At work last week a few of us riders were talking about experience, and ability to ride. It's seemed that most of the cruiser crowd and the young sport bike crowd thought that years riding meant more than miles, while the others thought miles ridden were a better indicator of ability. After a little more discussion it seems that the cruiser, and young sport bike crowd was putting under 1,500 miles a year on their bikes. While the rest of us put more miles per year.
What about the guy who is just a weekend rider vs the guy who rides every day? This question set off a very lively debate. I think the guy or girl that rides everyday will be more experienced.
How do you define experience? By years of riding, or by miles ridden? Most of the people that I know define it by years riding. I don't think this the best approach. I think that miles ridden have more importance then years ridding. Nothing beats seat time, and firsthand experience. I have read the books Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. I learned and tried many of the techniques he explains in his books, but without actually doing them I would have learned nothing. Riding and learning new techniques takes practice before they become second nature. I know it’s more than just miles, it’s miles in all types of conditions and the willing to learn from the experience. You don’t want to be the rider that is riding the same 1000 miles and never learning anything
When I was a younger Air Force pilot, nothing was more important than stick time. The more stick time the better you became. At the same time each and every flight was a learning experience. At the end of every mission we did a debrief of everything, talked about the good, bad, and ugly so all could learn from it.
I'd say the occasional rider is in greater danger, without hesitation. Those of us who use the bike as a primary vehicle tend to have highly developed Spidey-Sense that keeps us alive and kicking through all the miles. I frequently freak out people I ride in cars with by casually predicting cager futures (That Jeep Will Cut You Off Soon.) Doesn't mean I let my guard down for an instant, but it gives me a wide margin to avoid most crap before it actually occurs.
Mile by mile, a relatively small percentage of the dangerous situations occurring are likely to get close enough to threaten me. An occasional rider isn't likely to have developed that sense through practice (none I know have it.)
What about the guy who is just a weekend rider vs the guy who rides every day? This question set off a very lively debate. I think the guy or girl that rides everyday will be more experienced.
How do you define experience? By years of riding, or by miles ridden? Most of the people that I know define it by years riding. I don't think this the best approach. I think that miles ridden have more importance then years ridding. Nothing beats seat time, and firsthand experience. I have read the books Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough. I learned and tried many of the techniques he explains in his books, but without actually doing them I would have learned nothing. Riding and learning new techniques takes practice before they become second nature. I know it’s more than just miles, it’s miles in all types of conditions and the willing to learn from the experience. You don’t want to be the rider that is riding the same 1000 miles and never learning anything
When I was a younger Air Force pilot, nothing was more important than stick time. The more stick time the better you became. At the same time each and every flight was a learning experience. At the end of every mission we did a debrief of everything, talked about the good, bad, and ugly so all could learn from it.
I'd say the occasional rider is in greater danger, without hesitation. Those of us who use the bike as a primary vehicle tend to have highly developed Spidey-Sense that keeps us alive and kicking through all the miles. I frequently freak out people I ride in cars with by casually predicting cager futures (That Jeep Will Cut You Off Soon.) Doesn't mean I let my guard down for an instant, but it gives me a wide margin to avoid most crap before it actually occurs.
Mile by mile, a relatively small percentage of the dangerous situations occurring are likely to get close enough to threaten me. An occasional rider isn't likely to have developed that sense through practice (none I know have it.)
