Field of vision & eyes on the road

When riding I try to look up the road a few seconds ahead. Sometimes my vision wants to look down to see the road right in front of me...

The thing I noticed the other night is that I focus on what is in my field of vision in front of the bike, in the direction I am traveling. I found it difficult to look around as I rode. So if I heard a noise, someone yell, movement to the one of my sides etc... I really just ignored it and maintained the sight in front of the bike.

What is your experience with using your eyes and ears?
Thanks...

Years of riding has made me more comfortable taking my eyes off the road briefly. Never watch the pavement right in front of your tire. It is a natural instinct to do, but it's a bad habit. Look as far ahead as you can and NEVER focus in on debris or any object you need to avoid. 9 times out of 10 doing that will make you hit the object. As weird as it sounds, your bike will follow where you're looking which can put you in or get you out of a sticky situation. For that same reason, I'd advise against sightseeing from the riders seat. It's really hard not to look around especially when you're in a scenic area, but until you can keep the bike from following your gaze, you shouldn't do it too much.

When riding in traffic watch as many vehicles ahead as possible while keeping an eye on the cars to your sides. Position yourself in the lane where that ability is optimized.

This is not meant to be offensive or an attack on your riding abilities (which I have no knowledge of ) but.... it might be a good idea to do some formal training again. Maybe at least an ERC (Expereinced Rider Course). Short of that, may I recommend reading one of the Proficient Motorcycling books. You will find your answers there.

As mentioned, looking down while on the bike, is a very bad habit to get in to. You should, at minimum, be looking far enough ahead so you can react if need be. The MSF calls that reaction distance the "Immediate Path" of travel, which they define as about 4 seconds ahead. The "Anticipated Path" is a 12 second lead ahead. If you are not seeing possible hazards at least 4 seconds ahead, and something happens, it is doubtful you will be able to react in time to avoid the hazard.

Tunnel vision or concentrating on only what is directly in front of you is also dangerous as you are not seeing possible hazards outside your tunnel. It's the "Head on a Swivel" concept, scanning your environment and making judgements about possible hazards.

Yea I noticed years ago that where you look the bike will follow. Comes in handy if you need to avoid something like potholes etc. But never focus on something you don't want to hit. Basically I have always treated riding the bike like driving a car. Try and watch whats ahead and to the sides in the case of intersections so that you are aware of any hazards. The main difference in the car and the bike is I allow more distance on the bike than I would in a car.

Fuzzybunny said:

Yea I noticed years ago that where you look the bike will follow. Comes in handy if you need to avoid something like potholes etc. But never focus on something you don't want to hit. Basically I have always treated riding the bike like driving a car. Try and watch whats ahead and to the sides in the case of intersections so that you are aware of any hazards. The main difference in the car and the bike is I allow more distance on the bike than I would in a car.

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I've known that fact for over 40 years, yet I couldn't figure out why it was so hard t miss those square reflectors on the stripes, then one day it dawned on me to look at the spaces in between.

You have to keep your eyes moving when you ride, threats come from all directions.

I will occasionally play a game with myself where I ride with the very least amount of input possible (steering, braking, accel) This forces me to observe and plan as far ahead as possible (something I already do, but this forces the mind to run the routine constantly) It is also good practice for very low traction conditions.

Yes, your attention should be on where you are headed, but don't ignore other stimuli that may be warnings or similar.
If you are simply saturated already just concentrating on piloting your bike down the road, you should train yourself to switch your area of attention from forward, to side-to-side. The majority of your attention will be on what's ahead, but you should take some portion of time to enhance your situational awareness and recognize what's around you.

At night your sight distance is limited to what your headlight illuminates so you may feel like your gains are up and are riding over your head despite moving at the same rate of speed. It is also physiological that your eyes will be attracted to the brightest area. You have to resist that lizard-brain reaction.
Make sure your headlight is properly aimed, put your attention at the edge of your headlight and use other light sources whenever possible to see what's coming (such as other car's headlights or streetlights).
Add aux lighting to your bike if you are riding alot at night and can't seem to get comfortable. The extra lighting can help.