The story of the frog in cooking water, and where a CB should never go

[Inhouse Bob]

Oh, this I could feel!
And I can obviously relate, the switch from cruising happily along, perhaps even going slow to take in the views, to whiteknuckling the grips while somehow performing a virtuoso improvisation with zero room for error can be pretty sudden.

I don't have a lot of experience on dirt bikes, but one time I paid for a day of riding with a group around on mountain trails on the South Island of NZ (right about where Gondor was set in the LOTR films), and the instructions I got always come to mind when I'm on dirt: Sit as far forward as you can. Almost as if you're trying to sit on the tank. Imagine straddling the fork. You want to change your stance to where you feel that you're part of the fork assembly, not sitting comfortably on the rear wheel. Do not give a single thought to what the rear is doing, just muscle the front wheel to where you need it to be and let the bike sort out the rear end. I do this, as much as it is possible on a CB1100 anyway, and I haven't wiped out. Whether it's been a factor in my success is unclear, but it does give me a sense of being more in control. After all, cornering is vastly different on pavement and dirt, not very weird that there are different techniques. Some times it certainly feels like I avoid danger using skill, and even if it is an illusion, it's a good feeling.

This is the technique I was taught to use when just doing U-turns and parking lot maneuvers! We each face our own challenges