Confession is Good For the Soul Part II

By Jeffry L’H. Tank

About a month ago as of this writing (April 2005) I went for a ride with some of the folks from one of my local clubs. We were a pretty mixed group of rider skill levels, with a varied mix of riding styles. All in all it should have been a good ride over some really great roads, the vast majority of which where two lane twisty blacktops through some very rural country, just my kind of riding. Unfortunately it didn’t turn out quite the way I had, or would have, hoped and therein lies my tale and part two of Confessions of the Soul (see last months article for part one).

A week or so after the ride a discussion cropped up on the club forum about several events that took place during the ride and what we might do to improve the next gathering. One of the items discussed and the one most prudent to this article was a discussion of some rather questionable passing maneuvers that occurred on sections of road marked with a double-yellow centerline. Just to set the stage, at the time of these events there were three of the faster riders in one group with myself in second place followed relatively closely by the third, while the rest of the group had begun to slip behind as we entered the more challenging sections of road.

As the three of us in the leading group came up behind a rather slow moving four-wheeler we held back for while then when a clear section of open road showed itself the first rider passed the vehicle and was then able to resume a more sprinted pace. Meanwhile, the other rider and myself had to wait out the next passing opportunity at which point we also passed the slower vehicle. On the face of it this would have all been perfectly kosher, the problem was that these passes occurred on a section of road marked with a double-yellow centerline. This same scenario occurred several more times, some of which resulted in passes that I have to admit were pushing the limits a little closer than I would normally attempt. In fact, when I am riding alone, which I do for much of my riding, I never pass on a double-yellow, so this was something beyond my normal riding style. So the question becomes one of why did I pass on a double yellow when it is something I never do when riding alone? Why did I, someone with almost forty years of riding experience, allow myself to get caught up in “the chase” of keeping up with the rider ahead when every instinct told me not to?

To get back to the discussion on the forum for a minute let me relate what was running thought my thoughts as I read the comments made about some of the passes, specifically the comments made about the fact that some of the passes appeared somewhat questionable from the viewpoint of those in the trailing group. My initial reaction was that they couldn’t possibility be talking about me, they must have been referring to the other riders in the forward group. Yet even as I was trying to convince myself that I couldn’t have been one of the guilty parties, I knew in the back of my mind that there had been one or two moves I made that were contrary to every riding instinct I have. It was at that moment that I realized again, just as I had during the ride, that I was no longer “riding my own ride” and that really bothered me. As easy as it had been at the time to argue (internally) that some of the passes I made where perfectly safe and as easy as it was upon later reflection to find any number of justifiable reasons for passing on a double-yellow, just as I have heard others claim, the bottom line is that they were simply that, justifications and nothing more. Regardless of any safety issues, the fact remained that I lost control of my own ride and for that there can never be any justification. It was at that point where I crossed the line that a good rider should never cross. More so, I did it willingly and with full awareness even as it was happening and that is simply inexcusable.

So why then did I do something that is normally so contrary to my normal riding style? It boils down to a combination of several factors, a combination that could have had rather disastrous consequences. One factor was I was simply trying to keep up with the lead rider combined with some stupid desire to keep up my reputation as a “spirited’ rider. In short, just plain stupid. While it was rather boring just putting along on a nice twisty road behind a slow moving vehicle, there was no excuse for moving out of my comfort zone. I could have just as easily waited for a properly marked passing zone or done what I normally do in such situations, found another route or just pulled over and waited for traffic to clear, but the point here is, I didn’t. Mixed in with that was some inane attempt to convince myself that I really did I have plenty of room since it’s a commonly accepted “fact” that motorcycles can pass in much less room than a car, therefore I was perfectly safe in doing so! I can’t count the number of times that have I read that the safe passing zones as marked on most roads are based on passing times for cars and because bikes are just so much more maneuverable and have much better acceleration its often quite safe to pass in a double-yellow zone on bike. But all that’s really beside the point and has nothing to do with the issue of my going outside my own, self-imposed limits. I (or anyone) can try to justify it (passing on a double-yellow) all they want, they can play with the numbers, quote statistics, fabricate numbers outright or whatever. Yet when all is said and done, it just doesn’t wash when it allows you to justify crossing your own line and loosing control of your own ride. Now it’s become someone else’s ride, you’ve moved outside your own “zone” and you’ve let some outside factor take control (of the ride). What bothers me even more is that the entire time I was making those passes on the double-yellow I knew all this, yet there I was doing it anyways, as I said, just plain stupid.

So the moral here is simple and very basic, if it can happen to someone like myself who’s been riding for nearly forty years in just about every environment and in just about any conditions imaginable, with what I consider a pretty level-headed approach, I imagine it can happen to anyone. So don’t ever fool yourself into believing it can’t happen to you or you are already well on your way to losing control of your own ride. Don’t do as I did that day and let your guard down or you might not be as lucky and be around tell your tale. Always ride your own ride and the ride will never end, be a fool and follow another’s ride and the ride may well end all too soon. When they talk about riding your own ride, believe me, it is the ONLY way to ride to ensure you’ll be around to ride another day.

For me that day, it was not a good ride and one I have no intention of repeating. So always ride your own ride and maybe I’ll see you on the road.

© Jeffry L’H. Tank

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