Making Choices
Motorcycling is a mental game. There is a physical element, of course, but it’s mostly about your mind and the state it is in every time you fire up the engine. Sometimes our minds are clear and sharp, sometimes they are cloudy and dull. Motorcycling, regardless of the riding discipline, is about making choices.
We all make choices every day, all day. What do I want to wear today? Should I call my friend to arrange a lunch date? Some choices are simple, some are almost automatic, while others are more difficult. When it comes to operating a motorcycle, you need to check in with a lot of other elements to help yourself make the right decision for you. I’ll say that again, “the right decision for YOU.”
I’m going to be talking specifically about turning around, modifying, and/or cancelling your ride. “Your ride” doesn’t always include the other rider or riders with you. Sometimes you must act as a lone wolf. Peer pressure is a thing, even with a single person, or multiple people, they may not be doing or saying anything to peer pressure you, but the group environment is typically enough. Generally we don’t want to be alone or let anyone else down. We set our own self perceived expectations or judgements the other riders might have about us. The urge to stay with the group is a deeply emotional and sometimes an unconscious response. Simply put, “the fear of missing out” can sometimes but you in a position that has you riding above your skill level, in an unsafe riding condition, or when you are not at your best.
The point I want to drive home here is not to learn how to be alone, but more importantly to check in with yourself, be honest, and finding a group of riders that don’t ride too far above your skill level. You also want that group of riders to be kind and understanding when you decide to honor how you are feeling in the moment without judgment so you can feel more confident and supported in your decision to skip the ride that day.
So what kind of things would make you decide not to ride in that moment?
Your Mental & Emotional State
The Weather
Road or Trail Conditions
How Does Your Body Feel
What Could Go Wrong
What Could Go Right
Your Mental & Emotional State?
Self-reflection is important when it comes to keeping yourself safe while you ride. A broken heart is a good example of a mental and emotional state that can sometimes be too distracting. While on the other hand, a motorcycle ride might be exactly what you need in that moment.
Your mind is what controls your responses and if your mind is clouded with thoughts and feelings instead, your reaction time lengthens and that can make a big difference while riding.
Again, sometimes a motorcycle ride is exactly what you need. For most riders, it’s helpful because riding requires them to be so focused that it quiets the mind from all their thoughts. However, if those thoughts are taking the front seat, it is unsafe to let riding and operating your motorcycle take a back seat. Pay close attention to how your mental and emotional state can affect your riding.
The Weather?
Hot, cold, windy, or wet, just to name a few. What the weather is doing does affect your ride and ability to control your motorcycle. Hot weather can be dehydrating and cause heat exhaustion. Cold weather can make you stiff and clammy, making operating the controls challenging. Wind can push you around, move debris into the road, or create dust storms which decrease your vision and makes it harder for other road users to see you. While wet weather just makes everything slick.
Take some time to consider the risks of riding in that weather in that moment. Sometimes all it takes is a short fifteen minute break in a gas station or coffee shop to let the weather pass.
Road or Trail Conditions?
The weather, change of seasons, and road or trail use changes the condition of the road. A great example is spring time riding. Spring comes right after winter, and winter is when roads were treated with sand and gravel. The snow and ice may be gone but the sand and gravel is not.
Pick roads and trails that you know are in better shape, or wait for the conditions to improve.
How Does Your Body Feel?
Check in and be honest with yourself. Dial your ride back if you still want to go. Knowing how your body is feeling and measuring your energy level is especially important for riding disciplines that are more physically demanding.
What Could Go Wrong?
Depending on the type of person you are, thinking about how things could go wrong can be paralyzing. The reason I bring this up is because it’s about checking in with yourself and seeing where you are in that moment. It’s a quick checklist of all the above factors. What is your mental and emotional state like? What is the weather doing? What is the road or trail condition like? And how is your body feeling?
This is about honest assessment, not appending doom. For example, if you are tired, it’s stopped raining but the road is still wet, you might want to consider what the rest of your ride is going to look like. At times, turning around isn’t an option, so going forward needs to be assessed and your riding might need to adjust to you and the conditions in that moment. Dial your “rider insurance policy” back so you can conserve or even restore your energy and reduce making any mistakes.
What Could Go Right?
Let go of all the bad and reflect on what could be great in your given situation as well. What is the reward if you press on? If you want to reach that reward, do you need to make some adjustments to help you get there safe and sound?
Conclusion
Motorcycle riding is a mental game, so play along. Get good at checking in with yourself, knowing when to stop, when to turn back, when to press on, and when to leave the group. This is about getting to know yourself better and ultimately staying safe doing something as enjoyable as riding your motorcycle.
Each rider is going to have varying thresholds, desires, and risk management. Don’t judge them just as much as you don’t want to be judged by them. We all have good and bad days, and motorcycling is not immune to that.
Enjoy your ride, get to know yourself, and have a great time out there!
