Not interested in being on a first-name basis with your local ER staff ? Recognize fluctuations in your situational workload and focus your attention accordingly .

Story by QUINN REDEKER / Photos by KEVIN WING

IN THE SUMMER OF 1982 , I revolutionized my motorcycle riding experience . After ingesting a pile of microwaved Ball Park franks , I strapped a Sony Walkman to my hip , buckled into my Bell Moto III , and hit the new construction lots above my house in Granada Hills , California .

Everything was business as usual until I hit the play button , which caused the Sex Pistols ’ “ God Save the Queen ” to rush my eardrums , full send . Immediately a pulsing heat drove through my body as my heart sounded the war drums . It was time for battle .

Before I could fully process my situation , my right hand unilaterally summoned full power from the 26.5-hp 2-stroke motor inside my now wildly excited Suzuki RM125 . The landscape was a blur from that point onward . I can tell you , without a doubt , I had never gone faster on a motorcycle in my life . But as you already predicted , the magic carpet ride ended moments after the Zook clicked 5th gear , because that was the point at which I was magnificently catapulted from a jump-into-sweepingright-hander section and thrown into a drainage ditch . And yes , I still have an awesome set of scars as a reminder .

When I reflect on that fateful day of minimal parental supervision , I ’ m still in awe at the complete lack of personal safety and zero situational awareness I exhibited . Somehow the music must have made me lose focus , coordination , and awareness within an environment I was intimately familiar with . Well , that was the conclusion I came to all those years ago . And for better or worse , that thinking stayed with me into my adult life as a motor cop , recreational street rider , and racer . Simply put , unless you feel like hanging out and telling jokes at your local ER , don ’ t play music in your helmet .

But I love music . In fact , if you followed me around you would find me singing , air drumming , and waving my hands like a drunken aircraft marshaller while I exercise , talk on the phone , drive my car , work on my bike , and do just about everything . Like it does for you , music enhances my life in just about every conceivable way . And while I ’ ve shunned it from the helmet for all these years , recent observations of my buddies swinging and swaying down the road to Steely Dan have made me feel like I ’ m missing out on an enhanced experience . Maybe the 12-year-old Quinn got it all wrong when he was jacked up on juicy , meaty franks , and playing music in my motorcycle helmet isn ’ t so bad after all ? Well , yes and no .

While I do think that listening to music in my helmet can positively impact my enjoyment , it can negatively impact what is called “ attention allocation .” This is the way in which attention is divided in a complex environment . Riding a mo-

62 / APRIL 2025 / RIDERMAGAZINE . COM