rolling straight into that fiery volcano and bring you along for the ride.

Check out an earlier post on what we can learn from pilots here.

Why I'm Probably Not Going To Give You A Ride Anytime Soon

I was waiting for a green light when a young woman crossing the street asked me, in a shockingly loud voice, if I'd give her a ride. The response that came to mind was, "No, you look like an aspiring crackhead," but saying that out loud would have been rude.

Instead, I smiled politely and said, "Not today."

Undeterred, she asked, "How about tomorrow?"

Well, she was persistent, I have to give her that. I said, "We'll see," and the light turned green, giving me a perfect excuse to end the conversation.

If I, by some stroke of fate, run into her tomorrow, I'm still not going to give her a ride. I hope that doesn't make me a bad person.

The young woman I encountered today is hardly the first woman I've never met before to ask when I'll give her a ride. It happens frequently. I'm sure most of you have had the same experience: someone in the general areas spots your bike, and asks for a ride.* I always smile and say no.

It's not like I don't want to share the joy of riding with new friends (or old friends, for that matter). Riding is great! Everyone should do it.**

Riding is great, but great passengers are few and far between. I can think of one passenger who hasn't done something to terrify me at speed, and that's because she'd been a passenger with other riders in the past, so she understood the "sit there without flailing around and hang on" principle completely. Other passengers I've had have done things like lean the wrong way in turns after I'd explicitly told them to lean with me.

There's nothing like the taste of adrenaline in your mouth when you think you're going to wad the bike with a passenger on the back. I've learned my lesson. If I don't know that I can trust a passenger to behave, they don't get on.

Another thing is that the Triumph isn't really built for passengers. If you're taller than five and a half feet, we're both going to have a rough time. So unless you're a tiny, tiny person, the rear seat and foot pegs are really just for show. If I had a bigger bike like a Goldwing, one where we'd both have a bit of space, I might feel differently.

But another issue, and it's a big one, I have with giving rides is a little more personal: I don't really like it when people I know well get in my personal bubble. If I don't know you, forget it. Going for a ride with a passenger, on the Speed Four, is like getting a prolonged hug. If I'm not one hundred percent comfortable with a passenger, they aren't getting on. There are very, very few people I don't mind having pressed up against me. If I'm not comfortable with the passenger, I'm going to be distracted, and that's not safe for either of us.

So it's nothing against you, possible crackhead stranger, but I'm probably not going to give you a ride.

*Would you hop on the motorcycle of a total stranger? Seems like volunteering for a really bad experience to me, but then, I'm sort of the cautious type.

**Until it becomes apparent that, maybe, they should not actually ride.