motorcyclemeditation.com

A distinctive encounter on the motorcycle today. Just over sixty five on the speedo, sixty true allowing for exaggerated speedometer calibration. The fifty speed limit clearly too low and widely ignored, except for around speed cameras, the yellow cubes and laddered road markings eliciting a great comic deceleration, the resultant chicane adding to entertainment, risk, and fuel consumption all.

Other motorcycles proceeding at similar speed, also cars when the blockages clear. Slower and you’re out of sync with the traffic flow, a situation carrying significant risk. Faster and it’s more than the road construction can safely take, plus, if you’re caught the penalties become more significant. The traffic settling into a natural rhythm, bound by these constraints.

Such however passing unnoticed by the inexperienced. In the outside lane, overtaking, a sudden blur as a small motorcycle passes, sharing my lane. Learner plates, no protective gear, and a preference for zigzagging. All correctible habits over time, if he has any.

This learner seeming to find something very interesting about his motorcycle’s back wheel. Seventy odd miles an hour, three yards behind the car in front, closing perceptibly, and the rider’s taking a few seconds at a time to inspect his rear tyre. Occasionally looking up, taking only minor interest in the traffic flow, then prolonged looking down again. One small change in the traffic rhythms and it’s gore and twisted metal.

About eighteen years old, you can almost overhear conversations with his friends, how he thrashes motorcycles ten times the size of his. On my motorcycle, backing off, not wanting to aggravate the situation, also feeling discomfort at the mere sight, not wanting too close a view if it all goes wrong.

A few miles on, no sight of any major accidents. So he’s one of the survivors, put ten such on the road and over a year one or two won’t make it. When that happens, the motorcycle stats won’t pick out the riding habits, all you’ll hear is how dangerous all motorcycles are.