Being an old fart, I'm curious to know if when people go for their bike license / training now days, is there coaching or instruction given on how to avoid or overcome
"target fixation" ?
I know that in the old days, I was shown how to do a figure 8 around some marker cones, this skill has saved my life many times on OB Rd. ( not )
Just sick and tired of hearing about people coming off and getting hurt or worse. Could target fixation be a major factor causing so many off's ?
Lets chat.
I endlessly went on about that stuff when teaching my RE and even with my kids learning to drive. I like to think I taught them how to ride/drive rather than how to pass a test. TrakDayz level one spends a good bit of time on this as well, I don't know if the local instructors do the same. I overheard the examiner giving my guy some useful tips after passing his tips.
I heard a local instructor interviewed on 6PR the other day about the number of motorcycles deaths, I don't think he came across that well, and threw around a lot of cliches sounding much like the tool from the ORS that was on after him. Radio interviews can be confusing and hard to get your message across so I'm sure he is a much better instructor than interviewee.
Excuse my ignorance, but what's target fixation? (I guess that answers your question also haha)
General rule of riding is you go where you are looking.Originally Posted by MattDamon
So if you are going around a corner and start looking at that big ditch on the outside, instead of where you should be going, there's a fair chance you'll end up in the ditch.
Happens with all sorts of road hazards.
And have you heard the story of the new rider/driver who was taken out into a huge paddock that only had one tree in it, and managed to hit that tree?
Well that's generally target fixation.
In life you only get one lap, might as well make it a good one.
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Not at all MattDamon !! If not knowing about it prompts you to look it up and see what it is and consider learning about it ( there's plenty of info on it ), then that has made my day.
My instructor told me this in my first lesson, so I guess it depends who you go with. I also found it easier once I'd worked it out for myself and stopped trying to force the bike
My dad taught me to ride dirt bikes about 40 years ago, he used to say "Look where you're going or you'll go where your looking", I thought it was some stupid granddad zen bullshit. I figured out when he meant when I hit my first tree.
Youtube mulholland crash. There's about 100 target fixation videos, its like a video encyclopedia of poor riding.
I'd like to know what they teach new riders here now about downshifting *TO A STOP.
(for another forum where americans say they are taught to coast with the clutch in on a wing and a prayer, then their next thread is 'jammed gears' or 'cant find neutral my bike is fucked' or 'gear position indicator wanted')
If anyone recently had lessons could tell me what they teach in WA? got my licence back when there was no such thing as lessons.
I know for a fact I'm going to crash going past a train station on the free way one morning.
The amount of hot business dressed birds standing around looking pretty (noticeably Glendalough and Edgewater) has me target fixing!
Crippo.
I am an instructor and while I can't speak for anyone but myself, I teach people to ride properly and safely both in terms of machine control and roadcraft - including such things as blipping on downshifts, counter-steering, swerving, obstacle avoidance, braking, etc.
I don't teach people "just to pass the test" as instructors are often accused of doing - but how to ride full stop.
Edit - and in my experience, I'd say that the comments I made above are application to all (or at least most) motorcycle instructors in WA. I think we have a good training and assessment system in place here.
lol Crippo... If you think Glendalough is good, you should see the birds that get on the train at Stirling!
I used to spend a fair bit of time on the train. Got to know where the good stops were pretty quickly.
Its a shame that Stirling isnt as easily viewable as Glendalough from the road!
Id say most training is more about passing your test and general rules and safety.
The thing i find is skills to pass a test are not the same as skills to actually ride safely day to day.
passing a test and learning to ride safely are 2 different things
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin
Yeah mate no doubt! More focused on spliting and navigating that 'S' bend into the sun and people moving over to get off at Hutton there though. Too many distractions damnit! lol.
Shame about some others are pretty sheltered too so can't see... for me though that's probably a good thing haha.
Crippo.
Well I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
When was the last time you had lessons btw? 1973?
I'm learning now and I'm being taught to downshift before you stop so that you're in first before you stop at a set of lights/whatever.
even after 17 years of on road riding i get caught by a bit of target fixation now and then, usually popping over a crest to a corner that drops out of sight and a tree/sign behind it, i get hard on the brakes and end up looking at the tree/sign to gauge how much braking room i have left instead of looking through the corner, by the time i realise it has hold of me i've washed off far more speed than i needed to and i could have just turned the corner, pretty much the same as a noob mistake except i don't howl off the side in a straight line with the brakes locked up.
no longer as dangerous as it is as a learner but on unknown roads it still gets me, is it an ongoing learning process or am i just a shit rider?
Do you remember the good old days before the internet?
when arguments were only entered into by the physically or intellectually able.
Spock can you elaborate on the Blipping on down shifts? I could learn something here.
Cheers.
Crippo.
ditto, i find stirling to be a gold mine
When coming off full throttle and braking hard for a corner, I can understand teaching someone to blip the throttle on downshifts. But on normal street riding and pulling up casually, why would you bother?
Intelligence and education are three sides of the same coin.
It would be my pleasure; I charge $70/hour.
What you do is, while you're braking and slowing down, pull the clutch and give the throttle a quick twist just before downchaging to raise the revs and match them to lower gear. The idea is to elimate the jerk caused by engine braking. Takes a bit of practice, but once you get it you'll never change down without a 'blip' again. It sounds good too!
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