Watching the road ahead – motorcycle lesson number 1

Zen and the Art of Motorycle Maintanance is undoubtedly the worst book ever written. As an account of Eastern Philosophy it is hopeless. As an account of motorcycle maintanance it's downright dangerous. As an attempt at abstracting from motorcycling metaphors and lessons for life, it is infuriating.

The problem is this: motorcycling really does suggest some superb metaphors for life. No, not metaphors, lessons. There are things that one learns as a motorcyclist that apply quite effectively elsewhere. So to make up for Prisig's errors, and to celebrate the more productive writings of the likes of Ted Simon and Desperate Dan Walsh (see this months BiKE magazine), I plan to start collecting and publishing such wisdom right here.

1) Don't look down!

A simple lesson that every motorcyclist learns: look in the direction that you want to go, into the distance, at the place that you'll be by the time you get to think about it, not where you are now. Don't get distracted by what's already under your feet, it's already too late to think about that. And don't ever get fixated on obstacles, hazards or attractive ladies that you are about to pass safely anyway (and besides, girls don't like bikers).

This is especially true of corners. To go around a corner safely and smoothely, one must look at the vanishing point, planning to adjust speed and direction to adapt to it as the information comes in. If you react too late, at the point of already being in the corner, its already too late. The result of getting this wrong is simple, you wobble through the corner, lose grip, brake too late, ignore hazards, and sometimes fall off.

This is all very good, but of course while you are concentrating on the distance, on the vanishing point, stuff is still happening that you have to control. New information is arriving all the time: the road debris that you couldn't see, the diesel spill, the fluctuations in the engine, gearbox, drive and traction. And this is the really important part of the lesson: make your reactions to those things habitual. To be a safe motorcylist, not only must you learn to look into the distance and be strategic, but you must also be able to adapt to the road under your wheels and the control of the bike without even thinking. Your skills need to be so perfect and natural, like breathing.

A balance between habit and strategy, between the predictable management and control processes (tactics) and adaptive intelligent strategy.

Interestingly, since getting bashed over the head on a Spanish motorway, I seem to have lost a little of this in both motorcycling and life. I've fallen off my bike, at slow speeds, several times. This is partly because I am getting distracted and looking down too often, and partly because through a lack of practice I am losing the habits. Moving house did not help. Stopping my regular 130 mile commute contributes. Having to adjust to different eyesight, that works but is different, adds more difficulties. Changing to a more complex and much less predictable job has the same effect.

But over the last week I've started to realise what the problem is, and am concentrating on developing new habits, both on the bike, at home and at work. And things are changing, i'm becoming less distracted, more able to get things done safely, and more able to focus on the road ahead.

You see, biking is good for you!

Robert O'Toole : 09 Dec 2004 11:38 |  Tags: Bmw Gs Motorcycle Travel Travel Travel And Motorcycles Travel Writing Writing |  Comments (2) |  Report a problem