Fear and riding

[Bogus Jim]

I came across a great quote today, attributed to Keith Code, founder of the Superbike schools. "Your brain is a $10 bill; fear costs $8, leaving $2 to think with."

Neduro put it another way: every rider has a comfort zone and a panic zone. You learn best when you're just a little outside your comfort zone. Too far in the comfort zone and you won't learn anything; too far in the panic zone (fear) and you'll get hurt.

I would add, if your mind is wandering or daydreaming while you're riding, you can go from comfort zone to panic zone in a split second. As the military pilots would say, you've lost SA (situational awareness). Sometimes easy trails ridden at a fast pace can lull you into a state of complacency.

Here's hoping everybody (including me) has a crash-free riding season in 2013! 

[Fletch]

The dollar analogy goes much deeper than that, I will bring kieth codes book to the next breakfast meet and you can check it out .   Makes a lot of sense.

[Hank]

I like the $10 analogy a lot.  The SA comment is really true too, especially when riding street bike for long distances.   I find it all too easy to space off after a few hours of watching the yellow dashes slide by.    I've almost gotten in trouble a few times from it too!   I find riding off road, I'm much more likely to stay focused.

[Osnabrock]

I read a good quote that I try to remember when I'm riding or racing.  It has less to do with fear and more with mental and mechanical preservation.  It came from Charlie Rauseo of Rally PanAm and was originally aimed at rally racing.  It translates pretty well to everyday trail riding.
He said, "Ride clean and fast. Ride as fast as you comfortably can with very little risk of falling. Be opportunistic. When you can, twist the throttle to the stop. When conditions are tricky, slow down and survive. Save yourself and your bike, but don't lose focus. Remember that falling wastes time on the trail ....... so stay upright at all costs.
I always like to save myself, and my machine, to ride the next day rather than "wad it up" and get stuck fixing things.