I had a 125 for 6 months and have been on a ‘big’ bike for just over a month now and am becoming more & more comfortable with the increase in power (it’s nice!); comfortable enough to make good progress and overtake successfully.
My slow riding is not really an issue that I can’t resolve myself.
I’m booked to do a Bikesafe course at the end of next month, but, in the mean time, would like to get the opinions of experienced riders on how they deal with making progress and overtaking on the ‘average’ London road which might contain all the hazards that are not on the average country twisty lane.
The more specific I am about what I’m looking for, the more specific the answers will be, but I’m looking for general answers. However , making good progress on my way back from the Ace last night, I was concentrating on the road ahead and the relatively quickly approaching junction (with []green[/color] lights) and was a little hesitant in case they []turned[/color]. I was also checking the junction for careless drivers and my speedo.
Then, out of nowhere, the bike starts jumping up and down as I realise I am going over some uneven road surfacing - i.e. I wasn’t looking at the road I was actually on.
This all seems such a lot to take in at once:exclamationmark:
What is the best for checking and anticipating when making progress on the ‘average’ London road?
Sounds like your doing ok as you are garret - you sound switched on, observant and attentive to whats going on around and underneath you. It’s good that you are taking note of the road surface and anticipating what effect this might have on your bikes handling and braking. There is nothing wrong with a bit of hesitation - again - this is simply a sign of awareness - which is a healthy thing. In terms of making progess, it’s about being aware of what’s going on ahead/around of you, which means scanning and processing - if you have a good scan rate then you are picking up information across your entire field of vision (including what’s going on behind you via mirrors and life savers) - you then need to process that information intelligiently - e.g. stuff like junctions (and anticipating what’s coming/potentially coming out of them) or spotting people crossing the road when you are filtering past stationery traffic (they are usually not looking your way as they are not expecting a filtering bike - common in London - particularly in tourist season). These are just examples - there is a ton of other stuff that you will recognise when you see it/or get via experience.
If you incorporate the above into your riding then you will feel confident that you are on top of the situation and can successfully anticipate the expected and unexpected - this will translate into faster more decisive progress through the traffic - which is something which will come with experience.
Always do your life savers - even when you KNOW there’s nothing behind you. That way it becomes automatic.
What feels like conscious effort now will soon become second nature - and you will be doing it without even thinking about it. Just keep doing what your doing.
but that’s just it, I was making progress enough that I failed to look at or consider the surface due to other things I thought were more important, so I was surprised at the bumps when they came.
That’s normal Garret mate - sounds like you were looking at the right things (lights, junctions, cars, pedestrians etc) - the road surface in London can be pretty rough at time (pot holes etc) - so you just have to accept that it’s gonna get bumpy from time to time - if there is something dangerously wrong with the road (extra big hole or debris etc) you should pick this up anyway if you are paying attention (which it sounds like you are) - if this happens then avoid target fixation by looking to where you want to go - not at hazard.
So at the moment you are also concentrating on what the bike is doing and thinking about how to get it to react to the situation.
Soon you wont need to think about the bike i.e. what gear you are in, how much braking distance you have can you fit in that gap etc.
That will allow you to concentrate on your surroundings.
Also like it has been said you scanning rate will go up as will the peripheral vision, you can also train on this:
(scanning rate) : Look at a page,for a couple secs and then close the page and try to remember as much detail from it as you can (MCNs Bike Mart helps or catalogue pages).
(peripheral vision): When you are sitting somewhere (off the bike!) waiting for someone something (in a park, on a train, etc) try to look straight ahead and (without moving your eyes) try to see a much information as you can, I am talking about trying to track something that is happening at the far right/left of your vision. An easy test is to track something that is moving across your vision and see when you loose sight of it.
Also at the beginning it might help to vocalise what is going around you (i.e. "that bus is getting ready to pull out, the car behind it will try to avoid it coming into my lane, I dont have anyone behind me…) this will help you concentrate on what is going on and wont allow stray thought "ohh look at that girl… hmm pizza im hungry…
‘They call me ‘quiet girl’
But I’m a riot
Maybe ‘Joleisa’
Always the same
That’s not my name…’ ) :hehe:
It’s true you are on a new bike and before you know it you will not have to think about this anymore, and you will be settled and comfortable. A little rough road surface is nothing to worry about unless your suspension is far too hard.
I ride in town daily (not as a courier although I did for 3 years) and it is second nature for me. I still am constantly on my gaurd, ride covered (brakes and clutch) and am never complacent. I am fast through town but that is because I have 10 years of practice.
I always look for the hand on the wheel. a little stretch of the neck from the driver as a tell when they may just pull out. Be aware of pedestrians hailing cabs, this is what cabbies are looking for, NOT YOU. and obviously if there is a gap between cars something is likely to come through it and into your path, this is a basic but easily overlooked at pace.
Stay loose in the saddle and let the bike move below you, a small movement seems huge, just keep looking where you want to go and trust you stead, it will prove far more sure footed than you may think.
Yeah, slow down if you can’t do two things at once.
If you’re sacrificing 1 set of vision for something else… you should be able to be looking far ahead to observe developing hazards whilst watching the road surface with your peripheral vision.
Making progress is no good if you don’t reach your destination. Lose a minute from your life, etc.
I think you need to relax a bit - easy to say I know however it comes with time - just take it easy and don’t try and force things to happen to quickly - they will in their own time.
