Motorcycling

New biker here. Passed my CBT August last year, rode an MT-125 for the next 10 months, then passed my test July this year. Now on a CBR650F. Just started because I can't stand driving or getting the bus to work. Didn't realise how much it gets under your skin. Now I'd call it a serious hobby. When I found out I was autistic I became more confident on the bike, for some reason. I felt more entitled, less of an interloper. It suits my personality. I live near a main road and love hearing the bikes go by and identifying them from their engine sound. The jap inline fours are my favourite, I'd love a GSXR750. But for the sake of practicality (and my back) the next one will probably be a tourer, maybe something like a DL-1000.

Hi NAS38192,

In my experience, the majority of people who start riding relatively young, seem to head for sports bikes first and then migrate through to tourers/cruisers (I still maintain that I'm too young for a Harley! lol).  Personally, I started the other way round.  My first proper bike was an old Yamaha XJ600F (later was replaced by the Diversion).  I then tried several other bikes but migrated to owning a sports-tourer - Triumph SprintST1050 (a truly lovely bike with all day comfort and lovely handling that would really annoy the typical sports bike rider simply because I would corner quicker than they would).  Change of life circumstances then let me to a cruiser (Kawasaki EN500) that I originally acquired for a bottle of JD as a wedding present for the wife (10 years later and she still hasn't passed her test!).  I've always liked the idea of a Kawasaki ZX-9R Ninja which I finally convinced the wife to let me buy 5 years ago (apparently I was leaving too many spark trails when cornering on the cruiser - still have it in the garage though).

I love my Ninja.  For some reason, she and I just fit.  Okay, my modern standards she is now old and fat (for a sports bike) being 23 years old and 203KG.  That said, being older, the pillion seat is a proper seat - cushioned and everything - and, despite the clip-on bars, there isn't too much weight on the wrists (not like a friend's R1 that I rode back to Eastbourne from Newbury a few years back).  I have literally done Eastbourne to Lancaster and back again in a night on the Ninja without any aches, pains or stiffness.

When looking for a new bike, the best advice I can give is go to the trade shows (Motorcycle Live, London Motorcycle Show etc) where you can get an opportunity to sit on just about every new/current model of bike on the market - just see what fits.

My wife used to dream of a GSXR600 - until she sat on one.  For some reason, the geometry was just wrong for her and, as soon as she sat on it with her hands on the bars and feet on the pegs, she got an instant back ache.

Another option would be to visit, or even join, a local bike group (e.g. your local IAM Roadsmart Motorcycle Group).

As a new rider, the only other bit of advice I would offer would be to go get some more training.  One way to look at it is that having passed your DSA test (theory, mod1 & mod2) you have just passed your GCSE in riding a motorcycle.  You will, in all likelihood, find yourself becoming a very reactive rider - you react to that car pulling out on you, you react to that child running into the street etc).  Schemes like the Enhanced Rider Scheme and Bike Safe could be considered your A-Levels and completing your IAM Advanced Motorcycle Test would be your undergraduate degree, at the end of which, you will be a lot more pro-active on the road (e.g. there is a car approaching that junction from the left, so I'll move my position slightly in case he pulls out, or there is an adult pushing a pushchair but it is empty, where is the child? Ah, there he is playing with a ball so I'll slow down and take a wider line in case he runs into the road after it etc).

At the end of the day though, it is all your choice and the most important aspect is to enjoy your riding whilst keeping it shiny side up.  So, vision up, throttle open and stay safe.

MRT502

So another intriguing question: does anyone think that being autistic makes them a better rider? I am hypersensitive for most senses, and find this is a problem for most parts of life, with the notable exception being when I am on the bike. I can smell spilled diesel a mile off (probably literally!), and suspect I am able to take in and process a lot more visually than many people, simply because I have had to get used to it in everyday life.

When my better half was studying for his m/c theory test, I thought it'd be a laugh to have a go at the practice test for the one where you're supposed to spot things on a film as they occur (hazard perception test? can't remember what they call it now). Bearing in mind I had been riding for 25+ years at that point. Well, I was mortified to see that I failed it by a mile. Because it was practice test software, you could view it again to see what you missed. The reason for my failure then became clear. The software has a "window" coded into it, in which the student is supposed to click the hazard. When I reviewed mine, the problem was that I had clicked the hazard alright, but before their window even started, so it wasn't counted. This is apparently to stop people just fast-clicking all over the place. I tried again, but the second time around, I waited a couple of seconds after I spotted it before clicking each hazard ...... and passed with flying colours. I don't think this is down to reaction times btw as I don't think mine are better than the next person's. I strongly suspect (based on comparing notes with friends) that part of the visual sensory issues are because I see in High Definition. This makes it far easier to spot things.

another interesting but unanswered question is how can someone who is as clumsy as me - usually wearing multiple bruises from trying to dodge through doors and around furniture, and missing the gap/not judging the edges of my own body - confidently put a bike through a gap barely bigger than the machine, and how can I balance it so well, when my own balance is pretty rubbish? The spatial perception problem really is relating to my own body only. I also drive a big, left hand drive car, and never have any trouble judging positioning in that either. I find this rather interesting!

So another intriguing question: does anyone think that being autistic makes them a better rider? I am hypersensitive for most senses, and find this is a problem for most parts of life, with the notable exception being when I am on the bike. I can smell spilled diesel a mile off (probably literally!), and suspect I am able to take in and process a lot more visually than many people, simply because I have had to get used to it in everyday life.

When my better half was studying for his m/c theory test, I thought it'd be a laugh to have a go at the practice test for the one where you're supposed to spot things on a film as they occur (hazard perception test? can't remember what they call it now). Bearing in mind I had been riding for 25+ years at that point. Well, I was mortified to see that I failed it by a mile. Because it was practice test software, you could view it again to see what you missed. The reason for my failure then became clear. The software has a "window" coded into it, in which the student is supposed to click the hazard. When I reviewed mine, the problem was that I had clicked the hazard alright, but before their window even started, so it wasn't counted. This is apparently to stop people just fast-clicking all over the place. I tried again, but the second time around, I waited a couple of seconds after I spotted it before clicking each hazard ...... and passed with flying colours. I don't think this is down to reaction times btw as I don't think mine are better than the next person's. I strongly suspect (based on comparing notes with friends) that part of the visual sensory issues are because I see in High Definition. This makes it far easier to spot things.

another interesting but unanswered question is how can someone who is as clumsy as me - usually wearing multiple bruises from trying to dodge through doors and around furniture, and missing the gap/not judging the edges of my own body - confidently put a bike through a gap barely bigger than the machine, and how can I balance it so well, when my own balance is pretty rubbish? The spatial perception problem really is relating to my own body only. I also drive a big, left hand drive car, and never have any trouble judging positioning in that either. I find this rather interesting!

Moggsy & NAS38192...

You are certainly not alone when it comes to being able to handle the bike well but not the daily navigation of the living room furniture (I'm currently nursing a fractured hand after trying to use a step that wasn't there on the stairs at home).

Despite always have a small cut, rug burn, bruise etc from daily life, I can always put my bike within an inch of where I want it and keep it there.

It just so happens that (as you could probably guess from an earlier post) I am an Observer for IAM Roadsmart.  Without trying to sound immodest, I'm also very good at it (I won the local Observer of the Year award within 6 months of qualifying).  I have discussed my AS with my Chief Observer.  Fortunately, he is more knowledgeable than a lot of NTs on the grounds that he has 3 family members who are AS.  His point of view is that, at least in my case, the AS tendency to focus on small details etc and the way that I apply these tendencies to my Observing duties, they are only an asset.

It always amazes my Associates that I am able to pick up on the smallest details.  For example, I was out on a ride recently with an Associate (a lovely retired lady who has an A2 licence).  She has consistently mishandled corners and this is something that we have been working on,  On this last ride, we were travelling down a national speed limit road that had some lovely flowing bends.  She got trough these doing 50mph without a single brake light in evidence.  When we stopped for a cup of tea, as is the normal practice, I asked her how it went and she said that it was all fine except the corner where she went in a little faster than she was comfortable with.  I replied with, "you mean the second left that tightened up on you?"  She was flabbergasted that I could tell despite being 3 seconds down the road behind her.  I pointed out that she had tensed her shoulders and upper arms.  She accepted this but still couldn't understand how I could see that through her leathers, high-viz and backpack.

The point of this story is to highlight how we can use our traits to be better than the NTs.

To get back on topic, A lot of the increased balance/accuracy on the bike compared to off it will be down to such hypervigilance - we simply take in a lot more than your average rider and are able to process that and incorporate it into our riding plans etc.

Hyperfocus is probably true in my case as well. It's one of the many things I love about riding the bike - everything else gets pushed to the periphery and I can focus completely on me and the bike, as one :-)

There is an old Arab proverb "the wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears". For me the wind of heaven is that which blows between  a set of chrome risers!

I think that's a fair question and I've wondered the same thing. Despite the fact my day-day concentration is dreadful, I go into hyperfocus when I'm riding. My mind empties and I can see everything happening in slow motion. Then again this could be the result of ADHD (which I haven't been diagnosed with). I'm quite good at handling the bike, but I am not overly clumsy in daily life. A lot of it has to do with confidence, I find.