The real-time graphics on this one were really helpful. I've been riding for 40 years and the amount of willpower it takes to not fixate on a target when things go wrong and look to where I want to go next is insane! But it is a matter of practice.
Great vid as always and very good information. One piece of advice I was given, when overtaking on the track is to focus on the gap rather than the rider you’re trying to over take. If you focus on the rider, rather like target fixation, you’ll just follow them and feel there is no way past.
Great stuff. Avoiding target fixation is one of the most important lessons I've learned. It's weird but true - the bike will go where you're looking (I've no idea how!), so look where you want it to go. I've avoided lots of near misses by focussing on the tarmac (and had a lot of 'offs' by fixating on the grass).
Last year I did my first ever track day (focussed on road safety rather than lap times). Just before the start/finish straight there was a long 180-degree corner. I asked the instructor where to look, and he simply replied "as far ahead as you can". I tried to follow that advice, thinking he knew what he was talking about but I never felt quite comfortable doing it. Now I know why, so thanks for this great video!
Great video, the eye movement visuals were spot on. Other channels TRY to explaim this and end up totally MUDDYING the topic to the point a simple concept becomes mind boggling, like Canyon Chasers, but you make hard easy instead!!
Excellent advice, especially on the target fixation factor, as it's far too easy to succumb to it. I've always relied on the 3-second rule, which was given to me by a motorcycle cop soon after I obtained my licence. His advice was, "Never let a motorbike take you where your brain wasn't three seconds earlier." Some years later, another piece of advice came up which was a variation on the look-where-you-want-to-go rule. "Look where you want to go and if you're going to crash, look for somewhere soft."
Really good video. When riding the motorcycle on the street I do more or less that, I try to look as far as I can, briefly moving the focus point from one place to another. A crossing, a car, a pothole, the apex, the exit... whatever, but without focusing too much on one thing. If you look far away you can calculate a good line better. Once that's done, you look at the entrance, the apex, the exit, further out on the way out, and back again. It's like trying to see everything, in a vague way, without sniping a focus point all the time. If you do it well enough, now you are able to see hazards that you would´nt before, such as a car that could come out of a junction, an animal running, a pedestrian... and be more prepared when shit happens.
Excellent discussion on vision. For road riding I usually talk about looking at the "next point of interest", that could include the vanishing point but also cars on driveways and crossings, essentially all that could hurt you. But I feel, like you seem to do, that target fixation is not really part of vision but should be included in a more general discussion about what could go wrong.
This was quite interesting. I’ve been through a few of those target fixated situations. I’ve even gone off road but my dirt bike experience go me through that. lol. But after those experiences, when I find myself fixating I immediately force myself to look where I’m going for. Rode the mustard a little but it was all good. I’ll keep in mind of this video when I ride this weekend. Stay safe and blessed.
Another good one for me is "see everything, look at nothing", it reminds me to move my vision, take everything in but not to fixate on anything especially potential or perceived hazards. Think it was from a Canyon Chasers video.
I cruised the hiways and byways by myself for 10 years and thousands of miles... then, I had my first group ride and boy, did I target fixate on the rider right in front of me! My turns were horrible, my pace, braking and everything. It was so difficult and actually, I didn't enjoy it. But I learned.
The importance of peripheral vision when street riding cannot be overstated. If practiced, it can give an uninterrupted 120 degree field of focus. Notice, I said field of focus and not field of vision.
Great video on the topic-thanks! I’ve noticed that if you look too far through a corner, it can sometimes pull you too close to, or even across, the middle line-especially in left-hand corners in right-hand traffic, or vice versa. To address this, I try to assess the corner as I’m slowing down, then alternate between focusing close, medium, and farther ahead as I progress through the turn. However, I still feel less confident with left-hand bends overall.
Honestly, the BEST way to learn and train your brain to be safer. Is trail riding in the woods on a dirt bike. Where the trail ALWAYS has obstacles ahead and you CONSTANTLY have to scan ahead. As a youth teenager I rode motocross/dirt bikes religiously. Which prepared me later for sportbikes on blacktop. Just a suggestion.
Always informative and happy to hear from you.. I keep this in my mind, look towards your intended path of travel.. and far ahead and not too far ahead so that we don't 50 pence..
Great vid! Target fixation is one of the most dangerous things in motorcycling. Once I learned about this, and how to force myself to look away when target fixating, it always surprised me how much all the panic and tenseness just immediately drops away.
I just look straight ( mirrors also) but not focusing anything special, almost like some robot, , thus manage to see more , learned while doing deliveries.
Humans evolved with the ability to target a visual point. Could've been prey, predator, procreation possibility ? Stop on roadway or sidewalk. look forward and pick a target well distant as if operating. Lock onto the target by actually knowing it is one. Look away 180 degrees, then gaze back up the motorway. Your brain will immediately regain the target over everything else. Unless a plane is falling or 3rd possible target is sauntering past. This ability allows one to select targets and subconsciously maintain a direct heading towards, while utilizing eyes for next target, danger DANGER !, parked PoPo, or adjusting path towards target aka reference point. Great vid with temp outside at -15C here. Snowmobiles only.
As a street triple owner stuck inside for the winter I did not appreciate that sound clip of yours lol miss riding mine very much. Great video per usual though. So much gets lost in catchy phrases that aren't complete
This might be the reason I pass my driving exam. I'm horribly at driving and my teachers always scream at me to look further ahead. So I'd slip out at every corner or miss trafficlights because they told me to look further ahead. The way you describe looking ahead mskes way more sense. (The country I live has very fast geography snd straight roads so it's not uncommon to see the road dussapesr into tge horizon while driving
I test rode one. You should to it is really the best calibrated electronic throttle i have ever used. Superb throttle response and even less jerky than the older cable model.
@07:42 Dan! There is 'Band Of Brothers' Bromance, and then there is NO! Just. NO!! 🤣 BUT, that said given I'm a (trim) bearded biker, I'll use the idea to coach any budding biker girlfriend of mine and get her to close her eyes and think of me while she's holding her hands out and doing the finger wiggling!😄
Your visual skills will suffer if you have those super bright LED car headlights behind you and infront. Use a photocramatic visor and mirrors that adjust automatically.
Ninety percent of motorcycle crashes could be eliminated if people just slowed down. Just about every crash I've seen on YT has been because the motorcycle driver was going way too fast. I mean look how insanely fast they are going at 2:00 You're not going to have time to react to anything jumping out in front of you or hitting a puddle and losing traction.
9:50 You can get away with and get away with it, and get away with it... until the moment you can't. You could of avoid this by slowing down and not driving so fast.
😮I've watched a few of your videos and you've always come across as credible but a bit wooden and starchy. Your "looking good" joke and a few more smiles shows your are developing a more friendly style and I think a step in the right direction, fairplay...😮
Great Video, I'd be sharing this with new riders that I met. Looking ahead is good for corners, but when a Crest in the Hill blocks LOS, then it becomes a lil scary . . . if you go too fast on an unfamiliar road! LOL Like This: th-cam.com/video/o5u-euy4SaE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=b1-La9WVHbIiC6tY&t=623
The real-time graphics on this one were really helpful.
I've been riding for 40 years and the amount of willpower it takes to not fixate on a target when things go wrong and look to where I want to go next is insane! But it is a matter of practice.
very much when you see and patch of gravel or oil on a wet road lol you see it then force to look at the clear bit hard as it is
Those are great tips not only for motorcycling but also cycling and car driving!
Great vid as always and very good information. One piece of advice I was given, when overtaking on the track is to focus on the gap rather than the rider you’re trying to over take. If you focus on the rider, rather like target fixation, you’ll just follow them and feel there is no way past.
Great stuff. Avoiding target fixation is one of the most important lessons I've learned. It's weird but true - the bike will go where you're looking (I've no idea how!), so look where you want it to go. I've avoided lots of near misses by focussing on the tarmac (and had a lot of 'offs' by fixating on the grass).
Last year I did my first ever track day (focussed on road safety rather than lap times). Just before the start/finish straight there was a long 180-degree corner. I asked the instructor where to look, and he simply replied "as far ahead as you can". I tried to follow that advice, thinking he knew what he was talking about but I never felt quite comfortable doing it. Now I know why, so thanks for this great video!
Well, EVERYONE should be more concerned about safety than lap times, not perhaps including IOMTT riders.
Great video, the eye movement visuals were spot on. Other channels TRY to explaim this and end up totally MUDDYING the topic to the point a simple concept becomes mind boggling, like Canyon Chasers, but you make hard easy instead!!
Excellent advice, especially on the target fixation factor, as it's far too easy to succumb to it. I've always relied on the 3-second rule, which was given to me by a motorcycle cop soon after I obtained my licence. His advice was, "Never let a motorbike take you where your brain wasn't three seconds earlier." Some years later, another piece of advice came up which was a variation on the look-where-you-want-to-go rule. "Look where you want to go and if you're going to crash, look for somewhere soft."
Really good video. When riding the motorcycle on the street I do more or less that, I try to look as far as I can, briefly moving the focus point from one place to another. A crossing, a car, a pothole, the apex, the exit... whatever, but without focusing too much on one thing.
If you look far away you can calculate a good line better. Once that's done, you look at the entrance, the apex, the exit, further out on the way out, and back again. It's like trying to see everything, in a vague way, without sniping a focus point all the time.
If you do it well enough, now you are able to see hazards that you would´nt before, such as a car that could come out of a junction, an animal running, a pedestrian... and be more prepared when shit happens.
Excellent discussion on vision. For road riding I usually talk about looking at the "next point of interest", that could include the vanishing point but also cars on driveways and crossings, essentially all that could hurt you.
But I feel, like you seem to do, that target fixation is not really part of vision but should be included in a more general discussion about what could go wrong.
Thanks for the video. I think i'm doing it well; basically just thinking ok, which looking behaviour will grant me the highest chance of survival
This 💯 is THE most important aspect of every driver and rider on the roads.
This was quite interesting. I’ve been through a few of those target fixated situations. I’ve even gone off road but my dirt bike experience go me through that. lol. But after those experiences, when I find myself fixating I immediately force myself to look where I’m going for. Rode the mustard a little but it was all good. I’ll keep in mind of this video when I ride this weekend. Stay safe and blessed.
Awesome way to explain these points.
Another good one for me is "see everything, look at nothing", it reminds me to move my vision, take everything in but not to fixate on anything especially potential or perceived hazards. Think it was from a Canyon Chasers video.
I cruised the hiways and byways by myself for 10 years and thousands of miles... then, I had my first group ride and boy, did I target fixate on the rider right in front of me! My turns were horrible, my pace, braking and everything. It was so difficult and actually, I didn't enjoy it. But I learned.
The importance of peripheral vision when street riding cannot be overstated. If practiced, it can give an uninterrupted 120 degree field of focus. Notice, I said field of focus and not field of vision.
Great video on the topic-thanks!
I’ve noticed that if you look too far through a corner, it can sometimes pull you too close to, or even across, the middle line-especially in left-hand corners in right-hand traffic, or vice versa. To address this, I try to assess the corner as I’m slowing down, then alternate between focusing close, medium, and farther ahead as I progress through the turn. However, I still feel less confident with left-hand bends overall.
Honestly, the BEST way to learn and train your brain to be safer. Is trail riding in the woods on a dirt bike. Where the trail ALWAYS has obstacles ahead and you CONSTANTLY have to scan ahead. As a youth teenager I rode motocross/dirt bikes religiously. Which prepared me later for sportbikes on blacktop. Just a suggestion.
Always informative and happy to hear from you.. I keep this in my mind, look towards your intended path of travel.. and far ahead and not too far ahead so that we don't 50 pence..
Great vid! Target fixation is one of the most dangerous things in motorcycling.
Once I learned about this, and how to force myself to look away when target fixating, it always surprised me how much all the panic and tenseness just immediately drops away.
It's dangerous (sometimes fatal) in all situations.
I just look straight ( mirrors also) but not focusing anything special, almost like some robot, , thus manage to see more , learned while doing deliveries.
Humans evolved with the ability to target a visual point.
Could've been prey, predator, procreation possibility ?
Stop on roadway or sidewalk. look forward and pick a target well distant as if operating.
Lock onto the target by actually knowing it is one.
Look away 180 degrees, then gaze back up the motorway.
Your brain will immediately regain the target over everything else. Unless a plane is falling or 3rd possible target is sauntering past.
This ability allows one to select targets and subconsciously maintain a direct heading towards, while utilizing eyes for next target, danger DANGER !, parked PoPo, or adjusting path towards target aka reference point.
Great vid with temp outside at -15C here. Snowmobiles only.
Look with eyes
Don't panic
Good advice 😆
As a street triple owner stuck inside for the winter I did not appreciate that sound clip of yours lol miss riding mine very much. Great video per usual though. So much gets lost in catchy phrases that aren't complete
To be fair if I wasn't making videos I probably wouldn't be riding. Pretty gloomy (and greasy) out there!
He's absolutely right! After almost forty years of motorcycle riding I know! ;-)
I agree, but the terrible asphalt conditions in the UK really don't help lately...
So my grandad was correct "look where you are going and don't go to fast"
This might be the reason I pass my driving exam. I'm horribly at driving and my teachers always scream at me to look further ahead. So I'd slip out at every corner or miss trafficlights because they told me to look further ahead. The way you describe looking ahead mskes way more sense. (The country I live has very fast geography snd straight roads so it's not uncommon to see the road dussapesr into tge horizon while driving
Maldon High Street.
You got a new Street Triple?? How does the electronic throttle feel? I’m hesitant to give up the cable.
I test rode one. You should to it is really the best calibrated electronic throttle i have ever used. Superb throttle response and even less jerky than the older cable model.
It's the 2013 model, so still a cable here!
What is the name of this leather jacket?
@07:42 Dan! There is 'Band Of Brothers' Bromance, and then there is NO! Just. NO!! 🤣
BUT, that said given I'm a (trim) bearded biker, I'll use the idea to coach any budding biker girlfriend of mine and get her to close her eyes and think of me while she's holding her hands out and doing the finger wiggling!😄
😂
Stop riding on the wrong side of the road mate... happy trails from Belgium.😄
I wondered why all the cars were flashing at me 🤔
What triumph is my boy riding now?
2017 Street Triple R 😎
Your visual skills will suffer if you have those super bright LED car headlights behind you and infront. Use a photocramatic visor and mirrors that adjust automatically.
Roads look suspiciously like mid Suffolk ?
Not a million miles away but it is in fact the Essex countryside
look in your mirrors as well, 360 degrees.
Ninety percent of motorcycle crashes could be eliminated if people just slowed down.
Just about every crash I've seen on YT has been because the motorcycle driver was going way too fast.
I mean look how insanely fast they are going at 2:00
You're not going to have time to react to anything jumping out in front of you or hitting a puddle and losing traction.
9:50 You can get away with and get away with it, and get away with it... until the moment you can't. You could of avoid this by slowing down and not driving so fast.
Some can Do it some not really, as usual im Life
1:37 that was a close pass, not nice...
😮I've watched a few of your videos and you've always come across as credible but a bit wooden and starchy.
Your "looking good" joke and a few more smiles shows your are developing a more friendly style and I think a step in the right direction, fairplay...😮
Great Video, I'd be sharing this with new riders that I met.
Looking ahead is good for corners, but when a Crest in the Hill blocks LOS, then it becomes a lil scary . . . if you go too fast on an unfamiliar road! LOL
Like This:
th-cam.com/video/o5u-euy4SaE/w-d-xo.htmlsi=b1-La9WVHbIiC6tY&t=623