What makes good/skilled or a bad/unskilled rider as such?

[Phoenix]

What 398 says is pretty much what I'd say. Example, had to follow 2 kids on CBR400s last saturday, I had a pillion, they didn't and my brakes have gone really shite for some reason. I told them this and to take it easy. They shoot off at stupid speeds overtaking on blind corners, squeezing throught 4ft gaps after an overtake, trying to wheelie (yes..a 400) backfiring.

Then when we get there one goes, my backpacking was slowing me down so that's not the quickest I've done that road (he had a sleeping bag on his back). Right, well I told em to take it easy so they obviously didn't. And I find biking is full of twats like this who just want to show of constantly and ride like they don't care if they die as long as there's never a vehicle infront of them or a person behind them who isn't having to keep the throttle pinned to keep up. Usually I just keep up, only once have I just said fuck it and gone home coz they were gonna wind up dead but I don't understand the mentality of them

[Shaun]

[1cyl]

The real headcases are all in my age group, 16-19, and i know cos for a while i was riding like i didn't give a shit. then i suddenly woke up, and found that i didn't need to kain it everywhere risking my life and that of others, so now i do it all a bit slower and smoother. biggest trouble is i'm still riding out with a load of kids some of which haven't realised this yet .

And its them that are keeping the insurance up for the rest of us poor penniless teens .
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Chase my Witch up, Catch my Snitch up.
The SMC | The Pit | Stable

[carvell]

I know what you mean.

On my 125 I used to go as fast as I could everywhere, I did the same on the BROS when I first got it.

Just recently, however, I have realised that I don't need to be doing crazy speeds like that and have calmed down, I now follow 30 and 40 limits and I usually get to places in the same amount of time.
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Yamaha TDM 850

[Luke_Retrofly]

Hi
In my opinion, a good rider is some one who knows how to ride well and can handle it. I picked fastest times on the track. We are looking at skills and weather or not he is a good rider. To do proper fast times on a track you have to be damn skilled, know how the bike works and handles and be able to push the bike to its limits. Ok he may not be the safest but in my view he will have the most skills. Though when I say he may not be safe it might be the opposite, you've all heard the "panic mid corner" stuff and binning it when on the breaks, a good trcak rider will know the limits and be able to stay carm in a difficult situation (Sh*t am i going to fast for this corner) kind of thing.

Luke

[Laura]

[Dusty]

I'd say a good rider (although this is a bit of a vague term) is one that can push their limits just far enough. By doing so they become faster but don't crash (at least not too much). In the end it's probably a combination of all the elements motioned in the poll and a few others besides, that make an all round 'good' rider.

Also as said above a rider that can keep their composure and not see red just because their mate has overtaken them, is in my book a good rider. In my opinion a lot of crashes and near crashes are caused by competition, often between friends.
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Gallery

[Frost]

The best rider on earth has proved himself purely on the track. it shows exactly how good someone is at pushing their bike to the limit and no further.

This is not however a practical skill, as getting your knee down at 140mph isn't exactly useful when commuting in city traffic

a truly skilled rider can do whatever the situation allows for. if in city traffic a skilled rider will do all their safety checks, and filter slowly. yet will be perfectly capable of winding the throttle open on the country lanes.

[dandit]

I cant say what a good rider is but a bad rider is my mate I think he's only riding because I do but he's crap he always falls off he's got no clutch control he's always to tense and when he rides he just looks like he's holding on for dear life and that he don't really want to be there take his last crash for instance 2 days before it he done the same thing but without the broken bones I told him how to avoid but 2 days after we was in mc donnalds carpark and he decides to do a doughnut he gets half a circle and it grips so what does he do tense up full throttle dump clutch shit him self then grab a hold of front brake whilst still on full throttle result front end sliding out hitting a big plant pot bike landing on top of him me pissing myself laughing and him with 4 broken bones in his foot I mean what a spanner he don't learn that was 3 weeks ago he had emergency surgery a few screws and bits of metal and hes now cut his cast off and working again and riding I've told him I don't think he's going to last long on the road he reacts to slow and I just don't think he should have a licence
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WHAT DO YOU MEAN 100 MPH THATS IMPOSSIBLE I STILL HAD 3 GEARS TO GO OFFICER. Currently riding a naked cbr 600 and driving a 52 plate 2litre tdci mondeo

[Robby]

Dandit - try using some of these:

. , ' : ; ?


They make it all lot easier to read.

[craigT19]

isn't a combination of all of the above a good thing?

surely being fast and flowing through twisties..and the same on the track is just as important as advanced skills?
doesn't the ability to ride fast yet safely (like police riders) show confidence in your own abilities etc?
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Bikes owned :- 2001 nsr125, 1999 zx6r, 2006 yzf-r1, 2009 xmax 250, 2012 yzf-r1, 2015 MT-07
Current bike : - 2016 MT-10
BCF member pops. sadly missed 1945-2003

[dandit]

[mrchips]

It is all well and good being able to take the bike well over the ton on the twisties till a tractor pulls out...

Personally I see a good rider as someone who is safe and fast but sensible - slacking for blind corners and stuff.