Smoother: wasted
Sheesh, what a waste. Today, I decided that I wouldn't go fast, and instead, I would focus on being smooth. Smooth with the throttle, smooth with the brakes and smooth with my steering inputs and so forth. Speed, if it happened naturally would be nice... you get the drift.
For a while it went really well. I may have been 20 or 30 kph in places, but I was the essence of smooth. But I did notice two things, it was much harder to focus on the road, and at least two times in 22 km, I found my mind wandering a bit. Still, it was going well.
Then, while crossing a four-way junction where might is right (no cops or signal to help, and heavy traffic from three sides, including mine), I indicated clearly to a slow, approaching autorickshaw and moved ahead to forge a path across to the other side. The jackass came to a stop, as expected, but not before his rick touched my exhaust. And he looks dumbly through the dirty glass and says, 'Well, go on!.' The resouding crack of carbon knuckle on glass is still in my head.
Then, almost 18 km later, it happened again! This time a cabbie kissed that poor exhaust again. His excuse? Allegedly, I cut him off. Explain this to me. I'm in my lane, he's in the next lane, to my right. I am to the right of the centerline of the car ahead of me, but well left of his tail lamps. So how, pray did I cut him off? Aargh.
Logic says my going slower and smoother had nothing to do with yelling match. My fairly angry brain says that slower doesn't work for me, and that's why both things happened. If I had set myself the goal of being smoother at my normal speed, neither would have happened. Damn.
13 comments:
well, itz almost same with me too. whenever i tried to be really slow and smooth, i found it more difficult to navigate. I believe that ther eis a speed range each rider is comfy and it is best to stick to that range. poor exhaust - 2 scraps in one day.
Same experience here. Smoother works best with little traffic. Does help with smooth shifts for me, though.
You probably want to read this:
http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2007/11/19/payperpost-bloggers-unranked-by-google
'Smooth' has nothing to do with being 'slow'. If you were actually, consciously trying to be smoother than you usually are, you should have actually been going faster, if anything.
To take an example, compare the riding of someone like Gary McCoy (spectacular, ragged...) with Loris Capirossi (not to spectacular to look at, but smooth and usually very, very fast).
Smooth and slow? No. Smooth and fast? Yes... :o)
You're right, of course. But I haven't the ability to go smooth and fast at the same time immediately. So, I figured that if I started out slow and kept it smooth, I'd regain and surpass my previous speeds in a matter of a few days...
This is pretty similar to what i have experienced.
You were not riding at your natural speed. Riding differently than you regularly do must have messed with ur brains ;-)
I have tried to change my natural way of riding/driving with not so good results. Have reverted back to the way it was.
Riding smooth, IMHO, has nothing to do with it. Try riding smooth AT your regular speeds, and that should be a great experience...
(Does it sound like im preaching? Hope not :)
Excuses Excuses :P the fact is, you're growing old buddy. Its time to take a breather, grow the beard and get a nice cruiser. (Where's that Harley Intro now!)
Cheers,
Max
Cruiser? NEVER. Yeah, I am growing old. Seeing six packs on SRK and Rekha fleeing time with elegant grace (and some help from the good doctors, no doubt) and Mrs Nene dance friskily well into her 40s gives me hope.... heh heh
Rearset - well that's a thought now, never paid it much attention, but plastic is not really my thing (neither filmdom kinds, nor supersport kinds!), maybe its me who's growing old!
Of course there's hope! With all the advancements (?) in technology (medicine and automobilia), me and you have a lot of better things to look forward too. (Nitrous for bikes, I mean teeth)
while on it, I would recommend saving up rightaway though, burgeoning dental costs (*&^%$ expensive dentists!) have pushed the price of a decent denture sky high! Let me know if you want to invest in one. (We can port it (?) to allow the good stuff through, and use it when the time comes)
Come to think of it, a 6 pack on Rekha would be nice too eh? :P
Cheers,
Max
ps - growing a beard will also save you precious barber/razor/shaving cream money by the way (am OCD too, just like you). Plus at 32-33, it does suit us halfway over the hill folk.
Smooth is good, but you needn't go slow to be smooth.
With our traffic, I find it is always better to stay a little faster than the flow, to keep the unwanted 'kissing' attention away.
The same here...
even I have tried riding in a relaxed stance!!
5th gear RPM'S so low! that even the engine whirl cant be heard!
and the only thing I experience in such situations is....what else ..relaxation!! and that is the problem...relaxations kicks in carelessness and reduced awareness!!
and seeing your slow/relaxed stance....other riders/drivers take chances while passing you....thinking you aren't predictable...that is where lies the risk...if you are unpredictable the person in behind will think you are smarty speedster!! so he won't try to do anything crazy...so there it is ride fast enough for you to control it!! vrrrrrrooooommmmmmm
Ageing processing is mysterious one. Life is uncertain, our dreams and beliefs are crushed as we degrade ourselves into a digestive matter of excreting substances. Help me for I have never dreamed of life in its beauty and time would never stand still.
Enjoy your youth while it last. I'm only 25 I know death's hand is coming for me and calling me her "husband".
Strange stuff on this blog, people dying at 25 on marriage day and rearset is 60 years old.
At least I have the mumbai traffic right, rearset?
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