Superstitions - Got any?

[Pigeon]

Took 28k mile Striple for MOT. Passed with no advisories.

My old man used to always wash his car before taking it for an MOT. His theory was that an examiner would note the general care paid to a vehicle and be more likely to pass it, or put a borderline fail as an advisory knowing you'd sort it ASAP.
I suspect that this approach was without merit. An examiner will be lenient where they can to keep repeat business, but fail a fail because they don't want any bad comebacks.

Regardless of my views, I always do the same as he did (and have done since 1997). It's partly a nod to my old man I think.

So today I parked a sparkly shiny Striple at work with a fresh MOT......and it pished it down all the way home


Anyway, do you have any superstitions or habits which you know probably don't make much sense but you do anyway?

.........not sure I should be asking BCF about its strange habits

[arry]

Never drink gin with a pigeon. And if you do,take at least 3 shits next day before setting off from an available loo.

[G]

I think that's quite reasonable - both on a conscious and unconscious level.
They are there to judge safety of the vehicle and a lot of people will link a clean vehicle with someone who's willing to spend the time maintaining thier vehicle.

[chickenstrip]

I had this thing for a while where I used to say what amounted to a little prayer before I went out on the bike.
Something like, "let there be no breakdowns, crashes or need for ambulances today"
I notice that I haven't been doing it for some time
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[ADSrox0r]

Yeah I found I've always unconsciously put my hand on the tank while warming up in some kind of weird effort to appease the machine spirit. My MOT man once shouted out the window at me "the fuck you doing you daft sod you're supposed to ride it not stroke it"

Meh, each to their own eh.
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Current bikes: '08 VFR 800 VTEC(yo) , '07 ZZR1400 Winter hack: '95 Aprilia 650 Pegaso Currently lusting after: RC30

[Polarbear]

When I used to work on 30 year old rust bucket ships I used to get up in the morning, go down the control room and kiss my hand than tap the makers plaque and say 'Please let nothing break today'.

I do it on my own boat now.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[grr666]

I pat the steering wheel whenever my car/van completes a long journey.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
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[stevo as b4]

I have maybe sat on my bike in the shed, stuck my foot out straight with the bars turned to full lock and pretended I'm Kurt Nicoll or Dave Thorpe, and I'm leading the British GP on a works SR500 or RC500 factory monster.

Ain't admitting to it on an Internet forum though!

[pepperami]

Things have to be ‘right’ before I go out on my bike.
The fish tank light has to be off in the house and I have to double check I’ve locked the front door.
Then onto the bike, I pat the tank and say “C’mom baby we can do it”

Weird I know
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[Wonko The Sane]

[bhinso]

Never test the depth of the water with both feet

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

I have this stupid system of karma sometimes - where I imagine that if I'm courteous, and ride like a considerate person, so consideration and courtesy will be paid to me in return, and in equal measure. It's absolute bollocks - but thinking about it right now, I suppose it's that kind of assumption that's at the base of all kinds of moral and ethical thinking, be it western and/or eastern. Christian, or other. Then again it might just be a form of common fucking sense - aren't we more likely to treat someone well if they treat us well? And where do Nietzsche and Ayn Rand figure in this crap. Answers on a postcard marked 'wasting time on a friday afternoon by posting conjectural shite on the internet.'

We're sorry we can't return your pictures but we give a small prize to those that we do show (then burn the fucker on a massive pyre of losers' crap after everyone's gone home).
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Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Howling Terror]

^^^Vision-On were killers of children's creations and I will hate them until I die.



Not always but have heard myself saying 'Don't kill me and I won't kill you'.....but that's with an ex.

Nope not superstitious but prefer it when people say 'Ride well' instead of 'Ride carefully'.
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[Skudd]

Left boot on before right, left glove on before right.
A shower before a long ride
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Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[thx1138]

[Tamsin]

It stems from the nautical... but if anyone whistles in a theatre I lose my shit!

I have a daft thing in the car where the stereo volume must be an even number and all my vehicles have to have a "mascot" of some kind - the CBR has an anchor butter monster zip tied to it for example

[Shaft]

Didn't start as a superstition, but it's sort of become one - when I designed my first racing helmet, I chose the colours red, white and black.

Over the years that has expanded to all my kit and now, I won't buy any riding gear unless it's available in any combination of those colours.

As for silly habits, I think mine is quite common, but for years I didn't know I was doing it - I leave a leg trailing behind when I pull away from a standstill, as if I'm leaving the start grid of a GP.

Lots of people do it, I still do it on the super scooter, I've never known why racers do it, or why I (and others) do it.
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[MCN]

I get back in between other vehicle when 'making good progress' along the highway and by way.
Any 'observer' will possibly miss my vehicle in the crowd.
Doesn't work as well if the 'observers are in un-marked cars.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[pepperami]

[chickenstrip]

[stevo as b4]

My mate used to have a CG125 as his first bike, so I got one too just to fuck about on and commute to an evening job and night school class.
We used to filter to the front of 40mph dual carriageway traffic lights and do full on drag racing starts, head down legs dragging at back. His Brazilian CG used to beat mine every time with its wild south American horses.

I never had the balls to do full race launches on anything bigger, best get my coat.

[Hawkeye1250FA]

There's a huge wooden horse set up as if it's jumping out of a field on my way into work past a garden centre.

I always give it a nod.
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1993 RF400R - 2002 Bandit 1200 - 2012 1250 FA

[TheDonUK]

I don't fill up £13.00 - 13.99 worth of petrol, i'll stop before or brim it ridiculously full to get to 14 quid.

Mind you less of an issue now on the C90...
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[Current Bikes - GSXR-750 K5 & C90-97 ] [Previous Bikes: Runner 125, YBR 125, GS500, Bandit 600, Hornet 600, ZX6R-99, C90-99, R1-99, XT600E-04, GSXR-750 K4, CRF250L '16]

[FretGrinder]

When locking the door to the house, I focus on something that isn't usually there. For example, I'll lock the door then immediately look at the next car that is driving past the house. That way I'll remember the car and that the door was locked at the same time.

Helps me when I'm going down the road and wondering if I locked the door or not.
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ಠ_ಠ

[thx1138]

actually, I realised I do sort of have one, whenever I've ridden green lanes in locally, after I done the last one, and I finish the last twisty bend on the edge of the countryside coming into town, I always look back across the valley at a big old white building on the side of a hill, before I turn off the hill and am back in town, always.