But yet another riding technique question

[ultracyclist]

Last year I worked on keeping proper spacing between the vehicle in front and me.

This riding season I want to work on being more aware of what is going on around my bike-front, sides, rear, the parallel universe and so forth.

For those of you who are veteran seasoned riders, what is the one technique that you employ which gives you an "awareness" above and beyond the usual checking mirrors and so forth?

TIA

 

[ol-Levi]

Head Check

Some 27 or so years ago, back in my Honda daze, there was a catch phrase "Head Check".
There were several discriptions of just what it means (best as I can remember).
The big one was

"Turn your Head, check the next lane", sometimes next two lanes.

Even if there is only a bit more than an arm's length over to the side.
There was a white Toyota last week between me and the curb despite being a very tiny space there.

Most times I check again before taking the next lane.

 

[32232]

Function under the assumption that the other vehicles simply do not see you.

I commute to work every day on heavily travelled suburban roads. Most of them are four lanes, non divided, so in a lot of places people in the left lane will have to come to a stop to make left turns. Then you have people in the right lane, slowing to make right turns.

I have had my closest calls and worry most about drivers making snap lane changes to get around slower traffic in their own lane. They don't scan ahead and get caught out by slower or stopped traffic. In far too many cases they snap the wheel over into the adjoining lane (where I am!) with nothing resembling a glance in the mirror or a shoulder check.

The best defensive posture is to avoid riding in people's blind spots, but that can be a challenge when the traffic gets dense and you're locked into the flow of the lane. I ride in the left track of the left lane and the right track of the right lane in those conditions to give myself a buffer of a few feet from the vehicle in the next lane. I also leave as much of a space from the car in front of me as I can without the next lane drivers constantly moving into that space. Those buffers, vigilance and keeping the brakes and born button covered have saved my skin on too many occasions. A good loud horn can be a life-saver keeping other vehicle travelling the same direction in their own lane.

 

[manicmechanic]

Pay attention to your riding while you're riding, i.e. minimize daydreaming. Otherwise you just might be surprised by a car that is passing you and you'll wonder where it came from. That is minor. But consider what major could be.

 

[martinph]

I am invisible, and act accordingly.

 

[jstrube]

Scan Scan & Scan.

Check right mirror, left, over shoulder, out far, in close. Keep moving your head & eyes. Be an "Aware rider". No tunnel vision.

 

[mneblett]

Constant scanning, combined with actively predictively thinking about what stupid move may be about to be committed by the closest cages and positioning the bike appropriately (while covering the horn button). I refer to it as "space cushion management."

Relatively slow speed, high density in-town traffic is the worst for the "no signal, sudden lane jump" problem; once I hit the bridge coming into DC, my horn is usually covered by my thumb more than 50% of the time. Doesn't mean you don't have to be alert at highway speeds for the same thing and still actively predicting what traffic law is about to be violated, but there's usually less of a propensity for idiots to make rapid lane jumps if there's less need to "get ahead" with sharp jerks of the steering wheel.

 

[blur]

As I tell my students.... Head on a swivel - Check front - Check rear - Check right - Check left - always know what's happening around you.....

....and if a hazard comes from above? Well...... it was your time.

And as others have said, thinking of yourself as invisible to other street users is the best way to stay aware of what's happening around you. .

 

[oldnslow]

...No tunnel vision.

And use just the opposite, 'funnel vision.' Scan Far and wide, and close and narrow. In other words, Don't scan for things 500 feet away at your 3 and 9 oclock, they are no threat (unless your sitting still). The farther you look down the road, the wider your scan should be, like a funnel that is channelling all the danger right towards you!

 

[AKsuited]

Keep your eyes moving, never looking at one spot for very long. This will be hard at first, but will become automatic with practice.

A good fighter pilot and a good motorcyclist will know what is going on all around them all the time. That can't happen unless your eyes are moving. Scan aggressively. Seek out hazards. Find them early so you can deal with them in time.

Identify risks and then manage those risks. That is my personal definition of safety.

Harry

 

[bikerfish1100]

Keep your head and eyes moving, never looking at one spot for very long. This will be hard at first, but will become automatic with practice.

A good fighter pilot and a good motorcyclist will know what is going on all around them all the time. That can't happen unless your head and eyes are moving. Scan aggressively. Seek out hazards. Find them early so you can deal with them in time.

Identify risks and then manage those risks. That is my personal definition of safety.

Harry

good ideas to begin with, now even better.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Mirrors lie, if they tell you much of anything at all. My R11S mirrors mostly just tell me that my elbows and shoulders have not fallen off, my F8GS mirrors are a bit more informative, but they lie too.
so, to maintain a truthful conversation- i turn my head and move my eyes. A lot.

 

[ANDYVH]

Scan/search, increase your visibility, in addition to creating/maintaining space around you as much as possible. If you work at doing these things your riding will be much more comfortable, you'll see things develop, and your "close call" incidents will go WAY down.

In time, your vision and spatial sensing will develop to a point you'll sense "I'm riding too close." I do this a lot, and back off to create more space. Riding too close is my pet peeve that I see a very high percentage of riders doing. Doesn't matter what brand, style, age, way too many riders follow WAY too close.

I tell my MSF students looking all around and way ahead are key to adjusting your position, your visibility, your space, long before you get "there". I coach to be looking ahead a 1/4 mile at least, and scan/search up to a mile ahead for anything developing. It makes such a huge difference I rarely have a traffic interaction issue.

My goal for riding is "no surprises." And I have found over the years that if I am ever surprised by something, it is always MY fault first!

 

[ultracyclist]

andyvh

Yes, I have developed the habit of having space in front of me. I am to the point where I ask myself sometimes, "Why am I getting closer to the car in front of me?" and so on.

But one of the most frustrating things is when I do leave space and them some (expletive deleted) cager thinks that it his/her personal invite to cut in front of me.
Needless to say if I am in the city, urban or suburban riding I have my right hand and right foot ready to commence a quick (but happy) braking sequence.

Andy, if I am ever elected president (yikes.), I will make it a federal law to ban cell phone usage, drinking coffee, and about 14 other things if a person is driving a cage.

And now Yoga, to lower my blood pressure.

 

[der ziegelstein]

Ride like you're invisible and everyone else is drunk.

 

[sit]

Keep your eyes moving, never looking at one spot for very long. This will be hard at first, but will become automatic with practice.

A good fighter pilot and a good motorcyclist will know what is going on all around them all the time. That can't happen unless your eyes are moving. Scan aggressively. Seek out hazards. Find them early so you can deal with them in time.

Identify risks and then manage those risks. That is my personal definition of safety.

Harry

Good ideas regardless of what you drive. Situational awareness is something I think most people can learn and some just are able to do it. Practice it all the time, play the what if game. Whether in a car, on your bike or walking down the road looking for threats or things that might impact your travel, ask yourself, what if this or that happens, what will I do? I do it all the time, I practice in the car and on my bike. If driving, what if that car pulls out, have I been checking my mirrors, can I suddenly swerve, or is there a car or bike in the other line? Is it an option to leave the roadway, or do I take the hit, if I take the hit, where is the best point to position the impact? I play it even more on the bike.

 

[jforgo]

never stare, keep your eyes moving
never ride next to a cage
fall back or (preferably) pass, never watch incompetent in front with astonishment
ride assertively but not aggressively
remain utterly disengaged emotionally from others on road, no matter what

 

[MOTOR31]

I the first part of your riding jacket to wear out is not the collar, you are not moving your head enough. Assuming you didn't crash of course. Your neck was designed to swivel, use it in that manner. Merely turning your eyes still leaves blind spots. Turn your head. Don't look in one direction more than 5 seconds before doing another sweep. Don't fixate on any one direction and plan ahead how you are going go leave your position.

On a 2 lane road, ride on the left side of the grease track (center portion of the road where the oil from vehicles falls) so you can see oncoming traffic.

On a 4 lane (or more) road ride in the left lane where applicable. IE if the signs say only when passing, then comply with it and stay in the right hand or center lane(s) lane as above. Otherwise stay in the left lane as long as you are not holding traffic behind you and ride on the right side of the grease track next to the lane divider. That keeps you in the mirrors of the right lane cages and in place to see ahead.

Do NOT ride in the center of the lane as that puts the tires in the grease and oil which is not good for traction.

The ONLY time you are in control about how close you are to another vehicle is when you are behind it. The best place to have a tailgater is in front of you on someone else's rear end. Don't assume that by passing the vehicle you will no longer be out of concern for it. The other driver may be a hemorrhoid who thinks THEY have to be in front (like a lot of motorcycle drivers) or they just like to follow some one's tail lights. They may catch up to you so don't be in a hurry to put yourself in their sights.

Maintain at least 2 seconds distance between you and the vehicle in front. You are in control of your speed and following distance, no one else is. If things are really crazy think about getting off the road and having a cup of coffee to let the crazy traffic get down the road. You'll get there more reliably that way than having a collision fighting for your so called road rights.

 

[bikerfish1100]

Do NOT ride in the center of the lane as that puts the tires in the grease and oil which is not good for traction.

ya know, i've always heard people say that as a general caveat. however, after 35+ years of riding & scanning that has covered 100s of thousands of miles on nearly every road surface imaginable, i have yet to ever see a reality that confirms it.
Except for at stop lights and toll booths, i NEVER see oil collect in the center of a lane of traffic. do you?
leaking oil, unless it is a gusher of a let-go, collects on the undercarriage of vehicles while they are moving, giving them some free rust preventative coating.
however, the center of the lane is worth avoiding as it is not your best lane position choice for purposes of increased rider vision, or for visibility by others.

 

[ol-Levi]

Head Check

Use your head, and check the condition of:

road surface,
The weather,
your equipment, brakes, engine, controls, riding gear,
your route,
your capibilities, not too tired,
alertness,
meds (or lack of meds),
that you and your riding partner are prepaired for the ride,
etc.

(I like a 2.5 second following, unless things get hinky, then allow more space .)

Then have fun. Well, I'm still learning so I may have missed some,,