Bikers on Independence Pass.
I heard from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation today and one of the things they sent along was an article titled, “Most Common Mistakes Among Novice Riders.” It got me thinking about my own experiences in these situations.
The first thing they listed was, “Selecting a motorcycle that’s too large or heavy.” There’s no question that happens. We’ve all heard stories about someone who decided they wanted to ride and went and bought a big, heavy cruiser. And then proceeded to dump it leaving the parking lot.
My experience was a little different. I was one of those people who was inclined to buy something pretty small at first. My friend John told me if I did that I’d outgrow the thing and be back buying something bigger in six months. So I got this really sweet 1980 Honda CB750 Custom, which I still have and still ride. That was about 25 years ago. So I guess the key is to find the sweet spot, the Cinderella spot: not too big, not too small, just right.
Number two is “Getting into complex situations too soon.” Heck, for me, riding that “big” 750 was getting into too complex a situation too soon. But I was exceedingly careful and took it very, very easy for the first while. I sure didn’t ride in rush-hour traffic any time soon. So I think I did what the MSF is saying.
Next is “Failing to maintain a 360-degree mental picture of traffic.” I’m sure I was guilty of that a lot at first. But you don’t ride for long without learning that you have to be on your toes at all times. I think my first scare was one day going north on Federal around sundown when a woman headed west, wanting to turn south, pulled right out in front of me. I hadn’t paid her any attention at all. After it happened I realized that she had the setting sun right in her eyes and she was essentially driving blind. I definitely learned from that one.
Fourth is, “Overestimating one’s own visibility.” Well, that same situation applies to this as well. I figured it was daylight and I was in the middle of a major street. How could anyone not see me? I hadn’t learned yet that I was actually invisible.
And the final one is, “Carrying passengers or participating in a group ride too soon.” I can definitely relate to this one. It was awhile after I started riding before I felt confident enough to take anyone for a ride, but even at that point I wasn’t really comfortable. It wasn’t until we took our first summer road trip and I spent a week in the saddle with a load on behind me that I really felt good about it. From that time on I finally felt I was ready to carry passengers.
So anyway, those are supposed to be five of the biggest novice errors. I’ll bet any one of us could come up with another five or more errors we made as newbies. But we got through it, didn’t we.
Recent from National Motorcycle Examiner
Motorcycle safety studies continue
Biker Quote for Today
Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.
