Target Fixation

[Cpl Punishment]

Why yes, I do.  I just disguised it by putting Gixxer bodywork all over it.  

KeS

How very sensible. I admire your courage-me, I wouldn't be seen dead riding either. Salute!

[Windblown]

Target fixation is simply the result of allowing yourself to get into some bad habits by not practicing good ones.

Your problem could be the result of one or more of the following:

Riding the front wheel (not looking out ahead where you want the bike to travel)

Not taking time to practice object avoidance.

Not turning your head to look where you want the bike to go.

Riding scared.

Ask yourself this: If you see something small in the road (A wet spot, gravel, road patch, dead squirrel, whatever) does the bike seem to gravitate towards it, or do you seem to have trouble not hitting it if the object is in the bikes path?  If the answer is yes (or sometimes) then you need to start religiously practicing "finding the escape path". It's a little game I play with any noticeable spot in the road.  The process is simple:  Identify, assess, switch focus to an escape path, and execute.   I can occasionally be seen swerving back and forth like a mad man down quiet country roads. What I'm doing is playing this game with any small spots I can see in the road. Do this regularly and you will be amazed how automatic it becomes to apply proper counter-steering inputs and put your focus where it belongs.

If you ONLY have the problem when coming into a turn hot then chances are you simply freeze up when scared which is a natural reaction. The more you practice good habits in everyday riding the more likely your automatic response when in "oh crap" mode will be the right one.

Go do some trackdays!  The combination of hurtling headlong into corners at seemingly insane speeds and having other riders sliding off the track in front of you will force you to develop better habits.    

[kpinvt]

 Thank you all for taking the time to reply. I should have given more info in my first post. So here is the full story. I am a graduate of both the BRC and ERC given here in Vermont. I am just shy of 53 y.o. and I am on my third bike in as many years. First an SV650, then the 454LTD which was totaled in the crash and now a 2003 Silver Wing. Your great replies jogged some memories of that day such as the fact I was more than a little annoyed at how the day was progressing. I had planned to meet friends at a scenic overlook that afternoon. The trip out took quite awhile longer than I thought it would take as I had to sit through a major repaving job on the road out there. When I got there I had to ride up a steep, sandy fire road to get to the parking area and then discovered I had left the cable lock I had planned on using to lock my gear to the bike at home. I figured I could throw my gear into my friends car when they got there but they were an hour late and got there after I had suited up and was sitting on the bike ready to leave. The trip down the fire road was just as hairy as I had to stop on the left side of the road to let an SUV pass on the way up. The bike slid about a dozen feet when I applied the brakes. I continued down to the road and decided took take an alternate route home to avoid the paving delays. The ride down this narrow forrest road was horrible. The pavement was very badly broken with many frost heaves from the preceding year still present. About two miles short of where this narrow road intersects with the state highway that would take home I came upon fresh pavement so I sped up a little and took that turn a little faster than I should have. What is odd is half way through the turn I was opposite the entrance to a campground my wife and I frequent and did not look at it once before crashing. I think I was a little surprised at how soon I had reached the entrance thinking it was further down the road. I do remember hitting the brakes and then looking at a spot on the road just to the left of the right side. That spot is right where I landed.  The park rangers at the campground were very helpful in helping me get the bike off the side of the road and into the entranceway. I was amazed the bike started and rode it 40 miles home over a roundabout route to avoid some of the bigger towns as my headlight was now filled with grass and dirt. I found out later that the forks were bent and twisted to the right about 5 to 10 degrees. I went back up there a week later on crutches and hobbled around for an hour trying to figure out what had happened. It wasn't until several days later that I figured it was target fixation.

[kpinvt]

 Dang! I left out the fact that there was nothing unusual about that part of the road. The only difference between that spot and the rest of the road is I had been riding under the cover of trees overhanging the road so it was quite shady until I got to the campground entrance which is in an open area with no overhanging trees.

[bikerfish1100]

well KP, with the additional info you offered, i'm guessing that "target fixation" was the straw that broke the camel's proverbial back. but in a more general sense, it sounds like with all the events of that day that you were in a state of emotional and mental overload/exhaustion even before you locked into your landing spot, and it was more than mental draining that caused the getoff. here's what i heard-
you were angered about the delay due to the paving job, feeling rushed to get to your meeting time/spot, had a stressful and "mind consuming" ride up the hill, got more annoyed waiting around for friends that weren't there, were ticked about the forgotten lock, had a repeat of the stressful ride down the hill, experienced a likely adrenalin hit to the body and brain from the 12 foot brake lock up (and the physiological decompression that comes about 15-30 minutes later as it releases from your system), and the stress of riding that frost heaved forest roadway. All of these peices acted to drain your "attentional back account" even more. Riding those technically challenging roads such as what you described takes a great deal of mental energy out of us, but in a way that we may not readily recognize. Keith Code talks about having $10 of mental energy to spend, (and you can never withdraw more than that from your account), and you had already spent a boatload of it on a variety of "purchases". then, when you finally get to some clean pavement, you speed up, and likely as not you entered that corner faster than you were ready to handle that day at that time. on another day, or without all the stresses you'd been through, you would probably have been fine. the fact that "I think I was a little surprised at how soon I had reached the entrance thinking it was further down the road" is another indicator that you were mentally not where you needed to be.
with some self reflection, you'll know whether my analysis is pertinent to you or not. if so, your best preventative solution would have been to take a break after getting off that frost destroyed road- but in reality most of us would rarely be willing to do that under conditions that you've described.  fix #2- recognize when you are mentally stressed, and keep your speeds down to a safer level so that you can better handle the inputs and operations.
also- how much experience did you have on the LTD? changing bikes every year (and heading downhill in the performance venue at that) does not lead to improved capability, especially in changing from a sporty modern bike like a SV650 to an older cruiser like  the LTD.

 

[kpinvt]

 (Hope this isn't too much info.) As far as experience on the LTD, it was about three times the SV, which isn't saying much. I bought the SV while I was shopping for an LTD. I was led astray by a pretty face. The SV was a great bike on the road so long as I was moving, as soon as I stopped, the bike would head for the pavement. I have no idea why that is. The last time I rode the SV I dropped it at a stop sign in front of an oncoming car. I barely managed to twist my upper body away and push against the side of the car to avoid having my helmeted head run over. That incident kept me from riding the bike for the next two months. I would suit up and just sit in my living room while trying to work up the nerve to get back on the bike. I finally traded the bike to a contractor for a new back door and eleven vinyl windows. I did not want to admit defeat and sell all my gear on Ebay like the guy I bought the stuff from who got spooked and quit. I found the LTD here in Vermont in a barn about 50 miles from my house and to tell the truth I should have left it right there, 40K miles, loud pipes and missing or inoperable equipment. The bike never ran very well and had a persistant over heating problem that would not allow me to ride any further than about 40 miles without having to stop. Anyway, I put about 800 miles on the bike. After the crash and after finding too much damage to justify spending the money to fix the LTD I decided to junk it. I don't have a garage, so working on the bike in my driveway would be a big problem. I bought the SWing after figuring out what I wanted most in bike and saw this bike on Ebay with lots added equipment and jumped on it.

[Windblown]

You're saying you have about 1000 miles total experiance on bikes and have been down twice?

Now don't get me wrong, I've been down a bunch of times. But two in the first 1000 miles would be enough to make most folks ride scared.

My suggestion: Short rides, don't ride unless your head is into the RIDE. Practice emergency manuvers everytime you ride.  

[bikerfish1100]

 (Hope this isn't too much info.) The SV was a great bike on the road so long as I was moving, as soon as I stopped, the bike would head for the pavement. I have no idea why that is. The last time I rode the SV I dropped it at a stop sign in front of an oncoming car.

think about where you were looking when you would come to a stop. likely as not, your eyes were down on the ground, so it would be totally natural for the bike to want to follow. as you (should have) learned in your classes, keeping your eyes up helps to provide the balance that you need in riding.
sounds like moving over to the SW was a good call.

[Corbeau]

If something is a big enough distraction, it will pull your vision, and your bike, in that direction.

[BLARNEY]

 I have rehearsed a little mantra in my head over and over and over.

 I yank it out in times of panic.


 look through the turn
 ease of the brakes
 turn the bike


 This has got me out of more bad situtations than I can count.


 Tom

[kevin_stevens]

 I have rehearsed a little mantra in my head over and over and over.

 I yank it out in times of panic.

Works for me.

KeS

[bikerfish1100]

 I have rehearsed a little mantra in my head over and over and over.

 I yank it out in times of panic.

Works for me.

KeS

that could get you into just as much trouble as it might get you out of.  

[Mr Sunshine]

that could get you into just as much trouble as it might get you out of.  

wtf?

[kpinvt]

Yep. You're absolutely right.

[R1150RTMark]

wtf?

Read Nick Ienatsch's book, 'Sport Riding Techniques' (if you haven't already )and I think you'll see what bikerfish1100 means.

But in reality - Blarney was talking about yanking the MANTRA out of his head.

Ease off the brakes (or better yet - onto them) is exactly what Nick preaches.  Smoothness.

MEthinks there was a little miscommunication going.  I don't think Blarney was talking about yanking the bike - but rather yanking the mantra out of his head.

[bikerfish1100]

actually, i was referring to Kevin's idea about "yanking it out in times of panic" as being a good method for getting out of/into trouble.
same as he had previously.




it's a joke son, i say, it's a joke.

[shah269]

Dude it happens to the best of us. It can happen to you at 10mph or at 100mph.
I don't know but some times it just happens, the more you ride and the more classes you take the better off  you will be but some times....it just happens.
My two cents, get your self back up clean your self up get better and get back on the bike.
If not then sell it all off and pick up a safer week end hobby like knife throwing!
But dude it just happens!

[cbsnbiker]

Thor's response is helpful.  You other guys need to stop being patronizing and get down out of your pulpits.  Almost the same thing happened to my wife in April 2005.  She took the BRC in August 2004, so her problem wasn't lack of MSF training.  In her words, it was simply inattention combined with a panic reaction.  It happens.  She analyzed her mistake, figured out corrective measures and moved on.  

Until you know what the OP's actual experience is, statements like "taking a class before you even get on a m/c again" and "Sounds like you've done you're initial learning on the couch" are just obnoxious.  Get over yourselves.  

You didn't address me directly, but I think I can throw some light on this.

The motorcycle community has already made great strides in embracing the idea of novices entering riding by taking a BRC (or equivalent) course, and already-experienced riders brushing up on their skills by taking an ERC (or equivalent) course.

Recent crash studies strongly suggest that riders who take a riding course demonstrate the benefits of it (in reduced crash statistics) most strongly in the first six months after the course. Alas, crash studies also demonstrate that crashes and fatalities are on the rise, most prominently in the older generation.

In what I assume is a constructive response to this, the MSF is moving towards emphasizing lifelong learning. So, instead of just taking a BRC and calling it a day (or a life), riders can benefit from continuing their riding education throughout their lives. This can take many forms including: riding (of course), reading books, attending seminars, networking (as we're doing on this board), and taking additional riding courses.

kpinvt described a scenario that can be addressed quite effectively by taking an ERC (or similar course). He could tell his coaches about his experience and request that they focus on countersteering. Then they could help him achieve his goals.

Think of the ERC as one form of continuing education--but a lot more fun than some refresher course for work. At least I hope so.  

[cbsnbiker]

 (Hope this isn't too much info.) As far as experience on the LTD, it was about three times the SV, which isn't saying much. I bought the SV while I was shopping for an LTD. I was led astray by a pretty face. The SV was a great bike on the road so long as I was moving, as soon as I stopped, the bike would head for the pavement. I have no idea why that is. The last time I rode the SV I dropped it at a stop sign in front of an oncoming car. I barely managed to twist my upper body away and push against the side of the car to avoid having my helmeted head run over. That incident kept me from riding the bike for the next two months. I would suit up and just sit in my living room while trying to work up the nerve to get back on the bike. I finally traded the bike to a contractor for a new back door and eleven vinyl windows. I did not want to admit defeat and sell all my gear on Ebay like the guy I bought the stuff from who got spooked and quit. I found the LTD here in Vermont in a barn about 50 miles from my house and to tell the truth I should have left it right there, 40K miles, loud pipes and missing or inoperable equipment. The bike never ran very well and had a persistant over heating problem that would not allow me to ride any further than about 40 miles without having to stop. Anyway, I put about 800 miles on the bike. After the crash and after finding too much damage to justify spending the money to fix the LTD I decided to junk it. I don't have a garage, so working on the bike in my driveway would be a big problem. I bought the SWing after figuring out what I wanted most in bike and saw this bike on Ebay with lots added equipment and jumped on it.

It's hard to diagnose exactly what's going on with your riding without actually seeing you in action, but we might be able to give you a few helpful tips.

For example, you mentioned that your SV worked well for you except when you would come to a stop. Herer are a few ideas of things that might have led to this:

• Do you keep your eyes up and square the bars when you come to a stop? If you look down and/or are leaning at all when stopping, that can lead to you tipping over.
• How do you use your brakes when you stop? If your instinct is to grab your front brake, that can cause you to tip over as your front tire loses traction. This will be exascerbated if you do so while still leaned over (without squaring the bars).
• How well did the SV fit you? If you are short legged, you might have had difficulty reaching the ground with your feet.
• Etc.

As others have suggested, maybe you should consider taking an ERC again. You could tell the coaches about your experiences, and ask them for help in diagnosing the problems and helping you practice skills that will help you improve your riding.

How do you like that Silverwing? I haven't had the opportunity to ride one yet. I'd like to do so someday.  

[Jeff N]

These are some good responses, but may I offer some of my own?

First, what is target fixation? That's an easy one. Your focus has been locked onto a particular object.

The solution? Learn to recognize objects outside your focus.

What are you doing right now? You're reading your screen, right?

So, in front of you you've got the screen (of course) but what surrounds it? A whole bunch of detritus, no?

Turn the machine off.

Sit in a chair set in front of a wall that has a central object but maybe has some objects scattered about the same wall.

Go ahead and focus on your central object.

Now, without moving your eyes, can you notice what else is on that wall? Is it a picture? Remember, don't move your eyes.

Was it that curious sculptural form of stucco on your wall? Remember, eyes straight.

Oh look, that's our wedding picture. Eyes still straight, but you noticed it, right? (It's the car that's gonna pull out in front of you) You can't give details of the pic (like the maid of honor was hot and you can't remember if you did her) but your eyes are still straight yet you noticed it nonetheless. And you reacted in a positive manner. You remained focused on what's truly important and that is maintaining a true and safe course. You can explain it all later. The important part is that you survive this turn.

For now.

Sit in that chair and focus on that object. That's your horizen and point of exit. Whilst seated try to pick out all the bits that might be of interest without moving your eyes.

It's an easy exercise.