One of the ALL TIME BEST Speakers/orators....in my whole life. And I'm 65. Too many people presenting...can't. Bret delivers the goods, once again. And given NZ, was that a hassle to travel to?
Good point. I love motorcycles but their aquatic equivalents are a bit of a faff. If you think pot holes are bad, try aquaplaning constantly. Travelling from he US to NZ on a waterski must've been insane.
Honestly a little wasted 8 minutes, saying that motorcycles are not economical and practical in traffic? C'mon man... And seriously if you want advice as motorcyclist (because obviously if someone is stupid as f*ck no lecture will help him) just drive on road as every1 there are trying to kill you. Lack of trust, more imagination and overall road rage blocked to OFF position.
Not the greatest orator. Not a bad orator either but I don’t think that’s the point. Brett has knowledge and is passionate about sharing it. That’s why he is valued by those who want to live another day so they can continue riding. Keep producing Brett, you will continue to save some lives and avoid lots of tears.
It's a great presentation that applies to more than just motorcycle riding you can apply this to a lot of things in life. It's also super refreshing that he doesn't come at it from the angle that a lot of trainers do where they have a huge ego and "I'm super cool and I know everything so listen to me" that is so common in a lot of American trainers across many fields...I find those trainers care more about appearing to be smart, macho etc. than actually teaching their students something valuable. So well Done Bret!
This advice is clearly not just for motorcycling. This advice is for "life" in general. A valuable 8 minutes that should be watched and rewatched (training) and practiced (more training) and routinely followed (ongoing training) by all. Thank you Bret.
True that! I fly small planes too and all he states is applicable to aviation. We could get into Darwinism but simply stated, life is a self-cleaning oven.
To a large part it is an attitude thing. People become complacent when things go well. That is the thing to keep in check. It requires continuous effort. Courses or more skills are of limited benefit there. Take the course anyway. Having skills doesn´t hurt. I had a course for chainsaws. The instructor stated that lumberjacks are due to an accident every 2 to 3 years. That´s about the time to build bad habbits enough take effect. That applies to many activitivities that involve risks.
Its also the fact that 24 months later the average north American has ridden maybe 6 months* 4 weekends...call it 30-50 rides tops...and almost always in the sunshine on clean roads. But now they been riding for years so they get cocky even though their experience is only on paper and as Bret said they lost all the training because they not using it.
@@xxxenricop Exactly. I have ridden 11k miles in my first year, and when I'm not on my motorcycle my only other mode of transportation has been bicycles since 2005.
Old riders are less attentive, have worse eyesight, hearing, fitness, suffer more from fatigue etc,etc and maybe never were competent riders. Plus bikes are more powerful and top heavy nowadays. I once watched an idiot on a R1 popping pathetic monos at every traffic light, and wobbling every time the front end came crashing down.
20 years as a paratrooper. I call it the "mason jar" rule. Fear is an important component of life, however it is useless when the chips are down. Take fear, put it in a jar, and put the jar on the shelf. You can pull fear out later, when you need it but, in the middle of an emergency fear just slows you down from making life saving decisions. As with motorcycles, training as a paratrooper prepares you for mid-air emergencies and allows you to be centered and rational in the midst of a crisis. This compartmentalization, this mason jar rule, is one of the reasons, IMO, we see first responders and veterans act in emergencies when others freeze.
@@mattm8642 Exactly. I don't believe you can put fear aside but you can focus on something else, on what you've been trained to do. The fear is still there but it's been relegated to a back burner.
Great comment Steve. Reminds me of Neil deGrasse Tyson's comment "One of the challenges of this world is knowing enough of something to think you're right, but, not enough to know when you're wrong."
I’d love to attend one of your classes in person. I’m a firefighter on an Urban Search and Rescue team. What you said about repetitive training was spot on. We refer to it as “plate spinning.” Each discipline requires constant revisiting. Just like a circus performer spinning plates on sticks, if you leave one unattended for too long, things fall apart.
Im not a fireman or servicemember of any kind. I'm an electrician. I can honestly say that success in this or any other trades is a principality of good habits and good routine. I believe it was Admiral William McRaven who said "If you cant do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right." I try to make sure I always train, even the little things.
I have always said this: "Act not react expect it do not denie it, always give space to others If you do 9 times out of 10 when you need space you will get it. And if you give me 10 feet of space I will use 9.5 feet of it with 3 inches on each side. Relax learn and live on."
Way to go @Bret! I've been riding for 2,5 years only but I find your words to be so true - not because I fear riding or I lack experience (which of course I do) but because I've been working those thoughts and I've been consuming motorcycle news, crashes and technique videos, reading books, watch motogp, enduro, trials, you name it. All that, made me more rational and aware. Or risks and bike's physics. And still, I have loads of fun! On the other hand, the average comprehension of the people I've been riding with so far makes them think I'm don't enjoy half as they do, they state that same sentence "loud pipes saves lives", they think it's the car drivers responsibility to see them coming filtering and switching lanes as they please, thy speed up on residential streets and think that's great.. There's so much of what you presented going on that I can only thank you for being active and present for the community. Thanks Bret!
One of the best safety dudes on motorcycles on youtube, period. I watch his videos all the time, just because I know I'll get the answer I need, not the answer I want.
I bought my first bike 4 days ago. Through research I went with a dual sport (2020 KLX 230). That way I can learn the bike offroad first. I feel like this is the best way to "curve my odds" from statistics.
Good learning choice, that's how we learn as children, start on something small, get the feel for it, then stepup.. Best to learn to crawl before you walk
I remember the olden days, when i rode with not just fear, but pathological paranoia. But after 20 odd years , i gave up smoking dope and the paranoia was disappointingly gone. Red lights dont seem to take an eternity to change to green now either.
Glad to hear "loud pipes save lives" called out as just straight up wrong. Wish there were some way to pound that into the heads of the thousands of HD riders that ruin my experience of enjoying my back yard every year. Of course, even if you made them believe it, they'd finally fall back to the truth of "I just like being loud so everyone looks at me."
Loud pipes do not save lives. What saves lives is having situational awareness and acting accordingly, also riding within abilities and law. But, loud pipes make people aware something around them is going on. We just have to take the opportunity of that little margin of awareness by them to put ourselves out of risk.
My biggest fear after not being on moto for 35 years is the excitement factor. When I was younger I wanted 720 degrees of throttle twist, then I lost skin in the game. Decades of MTB trail and travel (and climbing, and climbing, and ...), and much long-term damage to the chassis have beaten the hotshot out of me. I knew motorcycles would make it back in my life if I didn't rip myself from limb to limb in the time being. I'm taking my time figuring out the steps to doing moto in a sane way instead of headway, as I have with the ground on MTB, oh, a million times. Your videos have helped create a rational approach for me. Really, I felt I had to tame the huge rush, the somewhat orgasmic excitement, before stepping on any moto, and I think I got a handle on it. Maybe balance is a better term than tame because I'm gonna have fun. I'm gonna have a lot of fun not pedaling up!
Watched all three vids, excellent info you don't usually hear, plenty of tubes talking about trail braking, braking and improving but your explanations of how and why are awesome. Watched other vids of yours, really well done and best explanations not just demonstrations. Very cool bloke, keep it up.
Great series, thank you. Very useful stuff on cognitive biases: one of the more disappointing observations from medical education and practice (my own field) is that there are dozens and dozens of cognitive biases, which badly affect our thinking. But the most striking to me has been our extensive inability to recognize our own biases - this is well grounded in research. Two of those that you mention (Dunning Kruger and blind spot) are examples which compound this. We are ALL prone to this blindness to our own biases, even those who study them (ironically); and we all tend to do the typical "people are so stupid; I'm glad I'm not like that". Keep up the great work, raising awareness of these factors (even though most of us think they apply to the "other guy").
You are exactly right. You always have to keep a open Mind to learning New things. When you think you know it all, you quit Learning. You have to admit to yourself that there are better ways of doing things, and your way might be wrong.
This is an excellent video. As a long time pilot, and flight instructor, this video can be applied to flying airplanes. Good Lord you should give this same talk to a group of pilots in a safety seminar. Bravo!
Great presentation. Rider psichology should be mandatory to get a licence (of course, most narrow minded people will go through it and then dismiss everything later, bacause "they already know enough") I think the best way to approach riding is to be humble and accept that we don't know everything, whereas some people think they already got it after a day of going around the block.
Rider psychology is very much part of the required training protocol in Australia. Even so, some of the charts presented in Part-1 could definitely be used as relevant additional training material.
It should absolutely NOT be mandatory. If I want to go out and buy a Ninja H2R for my first bike and hit the road, I aught to be able to. Not to mention, It'd become some BS Racket that just lets people go to some gold sticker rubber stamp "riding school" that just wants their 150 bucks and lets every idiot graduate thinking they are Valentino Rossi because they were trained by "professionals." Freedom over safety, anyway.
You have got to be kidding. All sorts of mental cases, drug and alcohol users are out driving four or more wheelers. Hell, they even give TESTED incompetent old people licences to drive around town.
Thank for sharing this talk. Probably the single most important talk all riders need to listen to. Most don’t, and it is the reason I have always rode solo. Been riding since 1989. Never gone down. (I know my number might get called at any time, so I still strive to learn, stay sharp, and never ride beyond my capabilities, the capabilities of the bike, or the road conditions. Safe riding everyone.
I ride alone as well. I'm not antisocial, and I like a good motorcycle get-together. But I don't drink, leave early, or much later, and I generally have the road to myself. Riding with a group is MUCH too distractive for me and I won't do it.
Good presentation... good light hearted introduction into rider psychology .... I can't believe any sensible viewer would give it a thumbs down... its quite interesting, if you ask a group of riders to mark there self 1 - 10 (10 being highest competence level) most of them will be over 7!! accident statistics will show differently.....
Great view points and something I find incredibly helpful when doing public speaking is to have easy to understand examples that are specifically (big point must be specific) targeted to your audience. Bret you did a great job of that AND then calling us out on our biases. Well done.
Perfect! This lack of understanding that generates fear happened to me. For years I have ridden an HD Evo and an XT660. Both vibrate a lot. When I started riding a V-Strom 650 XT I found myself scared but I even notice it was fear, it was like an unease or something like losing track of being on the bike and seeming to float... very weird. I realized it was something I needed to understand why. I understood that I felt weird when at high speed my feet didn't vibrate on the footpeg because the V-Strom 650 is so soft and far more stable. Amazing! Now I'm training my body to understand this phenomenon: I've been increasing the time I stay at a higher speed little by little, and when I feel bad, I go back to a speed I already know. Thak you!
Interesting what you said about having an outside observer to help diagnose and correct mistakes. Coaching is of course invaluable, but the most expensive thing you can purchase from someone is their time. I think an excellent tool for someone who does not have the financial ability or schedule to receive professional coaching is to buy a cheap camera and a tripod. I find that recording myself and reviewing the footage has much of the same effect! The camera lets you see every little unwanted habit you've formed. Even though you *know* what you're "supposed" to do, and you can articulate it to yourself before and after the fact, you still perform these bad habits that you're not aware of. With that you can be more mindful of what is you're doing wrong, and apply it the next time you're out. This applies to every discipline really (I've never ridden a motorcycle this experience comes from recording myself work and from my main hobby 😄) and I really only started to notice this effect once I started making youtube videos.
As an American, I can confirm that I hate loud pipes. Anyone who claims they save lives is just making an excuse for the fact that they only like the vroom vroom and don't care at all about disturbing the entire neighborhood. First responders will tell you that they often out drive the usefulness of their sirens. People will eventually hear you, but often don't know which direction you are coming from until they can see you. Loud pipes direct the vast majority of the sound to the Back of the motorcycle when it is people in front of you that need to be aware of your presence. It is vastly more important to be seen than heard. Hi-Viz saves lives.
Great video. I've been riding all my life but I love to study the opinions and suggestions of the "pro's" whenever I come across them. If nothing else just to remind myself of the things I know and may be slipping on or have somehow forgotten as incidents did not come up. I was in a pretty bad collision on my 98 Electra Glide a few years ago. A lady made an illegal turn into on coming traffic (my wife and I on our bike) I only had time to break and barely that ( no time to swerve safely at all). She was not even looking our direction. The bike stopped her truck (GMC Envoy) as she never hit the breaks because she never saw us coming. And totaled the bike while also causing us some pretty bad damage although not critical. I believe the smartest thing we can do as riders is constantly remind ourselves of these factors and relax into that thinking so we can enjoy the ride more and worry about a bit less. Thanks again bud.
Telling it like it needs to be told. Love your advice and all the tips you have shared on so many other videos. You are always in the back of my mind when riding, in a good way! 😊
Great info, Bret. I'm on my second year of road biking and about 15,000kms in - love it more every day. I also love my kids, so I focus on constantly improving (being a professional educator has something to do with it, I guess). Apart from a refresh lesson last year and this, I've developed a scoring system that I apply to every commute - start with 10 points, deduct x for missing my line, bad decision, etc - silly, but keep me analyzing my riding.
Super talk Bret. Some of what you mentioned reminds of of a quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson: "One of the challenges of this world is knowing enough of something to think you're right, but, not enough to know when you're wrong."
Hi Bret that was very concise,to the point and very well spoken. I have watched a ton of videos on various skills to try and improve my knowledge and skills. Here is my main fear at the moment which I haven't found talked about. I have tendency to start a left hand corner early because I don't want to run wide and off the road. But this puts me in a dangerous position for an oncoming car that is across the center line which has happened several times. This is on my mind quite a bit. Thanks Mark
That is a concern we address with several drills during the learn to ride and advanced courses I created and teach here in Washington State, USA good video idea...
Good quality information in there. A lot of similar information that Baz at adventure rider centre in Mijas in Spain gives. Teach or correct a technique, learn it slow time and then take it to a technically challenging piece of terrain to put it into practice. 9 times out of ten as soon as the panic starts to set in you revert to type and throw the new technique away. With technical off-road the speeds are very slow so Baz is there beside you to remind you to stop pushing that big red button in your head and use your new technique. Awesome and extremely effective. 💪💪👍👍
Thank you Bret, I’m a third year rider, and this really spoke to me. I ride an electric bike, with direct belt drive and no clutch, so I haven’t found an intermediate course nearby that fit, but maybe I should instead find a local instructor for a few sessions to improve my riding. Thanks for all the wisdom you so generously share
I am not a biker and don't plan on becoming one, but the psychology of bike riding translates very well to mountain biking. MTBers can learn a lot from moto riders since moto riding is out there for longer and is a very well researched field compared to MTB. Very nice presentation sir.
Nice, thanks! Beware of the most dangerous thought while riding: "I am a good rider". This thought will make you lazy and it can kill you quickly. As long as you think: "I have to be careful and always improve myself", you are way safer, no matter how long you ride. When the first thought comes to my mind I get extra alert in my head. Know your brakes. I often approach stopping lines quick and brake hard, as trainging. Ride gentle, but brake aggressively. Knowing your brakes will give you great confindence, so you delay panic reactions. Play with your bike at safe speeds. Know how it behaves. Keep safe distance to the car in front of you! When you lose concentration, ride faster to get back in alert state. Never trust others in traffic. Ride safe.
Great presentation Brett👍, a quote I heard in a presentation awhile back was "assume nothing, believe know one, confirm everything" Keep up the great work. Cheers
Great point about fear - My 1st crash occurred because I was not familiar with the acceleration of turbos, and when the turbo kicked in as I approached the corner I tensed up & went into the woods. My brother in-law to this day (30 years later) has not forgiven me for crashing his bike.
I always loved the way you express and pass knowledge about everything of Motorcycles for building a safe community around the globe! Been watching and learning a lot from your videos and the fear to overcoming obstacles in riding in any sort of terrain really is bonus for me :) Good job and Best of luck with the new content that you produce! I was lucky to have followed you on MotoTrek :)
Ride like you're invisible as though no one sees you and make eye contact with drivers either through rear view mirrors or head on stay calm don't panic don't ride scared this is my best advice God bless
Loved the whole presentation. I try to always question myself, and try to constantly learn to avoid getting complacent. Once I get/ if i get complacent with my riding I know full well i'm taking a nasty slide.
Great lessons. I don't how to translate a biker's motive used in Italy "se sei incerto tieni aperto" but it's sounds like "if you are unsure, keep it open" and sounds good on the street. fear, anxiety, distraction, brain in the clouds are all things that make you then attack the brakes aggressively at the first fright
I was a motorcycle test trainer and courier, one important aspect of safe riding is to know your reaction response speed. This is tested when you go to an optician, when a jet of air is puffed onto your eyeball. It's worth getting checked, because it helps to know your limitations, that split second in reaction could save you from somebody's poor road use skills, or your own over confidence. However much training you do, if you have slow eye/brain co-ordination, you need to allow for that. So I have the reaction time of an RAF pilot, but wear specs 😐
I've found out that i take way less risks and go slower with a passenger. Makes sense. I'm not an expert, but the general rule i follow, is that my speed must be low enough to stop in case of a sudden obstacle.
I think the biggest issue we face today is that everyone knows something, or atleast they think they do, not a single one person can know everything, because then that would mean everything is done, we don't move forward in life or as the human race. Best thing i ever heard from a rider was this "Ride today like you don't know what will happen 1 second in front of you, because you will never see it coming if you don't" I questioned, what is "it" and she said "exactly" if you aren't questioning and learning, maybe its taking a corner different, maybe there is a bus or a truck on the other side of that corner who is coming out a bit wide, that wasn't there yesterday, or 30 minutes ago, it is constant learning, our surrounding, others movements, positioning of ourselves and other traffic that keep us alive to ride tomorrow. "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." - Charles Darwin
I'm a new rider and I see all these videos of riders speeding, changing lanes last second or lane splitting way to fast and then yelling at drivers that make a normal driving behavior like a quick lane change or something. In my eyes the rider needs to change what he is doing, but you see all these other "seasoned" riders agreeing that the car was at fault and the rider was not technically breaking the law. But it goes to show you how new riders look at things vs experienced riders. Your point about more accidents at 24 months or so makes sense. If we just give up our right of way, slow down and be patient im sure your way less likely to be a victim of a car running into you.
Nice job; if you take the same approach to riding as flying, you're always going to have some excellence to strive for. Cheers from Canada's west coast.
"training works when it's repetitive" That's where my martial arts and military background comes in handy, I made a habit of practicing every single day.
@@ActionHeinz training is training. Wheter you train on a motorcycle, firearm handling, or any other skill. The mentality doesn't change. That was my point.
I've rode motorcycles in dirt all my life. I started riding on street 4 years ago. I had only one close call first few months of riding due to target fixation. it's been almost 4 years with no incidents and I've noticed these last two months I've had like 2 emergency breaks and one break and swerve to miss a car that turned right into a shopping mall from a lane left of me cause I was in his blind spot. I blame myself for all incidents and realize I have been a little too comfortable riding. Need to get a little more fear in me again I guess hes right about that.
I'm so glad you mentioned the "Loud pipes save lives" nonsense. As an MSF-certified instructor, hear this a lot from new riders and it is a pet peeve of mine. If a student mentions this as a way to increase safety on the road, I politely (most of the time) say no, that's just not true.
As you can see in the comments riders will often choose to believe what they want to regardless of the evidence. I always have to wonder why people are convinced the drivers merge into them or pull out in front of them "all the time" but the magic force field of noise stops it all. Why is it most riders don't have near death experiences on a regular basis while riding legally muffled motorcycles. If the loud pipes belief is true riders on electric motorcycles are in for certain death.
@@BretTkacs Im pretty sure electric bikes will be an issue. specially with bicycles around and pedestrians who sometimes just rely on hearing. You know what would save lives? if I mounted police sirens on my bike
SpiffEatWorld people have ears and there will be occasions when they hear you coming instead of seeing you. Of course it’s often used as an excuse to have a loud pipe but I feel there is a smattering of truth to this and if we do see more electric bikes in the future 🤦♂️ then we will see more pedestrians getting mowed down. I recall when I first moved to Holland; my friend who’d been there for some time told me to be careful crossing roads as you just don’t hear the cyclists. Cue 5 minutes later and I step off the curb and almost get hit by a cyclist. Lol Lesson learnt
Fear is your enemy. It is also your instincts survival strategy. Always expect the unexpected on the road, it’s not your skills, it is theirs that you have to address. Think way ahead.
Awesome content! Rider psychology will be the utmost factor whether you end up on the guardrail or on your bike in every trip. Appreciate the knowledge shared!
Yep, that's why I reckon dirt bikes are so great. Many riders who can't ride a dirtbike disparage dirtbikes, as just a dirtbike. Off road riding teaches another level of bike control, and like Bret says, fear is a problem. The many losses of traction, instances of too much traction, falls and near misses at low speed with an absence of other motor vehicles is a great teacher. Dirtbikes teach you how NOT to crash. I'm sure someone will disagree, but I couldn't give a rats. The only thing they don't teach you is the road stuff, safe speed, defensive riding and number 1 on the road, leaning. A bike with reasonable ground clearance will lean a lot further than you think safe. Except for baggers, which personally, I would avoid like the plague.
At least in Portugal riding daily a 125 or 300cc scooter is way cheaper than the cheapest car. For example, a fiat panda costs 9000eur and a pcx 125 costs 3000eur new. One uses 6l per 100km and the other less than 3l. A rear tire one my 300cc scooter lasts 30000km and costs 70eur and the front lasts more and is cheaper. 4 tires for a small car last 60-70k a D cost 300eur. Maintenance for a small or medium scooter is extremely easy and cheap made at my garage spot with parts bought online. A scooter or a sub 600cc bike if used as only vehicle is cheaper to buy and spends less money annually! Cars are more usable, safer and confortable but bikes still make a lot of sense as only and daily vehicle in European busy cities
As a street/commuter rider of14 years, accident free, I have a number one rule riding. "I am invisible." Really, really, believe that. Car sitting waiting to come out of a junction? Well, they can't see me, so they will probably come out on me. Start slowing, be ready to brake hard with an instants notice. "Oh, they didn't pull out on me? That's a nice surprise." Besides. If they DO see you, they will probably try and kill you anyway.
One of the ALL TIME BEST Speakers/orators....in my whole life. And I'm 65. Too many people presenting...can't. Bret delivers the goods, once again. And given NZ, was that a hassle to travel to?
Thanks... This happened at the start of COVID so it wasn't a problem going, only coming home
Good point. I love motorcycles but their aquatic equivalents are a bit of a faff. If you think pot holes are bad, try aquaplaning constantly. Travelling from he US to NZ on a waterski must've been insane.
Honestly a little wasted 8 minutes, saying that motorcycles are not economical and practical in traffic? C'mon man...
And seriously if you want advice as motorcyclist (because obviously if someone is stupid as f*ck no lecture will help him) just drive on road as every1 there are trying to kill you. Lack of trust, more imagination and overall road rage blocked to OFF position.
Not the greatest orator. Not a bad orator either but I don’t think that’s the point. Brett has knowledge and is passionate about sharing it. That’s why he is valued by those who want to live another day so they can continue riding. Keep producing Brett, you will continue to save some lives and avoid lots of tears.
It's a great presentation that applies to more than just motorcycle riding you can apply this to a lot of things in life.
It's also super refreshing that he doesn't come at it from the angle that a lot of trainers do where they have a huge ego and "I'm super cool and I know everything so listen to me" that is so common in a lot of American trainers across many fields...I find those trainers care more about appearing to be smart, macho etc. than actually teaching their students something valuable. So well Done Bret!
This advice is clearly not just for motorcycling. This advice is for "life" in general. A valuable 8 minutes that should be watched and rewatched (training) and practiced (more training) and routinely followed (ongoing training) by all. Thank you Bret.
Hannibal ate, I fully agree with you in that statement.
FEAR - THE most rational reason why the world is in the toilet today!!!
@@Surfer_Jay Greed IMHO
Especially the part about facts.
True that! I fly small planes too and all he states is applicable to aviation. We could get into Darwinism but simply stated, life is a self-cleaning oven.
More accidents after 24 months than new riders. 18 months in I thank you for this statement. Booking myself on a new course.
To a large part it is an attitude thing. People become complacent when things go well. That is the thing to keep in check. It requires continuous effort. Courses or more skills are of limited benefit there. Take the course anyway. Having skills doesn´t hurt.
I had a course for chainsaws. The instructor stated that lumberjacks are due to an accident every 2 to 3 years. That´s about the time to build bad habbits enough take effect. That applies to many activitivities that involve risks.
Max Lutz busy reading RoadCraft and interestingly it begins by talking about attitude.
Its also the fact that 24 months later the average north American has ridden maybe 6 months* 4 weekends...call it 30-50 rides tops...and almost always in the sunshine on clean roads.
But now they been riding for years so they get cocky even though their experience is only on paper and as Bret said they lost all the training because they not using it.
@@xxxenricop Exactly. I have ridden 11k miles in my first year, and when I'm not on my motorcycle my only other mode of transportation has been bicycles since 2005.
Old riders are less attentive, have worse eyesight, hearing, fitness, suffer more from fatigue etc,etc and maybe never were competent riders. Plus bikes are more powerful and top heavy nowadays. I once watched an idiot on a R1 popping pathetic monos at every traffic light, and wobbling every time the front end came crashing down.
20 years as a paratrooper. I call it the "mason jar" rule. Fear is an important component of life, however it is useless when the chips are down. Take fear, put it in a jar, and put the jar on the shelf. You can pull fear out later, when you need it but, in the middle of an emergency fear just slows you down from making life saving decisions. As with motorcycles, training as a paratrooper prepares you for mid-air emergencies and allows you to be centered and rational in the midst of a crisis. This compartmentalization, this mason jar rule, is one of the reasons, IMO, we see first responders and veterans act in emergencies when others freeze.
"Fear is an important component of life, however it is useless when the chips are down." No, an important part of life is not to be incapacitated.
Yep. Cave diver here. Same. Fear keeps you from doing crazy stuff, but when it turns bad, fear can wait. Fear has to wait.
You react the way that you were trained to do.
@@mattm8642 Exactly. I don't believe you can put fear aside but you can focus on something else, on what you've been trained to do. The fear is still there but it's been relegated to a back burner.
"Fear is the mind killer".
In the immortal words of Mark Twain, “It ain’t what you know that gets you in trouble, it’s what you think you know that just ain’t so.”
Exactly!
Great comment Steve. Reminds me of Neil deGrasse Tyson's comment "One of the challenges of this world is knowing enough of something to think you're right, but, not enough to know when you're wrong."
I believe Mark Twain also said...."Generally, motorcyclists are idiots."
He said that about church and he was right
@@marktalbott3835 that was Lincoln I believe 🤔😂
"Question yourself !" Not a very common practice in biker community albeit an important one. Thanks for your contribution in keeping us safe, Bret!
Glad to see you putting out content. It really is helpful to so many of us.
I will do as much as I can
"The trouble with trouble is it always starts off with fun."
The words of a wise oldtimer scoping out my motorcycle!
And every parent.
I'm a roads policing officer in Ireland 🇮🇪 and the way you conveyed / delivered your talk as well as its content was top noth
Take it easy 🐷💩
@@barnyg6804 awe have I upset you pet 😂
I’d love to attend one of your classes in person. I’m a firefighter on an Urban Search and Rescue team. What you said about repetitive training was spot on. We refer to it as “plate spinning.” Each discipline requires constant revisiting. Just like a circus performer spinning plates on sticks, if you leave one unattended for too long, things fall apart.
I'm a patrol officer, we refer to it as perishable skills. Either you use them or lose them. That type of deal.
Im not a fireman or servicemember of any kind. I'm an electrician. I can honestly say that success in this or any other trades is a principality of good habits and good routine. I believe it was Admiral William McRaven who said "If you cant do the little things right, you will never be able to do the big things right." I try to make sure I always train, even the little things.
@@dahof2789🤣🤣🤣
I have always said this: "Act not react expect it do not denie it, always give space to others If you do 9 times out of 10 when you need space you will get it. And if you give me 10 feet of space I will use 9.5 feet of it with 3 inches on each side. Relax learn and live on."
The opposite of fear; the bloated ego, will also get you into trouble.
Big ego is basically fear, of being average or of insecurity
Way to go @Bret! I've been riding for 2,5 years only but I find your words to be so true - not because I fear riding or I lack experience (which of course I do) but because I've been working those thoughts and I've been consuming motorcycle news, crashes and technique videos, reading books, watch motogp, enduro, trials, you name it. All that, made me more rational and aware. Or risks and bike's physics. And still, I have loads of fun!
On the other hand, the average comprehension of the people I've been riding with so far makes them think I'm don't enjoy half as they do, they state that same sentence "loud pipes saves lives", they think it's the car drivers responsibility to see them coming filtering and switching lanes as they please, thy speed up on residential streets and think that's great.. There's so much of what you presented going on that I can only thank you for being active and present for the community. Thanks Bret!
One of the best safety dudes on motorcycles on youtube, period. I watch his videos all the time, just because I know I'll get the answer I need, not the answer I want.
I bought my first bike 4 days ago. Through research I went with a dual sport (2020 KLX 230). That way I can learn the bike offroad first. I feel like this is the best way to "curve my odds" from statistics.
Good learning choice, that's how we learn as children, start on something small, get the feel for it, then stepup.. Best to learn to crawl before you walk
THIS IS SPECTACULAR! I AM IN AFRICA AND THIS COURSE IS THE LIFE SAVER AND GATE WAY TO BEAUTIFUL RIDING DAYS... THANK You very much
Hi Bret. You’re a Great Public Speaker. I really enjoy and Learn from all your Videos. Thanks for making them, and please keep making them.👍❤️🇺🇦
Yes. Keith Code talks about the SRs - Survival Reflexes, such as tensing up, target fixation, etc. So hard to overcome them.
I remember the olden days, when i rode with not just fear, but pathological paranoia.
But after 20 odd years , i gave up smoking dope and the paranoia was disappointingly gone.
Red lights dont seem to take an eternity to change to green now either.
Glad to hear "loud pipes save lives" called out as just straight up wrong. Wish there were some way to pound that into the heads of the thousands of HD riders that ruin my experience of enjoying my back yard every year. Of course, even if you made them believe it, they'd finally fall back to the truth of "I just like being loud so everyone looks at me."
I believe the HD Effect was also covered in an episode of the Simpsons
Loud pipes do not save lives. What saves lives is having situational awareness and acting accordingly, also riding within abilities and law. But, loud pipes make people aware something around them is going on. We just have to take the opportunity of that little margin of awareness by them to put ourselves out of risk.
I had a shirt made that reads " LOUD PIPES POOR SUBSTITUTE FOR NO SKILL " 😀😀😀😀😁😁😁🏍🏍🏍🏍🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺
@@davidjacobs3275 you mean south park !!!!! The F word !!!! Greatest episode ever!!!😂😂😂😂😂😀😀🏍🏍🏍🍺
You acknowledge that you notice loud pipes, which proves the point.
My biggest fear after not being on moto for 35 years is the excitement factor. When I was younger I wanted 720 degrees of throttle twist, then I lost skin in the game. Decades of MTB trail and travel (and climbing, and climbing, and ...), and much long-term damage to the chassis have beaten the hotshot out of me. I knew motorcycles would make it back in my life if I didn't rip myself from limb to limb in the time being.
I'm taking my time figuring out the steps to doing moto in a sane way instead of headway, as I have with the ground on MTB, oh, a million times. Your videos have helped create a rational approach for me. Really, I felt I had to tame the huge rush, the somewhat orgasmic excitement, before stepping on any moto, and I think I got a handle on it. Maybe balance is a better term than tame because I'm gonna have fun. I'm gonna have a lot of fun not pedaling up!
Watched all three vids, excellent info you don't usually hear, plenty of tubes talking about trail braking, braking and improving but your explanations of how and why are awesome. Watched other vids of yours, really well done and best explanations not just demonstrations. Very cool bloke, keep it up.
Great series, thank you. Very useful stuff on cognitive biases: one of the more disappointing observations from medical education and practice (my own field) is that there are dozens and dozens of cognitive biases, which badly affect our thinking. But the most striking to me has been our extensive inability to recognize our own biases - this is well grounded in research. Two of those that you mention (Dunning Kruger and blind spot) are examples which compound this. We are ALL prone to this blindness to our own biases, even those who study them (ironically); and we all tend to do the typical "people are so stupid; I'm glad I'm not like that". Keep up the great work, raising awareness of these factors (even though most of us think they apply to the "other guy").
I wish this video was more popular
You are exactly right. You always have to keep a open Mind to learning New things. When you think you know it all, you quit Learning. You have to admit to yourself that there are better ways of doing things, and your way might be wrong.
The last section about the ‘blind spot’ really got me thinking. Thanks Bret for the insight!
This is an excellent video. As a long time pilot, and flight instructor, this video can be applied to flying airplanes. Good Lord you should give this same talk to a group of pilots in a safety seminar. Bravo!
Great presentation. Rider psichology should be mandatory to get a licence (of course, most narrow minded people will go through it and then dismiss everything later, bacause "they already know enough") I think the best way to approach riding is to be humble and accept that we don't know everything, whereas some people think they already got it after a day of going around the block.
Rider psychology is very much part of the required training protocol in Australia. Even so, some of the charts presented in Part-1 could definitely be used as relevant additional training material.
after over 30 years of riding you are spot on, learning never stops.
It should absolutely NOT be mandatory. If I want to go out and buy a Ninja H2R for my first bike and hit the road, I aught to be able to. Not to mention, It'd become some BS Racket that just lets people go to some gold sticker rubber stamp "riding school" that just wants their 150 bucks and lets every idiot graduate thinking they are Valentino Rossi because they were trained by "professionals." Freedom over safety, anyway.
You have got to be kidding. All sorts of mental cases, drug and alcohol users are out driving four or more wheelers. Hell, they even give TESTED incompetent old people licences to drive around town.
Thank for sharing this talk. Probably the single most important talk all riders need to listen to.
Most don’t, and it is the reason I have always rode solo. Been riding since 1989. Never gone down. (I know my number might get called at any time, so I still strive to learn, stay sharp, and never ride beyond my capabilities, the capabilities of the bike, or the road conditions.
Safe riding everyone.
I ride alone as well. I'm not antisocial, and I like a good motorcycle get-together.
But I don't drink, leave early, or much later, and I generally have the road to myself. Riding with a group is MUCH too distractive for me and I won't do it.
Excellent talk, it is clear, direct and with good quality of information.
All concepts well developed and better projected.
Enhorabuena!!!
Thanks 😁👍
You're so fun! Thank you for sharing a good reminder about safety and easing fear to enjoy a better ride.
Good presentation...
good light hearted introduction into rider psychology .... I can't believe any sensible viewer would give it a thumbs down...
its quite interesting, if you ask a group of riders to mark there self 1 - 10 (10 being highest competence level)
most of them will be over 7!! accident statistics will show differently.....
There are always haters 😂 that's how you know you're on the right path, someone will always be against you.
Yeah, I can’t believe there are some who dislike this very useful informative video..
Great view points and something I find incredibly helpful when doing public speaking is to have easy to understand examples that are specifically (big point must be specific) targeted to your audience. Bret you did a great job of that AND then calling us out on our biases. Well done.
Perfect! This lack of understanding that generates fear happened to me. For years I have ridden an HD Evo and an XT660. Both vibrate a lot. When I started riding a V-Strom 650 XT I found myself scared but I even notice it was fear, it was like an unease or something like losing track of being on the bike and seeming to float... very weird. I realized it was something I needed to understand why. I understood that I felt weird when at high speed my feet didn't vibrate on the footpeg because the V-Strom 650 is so soft and far more stable. Amazing! Now I'm training my body to understand this phenomenon: I've been increasing the time I stay at a higher speed little by little, and when I feel bad, I go back to a speed I already know. Thak you!
I’ve been riding for a very long time. This was very interesting and informative. Thanks
Excellent video . Thanks making and for positing it.
This analysis is applicable FAR beyond motorcycle riding.
Interesting what you said about having an outside observer to help diagnose and correct mistakes. Coaching is of course invaluable, but the most expensive thing you can purchase from someone is their time. I think an excellent tool for someone who does not have the financial ability or schedule to receive professional coaching is to buy a cheap camera and a tripod. I find that recording myself and reviewing the footage has much of the same effect! The camera lets you see every little unwanted habit you've formed. Even though you *know* what you're "supposed" to do, and you can articulate it to yourself before and after the fact, you still perform these bad habits that you're not aware of. With that you can be more mindful of what is you're doing wrong, and apply it the next time you're out. This applies to every discipline really (I've never ridden a motorcycle this experience comes from recording myself work and from my main hobby 😄) and I really only started to notice this effect once I started making youtube videos.
As an American, I can confirm that I hate loud pipes. Anyone who claims they save lives is just making an excuse for the fact that they only like the vroom vroom and don't care at all about disturbing the entire neighborhood.
First responders will tell you that they often out drive the usefulness of their sirens. People will eventually hear you, but often don't know which direction you are coming from until they can see you.
Loud pipes direct the vast majority of the sound to the Back of the motorcycle when it is people in front of you that need to be aware of your presence.
It is vastly more important to be seen than heard. Hi-Viz saves lives.
Great video. I've been riding all my life but I love to study the opinions and suggestions of the "pro's" whenever I come across them. If nothing else just to remind myself of the things I know and may be slipping on or have somehow forgotten as incidents did not come up. I was in a pretty bad collision on my 98 Electra Glide a few years ago. A lady made an illegal turn into on coming traffic (my wife and I on our bike) I only had time to break and barely that ( no time to swerve safely at all). She was not even looking our direction. The bike stopped her truck (GMC Envoy) as she never hit the breaks because she never saw us coming. And totaled the bike while also causing us some pretty bad damage although not critical. I believe the smartest thing we can do as riders is constantly remind ourselves of these factors and relax into that thinking so we can enjoy the ride more and worry about a bit less. Thanks again bud.
Great discussion, Bret. I think everyone should think about your words in the last minute before each time they ride!
Telling it like it needs to be told. Love your advice and all the tips you have shared on so many other videos. You are always in the back of my mind when riding, in a good way! 😊
Great info, Bret. I'm on my second year of road biking and about 15,000kms in - love it more every day. I also love my kids, so I focus on constantly improving (being a professional educator has something to do with it, I guess). Apart from a refresh lesson last year and this, I've developed a scoring system that I apply to every commute - start with 10 points, deduct x for missing my line, bad decision, etc - silly, but keep me analyzing my riding.
journaling and scoring is a great idea - thanks for the tip Brent
thats a cool idea
Nice idea.
Super talk Bret. Some of what you mentioned reminds of of a quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson: "One of the challenges of this world is knowing enough of something to think you're right, but, not enough to know when you're wrong."
Hi Bret that was very concise,to the point and very well spoken. I have watched a ton of videos on various skills to try and improve my knowledge and skills. Here is my main fear at the moment which I haven't found talked about. I have tendency to start a left hand corner early because I don't want to run wide and off the road. But this puts me in a dangerous position for an oncoming car that is across the center line which has happened several times. This is on my mind quite a bit. Thanks Mark
That is a concern we address with several drills during the learn to ride and advanced courses I created and teach here in Washington State, USA
good video idea...
@@BretTkacs Thanks for taking the time to reply Bret.
Wow, really awesome presentation on this series. Thanks Bret
Thanks
Good quality information in there.
A lot of similar information that Baz at adventure rider centre in Mijas in Spain gives.
Teach or correct a technique, learn it slow time and then take it to a technically challenging piece of terrain to put it into practice.
9 times out of ten as soon as the panic starts to set in you revert to type and throw the new technique away. With technical off-road the speeds are very slow so Baz is there beside you to remind you to stop pushing that big red button in your head and use your new technique.
Awesome and extremely effective.
💪💪👍👍
Great explanation and simplified information on how to corner and trail brake ...Awsome 😎👍
Thank you Bret, I’m a third year rider, and this really spoke to me. I ride an electric bike, with direct belt drive and no clutch, so I haven’t found an intermediate course nearby that fit, but maybe I should instead find a local instructor for a few sessions to improve my riding. Thanks for all the wisdom you so generously share
You are very welcome
One thing is to learn ,know, practice and become good at something, it is a whole other story to be able to convey and teach others. Good work 👍
Just returned from the NEBDR. These training points are excellent!
Sir, this was an amazing presentation. Awesome work!
I am not a biker and don't plan on becoming one, but the psychology of bike riding translates very well to mountain biking. MTBers can learn a lot from moto riders since moto riding is out there for longer and is a very well researched field compared to MTB. Very nice presentation sir.
Nice, thanks! Beware of the most dangerous thought while riding: "I am a good rider". This thought will make you lazy and it can kill you quickly. As long as you think: "I have to be careful and always improve myself", you are way safer, no matter how long you ride. When the first thought comes to my mind I get extra alert in my head. Know your brakes. I often approach stopping lines quick and brake hard, as trainging. Ride gentle, but brake aggressively. Knowing your brakes will give you great confindence, so you delay panic reactions. Play with your bike at safe speeds. Know how it behaves. Keep safe distance to the car in front of you! When you lose concentration, ride faster to get back in alert state. Never trust others in traffic. Ride safe.
Great presentation Brett👍, a quote I heard in a presentation awhile back was "assume nothing, believe know one, confirm everything"
Keep up the great work.
Cheers
so much great information there and your way of presentation is so exciting.
Very good explanation and also applicable to non riders (like me).
Glad it was helpful!
Very good seminar. Practice make us ready to tackle any setuation such as cornering to conquer fear .
Great point about fear - My 1st crash occurred because I was not familiar with the acceleration of turbos, and when the turbo kicked in as I approached the corner I tensed up & went into the woods. My brother in-law to this day (30 years later) has not forgiven me for crashing his bike.
Great work as always Bret!!!
(I miss those jazzy music intros)
Me too
@@BretTkacs we can bought this sample for you if it possible ))
Great presentation
Thank you, Bret
Stay well
Steve.
Fantastic Bret! Thanks for sharing these sessions.
I always loved the way you express and pass knowledge about everything of Motorcycles for building a safe community around the globe!
Been watching and learning a lot from your videos and the fear to overcoming obstacles in riding in any sort of terrain really is bonus for me :)
Good job and Best of luck with the new content that you produce!
I was lucky to have followed you on MotoTrek :)
Ride like you're invisible as though no one sees you and make eye contact with drivers either through rear view mirrors or head on stay calm don't panic don't ride scared this is my best advice God bless
Thanks for taking the time to learn all of this and create a really good presentation on it!
Loved the whole presentation. I try to always question myself, and try to constantly learn to avoid getting complacent. Once I get/ if i get complacent with my riding I know full well i'm taking a nasty slide.
thats the truth...im always trying to gain more knowledge a bit at a time it helps with my complacency..
Been Riding for Years and i have just learnt a whole lot more in 8 minutes.
You are a Good communicator Sir
Excellently well done videos. THANK YOU.
Very good presentation. Thank you.
He explains my 1973 crash. I learned it the hard way but a reminder and explanation didn't hurt.
Great lessons. I don't how to translate a biker's motive used in Italy "se sei incerto tieni aperto" but it's sounds like "if you are unsure, keep it open" and sounds good on the street. fear, anxiety, distraction, brain in the clouds are all things that make you then attack the brakes aggressively at the first fright
"If in doubt, throttle out"
You are such a great teacher, thank you.
I was a motorcycle test trainer and courier, one important aspect of safe riding is to know your reaction response speed. This is tested when you go to an optician, when a jet of air is puffed onto your eyeball. It's worth getting checked, because it helps to know your limitations, that split second in reaction could save you from somebody's poor road use skills, or your own over confidence. However much training you do, if you have slow eye/brain
co-ordination, you need to allow for that. So I have the reaction time of an RAF pilot, but wear specs 😐
I've found out that i take way less risks and go slower with a passenger. Makes sense. I'm not an expert, but the general rule i follow, is that my speed must be low enough to stop in case of a sudden obstacle.
I hope you show the entire talk. I saw the one near Wellington. Very good.
It's RUclips so I figured I'd break into the three main talking points... I'm glad you liked it
I think the biggest issue we face today is that everyone knows something, or atleast they think they do, not a single one person can know everything, because then that would mean everything is done, we don't move forward in life or as the human race.
Best thing i ever heard from a rider was this "Ride today like you don't know what will happen 1 second in front of you, because you will never see it coming if you don't"
I questioned, what is "it" and she said "exactly" if you aren't questioning and learning, maybe its taking a corner different, maybe there is a bus or a truck on the other side of that corner who is coming out a bit wide, that wasn't there yesterday, or 30 minutes ago, it is constant learning, our surrounding, others movements, positioning of ourselves and other traffic that keep us alive to ride tomorrow.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge." - Charles Darwin
I'm a new rider and I see all these videos of riders speeding, changing lanes last second or lane splitting way to fast and then yelling at drivers that make a normal driving behavior like a quick lane change or something. In my eyes the rider needs to change what he is doing, but you see all these other "seasoned" riders agreeing that the car was at fault and the rider was not technically breaking the law. But it goes to show you how new riders look at things vs experienced riders. Your point about more accidents at 24 months or so makes sense. If we just give up our right of way, slow down and be patient im sure your way less likely to be a victim of a car running into you.
Nice job; if you take the same approach to riding as flying, you're always going to have some excellence to strive for. Cheers from Canada's west coast.
Thank you for a brilliant series!
Thanks Bret. Great content, 🏍🇨🇦
I'm glad you enjoy it
"training works when it's repetitive"
That's where my martial arts and military background comes in handy, I made a habit of practicing every single day.
Okay and what exactly has that to do with riding a motorbike?
@@ActionHeinz training is training. Wheter you train on a motorcycle, firearm handling, or any other skill. The mentality doesn't change. That was my point.
I've rode motorcycles in dirt all my life. I started riding on street 4 years ago. I had only one close call first few months of riding due to target fixation. it's been almost 4 years with no incidents and I've noticed these last two months I've had like 2 emergency breaks and one break and swerve to miss a car that turned right into a shopping mall from a lane left of me cause I was in his blind spot. I blame myself for all incidents and realize I have been a little too comfortable riding. Need to get a little more fear in me again I guess hes right about that.
Dirtbikes taught you how to control a bike. Most bike riders think they can ride. And the ones that have done a course or two. Well lol.
Very well spoken! All 3 parts!
Excellent presentation skills.
Fantastic advice
Thanks for the reality check and reminders. :)
Wish i had have known he was here, been watching his adventure riding stuff for years!
I'm so glad you mentioned the "Loud pipes save lives" nonsense. As an MSF-certified instructor, hear this a lot from new riders and it is a pet peeve of mine. If a student mentions this as a way to increase safety on the road, I politely (most of the time) say no, that's just not true.
As you can see in the comments riders will often choose to believe what they want to regardless of the evidence. I always have to wonder why people are convinced the drivers merge into them or pull out in front of them "all the time" but the magic force field of noise stops it all. Why is it most riders don't have near death experiences on a regular basis while riding legally muffled motorcycles. If the loud pipes belief is true riders on electric motorcycles are in for certain death.
@@BretTkacs Im pretty sure electric bikes will be an issue. specially with bicycles around and pedestrians who sometimes just rely on hearing. You know what would save lives? if I mounted police sirens on my bike
SpiffEatWorld people have ears and there will be occasions when they hear you coming instead of seeing you. Of course it’s often used as an excuse to have a loud pipe but I feel there is a smattering of truth to this and if we do see more electric bikes in the future 🤦♂️ then we will see more pedestrians getting mowed down.
I recall when I first moved to Holland; my friend who’d been there for some time told me to be careful crossing roads as you just don’t hear the cyclists. Cue 5 minutes later and I step off the curb and almost get hit by a cyclist. Lol
Lesson learnt
Wow, excellent insructor. Thank You.
Fear is your enemy. It is also your instincts survival strategy.
Always expect the unexpected on the road, it’s not your skills, it is theirs that you have to address. Think way ahead.
Awesome content! Rider psychology will be the utmost factor whether you end up on the guardrail or on your bike in every trip. Appreciate the knowledge shared!
really enjoyed this. I now always film my rides and try to auto critique what I did right and what I did wrong. Thanks!!!
It is amazing how much you can arm chair your own rides
Excellent class. Subscribed!
That was awesome short and to the point
From my experience, he could do the same brilliant presentation to an audience of new hang glider pilots!
Yep, that's why I reckon dirt bikes are so great. Many riders who can't ride a dirtbike disparage dirtbikes, as just a dirtbike. Off road riding teaches another level of bike control, and like Bret says, fear is a problem. The many losses of traction, instances of too much traction, falls and near misses at low speed with an absence of other motor vehicles is a great teacher. Dirtbikes teach you how NOT to crash. I'm sure someone will disagree, but I couldn't give a rats. The only thing they don't teach you is the road stuff, safe speed, defensive riding and number 1 on the road, leaning. A bike with reasonable ground clearance will lean a lot further than you think safe. Except for baggers, which personally, I would avoid like the plague.
You can practice hard braking on a routine basis by stopping for red lights instead of gunning it.
The link for part#3 is actually taking me to the part#1 video..
At least in Portugal riding daily a 125 or 300cc scooter is way cheaper than the cheapest car. For example, a fiat panda costs 9000eur and a pcx 125 costs 3000eur new. One uses 6l per 100km and the other less than 3l. A rear tire one my 300cc scooter lasts 30000km and costs 70eur and the front lasts more and is cheaper. 4 tires for a small car last 60-70k a D cost 300eur. Maintenance for a small or medium scooter is extremely easy and cheap made at my garage spot with parts bought online. A scooter or a sub 600cc bike if used as only vehicle is cheaper to buy and spends less money annually! Cars are more usable, safer and confortable but bikes still make a lot of sense as only and daily vehicle in European busy cities
where I live, after 6-12 months (or maybe it's 28-24?) you have to take safety training course. Theory and practice, full day. Fun and educational.
This helped me a lot. Thank you
As a street/commuter rider of14 years, accident free, I have a number one rule riding.
"I am invisible."
Really, really, believe that.
Car sitting waiting to come out of a junction? Well, they can't see me, so they will probably come out on me. Start slowing, be ready to brake hard with an instants notice. "Oh, they didn't pull out on me? That's a nice surprise."
Besides. If they DO see you, they will probably try and kill you anyway.