Experience/ perspective, how do you rate yours?

My view

Personally i assess my own riding on how i feel. How relaxed i am, how smooth, how much i enjoy said ride (ooo err) but that is very variable dependent on where/conditions/bike etc. For example, I am very confident on my race bike on the track in the wet with wets on. I know that and i ride well in tho conditions. Where as, wet on the road on my SV is very different. I dont agree with people who say they are a all round great rider, in fact i think they are *****. They even havent tried enough variations or they are really dont know what riding is about. The more people do one thing the better they become at it. Me riding thro london would scare the carp out of me, yet put me on a track and im happy as larry. Its all relative to the experience you have in IMO

There are people on here that i wouldn’t trust to fill my bike with petrol never mind anything else, cus half the stuff they come out with is total rubbish cus they dont understand the mechanics of it all. Im not saying in any way i do, but im learning it. Saying that, there are also people on here that have a wealth of knowledge...but it is very hard for new riders or non mechanical people to distingious from the two types of people. Generally for me to trust/learn from/respect someone they need to be someone i know face to face and also they have shown there worth, be that in a mechanical sense or a riding ability sense

er now i got interrupted and forgot what point i was guna make, bugger

Mark did I miss-understand the application of the questions?

Originally Posted by Owenski

Mark did I miss-understand the application of the questions?

he didnt ask us to answer them, just what was important to us out of the list

Originally Posted by Lozzo

That's the sort of opinion I'd give - oh and that Dave Preston is a laptop raping culchie p1sshead sort of thing

excuse me i may resemple that remark (abite i dont know what culchie means)
note the "may" as there is no evidance to prove the above statement ,allo it does get some substance due to the high reguard i hold the inital poster from their previous sound and trusted advice
i'll put that advice down to a 50/50 preferance call

Originally Posted by Rai86

he didnt ask us to answer them, just what was important to us out of the list

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

In that case; a combination of how often you ride, the conditions you ride in, and the distance covered.

It stands to reason that the more you ride the more situations you'll experiance obviously some education must be gained from these situations in order for this point to be valid.

Once you understand and can manipulate the machine then you can apply focus to the uncontrolable element, in our case this is the enviroment in which you ride. For me people who ride on and off road, are better riders than those who stricktly stick to one disapline.

[gruntygiggles]

Interesting thread Mark.

Personally, that set of questions can be answered, much like Red Herring has stated to make the writer "seem" like he/she has a lot of experience.

For me, I have posted in a few threads since getting on the bike myself and I've been a newbie (of sorts) not giving advice, but offering my opinion of matters that most would say a newbie should not offer his/her opinion on.

Now, I feel justified in giving my opinion where I have done so. I have always added a caveat that I am a newbie, so that nobody thinks I am saying that I am more experienced than I am.

I had my first car at 13, driving around fields, mostly only having reverse gear and learned how to use gears/clutch to the best effect in order to tackle rough ground in an old Ford Cortina. After passing my test, my dad paid for me to do two skid pan days and put me on a rally driving course. These two things combined gave me the skills to be able to handle a car in a number of different situations. Many of the skills learned are transferrable to riding bikes, because it is use of the road.
Also, being someone that has enjoyed off road driving for such a long time, I can also say and any other off roaders on here will agree, that learning to drive off road, really helps you drive on road. Again, much of this is transferable to riding bikes in the observations and judgement needed.

As for bikes, I only passed my test a couple of months ago, but have been a pillion rider with very experienced and skilled riders for over 6 years. No, I'm not expert, I know I am not and that is why I put caveats in when I post, but I am also not stupid.

The only thing I wish people would do is not judge peoples abilities on a bike or in a car OR indeed their expertise in spannering on what they read on an internet forum.

I don't care what anyone on here says or believes about my riding, they can judge it when they've seen it and not before. I know very little about spannering, but am enjoying learning. I trust the advice of some on here not through what people have written about them, but from the advice of people I know personally and trust saying, "yes, listen to him, he knows what he's talking about".

And Mark, from your original post...I agree with the setiment about not juding others by your own abilities or lack thereof. I know riders that some people think are reckless and dangerous but who are in fact riding well within their limits.

Just because one person can't do something safely on a bike, doesn't mean another person can't.

I feel happy pushing my limits a bit on the bike, because I've not ridden beyond my limits. I've been a little over eager, but only where I have determined, through observations and judgements on road conditions etc that I am safe to do so, knowing that there are no other vehicles, hidden dips, junctions, etc.

We are none of us perfect and it's just when you think you know everything about something that you meet someone who makes you feel like a beginner!

Originally Posted by gruntygiggles

Interesting thread Mark.

Personally, that set of questions can be answered, much like Red Herring has stated to make the writer "seem" like he/she has a lot of experience.

<snip alot of pertinent stuff>

We are none of us perfect and it's just when you think you know everything about something that you meet someone who makes you feel like a beginner!

God I hate it when someone comes along and gets all sensible on our donkey with their reasoned, well thought out and well written posts. It's just not what the internet is for and it goes against everything forums are about

Lots of good points there GG. I feel rather clueless when I speak to Mark, despite having 32 years of daily riding and spannering experience.

[gruntygiggles]

Originally Posted by Lozzo

God I hate it when someone comes along and gets all sensible on our donkey with their reasoned, well thought out and well written posts. It's just not what the internet is for and it goes against everything forums are about

Lots of good points there GG. I feel rather clueless when I speak to Mark, despite having 32 years of daily riding and spannering experience.

Haha, made me laugh then Loz

Quite simply Rictus, I am the t*ts. No lie. God's gift to motorcycling.

Thankyou. Thankyou.

[jambo]

Originally Posted by monkey

Quite simply Rictus, I am a t*t. No lie.

Thankyou. Thankyou.

No argument here

Love you xxx


The trouble with all the above comments, as has been illustrated in the recent past is that online you can be whoever you want to be. Most of the people in this thread I know, but we have some posters that I've never met, and I must therefore attempt to gauge knowledge from posts. Some people underestimate their own knowledge, while many seem happy to regurgitate more knowledgeable people's posts. This can make you look very knowledgeable, even if you've never actually performed the task on which you're offering an opinion.

I guess that's OK for some, but if you're advising on, say, brakes and have mis-understood any part of the information you're attempting to pass off as first-hand it's potentially dangerous.

Me? Been working on and riding bikes for a few years more than many on here, and a whole lot less than some of the others.

Jambo