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Force of Habit
Blatherings From The Editor We all have our habits, some good, some not so good. We get them from our repetitive day to day actions; and, as most of us know, it’s damn hard to change a habit. I was told by a training guru many moons ago that it takes a “significant emotional experience” to change a person’s habits. One of my riding “habits” is to stay clear of the center line. In right hand turns I take a bit of a racer’s line, staying on the inside track away from the center line. In left hand turns I take a late apex, again staying away from the center line. When coming over a rise in the road, I move to the outside track, keeps me away from the center line. A couple of significant emotional riding experiences got me into this habit. Way back when, a bunch of us guys ventured into Mexico. We spent the night at a hot springs just south of the border and then rode down to the Gulf of Mexico. Didn’t seem to matter if it was a major highway or a small back road, every time I came over a rise in the road there was a pickup truck straddling the center line. I was “center line shy” after the first close call. Crapping your pants while riding is a significant emotional experience! Not so many years ago Wanda and I were coming back from Prescott, taking Highway 260 east through Camp Verde. About halfway to the junction of Hwy 260 and Hwy 87 we entered a fast left hand sweeper. I was enjoying the ride and not paying enough attention to the road, consequently coming into the turn a bit wide - effectively late apexing the turn. A young woman with two kids in an older sedan going west came around the bend with her front wheels at full lock and the rear end sliding. I looked her right in the eyes as she looped the family car and slammed into the banking. She missed us by about two feet. If we had been hugging the line…another pant-load experience. Fortunately everyone was OK. Needless to say the habit of late apexing left handers, staying on the inside track of right handers and generally staying away from the center line has become a habit. A couple of the folks who have ridden with us have mentioned we do tend to move from track to track a bit more than most. Force of habit. Coming home from Death Valley Daze this year that force of habit saved our bacon. We were coming down Hwy 83, less than 50 miles from home and looking forward to a night in our own bed. DVD is always an epic ride and I was tired. Force of habit kicked in as we came into a slight left, right, left set of turns before the Roadside Table. Two 18-wheelers suddenly popped over the rise and came around the bend running pretty hard. The first went by with a whoosh; the second went by three feet over the line using up all but the right track of our lane. We were late apexing and only marveled at how that big rig even managed to stay on the road. My pants remained unsoiled. Practice like you play – learn good riding habits so they become natural instincts. The force of a good habit may make the difference between a close call and a real trip stopper. Deryle and Wanda, may the Force (of good riding habits) be with you!
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