What makes a person an experienced rider?

[hooligan13]

I think you can't be considered an experienced rider until you have at least 4 or 5 thousand miles of mixed riding(highway and city)under your belt Many can be considered a good rider but experienced???? Just my opinion from an experienced rider(20yrs,over 75,000 miles)

[MicheleZ]

I put in 4,000 miles in three months (new rider), riding in all sorts of traffic/roads, met with deer, dogs, etc. I practice Ride like a Pro stuff every weekend that weather allows, but no way in hell do I consider myself experienced.

[flw]

I'm not sure if anyone is ever really a fully experienced rider in all environments, which I think is the point of the question.

Yet there are many experienced riders in limited environments.

Paritial list that everyone could add a whole bunch to such as:

Inner city
high way
country
desert
mountins
plains
rain
snow
ice
high winds
two and four legged creatures on the road

The worst would be misc. By misc, I mean the rock from the truck or the old guy that didn't turn his head as he almost plowed right into you or the stupid people driving in general or the low flying flock of birds or the boat load of turds from the cattle truck up ahead or the dump truck with a loose tail gate carring gravel plus thousands more you all could name.

All the driving in a straight line only counts if your drunk and the person your talking to won't rememeber any advice you gave.

No I'm not experienced but like most people we all can and will smell BS advice sooner or later.

[gsJack]

I've ridden over 350k miles in the past 22 years and I'm going to get a bigger bike as soon as I get more experience.

Every mile you ride is practice for the next one.

[m1a1dvr]

I would not count myself experienced buy any means. I have only been riding for one year and ahve about 8k miles under my belt. But I have to say that I think everyone can give a good piece of advice. On that nobody else could give, regardless of riding time and miles.

[qwerty]

to become old and wise, first, you must be young and stupid.

Actually, to become old and wise, you must survive being young and stupid.

I don't think experienced rider is one with many close calls or crashes. I think an experienced rider is able to foresee and avoid close calls and crashes. To wit an wreck I once worked:

Three lanes heading south. One bike in each lane. No other southbound traffic. A Buick approached on a side road to the right, pulled up to the stop sign, left turn signal flashing. The rider in the right lane noticed the driver was looking to her right. He backed off the throttle, checked his mirrors, and covered the high/low headlight switch. The rider in the center lane noticed the Buick, covered the brake and clutch, but continued at a steady speed. The rider in the right lane did not notice the Buick. The Buick driver turned her head to the left as she started to pull out in front of the motorcycles. The rider in the right lane flashed his headlight several times, and made a safe, controlled stop as the Buick driver slammed on the brakes, stopping across the first lane, just as the rider in the middle lane grabbed the brakes and slid by inches from the front bumper of the Buick. The rider in the left lane was caught by surprise, locked up the front wheel, and went down.

The kid in the right lane probably saved his father's life because the flashing headlight caught the Buick driver's attention and she hit the brakes. His grandfather was in the left lane, though with many miles and years experience riding, was on his first ride on his first bike with a front disc brake. Fortunately, injuries were mostly to his pride. I wish everyone sufficient experience not to take any new experience for granted, no matter how many miles, years, or varieties one has under the tires. Experience is no replacement for thinking.

[sawguard]

I think an experienced rider is a rider who, EVERY day, rides as if he/she will be able to ride the next day, and the next and the next without damaging himself, his bike or anyone else.

Riding may be best as a double emotion experience..joy and caution, and all their affiliated components.

Any other emotion; annoyance, resentment, jealousy, anger, envy, competitiveness etc., etc., is guaranteed to, at some point, disrupt the ability to ride the next day and the next without damaging yourself, your bike or anyone else.

Even the Pros I've seen ride, competitive, but cool, very cool.

[Fathertork]

An experienced rider is someone who has logged many miles as well as many experiences.

You know you experienced when you are in a live threatning situation and your subconscious part of brain takes over (no time to think), and you do all the right things and live to talk about it.

I hope you never have to find out if your experienced