Earning Your Craft

[ScooterWolf]

How do you measure your riding experience? By the miles, or the years on the road? With winter coming there are many who put their bikes away for the season. Is the missing time a subtraction from your skills as a rider, or do out-of-the-seat activities count? Since getting my Downtown, I’ve been reading numerous blogs, ebooks, and have watched numerous videos on riding techniques, while learning from others experiences. Would one consider this as a valid way of earning your craft?

Is riding about sharpening the mind? Or about the time the body's on the bike?

(feeling philosophical today)

- Wolf

[AMAC1680]

I'm from the school you learn by doing.
Reading about others experience is obviously of help but nothing is like seat time and miles.

AMAC

[Mr. Paul]

The mind lacking sufficient exterior stimulation does tend to turn inward doesn't it? Welcome to my world ;-)  I believe it is a combination of both. The experience of riding is essential and number one for me. Learning from others through books, videos, and other media is a very helpful resource to make my riding much more safer and enjoyable and frequently introduces information and perspectives I was not aware of.  It is smart to learn from your own mistakes. It is wise to learn from anothers'.

[CROSSBOLT]

I think I agree with Mr. Paul. Additionally, for me, the true starting point was the MSF Basic Rider Course. I had ridden motorcycles for 20 years 45 years ago. Climbed on a 50 cc, then a Yager 173 cc and finally a DT300i. The MSF came in after the Yager was purchased. I learned and re-learned things during the course. I brought experience as to what works and what does not with me. I learn what I can from others' crashes and near misses. I try to avoid the things that result in such crashes. I also avoid things that strike me as just plain way beyond good judgement like jumping and wheelies and fronties. Decades of riding simply means God was not ready to test me yet. Put another way, I made the same mistakes and got away with it. Someone here nailed it saying superior planning and superior execution (of the plan) avoid us having to use our superior skills! Boils down to both study and practice. Repeat as often as possible. Earning our craft is an on-going process regardless of miles or years.

Karl

[mclark999]

I hone my craft by riding other things with two wheels.  I built and ride an electric bicycle as my commuter to work. I put a couple thousand miles a year on my road bicycle and I mountain bike in the summer and early fall.

The mountain bike has taught me more about balance, weighting, unweighting, looking ahead, emergency braking, etc. than any amount of time on the scooter will ever teach me.

I also took the motorcycle safety course and consider it a must for any rider.