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Define Experience

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  El_Barto 
#1 ·
How do you define, or understand the word experience(d), when related to riding a motorbike. Here are some ideas, feel free to dive in and add yours.

Length of time riding a bike (years)- but how long before its meaningful experience?

The type and size of bike you ride- does it have to have a big motor?

Number of miles ridden per year- How many? 5000?, 10,000? 20,000? More?

Track riding?

Advanced instruction course taken?

Personal age- over 40?

The stuff above isn't an exhaustive list by any means, they are just a few ideas which came off the top of my head.

Would common recognition, say by having a riding CV, where you checked prospective riding partners experience vs yours, help match potential riding buddies for ride outs etc?

What do you think?
 
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#4 ·
Blimey most things are covered on the net,somethings being strictly taboo,this is certainley is one!!,how long a person has been riding after say 25 years,it's more to do with what they have done in that time,rather than time itself.

I've been riding 40 years,as soon the clock struck midnight i've ridden on UK roads,like most of my generation i know,didn't take long to work out that we were either gonna get killed or locked up,the decision was simple,did you go racing offroad,or on tarmac,for most of us is was 75/25 majority offroad,while i retained a road bike for summer holidays to southern Europe,most my year was taken up racing an enduro bike,and remained that way for 10 years,by the time i realised the mortgage still had to be paid and i didn't bounce so well,i went back to road riding,and satisfied my competitive instincts clay shooting but thats another story.

Apart from an annual sking holiday,don't ever remember any other kind of holiday apart from travelling Europe on a bike,have only ever done a couple of 1000 mile days,but no end of 700/800 milers,some in monsoon conditions,others in 40c heat,i'm pround of my CV,and over the years passed on info that has been earned the hard way to younger guys who i know personally,the problem being biking is changing from a way of life(all my friends ride bikes and their children,including a very well known racer) to fancy dress on a sunday,i was recently speaking to a guy in his 30's 2 bikes all the gear,he was telling me he's never ridden in the rain!!!!,and i still think of being tailgated at 120mph in a cloud burst on a German autobahn,and when slowing down to give me some room,the guy behind undertook me and pulled in front!!!!,a long time ago,but i haven't forgotten,all part of a CV,and that includes riding gear!!!.

I run 4 bikes,because the days of the great alrounder vanished when the CB750 did,and use what ever is needed dependent on were i'm riding.
 
#5 ·
Tricky post because experience can't be isolated from luck. Life is full of situations where bad things can happen. You can be waiting happy at a bus stop and a joyrider turns the corner and totals you.

You may have had 20 years riding 'experience', then a semi pulls across your path and you are totalled. Experience could have played a part (you might have wondered about a no-win possibility and slowed down), otherwise it could be just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Therefore if you survived many thous. of miles riding (better indicator than age) and are alive and able to contribute to this thread, you have Luck AND Experience on your side.

Leo's on bikes are highly trained, but sadly they still have accidents. Training helps, but it can't prepare you fully for other idiot drivers doing stupid things.

My wifey still drives 'School trained' and gets wound up when drivers don't use turn signals, tailgate, stop suddenly and undertake. I keep telling her that today's driving is like being in a computer game. You have to be very mentally agile to think unthinkable driving scenarios (and solutions) whilst riding, before one happens. It's not always about fast reactions, it's more to do with pulling one of those escape solutions from your head fast without being 'surprised' and wasting thinking time.



 
#7 ·
Personally, I consider judgement to be far more important than experience. If you have adequate judgement to not ride beyond your skill level, you can go pretty much anywhere you want and avoid wrecks.

There are a lot of riders out there who never bother to practice any advanced skills, so even if they ride 50 years, they'll still just be highly experienced beginners.

regards,
Joe
 
#8 · (Edited)
Ok, I told myself that I wouldnt but I have limited self control.

I think what you have highlighted is that the word "Experienced" can be loosely used and that it is extremely subjective when referenced to riding a motorcycle.

"Skillful" is probably a better word but sounds a little more wanky when one tries to describe oneself.

Riding motorcyles on the road today is an inherently risky pastime when compared to say going for a walk or driving an SUV.

Luck plays a role in the safety that we experience wether skillful or not.

If you experience a lot of luck you can probably ride very poorly all of your life and live to brag about how experienced you are. And then of course the exact opposite can occur.

I choose not to ride daily in my commute because A) I just dont enjoy it and B) I am mitigating the associated risks of placing myself amongst hundreds of tired, stressed, angry, sick,late, distracted etc drivers of one and a half ton chunks of steel and I do that from experience.

In more formative years, on two occasions I watched good friends loaded into ambulances already dead from accidents on rides that i was a part of and that had a big impact on me.

95% of my riding is done in open country roads where every line is planned and every entry and exit calculated and self critiqued if i get it wrong. (Luck allows me to do that)

So after that rave, I have a lot of experience over many years on many bikes and I still dont classify myself as "skillful". Certainly not as skillful as I would like to be and that is part of my mission every time I head out is to improve that skill level.

So, I will take a ride with someone who is alert, has good judgement and understands how to ride a motorcycle any day before someone with 40 years of extremely lucky experience.
 
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