Dual Sport Riding Safety Tips!

What you see... is what you will hit!than a turn of your head or even your eyes. You
Object or Target Fixation is real. Your dual sportstill need to go away from risk. As it's difficult to
bike goes wherever you're looking. Why is thisgo away from what you are looking toward, and
so? Your eyeballs, after all, are not holding theeasy (nearly automatic) to go in the direction you
handlebars and you often look in directions otherare seeing, certainly it adds up to look where you
than the one you are going in without your bikeprefer to go.
weaving all over the road. Is it an illusion? OrSimply we have always been advised to keep our
maybe an unexplored natural law of physicaleyes and head 'upward' and headed at the
science?horizon. Certainly looking downward won't cause a
The thought that your dual sport motorcycle willdualsport bike to go down, or will it?
go where you are looking is merely aWell, not straightaway. If you're in a slide
phenomenon. Almost all riders have experiencedhowever, and look down in all likelihood you'll crash.
this before: that if you turn your eyes you tendThat's, because you have failed to actively steer
to go in the direction you are looking.the motorcycle in such a way as to keep it erect.
In point of fact, it may be clearer to merelyThat's one reason why you ought to keep your
admit that it is inconceivable to go in any directioneyes up and looking at the horizon. The other is
other than where you are looking. ALL of yourthat it's the only way you actively look for
previous experience has educated you to steerhazards or confirm with any certainty, that your
your bike wherever you want it to go. Therefore,motorcycle is upright. But that's a different story.
if you look where you want to go, you apply allFive Simple Tips to Prevent Object or target
that previous experience and unconsciously go inFixation.
that direction.
There's no magic here nor is there a concealed1. Keep your head up and look along the track!
natural law of physics involved. Your motorcycleYour natural response will be to look at the
(or car) will to go in the direction you're lookingground ahead of the dual sport motorcycle.
since, from experience, you have taught yourselfLooking as far ahead as the track, speed and
subconsciously to make this happen.common good sense allows. Your perception will
Have you ever attempted to throw a ball justby nature take in the rougher terrain and take
past an individual's head? You look at them . . .the front wheel down a good line.
you throw . . . and you hit them!! The same when2. Whenever you see a big stone or hole don't
you play tennis. When you serve, if you focus onallow your eyes to 'fix' on that. Take it in and so
the top of the net, you are likely to hit it!!allow you eyes to continue to move beyond or to
Transform this to riding. You look at an object onthe side of it. The motorcycle will follow your
the road . . . you go right over it! The eyes areeyes and miss the obstruction automatically.
the gun-sight of the mind and consequently there3. Keep a 'broad view' of the track in front -
are a couple of significant rules for the way weconsider everything as a whole but nothing in
see the track / trail / sand road in front of theparticular.
dual sport bike.4. Keep an eye out for the tell-tale dust trails
To capitalize on that phenomenon you just needfrom approaching vehicles.
to actively look in the direction you prefer to go -5. Keep a look out in your rear view mirrors as
away from risk. The balance is almostother may not be afraid to drive faster than you.
subconscious response. Naturally it takes more