OK, the previous posts have been about understanding how others can have a different level of risk assessment than I might and I've come a long way to accepting that they are allowed to do that and it will not hurt me or any website I might operate. I also will defend my opinion that I can talk safety, provide good examples and not have to fight every person that does not adhere to what I think.
I recently met a group of individuals that are so militant in their safety beliefs that they categorize any advanced training or event including Total Control and Trackdays as irresponsible. They say this because they believe that these things only encourage riders to ride above and beyond what is legal on the roadway. I can only assume that they ride in a manner that obeys every written law, and I'll even accept that as possible. But, I get lost in their understanding of how advanced understanding directly means that a person will automatically use that understanding or skill inappropriately.
I can imagine this as a misguided approach of saving people from themselves and have even fallen into the trap of thinking I could help people avoid pain by trying to change their behavior, but never did I think someone would think learning how to better ride a bike would be bad, let alone trying to stop the process all together.
As I said recently I met a group, well specifically I interacted with an individual who slammed the Ten Step To Proper Cornering as presented in the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic by Lee Parks. His misunderstanding of the 10 Steps are what he first started to slam, but once corrected on the actual step he stepped further back in his defense and eventually it became clear he was simply against any training of the sort.
Of course this was all based upon what he believed the training or curriculum was about, not from any real attempt to understand any of it at all. In fact he has never cracked Lee's book open, nor did he take advantage of actually sitting through the Clinic (which he was offered, for free.) To be clear, he didn't even sit in the classroom segment, nor did he ride. So, in the end of my interaction with this gentleman I decided it is impossible to respect a negative opinion, when the person doesn't even bother to understand what they are critical of in the first place.
In the end, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and as such it is my opinion that people who ride with our regard to others are rude and those who simply throw stones at things they clearly have spent no time to understand are sad.
While both being rude and sad in my above statement come from the lack of understanding, I am a lot more tolerant of rude, unless it becomes obvious that they do not want to understand, versus those I define as sad. Because the sad folks refuse to understand and ultimately must really be missing the point of riding a motorcycle.
In my mind, when riding is 100% safe, it is boring.
I can't imagine anything worse than riding without any thrill, just using a motorcycle for simple....boring transportation. I know that some have a motorcycle as their only choice and may choose to ride a lot safer, that's not what I'm talking about.
I'm talking about riding a motorcycle and missing the whole point of riding a motorcycle!
So, the next time you go on a ride, take a deep breath and soak in the reality that what you do is dangerous. Then seek comfort in your ability to understand risk, manage it and be truly in control. Because a life without risk, at least in my mind, just simply isn't worth living!
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