Riding with your sixth sense

January 8, 11:13 PMDC Motorcycle Travel ExaminerMark Poesch

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A couple of years ago, I posed the question in my blog, "Why is it that all children are taught that they have only five senses...." And followed up with the observation: "Doesn't a sense of gravity (i.e., acceleration) count as a sixth? ...could you live without it?"

So, after a lively debate with one of my loyal readers, we both discovered the "Senses" wikipedia article of the time, and the confirmation that not only are there more than five senses, but in fact (at the time) a total of nine!  According to the list today, it appears that there is now a collection of senses roughly classified as a 10th sense related to the internal sense of stretching.

But, driving into work this morning, running over icy patches in the road with cruise-control on reaffirmed that there is an eleventh sense!  It's one that is more abstract than the others, or rather, a hybrid of Touch (pressure), Balance and acceleration, and Kinesthetic sense.   But it is not the same as the others, and is a distinct sense itself -- not fully described by any of the other ten.  Let me explain, and then see if you don't agree with me: 

As a driver, or more importantly, as a rider -- with only two wheels -- your sense of the traction of the vehicle is based on feedback from breaking and throttle pressure, steering feedback (pressure), acceleration, and your overall sense of your body and forces applied to the controls and the seat (kinesthetic sense), -and- your expectation of how the vehicle will respond.  As drivers, we're mostly unconcerned by this sense until we hit unusual conditions -- especially by surprise: sand or gravel in the road, hydroplaning, black ice.  Then, that sense kicks in.  Although it's relatively undeveloped in most of us, it's sufficiently present to cause that familiar panic reaction.  At a minimum, we do sense the loss of control. 

For motorcyclists, this sense can mean the difference between life and death.  Find out why in Part 2.