Got grip?

Wow! Life seems to be swirling about me at a rapid pace. Training season is in full swing. I've spent the last three days working with riders from rank beginners to professionals. Saturday and Sunday I taught a basic riding course. Yesterday saw me joining a group of instructors for another motor cop training day. I'm looking forward to sharing a few of the stories. I haven't been posting much lately due to the time element. The pressure's been building so be prepared for a flurry.

Lucky and Lady Luck are back in Oregon. We talked on the phone Saturday. They were actually in my town but we missed connections. In the meantime, Lucky's haunting the Pacific Coast as they work their way North. I know for sure that Lucky's stirring up trouble. Whether Lady Luck is a co-conspirator or innocent bystander remains to be seen! They'll be in Portland at the end of the week and I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

One bit of good news is that I'm still riding for work. Today my business was close to home. I don't know if I feel a connection or I'm just a stalker at heart. I find myself drawn to places where I know folks who ride to work. This time it was to Barenbrug. It's a large grass seed distributor where Bradley is a logistics coordinator. He's also a fellow blogger. The building has a neat look. Here's a picture of Elvira out in front.

It's not in the photo, but a lot of the building is made up of that dark glass. Kind of a Darth Vader thing. You can see the bikes on the background. Want a closer look?

That's Bradley's Triumph on the left. There was a bunch of bright sunlight and I forgot the hood for the Nikon lense. It looks like a couple of folks have joined Bradley in riding to work. By the way, Mr. Troubadour, you're a great example of a motorcycle commuter. I'd be honored to add you to my blog roll with your permission.

I spent a bit of time riding circles in Barenbrug's parking lot. I wanted to stop and take the photos but didn't want to attract too much attention. I could see some people peering out the windows. I figured I should finally either park or leave. You can see how it came out. Nobody came out to talk to me. I'm not as interesting as I think I am, it seems.

On another note, I'm taking a class in digital photography. It's one night a week for five weeks. Like in many endeavours, professional instruction can provide a faster track to a higher skill level. While making photographs doesn't have the same risk as riding, it sure adds to the quality of life. Interestingly, the two main cameras the instructor is using as examples are the Canon 40D and the Nikon D40. I happen to own the Nikon D40. Neat. Everything applies directly to what I'm riding, as it were. This week we'll be learning about exposure. Will it be the art of stripping or how to deal with lighting conditions? We'll see what reveals itself, so to speak!

In a reversal of the parent taking the child to the first day of class, Clinton wanted to ride with me to Lebanon where the class is being held. That's about 16 miles from home if you take the straight route. Who does that on a bike? So I picked a back road route with a few curves. I'm both proud and greatly pleased to ride with one or the other of my sons. I totally enjoyed the ride with Clinton.

It was an interesting ride. Several of the corners had gravel scattered in them. The gravel really seemed to get to Clinton. I'd be ripping through and look back to see Clinton far behind. I thought of how it was a great lesson in riding.

This is a good time to make a clarification. Clinton is a good rider. He's had an endorsement since he got his driver's license at 16. Now he's 21. However, he's only been riding seriously for the past couple of years since he got the VFR. When you look at the two bikes in the photo, you see two sport touring bikes. What you don't see is the vast experience difference between the two riders. One of the riders has a good start on gaining experience. The other has a lifetime of exposure to different situations covering every kind of weather over hundreds of thousands of miles.

There's the intellectual side of things. Things we know we should do. Things that we sometimes haven't actually done. One of these days we'll finally encounter a situation where the thinking and the execution come together. That's a powerful combination. By now you're probably wondering what I'm really trying to say. Let's go back to the corners.

I'm looking far ahead. I see the gravel well ahead of time. I have the opportunity to slightly change my line into the clear spot. A lifetime of riding and over a decade of training other riders combine to make me precise. I can put the front tire exactly where I want it. Even if the clear spot is only as wide as the tire itself. I also know from experience that my front or rear tire might slip slightly if I can't find a totally clear spot to ride in. I can adjust my speed and lean angle to my benefit. If the tires do slip a bit, I know they won't slide out from under me. Grip will come back pretty quickly if I trust the tires to do their job. I do my job as a rider and the tires do theirs. I'm prudent but fast in the gravel strewn curves.

My fellow rider, on the other hand, is competent but doesn't have the same foundation. This is the point of the story. Clinton was riding within his limits which is totally the right thing to do. What if he had found himself in the middle of a gravel patch where he hadn't really intended to be? His reaction to the situation, rather than the gravel itself, could have been the difference between successfully negotiating the corner or crashing.

This happens in a great many of the motorcycle crashes. The rider panics and the fear of crashing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have a chance, you should check out the April issue of Rider Magazine. Eric Trow does a column entitled "Riding Well". Here's an excerpt from his "Still Got Air?" column.

"Scuba divers are trained to first focus on one main thing above all else in panic situations. When a scene becomes overwhelming and the odds seem grimly stacked against the diver, the first question he must ask himself is 'Do I still have air?' If the answer is "yes" then the diver can reassure himself that, despite any other looming threat, he still has the primary thing necessary to survive under water. The rest is just stuff to work through. Calmly.

Like divers, far too many riders are injured or killed unnecessarily because they allow panic to take over when things go wrong. If we pick up on the advice of diving instructors-to recognize what is still working in our favor-it stands to reason that we could significantly improve our chances of survival on the street. In other words, we must discipline ourselves to push aside the threats that are screaming for our immediate attention ( Guardrail! Rock face! Approaching car! and I add Gravel! ) and concentrate on the important stuff. "Still got grip?' Terrific. Now let's focus on the exit of the turn and ride to it."

I tried to find a link to the entire article but couldn't in the time allotted. I'd recommend that you try to find a copy of the magazine. It would be well worth the effort.

Experience is an ally. Panic is a foe. The more experience enters the picture the less influence panic will have. In the meantime, stay calm. Focus on the solution, not the problem. Ask yourself the all important question. Got grip?

Miles and smiles,

Dan