Advice: Do it wrong

Do it wrong

When is the last time you did something wrong? Okay wise guy... How about on a motorcycle! No, I don't mean when is the last time you made a mistake, I mean, when is the last time you did something wrong knowingly?

One of the tools that can be used to help riders gain a greater awareness of what they are doing is to have them try to do it wrong. 'Why?' You may ask? Good question! We may have to get a little philosophical to explain it fully, so put on your caftan, burn some incense and sit cross-legged on the floor while trying to wrap your mind around this concept. "Two things cannot exist in exactly the same place at exactly the same time in the known universe." Sound funky enough?

What I'm getting at is that when you try, knowingly, to do something wrong, it can highlight what you were already doing. And because two things can't exist in exactly the same place, you will most likely recognise that you were already doing it wrong!

That's right. Strangely enough, sometimes it's not until you try to do something wrong that you realise that you were doing that way already.

This is something we use regularly at the schools. The term Keith Code uses for this is "Reverse Drilling" and it always gets an interesting result. In fact one of our instructors recently came up with a list of things he was going to attempt to do wrong to increase his awareness on what actually happens when you do it wrong. This way he will gain a greater awareness of what the student is actually experiencing as well as ensuring that whenever he makes that error himself after going through this process, he will be much more aware of it and less likely to continue the bad behaviour. We've just politely asked him not to do it in front of the students as it may scare some of them!

As I read the list of errors he was going to recreate, I thought 'what a good idea!' When was the last time you struggled to let the clutch out smoothly to launch the bike from a standing start? Probably not since you first starting riding. Do you remember what it was like the first time you tried to get the clutch out smoothly? If you think back I'm sure you can.

How about now? Is every take off totally smooth with the right amount of revs at the right time? Do you think you can improve on this? Perhaps try to use too many or too little revs the next time you take off and see what happens. Perhaps be too abrupt with the clutch lever and then ride the lever out. After trying it wrong every which way, then try to get it right and you may find you improve. Then simply move this process of doing it wrong throughout the control actions of riding the bike. You'll probably find that you not only have a greater awareness, but you have more attention left over after doing this as you've now confronted all the "unknown" possibilities for that riding action. Do it wrong, then do it right.

Obviously I suggest you do this within reason you don't need to actually crash to find out something didn't work! Try doing it a little bit wrong first and gradually increase it if you don't feel any difference. Sooner or later you'll get to a point where it really does feel uncomfortable. Right there you have reached awareness and you can start to learn this lesson.

So... Seeing as though there is some summer left for trying out your newfound lack of skill, I wish you all the very best of wrong riding.

Oh and Good luck with it!

Steve Brouggy is the owner of the

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2 / 76 Rushdale St
Knoxfield, VIC 3180
Australia

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