Top 5 lessons you have learned the hard way

When it's bleeding freezing, you know when your hands are too cold to work your controls properly when you can't get your thumb to reach and touch your little finger - (next time your hands are cold, try it!)

If you get so cold and then find that in fact it's okay, and then find you are feeling great and even warm, beware this is called hypothermia. It's a weird sensation and frightened me when it finally dawned on me what was really happening

Oh and Steptoe
, you might not need to get out more, but you sure need to go further! :rolleyes:
 
...
If you get so cold and then find that in fact it's okay, and then find you are feeling great and even warm, beware this is called hypothermia. It's a weird sensation and frightened me when it finally dawned on me what was really happening ... :


ah yes - i have a permanent reminder - top joint in my right thumb clicks like a feckin castanet after i got hypothermia and frostbite as a stupid courier.
i never ever want to feel that cold again. :eek:
 
- The 'stand' part of sidestand isn't true, if you park next to a bog

- Bogs sometimes hide under dry ground

- Check that where you're about to plant your boot as you come to a standstill, isn't a patch of oil, diesel, ball-bearing gravel...or a bog.

- A line of parked motorcycles is, in one important way, like a line of dominoes

Be wary of all other vehicles, but be especially alert to these warning signs:
  • Any vehicle with ladders on the roof
  • Any car driven by someone wearing a hat
  • Any vehicle occupied by someone driving with their mouth open
  • Any vehicle whose drum&bass you can hear through your helmet, earplugs, and their rhythmically-bulging windows.
  • Any car driven by someone who is wearing sunglasses when it’s dark
  • Any car containing more then one yoof
  • Any car with a suit jacket hanging in the rear passenger window
  • Any 4x4 behind you, and all you can see of the driver above the dashboard is their perm
 
observation

lotsa good stuff on this thread.

i wiill add

5 things i found out the hard way that really help are;

1.observation
2.observation
3.observation
4.observation
5.observation

i will also add as someone else has already indicated, the sortie isn't over until your safely parked up, engine stopped and off the bike. you can still trip over the feckin' dog that's rushed out to greet you tho. :blast

another valuable lesson i learned was that when you think youv'e got this motorcycling game sussed and you are a riding god, slow down and back off cos it's probably all gonna end in tears :rob
 
My 2 pennoth:

chin up, elbows down
i.e. look as far ahead as possible and RELAX the arms. The front wheel wants to shimmy a bit and rigid arms prevent to bike self correcting. Especially on corners, once the bike is on the correct line, it needs no further steering input until you accelerate out.


If you are running out of road on a corner, push the inner arm forwards (counter steer). The bike will always lean further.

Keep a cigar shaped safety zone around you which you can guarantee is safe - the faster you go, the bigger the zone needs to be.

Invest in a heated jacket

£200 of training will make you faster than £500 of bling.

With the correct clothes, a wet winters evening can be more fun than a summer's Sunday


Listen to your angel!
In the Jura I was stopped at red lights with juggernaut stationary to right, lights go to green. I chose gentle take off rather than drag start. Several seconds later saloon crossed through very red lights at very high speed right to left.

Passing a South African shanty town I slowed because the road surface looked odd at the next bend. Spilt corn 3" deep! Not a good place to drop a bike!

Shall I overtake this slow tractor? He's not indicating, but gate to right. Held back and he turned straight across!

There are so many more!


It's your life, your ride "Ride like a twat and you'll die". Don't try to find the very edge of the envelope, always keep a safety margin.






cheers
 
5 things

It's only funny until someone gets hurt..... Then it's HILARIOUS.

If someone in a group is mouthing off about how fast they are, then they aren't. The quiet bloke who says nothing?? He's the fast one.

Speed doesn't kill. The sudden stop might though.

If someone's pointing a camera at you (either still, video or speed), then BE CAREFUL, and SLOW DOWN.

Just because some has a topbox and wears cordura, doesn't necessarily mean they are slow.

Supermoto's ARE bloody good fun. They will NOT help your license due to the wheelie factor.

Some people can't count :blast
 
Arrogance

The bigest lesson I ever learned in my life has stuck with me almost on a daily basis!

I used to be on a firearms team, and had an additional skill of being a sniper. (Rifleman). As well as normal AFO duties, I was on this small team. I was a good shot, loved the gentlemans sport of being on a point 400m from a target, working out my elevation and windage, and had recently done very well on a national rifle course. (Top shot!). Things were good, I was confident. Ha! read over confident!! :blast

Not long after my national course, I went for a normal sunday training day. I was going through a bit of a shitty divorce at the time, and was feeling a bit grouchy that day.

'Today's discipline is principles of marksmanship'

'Oh, FFS, I can do this in my sleep .... body alignment, breathing.....eye relief...' Arrogantly, I struted about, still a bit tetchy and being generally cocky I suppose.

There is a strict discipline on a range, how you carry your weapon, how you walk with it, I was arogant and casual.

At the end of the shoot, I was called into the office and give a file note for my attitude and my weapon handling. I was gob smacked, It hit me like a train, Me!! A file note!!

About a week later, I was on another shoot. It was a rifle training day, animal destruction. The range was split in two, lanes 1-4 for one pair, and 5-8 for the other pair. Different animals would pop up at different distances and depending on what they were, dictated who took the shot. I had a pump action shot gun, my partner had a 7.62. We were only to take on what was in our lane (5-8).

The command was given -'Watch and react, watch and react' after a pause a target turned, I can't remember what animal it was now, but it was mine - and in a jiffy I'd shot it straight through the hart from 30 metres. But so did the two guys on my left?? Why are they shooting? Oh feck, it's not my lane! It wasn't my target to take on ..
Because of my oblique angle, I'd shot straight through the card animal into the range wall rather than the rubber backstop.

Two days later I was in the office with my sgt and inspector. My permit was pulled, and I was suspended from firearms duties. I was one of the best shots in the whole garage, and here I was with the rug pulled from under my feet.

I was in tears! (Not in the office of course :toungincheek) I felt as though my world had fallen apart. The whispering went round the garage like wild fire. 'Have you heard? Giles has lost his permit..' 'Feck..'.

I had a couple of weeks off, and had to re classify to get my permit back. During that time, I could barely lift my head up. I was so gutted - gutted with with myself really. You arrogant, arrogant w4nker!!


Many many years later, I often think of that terrible time, and in particular, I think of it when things are going well, and i'm feeling good! And you know, I wouldn't change a thing about what happened, it was a brilliant lesson in overconfidence and arrogance and it was one of the best lessons I've ever learned in my life.

Now, when the roads are dry, I'm feeling confident, tyres are warm, maybe I'm out with the blokes, I always, always!! pause, and bring myself back down a bit!!

'Go on, you go up front - I'll sit at the back for a bit....' :mmmm
 
It could have been worse...you could have had a ND...keep it pointing down the range!
The marksmanship principles...the position and hold must be firm enough...god! how sad am i that i still remember them! I even tried applying them to my golf game! :blast

All the best!
 
Just one lesson learned the hard way this week - exhaust pipes are f uckin' hot :eek:
 

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Keep the wheel on the sidecar ON the road.
I learned it the hard way... :tears But it was dark, oncoming lorry was big, and there was ice and snow.

:tarka Liv.
 
1/ Never rely on volunteers when it's your neck on the line

2/ Volunteers have their own agenda when things are free

3/ Waving faster people past isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength

4/ There's always someone faster than you (usually intent on showing you as you've got a faster/more expensive/Harley machine

5/ Riding below 70mph IS enjoyable. You just need to adjust.

Hows that?

Did I mention well intentioned & overly enthusiastic volunteers? Grrrrr..
 


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