Ducati Monster Forum

This is a reply to another post but I thought the subject would be a good one for discussion.  Is your subconscious telling you that your armour is giving you reason for risk?


>> I would like to throw in a thought about risk management and the feeling of being invulnerable.  Allowing your subconscious to push it a little to much because you are in armor.  Tactical officers have to fight it all the time while wearing armor and it is a subject that gets major attention in all parts of life. It is in life, business, god and country.  If your risk is lowered against damage, that corner speed is pressed a little to far or your attention to your riding environment goes south.  Take the risk out of business and that is the reason we are in a crap load of trouble.   Subconscious is the main buzz word.  Risk assessment percentages are hard to figure even with super computers and anytime you throw in the word subconscious everything goes out the window.  I do not think Edwards and Hayden would push it at all if they were ridding naked.  All though Rossi might!" <<

If I thought my only risk was a lowside, I'd push it based on protection.
But deer, and idiots in cages, not to mention monetary and convenience issues with excessive speed,
tend to make the level of protection I'm wearing only a part of the equation when determining speed.

I pretend (even hope) that my pace allows me enough margin to mitigate most unexpected dangers.

It's a funny game we play, and a fine line we play it on.

this is the whole argument about whether more protection and armor actually makes people in a way more suseptible to injury since they feel "protected" they will always take more risks.

ie, football players hit harder bc they wear helmets and the type of hitting you see in nfl you never see in pro rugby bc there are no shoulder pads or hard helmets to help you out at all.

i would say that its probably true.  heck people almost always rider harder on the track with full protection on and probably wound't go nearly as fast if theywere going at it in jeans and a tshirt.  everyone has seen pics of someone going down at 30mph with jeans and tshirt and how bad that is and also motogp riders going down at 90 in full gear and walking away with no problems.  so i think the answer is right there.

Good point but don't forget risk or the lack of can also widen or narrow your attention to your riding environment.  I think it is just as much a state of mind to what is going on around you on the road as it is to a conscious thought to any certain problem that might arise.  It might even be a matter of comfort being so subliminal you are not aware of it.  I like to think I am riding naked at all times.  That is my overall safety asset against enexpected dangers.  Not perfect but whtever works.

For me the "armor" makes all the difference.  However, I don't push harder because of it.  I simply wouldn't do it at all without it.  I won't kayak whitewater without a lifevest and helmet.  I won't ride my bike without my gear.  I don't drive my car without my seatbelt.  I don't tele ski in the backcountry without my beeper, prob, and shovel.  There really isn't any ongoing risk evaluation to it. 

Good point without all the psychobabble............Right or Wrong I push harder because of it. 

I should explain further, I play as much tennis as possible in the summer.  The courses are 7 miles from my home and it is a large pain in the butt to wear full gear for obvious reasons, (no place to change or leave my equipment).   So I wear my shorts, shirts, gloves and helmet with racket and balls in my back pack.  I do not ever feel in more than usual danger and I ride with a sense of more than usual awareness as I should. If I were to travel the same route in full gear which I do, It is not the same ride, and I twist it at every chance.  As a few have explained my stupidity I disagree on that point, but it is a fact to me that I ride harder and faster in full gear.  Not reckless just harder and probably at more than a few points I press it harder than I should.  Risk!

my brother doesnt wear a helmet or gear,although i have tried to convince him to. the first thing he said when i told him i bought full gear and a helmet was to "be carefull, your gonna feel invincible" I agree that it makes me feel safer but i still dont push my limits that often as all the risks are still there.

While I probably do go a little harder knowing I've got gear on, I also know at a very conscious level that I also ride better. The couple of times I've ridden in just a T-shirt or otherwise unprotected, it's incredibly distracting and I find myself making a lot more mistakes than I would if my brain was more devoted to the task at hand.

The weirdest manifestation of that phenonmenon actually happens on my bicycle - if I've been commuting a lot with a messenger bag, the first ride in a while without feels strange and unprotected -- literally, like I'm not wearing a seatbelt! It always takes me a few minutes to recalibrate my brain and start riding well again.

My disco helmet makes me ride like I'm fabulous. ;D  

That said, I ride much differently, i.e. less like an asshole, if I'm not wearing pants (armored pants, that is. I'm too fabulous to ride entirely w/o pants) or if I'm squidding around on the Blonde's scooter.

spikes on the triple clamps and steering wheels for all!

BOOOOOOOOO!!


Spikes for some, miniature American flags for others!!

(http://www.veritiesandvagaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/kodos-kang.jpg)

Like many, I notice that when I have my knee armor, back armour and boots and all gear on, I tend take it more faster on the twisty etc and have a false sense of security.  Very very bad thing.

When I have no gear on, on rare occassions ( by that I mean no knee armour and/or back armour ), I turn into a pussy.

False sense of security is a bad bad thing.  Wrong risk assessment on my part and I know it.

I always (99% of the time) wear my 'stich with full padding, armor, gloves, boots, etc.

I've crashed enough at speed to never, ever feel invulnerable. Then again, I haven't crashed in years, but if anything that's made me dread the prospect of crashing more, not less.

Hmm. Maybe I should go out and crash, just so I can feel less vulnerable.  [laugh]

I ride much faster when armored up.

I go from
-where the hell is that idiot, i cant even see him
to
-why do we even invite this guy, he's so far behind i can barely see him

 [moto]

Naturally on my ride home some jackass merged into my lane and nearly took me out.

Closest call all year.

Lesson learned: Don't tempt fate  >:(

Since I always wear full , top of the line Gear and ride on the razors edge 90 % of the time , as my signature says " If you are Unafraid you will be Safe ," that's how I ride....Unafraid !

I do know, one little screw up can lead to one BIG accident .

Been there ...and it hurts ...real bad.

Be it as it may , I have tried to hone my riding skills at a fast pace .

I'm constantly surprised at my level of skill on the bike at high speeds through long stretches of curvy roads.

I ride alone and am always practicing my skills. No pleasure riding.

I attack a road like a skier attacks a down hill sky run.

Choosing to ride like a road racer on my predetermined route.

The Armor , well it just might keep me from dying ...but not from broken bones or worse.

Hopefully all my leather will help keep my skin on my body if I do go down again.

 What I think about when I'm riding is ...always ...and I do mean ALWAYS......FOCUS ON WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU , DON,T LET YOUR EYES DRIFT FROM THE ROAD IN FRONT OF YOU FOR EVEN A SECOND.

Use your peripheral vision to pickup anything off to either side of you ...otherwise you MUST focus constantly on the road in front of you and out ahead of you about 1 /8th mile.

Tunnel vision you might call it .

There's no Armor made or protective clothing that will keep you safe from some damage if you crash in to something on the street. ( unless you are going very slow, like under 20 mph ...then may be .

ps    I live hours from a track, but minutes from hills, valleys, ridges and forests...and have no desire to go to a track... so don't hound me about that !


Dolph   

I feel safer in full gear, but I don't think I ride more recklessly.  I've crashed before, and I'm not afraid of the bodily injury that may occur, I ride safely because I love my motorcycle too much and I'd hate to see it get hurt.  I got ran off the road on my first Monster, high-sided, and the bike totaled out while I walked away without a scratch.  Crashing sucks, but if I was afraid of getting hurt, there'd be no point in riding.  I push the limits now and then, but I always remember the heartache of seeing my beloved Monster on the side of the road in pieces.