Testing the Limits of Yourself & Your Bike Survey

[Crane]

Dear participant in the "Psychological Desire for Control, Testing the Limits, and Australian Motorcyclists" study

Thank you for completing our survey on motorcycling behaviour - your time and enthusiasm were very much appreciated.

You can find a summary of the study on the following website: http://www.deakin.edu.au/psychology/rese...lingstudy/

Cheers,
Catherine & Lucy

We speculate that riders with higher desire for control are engaging in more speeding and stunting in order to test the limits of themselves and their bikes, improve their skills, and become safer riders. They then may have fewer traffic and control errors because their riskier riding has led to them becoming more skilful and safer on the roads. However, it may also be that riders with higher desire for control engage in riskier riding only in environments where traffic and control errors are unlikely to occur. Obviously, more research is needed, to better understand these findings.

Interesting observations but a bit incomplete dont you think. I didn't participate in the survey but I consider myself (white, male, 40's, blue collar) to be a person who takes zero crap and has very high expectations of myself when it comes to exercising control over my life.

However I dont find that speeding or stunting is a part of my riding life and I think that my desire to maintain control over my destiny is a major player in that. Speeding tickets and the possibility of an impersonal government taking away my right to ride as a result has me much more interested in improving my skills by riding my best in an environment where speeding is not really an option (very twisty road) or where its legal (track days etc). I think you should have differentiated between irresponsible skill enhancement and riding purposefully for the same result even if it is on a public road. You also didn't give any age breakdown relative to either the riding experience of participants or the control they expect over their lives.

So without blathering on I think the above poster has a point, even expressed as it is In my opinion your last sentence above sums it up; Its a bit like taking a course of antibiotics, if you dont take the whole lot the bug just gets stronger. So since its obvious to you that more research is necessary to understand the findings, do it inclusive of your current research for, from what you've written, there is every chance that some polly with little better to do could take what you've so far done and run amok with it.

Regards