xXBADGERXx

I could have worded that better . What I meant is that from the moment we opt to ride a bike and cast our leg over one , we are pushing ourselves past our normal comfort zone . Remember the first exhilerating ride ? I still do to this day . Remember all the faffing with the clutch , the bad shifts , dodgy pull outs from junctions ? Eventually you smooth all of that out and become a better rider . Once you get all of that out of the way you are refining your riding . With that refinement you tend to find your limits . And I am not on about riding like a plank on a Sunday , but sometimes you get a bit too relaxed about your riding and make a mistake ..... it is this time that you realise you have to be vigilant and a bit more aware of your environment , your observations , your limitations .

It takes a long time to learn your craft , even some of the old Dogs get taught a lesson sometimes , but getting to be an old Dog in the saddle isn`t just blind luck ... it`s because you had "moments" and learnt from them . As a nipper on a 2 Stroke , I learnt a lot in that time ......... Lots of lessons that have stayed with me to this day . Then graduating to more powerful bikes came with a whole bunch of other lessons that needed to be learnt , but I already had a foundation to work from . Probably a lot of holes in what I have said , but I am distracted at the moment by knockers on the TV