At what point are you an experienced rider?

[creekip]

Based on years of aviation service and flight hours I am considered a Master Aviator by Army standards. That said, Every time I fly, I learn something. Every time I go on a ride, I learn something too. I don't think you can be classified a Master anything based solely on hours/experience. It's what you do with those hours that count. It's like a buddy in the UH-60 IP course said years ago, "practice makes presentable, Perfect practice makes perfect."

[Kawhead]

Cadd made a funny Cadd made a funny.:-D If I knew how to post the knee slapping, laughing Ziggy I would do it.

HehHehHeh...

My garage is pretty large. About 21'x22' inside. I'm pretty sure I could do circles in it (though not a figure-8!) but first I'd have to spend half a day moving everything out of it, so please don't ask me to prove this.

[ells]

Re-phrasing what Wolfman said -

Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Based on my experience in aviation and elsewhere, there is no amount of experience, or even perfect practice, that makes you immune from screwing the pooch. We've seen masters buy it.

[jussmatt]

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

I saw this on something that was totally unrelated to motorcycles, but thought it might hold true to bikes too.

•at 1 hour ... you know some basics

•at 10 hours ... you have a pretty good grasp of the basics

•at 100 hours ... you are fairly expert

•at 1,000 hours ... you are an experienced expert

•at 10,000 hours ... you are a master

What do you think?

•at 100,000 hours ... You realize that you don't know it all and still have a Lot To Learn!!

I'm not really sold that one could ever be an experienced rider. I think that a rider is and should be always learning and practicing, and never considers his/herself a truly experienced rider. To me, a seasoned rider is one with "x' number of hours in the saddle. My two anyway.

[ells]

Originally Posted by bankerfrank

I'm not really sold that one could ever be an experienced rider. I think that a rider is and should be always learning and practicing, and never considers his/herself a truly experienced rider. To me, a seasoned rider is one with "x' number of hours in the saddle. My two anyway.

Semantics of course, but anyone who has experienced riding is an experienced rider. It's just a matter of how much experience one gets and how well they can put it all together to their advantage. Everyone is always learning every time they get on a bike, but only some of them realize that.

[dantama]

I suppose that there is also a point where your years of experience and your physical limitations are at their optimal point. Then you cross over to a point of having your physical abilities decrease (reflexes, vision, equilibrium, flexibility, etc.) while your experience is still increasing.

I guess like in pro sports, the guys with the most experience start getting traded around and become less and less valuable, unless they retire in their prime. Though they are getting more and more experienced.

It seems that to get the most optimal situation, you start riding as a kid and build up experience early so that your hours of experience build up before physical degradation sets in.

Originally Posted by Ells

Semantics of course, but anyone who has experienced riding is an experienced rider. It's just a matter of how much experience one gets and how well they can put it all together to their advantage. Everyone is always learning every time they get on a bike, but only some of them realize that.

Very true, Ells. Good point.

Originally Posted by Dan Lund

... to get the most optimal situation, you start riding as a kid and build up experience early so that your hours of experience build up before physical degradation sets in.

Ding dang youngsters always gotta go bringin' that up.

[csguru]

Philosophical.......

We are all as good as we are and were all getting better every time we ride, however, ultimately....

When the time comes, and we all hope it's way way down the road, when we are knocking on the pearly gates that it's due to natural causes, or of OD'ing with the redhead, or whatever..

But it's NOT because of your bike. In your life time you never had to dump your bike or have never been taken down.

Then you can consider yourself to have been an experienced rider.

[glwilson]

I know a guy that has spent many, many hours drinking in his life and he still isn't an expert at it...

I know a guy that spent six years in high school... and he still isn't an expert at high school either... so time spent doing something may not be a good indication of any skill.

Just my thoughts.

Experience teaches one to recognize situations developing before they become dangerous. Experience teaches one to leave more room to maneuver yourself out of, or away from, a dangerous situation. Experience tells me to give the rider that thinks he is very experienced more room.

[flightdoc]

I agree with meanstreak. Experience and expert probably weren't the right words to put together. As wolfman indicated, you practice correct you get better, you practice bad, you get worse. I assume that's what wolf was saying.

[schoeney]

imho....the different levels of perceived skill should be based on skill not time. To be an expert or master would require a skills test. For instance...Dan Lund would be considered a master because he can ride his Nomad up and dirt mountain and do an end over end flip on a jump (not sure the Nomad would be doing the flip but Dan might be!). Whereas I might only be a novice because I can ride the highway safely at 80mph then take pics of Dan doing the jump.