Author Topic: Scooter Sense Tingling  (Read 1346 times)

ScooterWolf

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Scooter Sense Tingling
« on: February 09, 2012, 03:14:08 PM »
Has anyone ever had that sensation before, that feeling that there's something wrong, and it would be best not to ride your scooter today?

I had one this morning. I live in the South New Jersey/Philadelphia area and work in various Universities around Philadelphia. Yesterday we
had one of our first snow falls of the year, nothing big, with much of it melting away by this morning. However, as I woke today I had to
make a big decision -- take my scooter into town, in this case to Philadelphia University, roughly 14 miles away, or take our car.  The morning
temperature seemed to be above freezing, but I could still see snow on the roofs of the neighborhood houses, and the streets were still wet in
some places. I've driven my scooter in worse conditions, but something was telling me 'maybe not today', maybe it would be better to take the
car into town.

My wife and I only have one car (no kids, just the two of us) so taking it meant leaving her without one for the day. She in fact wanted me to take the
scooter just to have the car around. She hand spent yesterday working on our house, and was feeling some cabin fever, though she hadn't any plans
to go anywhere. Part of me felt she was right, that I should take the scooter, but there was that nagging feeling again. We watched the weather report
on TV. Cold in the morning. High of 49 F, low tonight around 29 F. I would be teaching until around 7:00 tonight, so the low temperature with wet roads
was also on my mind.

I also weighed waiting around to leave later in the morning, but that meant getting stuck in the height of Philly rush hour -- never any fun. In the end my
wife relented and told me to take the car. She thought it was too cold to be riding that far, and that she could go out tomorrow. Nodding my head I agreed.
Packing up for the day, I grabbed my car keys and headed out.

My route takes me down a short stretch of freeway, over a major bridge that crosses the Delaware river, and into Philly. From there I ride towards the Art
Museum (the same one whose steps Rocky ran up) and then behind it through Fairmount Park (the worlds largest municipal park) along the Schuylkill River
on Kelly Drive. This stretch of road is a scooterist dream, with a picturesque ride and great twist turns. With a stretch of park and the river on one side,
and a set of steep hills on the other that roll to the edge of the drive it beats urban traffic any day.

It was also the part of my commute that worries me the most.

Some parts of the drive are prone to flooding, and with the high hills, some of them essential knolls of solid rock, debris tends to wash into the roads. This is what
I saw today. As I rounded a tight curve, the kind where seeing beyond it is fairly difficult even on two wheels I saw an unexpected road hazard. Spread across the
right lane of the two lane drive was a wide sheet of soaking wet cardboard, easily a yard square. It went under my car with no problem but I knew right away
by its place and position and the way I ride on Kelly Drive that I would have hit it fully on my scooter, easily doing 45 mph.

I don't have to tell you what would happen if you hit a slip of wet cardboard on a scooter while you're counter-steering into a curve. I felt my heart jump into
my throat as I saw it, and hoped there weren't any two wheelers riding behind me. To make matters worse seconds later I saw a cinder block size stone in the right land too,
a piece that had been washed into the road from the melting snowfall.

Two road hazards in a roll. Right away I knew that was what was bothering me this morning -- with unpredictable weather comes unpredictable road conditions.

By the time I arrived at Philly U I could also see the area received more snow fall than we did in South Jersey. A coat of snow still clung to the tress and sidewalks, with water making the
streets slick and wet. Parking my car I felt validated on my feelings that morning.

Next time I feel it I'll remember my ride today.

-Wolf

axy

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2012, 03:30:50 PM »
Has anyone ever had that sensation before, that feeling that there's something wrong, and it would be best not to ride your scooter today?

Well, I have that feeling almost every time I sit on the scoot, which is every day.
Considering that this "feeling" or kismet as they call it, is purely psychological thing and there is no scientific or causal relation that could bind your feeling with what will happen in an hour or two, rational person should ignore it.

This does not mean, in this context, that one should behave irresponsibly. Scoot should be maintained, tires checked, brakes and suspension should be functioning perfectly etc. It would be wise to have additional life and medical insurance too.

I guess that the fact that I do not believe in faith, higher deity or anything of that sort further solidifies this kind of position on the subject.

Also, if you have a bad feeling and something bad happens, it does not mean that "you were right".

Especially because to most people bad things happen daily without any bad feeling at all.
« Last Edit: February 09, 2012, 03:32:59 PM by axy »
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ScooterWolf

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2012, 04:18:28 PM »
I wouldn't say it was any kind of religious experience or divine intervention (and given my stance on the new pope and the Church I wouldn't even consider that), more likely it was my subconscious trying to tell we something that my conscious mind couldn't see. In this case despite the lack of ice on the roads, and warming temperatures, things I take as a go ahead to ride, I think subconsciously I knew the road conditions would be unpredictable in the aftermath of the snow fall. That's probably what was nagging me.

Is this a scientifically valid phenomenon? Hells, no! Far from it. But I think it's like that sensation of knowing that you forgot something when you walked out the door that morning. Sometimes it's nothing, and sometimes you remember later on you didn't mail out that bill that was pass due, or turn off the coffee machine. Axy if you experience that 'bad feeling' every time you ride, than you're a braver man than me.

Anyway, I do my T-Clocs, have full insurance, riding jacket and full modular helmet. I make sure I'm ready to ride before hitting the road, but that's no guarantee for safety.


ts1

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2012, 05:04:20 PM »
Sometimes I have a similar feeling without an obvious reason. Then maybe I'm getting a cold or something like this.

In these days I have a more obvious reason:
-16°C (this morning, it was already colder before), snow on road and I have responsibility for my 4yr old son too (driving him into kindergarten).
I have no car.

But I still wonder about my many dreams concerning tsunamis before Christmas 2004.
I have s-asian relatives and been there many times. And I had argued before with my relatives about the potential danger - they said there never was a big wave and never will be...
Since the tragedy I've never dreamed about this again. I have no explanation for this.

ScooterWolf

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2012, 05:08:33 PM »
Check one in the column for the Sixth Sense.


axy

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #5 on: February 09, 2012, 06:21:58 PM »
Axy if you experience that 'bad feeling' every time you ride, than you're a braver man than me.

This thread is turning into The twilight zone!  ;D ;D ;D
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fshfindr

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #6 on: February 09, 2012, 07:17:17 PM »
Good thinkin Wolf.  Never ignore, "THAT FEELING".
Richard L. in Bellmawr
Keep The Rubber Side Down & The Helmet Side Up

AVGuy

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #7 on: February 10, 2012, 12:46:50 AM »
This thread is turning into The twilight zone!  ;D ;D ;D

Yeah, while riding one day I heard a noise, looked down and this little, hairy creature was ripping the panels off my scoot! :D
Grand Vista 250
"Big Scoot"

blue

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #8 on: February 10, 2012, 12:49:46 AM »
wow ...................maybe we need a scooter prayer.

streido

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Re: Scooter Sense Tingling
« Reply #9 on: February 10, 2012, 12:52:58 AM »
Im with Axy, i get that feeling most days too at some point on my ride to work at least. I dont crash tho, well usually i dont  ;D so i just ignore it. People often do this kind of thing and connect it with a real event that happens when in reality its just your mind mistakingly making a connection when there is none. We do the same with dreams, we all had that " im sure i saw this before/did this before/been here before" thing happen. Its been shown we can dream about anything and we only remember some of it, when things happen we can recall things from dreams and imagine we had a premonition or something, but we didnt  :)

Still its good to get the feeling anyway, it makes you ride more carefully and be more aware so you are prob less likely to have an accident when that feeling hits.

Blue the only god i bow to is the god of speed  ;)
Chaos is my co-pilot.

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