Do you think you are a good rider?
Average?
Not very good at all?
A huge problem for motorbike riders is that most us can't assess our own abilities.
And to make it worse, we usually think we are great riders...
and we aren't!
And the crap really hits the fan for many riders because we usually
overestimate our abilities when we are learning.
In summary?
Your riding is probably much worse than you think!
It's loosely based on psychological research called the Dunning-Kruger effect.
It goes something like this.
Our very first motorbike ride?
We know we suck.
But the problem starts when we know how to use a clutch,
go through the gears, and how to get around a corner.
Most of us automatically think we are going great.
Then the crash.
Or a series close calls.
Reality hits hard.
We know we have so much to learn.
Hopefully, this is when we start to seriously learn how to ride.
Perhaps we get some rider training.
Or we watch very dodgy training vids on Youtube.
We ask our motorbike friends for advice.
Hopefully, we survive.
We slowly acquire skills.
And when things really go wrong, our ability to anticipate problems,
handle loss of traction, and brake or corner hard, might keep us out of trouble.
Of course this doesn't always happen.
We all know that idiot rider who crashes all the time, but it wasn't his fault.
It was crap tyres, or someone else's fault.
And they keep this moronic attitude, even once they have some skill.
And there are riders who are so cautious and under confident that they will probably
learn much slower and be riddled with anxiety instead of the joy of riding.
But most of us will probably have experienced this overconfidence, being hit over the head
by reality, becoming a humble rider and then starting to really learn how to ride.
Remember the Greek philosopher, Socrates?
Not many realise he was one of the first motorbike riders.
His approach to riding?
The only true wisdom is in knowing how little you know.
This is a great approach to riding, whether you are a beginner or experienced.
There is almost always more to learn!
It's better to underestimate your abilities and live longer.
Experienced riders also know how long it takes to truly learn new skills.
I have been in coaching sessions where riders learn new skills in the morning,
then go out for a social ride in the afternoon and almost no one is actually applying the skills.
But those riders probably thought they were already better riders
simply because they went to some coaching.
So lets look at a few features of experienced riders.
They will regularly practice things like emergency braking.
Wheelies and other stunts might look impressive,
but its often the core techniques that might save your life.
Good riders know how long it takes to learn new skills.
Coaching is only the beginning.
It takes a lot of repetition to really learn new techniques.
Experienced riders usually become more humble with time,
as they realise there is always more to learn.
And finally, good riders know the boundaries of their comfort zone.
They can ride in the middle and just relax.
They ride near the boundary of their comfort zone, a great place to develop your riding technique.
And they know once they ride outside of that comfort zone, it can be a lot of
fun but it's very risky and could actually start reinforcing bad riding techniques.
What about you?
Did you overestimate your abilities at first?
Did a big crash make you reassess everything?
Do you know riders who are insanely overconfident?
Keen to hear your stories!
Let us know in the comments.