Ducati Monster Forum

I hear this a lot and was just curious what the general thought was.  I just can't bring myself to expect that I will eventually crash.  I also can't bring myself to erase the last 1/4 inch of my chicken strips.  Maybe coming to terms with the first would sort out the second. 

I've been downed at highway speed. It's sucks and I drive defensively to avoid it happening again. I wear gear in case it does happen again. If I thought I was going to go down again and there was nothing I could do about it though. I'd stop riding. It doesn't make sense to do something that your certain will hurt you at some point. That's why I quit drinking and smoking, it was obviously detrimental to my health.

Well....today it was close...
Driving through a little forest and suddenly there was this branch on the street.
Doing the obvious , not breaking, not changing course I run over it...
The bike jumped a bit twisting the handle and I mentally wet my undies.
The freaky part was that I suddenly realized the speed I will kiss the asphalt with
Not to mention the trees behind the curve.
But...nothing happened and 15 minutes after I was back on track...
Anyway...if its a matter of time I try to enjoy every minute before...

I've never gone down at speeds faster than about 10 mph, and that was because of snow.  This means I have dropped the bike while stopped (though not since I was a newbie) and never at real riding speed.  I am probably a little more cautious than necessary; I tend to give myself enough leeway to accommodate the unexpected.  You know, gravel, oil, decreasing radius turn, a car on the wrong side of the road, aliens, etc.  I've also gotten lucky.   [thumbsup]   I don't want to say ride like you can't crash, but I certainly wouldn't recommend focusing on the negative.  I don't want to crash and presume I won't.  Hopefully I won't be proven wrong.

I've been riding over 10 years and had my first get off a couple of years ago.  Fortunately, I was on the track and obviously in full gear.  I lowsided at about 50 mph...on a rental ZX-6R.   :P

Darn four bangers!   ;D

I've been really lucky on the street.  [knocking on wood]

on days when i have that feeling, i don't ride.
every other day i look at the Monster as i approach and feel invincible, fast, clever, alert and mighty.  ...and then i gear up for the real world.   ;)

Theres no reason why you should go down.

but  if you ride around with th attitude that sooner or later you will fall off then  hell yeah you are gonna fall off.
probabllly sooner rather than later

40 years in october, riding motorcycles. down once in 1973. not my fault, cage making an illegal left turn. 11 months in balboa naval hospital. it ended my naval career, i was lucky. [coffee] 

You're right, there is no reason you should go down. Except that you can't controll everyone else on the road. Vehicle accidents happen every day, even though there is no reason they should...

Have I low-sided, yes. Luckily it was at a slow speed pulling out of a parking lot (frost and cold tires)

I was fully geared and the only thing hurt on me was my pride, and a good charlie horse to the shoulder.  ;D

I ride 3/4 geared or better. Would like to be 100% but have not found a good summer pant yet to wear over work clothes.

I can't control everyone else, I just try to be seen.

If you go out with that thought, something usually happens.  Never let it enter your mind!!

You ever play baseball?  Do you go up to the plate with the thought in mind "I'm going to strike out" ??  No, you don't.  But..if you do, you're probably going to strike out, right?  

Case in point..one summer while in little league, I had that thought in mind when I went up to bat.  I struck out every friggen time that season.   >:(  The next couple seasons though, I struck out minimally but got at least 2-3 hits every game.  THe power of positive thinking.   [thumbsup]

Anyway..crashing..

Yes, it can happen.  Dress for it.  But don't think about it.  Too many other things to pay attention to on the road!

    



 

I've said those words. and it's not that i want nor truly expect it to happen. But it is the reason that I ride defensively and wear the gear to minimize the damage when it does happen.

it keeps me on my toes. i don't use it as an excuse to ride like a douchenozzle.

I don't jump on my bike every day and say you know what.... I am going to crash sooner or later however it is a fact of riding.

Do the people who say No think they are invincible or Experts for all riding situations and conditions  ???

I don't go out riding thinking "I'm gonna crash today", but I gear up in the unlikely event that I do. 

I hope I never go down but I might some day.  I usually think about it before a ride for at least a few seconds.  But I don't allow myself to focus on those things while riding.  In my mind to do that would be to allow your confidence in your riding to be compromised.  

So often when reading an accident thread it seems that a bit more confidence to pull off an evasive manouver or push the bars just a little harder might have gotten someone clear of trouble.  (Having said that I know that sometimes there just isn't any way out when something suddenly parks itself in your personal space.  I don't mean to slight anyone who has been in this situation).  I think my biggest problem in riding is listening to that little gremlin who makes me target-fixate at just the wrong time or refuses to just let me allow my bike to work through a corner on its own.

Riding definitely involves skills but to me it also involves playing mindgames with yourself.  You have to maintain a fine line between your confidence level and your self-preservation instinct.  If your mind isn't in the right place while riding then you better park the bike until it is.  I don't think mulling over when your next accident is going to happen is a good way of accomplishing this.

Just my impression of things peeples...... [roll]  Someday maybe I'll take an advanced riding course and see if there is any merit to my ideas. [cheeky]

I would vote "no, because it already happened" if that was a choice. My mindset is - NO WAY!
As for yours, and my, quarter inch strips - save it for the track!

18 year old in a VW Golf decided I should stop when he was in a hurry getting back on the road from a gas station. His front was 1.5 feet shorter, my bike in the opposite ditch and I landed 60 feet down the road. Broken sunglasses, that was it. The doctors couldn't believe my leg was only badly beaten. My gear helped, probably.

After that I expect cagers to treat me if I wasn't there. I know it's possible that it will happen again, but I have made it a challenge to stay alive.
I can, literarily, live with minor damage. When the roads and traffic allow it I ride hard, but I stay within (?) my limits.

Here in Norway the risk of injury/death for 35 year old riders is 10% of the numbers for 18 year old squids. I'm 47 and have very good skills reading the "body language" of traffic. I'm also super alert - always. I really want to survive, that's all.

I have been riding on and off since I was 16 and that was in 1965. I rode moto cross, and broke my collar bone , I rode in the Forest on the trails , fell down alot but never anything broken . Then I Ice raced in the late 70s and fell down ther too but I had won my class and never any injury. Took up Harleys in the 80s and never crashed one . Always had crash bars mounted on the big Hogs that I rode so I imagine had I crashed it wouldn't have been to bad . I rode as a Cruiser, mainly on Highways and not at much other than the speed limit. In 2005 I got a BMw '05 RT , in '06 a BMW K1200GT, and '07 a  BMW K1200S and never crashed any of those bikes. In the Spring of '07 I also fell in love w/ a Ducati S4Rs , a bike the likes of I'd never ridden. I promply crashed it the second day I had it tryinfg to keep up w/ a group of 5 seasoned road racers. I didnt get hurt other than when I was at a gas station w/ the 5 guys and forgot to put my stand down and got off the bike.

My next crash came on a day when I really just didn't feel like riding but went anyway. I was riding slower than usual, generally it's "balls to the wall ", and on an unfamiliar road just kinda taking in the sights and smells and a hairpin curve caught me off guard and I stopped right at the edge of a ditch bit I went over the bars into the ditch. Didn't get hurt and neither did the bike except for some scuffs on the barend .

The worst crash most of you who have been on this Forum for awhile know about and that involved me playing road racer as usual on the back roads in the  "Hills " where I love to go like the wind. This particular road I hadn't been on in the direction I was going since last Fall and it is nothing but blind up and down curves. I came out of a small valley and cracked the throttle , noticed two people and a bike off the side off the road as I crested the hill and there it was ,a sharp almost 90 degree lefthander going away from me.

I was into the center of the curve at 50-70 mph and the next thing I remember I was in this little ditch filled w/ water and mud. The mud stopped the bike almost instantly and I went smashing into a hillside and ended up w/ 4 broken ribs, a punctured lung , a contusion to my right shoulder and alot of soft tissue damage( was fully geared up) .

That happened in early April and I just rode for the 1st time 3 days ago. Did I think I was going to crash when I was riding at times well over 100 mph in the hills ? I knew it was a very real possibility , but I thought since I had done it so many times and didn't crash, each time just lessened that thought in the back of my head. Also I always prayed to God to keep me safe and retun me home in the same shape as I started out and I always believe in God and his words.The day of my big crash I don't believe I said the prayer. It was my 3rd time out this season and 1st time on the throttle hard.

Do I think I wii crash again. Well let's just say that I am hell bent on changing my riding philosophy and so far on my last 2 rides I have ridden slower and saner. Now if the rest of the world wil just leave me alone !

I voted No, I haven't had a bingle on my road bikes, Thankfully (Knocking on any piece of wood nearby) I had a few tumbles while I had my KLR250, Which taught one great fact, Pain hurts!! It taught me to slow down and wise up, and Public roads are not the place to push you or your bike to the limit.

I don't go silly when riding, I have chicken strips (My Chicken strips could feed thousands ;D ), and I will not get rid of them on public roads, You can never account for the Dickhead factor (The Drivers up here in Cairns are some of the worst in Australia), plus the Roads up here in Northern Australia are disgusting (rough, not wide enough, potholed)
I'd love to get on a race track and have a real go, but the nearest track to me is a 2 day ride/drive,so won't be doing that anytime soon.

I've learnt to be paranoid and suspect everyone on the road, I try to be careful and try to avoid places, intersections that are known trouble spots, I don't ride with other people who will try to push you to go faster.
When I get on the nearby Gillies range and Palmerston Highway, I have fun and get into, but allowing a decent size margin of error, But it's still a blast!

Take it easy out there people, Watch out for yourself, Cause no one else gives a shit!  [thumbsup]

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Isn't Ghostrider from your part of the world ?

i voted yea, cause its already happened.  i grew up racing mx from the time i was 8 until i was about 20.  through those years i had 4 broken bones, and 3 (for sure) concussions, maybe more.  within 3 months on the ducati, i hit the ground.  i was going into a turn and was going too fast.  i tried to slow down and make the turn but it was late at night and the dew had started to settle so the road was slick.  i didnt ever think that the dew would be able to do that to me, but oh well.  fixed the bike and still ride it to this day.   also, i didnt fix the dent on the tank to keep it as a reminder that "sh*t happens." 

i was also raised with the saying that "there are two types of riders:  those that HAVE wrecked, and those that WILL."  and "its not IF, but when and how bad."

You can get injured/killed crossing the street, In your car, flying a plane, skydiving, mountain climbing, skateboarding, snowboarding, motocross riding, having sex  ;D, and of course street riding. All are activities I have been really into at one time or another. A couple I have been injured participating in...  :-\

The point is, there are SO many fun things in life that provide excitement, fun, and exhiliration but are also dangerous. We do the best we can to avoid potential injury by studying up on safety precautions + doing our best to avoid the worst.

-It's the intangibles + unexpected that usually ends up getting you, and these exist almost everywhere you turn, so Yeah... I'll still ride knowing that both wheels could leave the ground at any given time.. It's already happened, on my dirbike and onthe street, so that's what I chose..

-Life's too short to not get out there + have fun while you still can!!!  [thumbsup]

Ride cautiously... never think that you are going to fall... even if you are falling.. don't give it away and try until the last minute to save it ...  That is how I think about it..even though I don't know how the hell I am going to save it.. LOL...  I'm getting on that though. I am reading many riding books..  [moto] I've learned a lot!@

Reading his profile it doesn't seem so  :'(  Maybe he relocated? I've only met one fellow Norwegian here, brnout, but I'm sure there are others - even though Monsters are sold in very small numbers here - 30, 40, 50 during a good year. That would bring the total Monster population to, let's guess, 4-500. Compared to the Norwegian population of 4.5 million I guess the Monster/Ducati penetration is comparable to that of the U.S.? Any thoughts?

i voted "no", and like i wrote i tell myself i'm invicible - but like i said i also prepare for the real world.   [thumbsup]
if you think you're vulnerable, you're carrying a gremlin in your head who can second guess you and bork your reactions - i think, YMMV.  but riding with a good bit of self-knowledge and confidence is required on the mean streets of driveways, blind corners and school zones.

yep it happens I have been in two hit and runs not hurt real bad but tore up my bikes better then ten years ago. one funny one was about 91-92 some time I would practice break stoppies and was going down the street from my house when I thought I would get one and up and over the bars I went right in front of this hole family and they had no idea what happen! this guy just crashed in the middle of the street for no reason dam I felt stupid :-[ also on my way to a moto gp race I put my bike in the bushes [roll] on a left hand sweeper again for no reason not fast just enough to drop my s4r. what happend was some thing that I know about so well  with racing but still fell victim to....target fixation....I even know it was happening but brain turned off I guess [roll]  so I think if you ride you will make at lest some small mistake at some time and at very lest drop your ride [bang] 

Ain't gone down.

Ain't gonna go down. 

43 years of riding, went down once.... bad, very bad. Read my post on Capt.baz thread about him almost hitting the turkey on the general forum. Damn critters. >:(

Physics says that our machines don't stand up on their own, and when we push the limits of ourselves and our machines, we increase the likelyhood of physics winning.

 I've always said that there are 3 kinds of riders:

- Those that have been down
- Those that are going down.
- Those that are going down again.

  I consider myself number 3... not that I plan on crashing, but I plan on continuing to ride, hard at times, and it will probably happen again at some point, regardless of how safe I try to be.

i honestly think this is the dumbest question there is on the board.  sorry i'm going to vent here bc i think this question is sort of lame.

if you have to ask if moto riding is dangerous enough to fall, you shouldn't be on a motorcycle at all.

does anyone think when they get their drivers license, "hey there are a lot of drunk drivers out there its only a matter of time before one hits me and kills my kids and wife in the car, bc you know there are only those drivers that have had fatal accidents like that and people who will do have that happen in time"  

WTF?

do you go out and say to your children at a young age "you know son, you are only 8 years old but you have to learn that if i dont' die a horrible death from cancer your mother will and if not her your grand parents will or someone you really love will die a painful and horrible death, so you realize that there are only two types of poeple those the lose a close loved one to a horrible disease and those that will"

WTF?

yes motocycling is dangerous.

As others have stated, its about self/situational awareness.  We understand all the inherent risk to varying degrees and ride accordingly that given day. 

Personally, I have had "positive" learning experiences on my monster(first bike).  The day I bought it I rode it 200 miles back home after a five minute "instructional" period by the previous owner.  I could barely start rolling without stalling, yet  within thirty minutes I knew its top speed and found out what a rev limiter was.  Valuable knowledge obtained riding helmetless and wearing street clothes trying to shred themselves at the seams. 

A pretty girl walking downtown taught me that revving the engine and a simultaneous, neck wrenching head snap was not impressive.

I learned that a relatively light 427lbs wet in the bike world is a heavy son of a pregnant dog on its side, and returning to its upright position is easier to accomplish when my pride to adrenaline ratio is inversely related!

Kickstands are simple devices, like light switches. On or off, no in between.

Doing your own mods and maintenance is one of the most rewarding aspects of riding, but can detrimental if proper care is not taken.  A chain jumping its sprocket is a sobering experience, but my Duc took care of me.
In return I vowed to take better care of it.

These experiences represent my evolution as a motorcyclist.  All of which created a thirst for knowledge that has  been quenched by the fine people of this board, and the more experienced guys I ride with. 

I have concluded that I can only prepare myself and my equipment as best as I possibly can.  Negative thoughts will only add to the ever present distractions on the street, and my concentration should be directed towards the the skills and hardware I CAN control!

You might as well call me Murphy...the law was written for people like me.  I said, "yes" because no matter how prepared you are for things to happen, and how cautious you are, shit      simply      happens. 

It just happens to happen to me a bit more often.  I'm ok with that. 

I've been hit by cars 3 times on a bicycle (when I used to race/train) resulting in reconstructive surgery, had a bout of bacterial meningitis living abroad, been in a foreign country during a major natural disaster, and have had 3 shoulder surgeries for playing a "safe" team sport.

And...I wouldn't change a damn thing.  I'll gear up and continue on down the road, ride within my limits and talents, and when shit happens...hope to slide into something soft.  Like fluffy pillows....or kittens... [thumbsup]

e

I look at in a relatively simple way. 

If you ride/act like a fool, you'll go down sooner.  If you ride smart, improve your skills, maintain your bike, pick the best times for riding, etc, you'll go down later.  (or more accurately, decrease your chances of going down sooner). 

If you can push 'later' into a point past your natural lifespan, you've won.  I don't need to ride forever, just 40-50 years. 

exactly, try tp push the "later" to after your lifespan.

afterall not everyone that rides a bicycle "has to" get hit by a car to "prove that they rode a bicycle or were serious about it"
not everyone that uses chef's knives for cooking and such "have to cut off a finger or hand by accident".

you could go on and on.

i figured between crazy cagers,weather, bad road conditions....that it was only a matter of time.
after three years of riding...i hit a massive oil spill driving up my street and low sided at fairly slow seed (30mph).
though i'm sad i scared my perfect record...and my 999 needs some work...i'm glad to have a slight idea of
what its like to go down. kind of like "ok got that out of the way".

does my get off on a soft dirt shoulder at 5 mph, 18 years ago count?

You're worried about your Chicken Strips?!?  Why?  Do you feel like less of a rider because you can't lean the bike far enough over to wear your tires to the edge?!?  Are you qualifying against Rossi or something?

If you're leaning the bike to the edge of the tire and you need more lean...  you may not have it.

The negative stigma associated with chicken strips is bullshit.  Ride your bike like you want and let the wear indication of the tires to those who are concerned with it ( [roll] ).

Oh, and BTW...  My '08 Harley has no more chicken strips on the front tire (100/90/19) but I'm riding my bike like I want.

And another BTW...  a HUGE +1 to all the gear comments.

I hope so!  Except unfortunately there's no "only once" rule.  I dropped mine after slipping on some loose gravel while attempting a U-turn on the street at the end of my driveway.  Does it count if the bike hits the deck, but I don't?  My bike has fallen down several other times... one kickstand-not-fully-down incident, 3 parking lot pushovers.  It seems to quite enjoy the supine position.

Did this today!!!   [bang] Except I was just trying the U turn and stalled!  I wonder if I would have still done it if I didn't read this thread yesterday  [roll]. I just got the bike last week but the humiliation is worse than the feeling of hurting my new bike! Pisses me off! Oh well!  Fall... Get up and try again. Have to use this anger to practice and get better! 

Been riding motos since '98 and had lots of close calls, but no downs. Until last week. Luckily I was wearing gear and was able to walk away. Actually, I pushed my bike away...  [roll]

Yep, if you ride long enough you'll go down. For some people, that "long enough" is 5 minutes while for some it's 20 years.

What gear were you wearing and how did you fall? I'm planning on never falling .. is that ok with you guys? ;)

Sidi vertebra boots - scratched
Alpinestars jacket - no marks
Alpinestars gloves - no marks
Scorpion helmet - no marks
Carharrt jeans - not real gear, but still no marks

Was going probably 15-25 mph on a medium sized city street (looking around for a place to exit and turn around). Had a car cut me off and clipped my front wheel. Pulled the front end out from under me and I hit the deck before I knew I was being hit. It was that fast.  :o Then I was sliding down the street. Got up, looked for cars that were going to hit me, turned off the bike, picked it up, and pushed it to an alley.  :'(

+1 on planning to never hit the deck. Stay alert and make good choices.  [thumbsup]

Sorry to hear that!! Since you are alright..  Hope your bike didn't get too much damage..
You were sliding on the street and your jeans nor jacket got any scratches? Maybe you were sort of sliding on your boots and barely hitting the pavement? Anyway.. you were fortunate... Now that the summer is here... I am always debating whether or not to use a jacket.. it is just too hot for that here in TN.. Good luck with the repairs if any!  [thumbsup]

If the jeans got rashed any, it just blended in with the rest of it. They are kinda beat up and old, but double-fronts and strong.

I don't know why the jacket doesn't show any marks. I remember hitting down on my elbow and rolling to my back. Then I tried to look to see if there was a car behind me that was gonna crush me but couldn't because I was still sliding. Low speed but still slid a bit, so I can't explain why the boots are the only thing that got rashed. I won't go without a jacket ever again. If I wasn't wearing a good sized piece of cow-hide I'd be one hurtin' unit about now.

I DO NOT ride with this mindset, "Sooner or later, I am gonna go down?" but ride with this in mind ....... "Today might be the day I drop my bike...... Let's NOT make it happen."

So, ... ride to your own ability & limit & always be aware of the situation that you're in. ....

Don't worry, ..... you'll survive

When I was just limping along on my Harley, never pushing any limits, I went seven years without even the slightest drop. There were plenty of times on gravel, dirt, wet roads, and just cr@ppy conditions when I *could* have dropped it, but fate allowed me to keep the bike upright (a bike's natural resting position is on its side).

I bought my first sportbike, a Ducati SS750, and it wasn't long before I smacked into the side of a mountain, breaking my right femur in three places. It's just the nature of the beast if you ride aggressively at all. The simple fact that you are leaning more opens you up to a world of hurt if you come upon dirt, gravel, grass, limbs, or other obstacle in the road and you are not lucky to avoid dropping the bike. I've crashed once since the leg-breaking episode (on the track). I'd guess I've put in over 80k miles of street riding since breaking my femur without an accident on the street, but every day I go out, I know that day *can* be the day, but I don't dwell on it.

BTW, my wife's left leg is paralyzed from a girl on the wrong side of the road in a blind curve, so crashing may not have anything at all to do with you, your bike, or your riding skills. The more miles you ride, the more opportunities you have of having an accident.

I have been down 3 times, and I still ride like an asshole.  It is fun.  Before my last speeding ticket I tried to ring her out and hit 100 every day on my commute.  Now I dont go much over 75 on the freeway for financial reasons    [moto]

The bike has been knocked over, parked on the street 4 times.  It is obviously safter to be riding it.    [roll]

If I am blessed enough to make it to the point where I may have children, I will probably slow down and get myself some chicken strips.   ;D 

these posts are making me nervous... Makes me think of riding as playing the Russian Roulette... Someone will start a thread with videos on motorcycle accidents and then I will really be paranoid every time I ride...   [bang]

Paranoid is pretty good way to leave the garage each day. It just might save your ass.

But don't let it get you down or keep you from riding. Hell, I went 10 years until I had a minor crash (minor because I walked away without injury, my bike doesn't think it's minor  [laugh] ).

Someone a while ago on TOB had stenciled on the back on their helmet, "Every man dies, not every man truly lives." I live by that...

You care more about your bike than yourself  [thumbsup] True biker spirit  ;) [laugh]

I like that. Braveheart I think. My adopted motto is:

"A LIFE LIVED IN FEAR, IS A LIFE HALF LIVED..."

I thought it wouldn't happen to me...then it did. :(

I'm ok, bikes close to dead but being rebuilt at cagers expense.

I appreciate this comment. I have fairly wide chicken strips and I have felt bad about it when someone makes a comment. I know I shouldn't, but I do. However, I am not going to push it any more than I'm comfortable. I have been riding less than a year and intend to do a novice track day at some point to gain more confidence in cornering. Until then I ride for fun and transportation. I avoid most group rides because I am not fast and don't lean to the edge. 

I voted "no". I don't like to think about it, so I don't. I drive defensively and I avoid driving like a maniac, to make it less likely I'll go down. I think about it when my husby rides, because I'm a natural worrier, but if I'm riding I put it out of my mind. I can't have fun if I'm thinking about crashing all the time, right? ;)

Celeste

I have wrecked.  I don't go out thinking I will, in fact, the thought never crosses my mind; but I fully accepted the inevitability that I was going down sooner or later.  I am fully aware that there are a lot of idiots out there and to keep your eyes out for them as best as possible.  I do not think that my own riding skills will ever cause me to wreck.  I ride within my limits and only go hard on the roads I know and can see the traffic.

Most of us drive cars, most of us have wrecked them.  Its not unreasonable to think you'll wreck a car, why is it unreasonable to assume you'll wreck the bike.  I can understand the mentality if you're only track riding.

I got broadsided by bambi while going 70 mph. Didn't even know it until until I stopped sliding 150ft and saw the little bastard laying on the side of the road, it's intestines ripped open from my radiator. I didn't expect that to happen when I went out for a ride that Sunday morning.

I don't think it's so much the mindset that "I'm going to ride like a jackass because I know I'm going to crash either way."

The expression that there are two kinds of riders, to me, is meant more to make sure that you realize that what you're doing is an inherently dangerous activity. It's foolish to think that you're invincible, or that you're never going to crash. You're much better off accepting that what you do is dangerous, and then preparing properly for a crash that may or may never happen. Learn to ride properly, wear the right gear, etc.

Several people (IZ, krolik, others) have touched on the "be of two minds" approach that I take, and that I'd recommend:

I gear up as if I'm certain to crash.

I ride as if everyone else is just looking to knock me off by making unannounced turns, stopping suddenly, or merging without looking.

But when I'm in the twisties or otherwise challenged, I expect to be confident in my bike and my abilities, and banish all hints of worry or indecision.

So, I acknowledge the danger, plan and act defensively, AND believe that I'm invincible.

The trick is applying the right mindset at the right times.  Thinking that you're invincible during gear selection is stupid with a capital H.  Being timid and worrying that you'll crash in the middle of a challenging road is similarly dumb.  It's a sports Zen thing: be in the moment, banish worry, act decisively, and you'll perform best.

Plus,

Boobies.