Pre-flight mantra / affirmation?

[Cdogman]

I must be one seriously simple sumanabitch because I just do what comes natural and get on the bike and ride...leaving all my troubles behind.

Sometimes simple works too. Take the unpretentious simple Islay Scotch. What does it want you ask. Water, not in the glass, just close enough to see it through the glass........ Oh, Wait, wrong board.... Nevermind

 

[Howardrg]

"I must be one seriously simple sumanabitch because I just do what comes natural and get on the bike and ride...leaving all my troubles behind."

Axman that makes two of us.

 

[drc32-0]

Great thread Lee...and very important.Many riders crash simply because they are not paying enough attention.

Whenever I get on the bike I repeatedly tell myself to concentrate!"Keep your head in the game,sure it's fun,but it can also be deadly.ALWAYS stay alert."

Mental check list;road conditons,animals,traffic,bike,self,distractions-STAY ALERT.

 

[Derek]

i just try to remind myself that my head isn't really into the ride for the first 10 or 15 minutes. it seems to take me about that long before that calm focused zone sets in. until then, whatever worries the world has me busy with are still bouncing around in my helmet. i know that i'm most vulnerable then, so for me it's an effort rather than habit to stay focused at the beginning of a ride. occasionally, i have to pull over and have a little chat with myself. i won't ride angry and i won't ride if i'm so preoccupied with my problem of the day that my right hand disconects from my brain.

i wonder how long i'd have to push the damned snowblower before that calm focused zone sets in.

snow sucks.

derek

 

[Loki]

Mine usually goes like this.
Damn these short legs. Back it out of the garage slowly. Grr, tippy toes again. Why didn't my legs get longer over night. Off to the side. Grr... stupid short legs. Ok, ok... throttle it up, u-turn out of the driveway. There ya go. I should get a turntable for the garage floor one of these days. Stupid short legs.

+1, Stupid 29" inseam! I am hoping maybe a custom saddle from Ojai might help?

 

[madmike2]

I think of playboy bunnies giving me back rubs.

You dreamin' big, again? :red_bandana:

name='Warchild' post='186303' date='Dec 27 2006, 10:33 AM'<snip>So I don't really have a riding ritual.... as soon as the wheels start turning, I start the continuous scan for the next brain-dead cager, or flea-bitten furry animal, or pothole, oil spill, etc, any number of things trying to do me Badness.<snip>

I wish I could say that I do the same. In reality I have found my mind wandering....not a good thing when one has the limited capacity I exhibit sometimes. That's when I began my pre-ride ritual. Not that it has become a formal mantra, being spoken by rote, but that it creates a scenario in which I begin to focus so when I physically begin the ride, my mind is coming into agreement as it talks with my muscles so I am prepared to act.

It is a scary world in which we exercise this passion.

Oh yeah....practice, practice, practice: Emergency stops, turns, weaves, etc., before you need them.

 

[exskibum]

I'm kinda simple, too. About the only thing that I consistently remind myself of as I start out is that the tires are cold. Other than that, I do pretty much as WC said.

 

[Hawk28]

Bike: Tires, oil level, general look-see.

Self: Head in the game. SIPDE. Ride your own ride. Don't let extraneous

hassles filter back in to break concentration on ride.

 

[GAPS]

In a fake scandanavian accent I yell inside my helmet 'YOU COULD FOR TO DIE!'.....I dunno, it makes me laugh while keeping me mindful of the risks....or something.

 

[Badcat]

I check tires, fluids, fuel, lights, controls and anything else on the bike I can think of before departure. That starts the brain in gear and gets me ready to tempt fate and ride again.

 

[jaybird]

When I got the FJR a fellow rider gave me a metal key fob that has "strength" and "peace" on it, and it helps remind me to ask for a safe journey from the good Man above. I never ride without that thought. Religious or not, it helps set my mind up properly.

While I let the bike warm up, I get my mind "in gear" prior to getting into 1st gear and hitting the road. I weave a bit prior to leaving the neighborhood just to get the feel of the bike.

And then I just enjoy, while constantly think about being alert -- and we all know that the world needs more lerts.... :lol: Good thread and good reading. Jay

 

[Mike-H]

1st ride of the day I start with a circle check (just like flying or racing)....then put on all gear except my helmet, ear plugs & gloves, start the bike & listen to it for 5-15 seconds....then my earplugs, helmet & gloves go on, once the helmet is strapped on the mind set goes into two wheel mode, then I roll out nice & easy until everything is @ operating temperature.....from there the game is afoot & the ride is on....(hey it works for me)....

 

[user 3386]

Thanks to all for sharing their (perhaps personal) pre-ride thoughts. As a longtime student of the science of the mind called Zen (I wrote a book about it...search Amazon for "ZenWise"), I also appreciate those who don't have a ritual, and simply ride. Riders who live to ripe old ages are probably those who combine a bit of luck with a lot of "in the moment" focus, and that doesn't come easily...pre-flight mantra / affirmation or not.

Yes, sometimes I meditate in the "conventional" sense (cross-legged, eyes half closed, focus on deep breath control, eliminating unwanted "pop-up" thoughts). There are countless forms of active meditation: running, skating, dancing, mountain climbing, etc. For me, (and, I'm guessing, many of you) motorcycling is one of the most intense forms of "being here, now." Drift off once too often, though (ex: "Wow, what a beautiful sunset!"), and it's game over.

 

[SilveradoSlick]

My mantra is "Oh ****, I'm late!"

 

[James Burleigh]

My mantra is "Oh ****, I'm late!"

This reminds me: I work with another full-time rider, and one evening as we were breaking from work I was telling him how I had to get to a store an hour away before it closed, and said, "I like to go fast on a motorcycle, but I hateto be in a hurry."

And he told me that just the night before when he got off work he was running late so he stepped up the, uh, aggressive riding behavior. In this case to get on the freeway he went to the front of the line at the light and went wide around the cars turning sharp right to get on the on-ramp. He said he hit some gravel that was out there, which he encountered because of the deeper entry point and harder acceleration. He didn't go down, thankfully, but he said "amen" to that hating to be in a hurry on a motorcycle.

Jb

 

[airboss]

I gear up, take a long hard look at the bike, tell her she's one beautiful, dangerous *****, then we ride.

 

[BlueMoto]

As I start down the street I alway think "This is why I have been riding motorcycles all my live" I love it! Especially on the FJR.

 

[turbodave_98]

If it Don't look right, DON'T DO IT!

 

[BrunDog]

I'm glad you started this thread, Lee. I thought I was crazy and the only one who said a little prayer.

I am with smokeFJR06 on this one. I stop and run the reality through my head that it may be the last time I am at home. It may be the last time I see my kids and kiss my wife. Then I think about what it would look like if I weren't around. I consider how their life would change. Admittedly, I do this in hopes that my desire to ride becomes overshadowed by these very real potential consequences.

And with all that, even not being a religious guy in the classical sense, I close my eyes and whisper a little wish to the God I believe in. I do hope someday he leads me to realize it is not worth the risk for me and my family. But in the meantime, it helps me just to say my prayer.

-BD

 

[Silver Penguin]

+1, Stupid 29" inseam! I am hoping maybe a custom saddle from Ojai might help?

+1 on the inseam thing. I have to walk my bike out of the garage because of my 27" inseam. The custom saddle from Ojai didn't help with my reach, but it made all the difference in the world for comfort. Rocky (seat maker) will warn you that the seat takes a lot of miles to get comfy, and he's right.

As for the pre-flight mantra, I take a few moments to collect my thoughts, get my head in the game and devote my attention to the ride. I often add a prayer, but most of all I try to banish distractions and bring 100% of my attention to where it is needed.

Jill