motorcyclemeditation.com

A hundred miles to Norwich on Friday, back to London on Sunday. Thirty miles into the return journey, the road narrowing to a single lane for ten miles, weekend traffic flowing each way at about forty miles an hour, sometimes faster, sometimes slower.

The motorcycle stratagem, evolved over dozens of journeys on this exact road, if the cars are moving, don’t overtake, just wait. And if they are moving, only overtake if there’s no oncoming traffic in sight. This philosophy having been tested under demanding conditions, namely, long minutes sitting on an eager motorcycle, refusing to budge. With rueful regret, refusal to be caged lying deep in motorcycling’s mindset, but tough, alongside the freedom comes discipline, discipline, discipline.

This ambivalent discomfort aggravated by a Harley pulling out five cars behind, overtaking contemptuously, passing about five more cars, noisily pulling in. This performance repeated, then again.

The road stretching far ahead, straight and only slightly undulating, allowing a good view. Gaps in the oncoming traffic occasionally only small, the Harley overtaking a single car before pulling in quickly. Fine judgment required for such a thing.

On my motorcycle, watching, thinking, what’s the incoming data behind the judgment. Speed of oncoming traffic, speed of motorcycle, speed of the car in front. All difficult, especially the speed of oncoming traffic. All needing flash assessment, without opportunity for studied observation. One mistake, result, head on collision.

Far more difficult than on a motorway. There, everything’s going in the same direction, you have as long as you want for observation, in fact that’s half the fun, and a mistake just means backing off or maybe a glancing brush against the side of another car.

The Harley rider no doubt congratulating himself on the fineness of judgment. Someone should tell him, on a motorcycle fine judgment is fine, avoiding the need for it is finer.