orlin.anderson wrote:I found a great way to minimize this, chewing gum. It may sound weird but being able to chew a stick of gun really brought me out of my head.
Well, I had not heard of the "chewing gum" technique, but whatever works! Good on you for figuring this out!
I tried chewing gum long ago but found that I kept biting my cheek as the cheekpads were snug....
I recall my first freeway ride. I had several things going against me - first was an open faced helmet with simple faceshield. Buffeted a lot and I hadn't yet decided to ride with earplugs. Second issue was a thin yellow windbreaker for a "jacket." It helped with my visibility but was loose and flailed a lot at speed.
And finally, I figured out I had to lay down on the tank to get to the speed limit. The GS425 was a perfect learner's motorcycle for me but just wouldn't go 65 with me sitting upright.
Good aerodynamic helmet with earplugs and a no-flapping motorcycle jacket would have reduced the distractions and let me concentrate.
Reduce the distractions and get some practice when there's little traffic so you can manage the bike riding part before jousting with the public.
Ron
Current: 1988 BMW R100GS (the 'numberplate' model)
Hi Taxman !
I'm a relative newbie here , but have been riding bikes (both dirt and street) off and on since I was about 13 .
My take on your question is from my personal experience and just my opinion , but as JStark mentioned , you have two gyroscopes (front and rear tires) that do help stabilize you in a straight direction when riding. The natural instinct in a situation where you see something coming at you ,is to flinch away from it especially if it is something undesirable like a piece of road debris or an object blowing or falling out of a vehicle on a highway.
By having a riding posture as previously mentioned , your body (upper torso) can react instinctively to this potential hazard and , naturally , your hips will follow suit helping you steer away from what you don't want to be in the middle of . your knees and thighs when in contact with the bike can provide extra steering force in shifting the balance of your ride at highway speeds . Being hyper vigilant on a bike is always a good thing , knowing where you are positioned relative to other traffic on the road and looking ahead are both key to safe and pleasurable riding !
