Monday, October 14, 2013

Motorcycle Habits Infiltrating Day to Day Life

Yeah, really.
People have made mention of the ways in which getting rider's training has made them a better driver overall.  For example, it seems like the general driving population has a lot of trouble with the idea of a "safety cushion," while bikers have an intimate understanding of how valuable it is as part of an overall street survival strategy.

Heck, SIPDE* is just a good daily strategy for life in general, why limit it to traffic?

There are also habits that are partly just muscle memory.  When I got contact lenses after wearing glasses for years, it took me months to stop trying to adjust glasses that weren't there.  And there are quirky little motorcycle actions that I don't even have to think about on the bike, I just do them.

But then there are the weird things that only a biker would do in day to day life.

Like guarding the clutch on a shopping cart, for example. Oddly, I do not find myself twisting my right wrist all the way back the second I get the cart moving.  I'm not sure why that habit didn't transfer too...

Have you caught yourself doing anything like this?


* Scan, Identify, Predict, Decide, Execute - in case you forgot.

7 comments:

Jason said...

It's been a while since I've dragged a knee into the dairy aisle, but yes.

bonus link: http://flowingdata.com/2013/10/14/pizza-place-geography/

mq01 said...

sidpe? i'm more of a see girl; scan, evaluate, execute. somewhat similar, i guess. ;)

imho, i think all driver ratings should require msf before licensure. that might help (with stuff like space cushions), if they knew...

fun pic! i love that you're covering the controls! :) beware of those sudden left turners!!..lol.. what i notice most is that i've got my eye on my mirrors CONSTANTLY.

Canajun said...

Absolutely. I find just general situational awareness is better when riding and that carries over to driving as well.

RichardM said...

I don't think I can remember ever covering the clutch or brake on a shopping cart though I do head check before merging into the produce aisle...

Sash Johnson said...

Lucky,

I can't tell you how many times I find myself shifting in my sleep. Seriously, I wake up and my foot is kicking it up or down in gear and I'm clutching. . . weird.

I dream about riding. What the hell is that? Talk about part of everything I do!

Makes me happy, but it's kinda weird. Poor Highway has to sleep with that business. I also talk, scream, laugh and cry in my sleep.

Of course telling this only makes me look more attractive than ever, huh? HAHAHAHA!!

Smooches,
Sash
www.SashMouth.com

Unknown said...

Nice to know I'm not alone in the transfer of habits from riding to ..well almost everything else.
Head check in the grocery store? Yep. Sunday morning shoppers are vicious with those carts.
Dreaming of riding? Definitely!

mq01- Totally agree, although I would take it a step further and require all prospective drivers hold a class M license for two years before being allowed to test for a car license. Riders (by and general) make much better drivers as SEE* is ingrained into us for survival.


*Out of curiosity, when did the 'S' change to 'Scan'? It was for 'Search' when I was teaching.

Trobairitz said...

We like to laugh and tell people SIPDE is all that keeps us alive when shopping at Costco. Useful in everyday life not just on two-wheels.