A Lesson Pilots Can Teach Us About Riding

I've been reading a lot about general aviation lately, and it is striking how many similarities there are between flying and riding. That's probably why there are so many pilots who ride motorcycles, and vice versa.

There is one rule for pilots that I think transfers extremely well to motorcyclists: Fly the Airplane. In other words, as a pilot, your primary focus is always controlling the airplane, no matter what's going on around you. Door blew open? Fly the airplane. Your passenger is extremely sick? Fly the airplane. Airborne Zombies? Fly the airplane. Do not panic, do not get distracted, just fly the airplane until it's back on the ground and stopped.

In our case, the rule would be "Ride the Motorcycle." Ride it until it's stopped.

Without a doubt, you've heard some idiot explain a crash by saying, "I had to lay it down." It's possible at some point in your riding career, you've uttered those words. I have, when I was younger and dumber. Luckily, I'm now older and better trained, if not any smarter.

Here's the thing: There is no situation I can think of where "lay it down" is the right decision. Bailing is the wrong choice, as is freezing up and just passively sitting on the bike as it rolls toward a tree. Ride the motorcycle! You can stop in far less distance by judicious application of the brakes than by sliding across the pavement. You can swerve. You can think ahead and figure out an escape plan, though we all know some things are tough to predict, and some situations you just can't escape.

Apart from those situations, there are plenty of things that happen while riding that can be pretty distracting. Catching a big rock in the shin, for example. Discovering a bee has made it's way into your goggles. A vengeful lunch. An attractive person you'd like to impress. Distraction in any vehicle is a bad thing, but as motorcyclists we just can't afford to be distracted while rolling.

Or you could go into a turn too fast and panic. Do you give up control and go careening across all the lanes, or grit your teeth and ride the motorcycle through the turn? Maybe you lost your grip on the clutch and popped an epic, unintended, wheelie. Do you hope for the best, or control the bike?

So whatever happens on the road, remember, your job is to ride the motorcycle. Ten car pile-up right ahead of you? Ride the motorcycle. Bee sting on the forehead? Ride the motorcycle. Ride it until it's stopped, whether that's upright or on it's side.

An Example Of Why We Need To Stay Vigilant While Riding

Because there's more than one doofus like this on the road.

10 Great Motorcycle Habits to Maximize Your Riding Enjoyment and Minimize Your Risk of Death

So, now that the gremlins lurking about the Triumph are all taken care of, perhaps I can spend a bit of time writing about things other than annoying oil leaks. I found a search for "great motorcycle habits" in my stats, and I thought that sounded like a good post to write. Here goes.

1. Ride Every Day - Riding every day keeps your skills honed. If you only ride once or twice a month, you're probably spending about as much time remembering how to operate the motorcycle as you are paying attention to traffic. Operating your motorcycle should be almost reflexive, so you can focus on avoiding dangerous situations.

2. Always Try Ride Better Than You Did Yesterday - Have you got five years of riding experience, or one month's worth repeated 60 times? Try to pick better lines. Break some of your bad habits. Work on being smooth.

3. Learn How To Sit At A Stoplight Without Blipping Your Throttle - Seriously. Quit playing with that thing.

4. Minimize Your Chicken Strips - In day to day riding, it's best to have a margin of safety, so you shouldn't be riding at the limits of your bike or ability. On the other hand, it is important to know how to handle your bike at extreme angles. You should be able to ride better than you usually need to so you can handle unusual circumstances. So find a safe place and wear down the edges of your tires now and then. It's fun.

5. Stay In The Power Band - Most people ride in a higher gear than they should. If your power band starts at 7,000 RPM, try to stay around there when you're cruising. When you need power, you'll be glad to have it right there waiting for you. You'll get used to the extra racket.

6. Unless You Have Loud Pipes - OK, maybe this is habit 5.1. Whatever. If you've got crazy loud pipes, consider getting rid of them. Or just leave the bike parked, since you probably don't ride it but twice a year. And if you're not going to follow that advice, then consider not being a douche in residential areas or out where people are walking around trying to live their lives. The only person who thinks your bike sounds awesome when you're causing hearing damage is you. (Also, the only accident loud pipes MIGHT prevent is getting rear-ended. Even that is unlikely.)

Yes, some asshat with loud pipes DID wake me up this weekend. Why?

7. All The Gear, All The Time - You're not going to crash on your epic road trip through Alaska five years from now. You're going to crash a mile from your house on your way home from the gas station. It's true. Embrace your inner warrior and put that gear on.

8. Pay Attention - Situational Awareness for bikers is defined as knowing what's going on around you so you don't get creamed by an SUV. Don't space out when you're on the bike.

9. Think Ahead - Pilots call it staying in front of the airplane. Know what you're going to do next. Act, don't react. You're a rider, not a passenger.

10. Remember that riding should be totally awesome - I don't think much of riding through rain, wind, cold, or heat, on the whole. All the same, it's important to remember that despite our cozy helmets, we are out in the elements and being exposed can still be dangerous in this day and age. So if you're thinking "this sucks," instead of, "this is totally awesome," get off the road for a while until the situation is back to being totally awesome.

Time for the Summer Gear

Well, it's officially hot outside here in the Valley of the Sun. This morning it was 70 degrees outside at 6:15, and the high for today is supposed to be 98 degrees. Phew.

Yesterday it was 90 degrees on my ride home, and I had on a heavy Carhartt jacket. It was, to be honest, somewhat uncomfortable.

So, as I do every time the temperature starts heading for an extreme, I wondered if I really want to deal with it this year. And, like every year, the answer is, "Hell yes."

This morning I dug my Joe Rocket Phoenix out of the closet, and I suspect the Carhartt will be going back in to the closet shortly. Exciting times.