Getting nervous now.

[stuartyboy]

I'm in need of a confidence boost. New SV only 5 days away but reading through the forums I'm a bit worried now due to this wee spate of bad luck some of the guys have had. It's dented my confidence a bit.

I went out on my 125 tonight but I was very tentative and felt nervous on the bike.

Have most of guys and gals had offs at some point? Has anyone never had an off in all their time of riding?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Rog]

You will at some point in all probability drop your bike. It happens to nearly all of us and can range from an embarassing drop at the traffic lights to the scary off that Big Ape had sometime ago. (most of the offs are the former not the latter)

I personally have had an off on my RS125, going to fast into a corner I didnt know and my inexperience did the rest. came to a stop in a bush with the bike off in the other direction. Luckily mostly my pride and my bike dented and not me.

IMHO most offs are caused by rider error or inexperience. Ride within your own limits and build yourself up slowly to a speed you feel comfortably with.

A comfortable speed for you, coupled with observation and forward planning will see you right in most conditions.

You can do a lot to reduce your risk but you wont remove it completely. Heck if you could, some of the silly grin factor would disappear as well.

Last but not least DONT TRUST CAGERS. Slow down for blind junctions and bends, make yourself as visible as possible and if the worst happens, aim for the gap.

[l3xus01]

dont worry about it just enjoy :D try and get out with someone experianced helps a lot :wink:

[scooby2102]

nah, dont worry about what might never happen, just go ahead and enjoy the new bike

mind and post some piccies when you get it

[Scooby Drew]

Don't ride like a tw@ and you'll be fine, promise :wink: :lol:

[dirtydog]

Don't ride like a tw@ and you'll be fine, promise :wink: :lol:


the voice of experience there then :wink: :lol:

[colinbal4]

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook -- Buy it and read it!
ISBN: 011341143X

http://www.whsmith.co.uk/WHS/Go.asp?isbn=011341143X&DB=220&Menu=Books

WHSmith shops should stock it. Ignore the picture on the website, the latest revision has a blue cover.

A lot of it is obvious stuff and sometimes a bit boring to read, but each chapter has a few paragraphs that are feckin' invaluable so read it all.

When you pick up your SV, if you don't get given a "A Street, A Track, An open road" DVD, then ask if they have one, if not you can borrow mine. Its not a training video as such, more of a bike version of "Faking it", but contains a few good tips. Don't go and buy it anywhere though, its not exciting enough to go and spend money on.

Most importantly, ride with confidence and really enjoy your riding. Practice the skills in the book and turn them into an art form to be practiced until perfect. If you take control of your environment, you have no reason to be nervous, and you'll have a great time.

Most IAM advanced courses are booked up for this summer, but I'll be doing it next summer. Teaches advanced skills for dealing with traffic, weather, country roads and high speeds.

Have Fun!!

[Stu]

I went to my first IAM meeting last night, with the first 'Observed' ride on Sunday. They didn't say anything about it could ever possibly be fully booked. I know each area is different and only loosely affiliated to each other so depends where you are. but definitely check it out, there are usually observed rides once a month and you don't have to start at any particular time (e.g. start of summer).
I read somewhere to give a bike to an IAM member to run in - IMO they don't necessary stick to double digit speeds and single digit revs!

[colinbal4]

Good point, I'd forgotten about that.

Was it an IAM meeting you went to with a training school or a Bike Safe meeting with the police?

The bike safe meetings are a good thing to attend as well. They will give you a one hour lecture and explain some of the things in roadcraft face to face, then will book you in for an assessed ride with the police during which they will be giving you their comments and tips on your riding. see www.bikesafe.co.uk.

Stuartyboy - try to get to a bike safe meeting, a quick call/email to these guys, tell them your in Fife and they'll tell you when/where the next meeting is.

Insp. Colin Shillito - 0131 311 3418/3088
email: colin.shillito@lbp.pnn.police.uk

Or

Constable Douglas Jameson
email: douglas.jameson@lbp.pnn.police.uk

[northwind]

The SV Ecosse forum is hexed, I tell you. Just crash it now and save time :)

Really, you will be as dangerous or as safe as you want to be. You acn't eliminate all the risk, but crashes are very rarely about lacking in skill- it's more about going too fast or too hard for the skill you have, and that can happen to a DAS pass or to an IAM instructor with 40 years of experience. Avoid that, and you'll do OK.

[colinbal4]

Yep, I agree Nothwind :D , and I disagree :? about the lack of skill bit.

On the country road blasts you're absolutely right, folk crash because they push it too hard for the skill they have, or in Garry's case, hit something unexpected in the road. Its the "pushed it too hard" accidents that push statistics sky high and make the non-biking public think bikes are more dangerous than base jumping! Skill can still become relevant on the country roads though, when it comes to getting you out of the trouble you've just got yourself into.

I recently rode behind a guy who made me cringe. He'd barrel into corners too quick and if the corner tightened, grab the front brake mid corner, stand the bike up and head towards either the hedge or the white line. I was getting ****ed off with the slow pace and with ending up nosing his number plate every time he bottled a corner, and he was nowhere near having his pegs down. Only he knew where we were going so I couldn't just overtake, so I ended up dropping way back just to get a smooth ride. All he needed to do was lean the bike in tighter and give the throttle a squeeze.

I used to be similar (though not half as bad!), and when I was 19, I crossed the carriageway and ended up in a field on a left hander, just a few scrapes and bruises, but there could have been a truck inbetween me and the hedge! I panicked becuase nobody had taught me any better, and to be honest I wasn't interested in learning, I was 19 and I only wanted a bike to commute and go fast on the straight bits at the weekend. After that my old man bribed me into getting a car. I haven't owned a bike since until last month (11 years).

In town and on motorways a lot of newbie crashes are due to things like "grab the front brake" panics, locking the front wheel and coming off. The presence of mind to transfer weight to the front first before squeezing like hell is a mental skill that has to be learnt. I was 17 on L plates wearing jeans and a t-shirt when I did exactly that at 35 mph (a car pulled out on me). It took 6 months for me to get my skin back! In those days protective gear consisted of a leather jacket with no armour and pair of walking boots!

I'm still not confident now that in a real "**** myself" emergency stop moment, I wouldn't lock the front. Some days I **** up corners and I'm just not happy with my own riding. Other days I touch toes on a tight bend and get a shock when I look at the speedo. Thats why I want to go and do more training.

For a one liner your advise to Stuartyboy is damn good advise, but newbie crashes do often come down to lack of skill. DAS and so on only train you to pass the test. It doesn't teach you how to handle a bike.

Stuartyboy - read the book!

[DAX]

Lotsa good advice there stewart iv'e been riding on and off for 30 somthin years, the best thing i think is not to try to keep up with others and dont let anyone force you to corner faster than your happy with , dont let folk say the chicken strips on your tyers are to wide or you havent wore your footpegs down yet,o the worst one kids saying doo a wheelie mister DONT it will end in tears. and its not that clever !i never do wheelies honest :oops: . one old geezer i know who has been riding [including in competition] said to my young lad when he got his ist bike on the road,said "DONT BE THE BEST RIDER SON BE THE LONGEST" good luck and take care m8.

[Anonymous]

well here i am going to spout my iam stuff (to all newbies I do this all the time)

glasgow north and south both have groups which run every week until October. no matter how long or short a time you have been riding get along. its £85 for the course which is all training books and test fee.

it will give you plenty of tips and make you a safer and faster rider.

[Quedos]

I ain't dropped mine yet. but the yet is the big thing. I'm sure it will happen at somepoint. Eveything said past is true. Go with your gut instinct if its too fast it probably is.

I've had a close one and that as near to it as I want to get - IAM here i come - once the cars fixed!

[northwind]

Yep, I agree Nothwind :D , and I disagree :? about the lack of skill bit.


Good points, well made. I reckon some of them do describe outriding your available skill, rather than th amount of skill being dangerous, but some definately are a lack of skill, you're right.

I do know that of my 3 crashes, 2 weren't caused by a lack of riding ability- they were caused by switching off my brain.

[colinbal4]

I reckon some of them do describe outriding your available skill

Yes I suppose your right, lack of skill wasn't the cause of my left hander screw up, and I'm not going to claim "the corner tightened up". Although it felt that way at the time, I've never seen a corner change raduis Harry Potter style just to make you crash.

I went in to it too fast for my skill level - plain and simple. The bike was certainly capable of doing the corner at twice the speed.

Having said that my lack of skill at the time was still a factor. I wouldn't do the same thing now. I might crash from tipping in too far and loosing grip, but I wouldn't bottle it and stand the bike up. Had I understood the importance of front/back balance at the time, had I been taught the skill of cornering properly, I probably wouldn't have crashed.

[colinbal4]

Anyway back to Stuarts question about "has anyone never had an off". A statistic from Roadcraft - "the average rider starting at 17 will have had more than 8 accidents by the age of 35".

The reason for Stuart to enjoy his riding and not get too disheartened by the recent accidents, is that to make those statistics, the "average rider" had to get to the age of 35! The "average riders" eight accidents were minor spills with little more than a broken bone, bruise or bit of skelped skin. It hurts for a week then you get back on the bike.

[SVTONYB]

Stuarty my tuppence worth would be to get out on the bike and get experience .

If you are new to the bike take it to an industrial estate or similar and spend a few hours stopping and starting, accelerating and slowing down etc so as to get a feel for the bike at slow speeds. Good control of the bike at slow speeds is a must especially in town.

Ive had the SV for 4 yrs now and it is a great bike before that I had a 125 for a year. So thats 5 yrs and about 25,000 miles Touch wood only ever been rubber side down.

Dont ride like an idiot but at the same time dont be afraid of it just treat it with respect and have loads of fun.

Get yourself along to our rideouts and enjoy youself

[l3xus01]

yer head must be buzzin wiyh all the answers u have had. :shock: .some of it is sound and some iffy... the book readin for me is ok but get it out on the road be it an industrial estate or a decent road and have ur self fun you will pick up in time by listening and goin out with experianced riders... u will find a speed u are happy with and as ur experiance grows ur speed will just follow....some of the best riders i no are a real fast pace but always aware of whats around them and some of the worst are ones on powerful bikes and not a clue about gettin round a corner safetly and are as slow as a week in jail which i think can cause confusion with other road users'''''' i hope u really enjoy it and dont worry to much mate as we all been there :wink:

[STRAMASHER]

Can't beat the feeling of getting a new bike, being nervous just means your alive! :lol: Getting a brand spanker SV will cap some over exuberence as you will want/need to run it for 1000miles, you'll not be thrashing about as on a 125. After its run in you will be confident of how the bike feels with brakes and handling.

Put the hours and miles in, and you'll be right! 8) :)

Good luck
Andy

Would leave your 125 in the shed for the moment tho' :wink:

[stuartyboy]

Cheers guys and gals thanks for the great advice.

I'm really looking forward to the new bike I can't tell you and the nerves are not so bad now. I just had a crap night on the 125 the other night and my head went down.

A bit about me - I'm 41 going on 21. Been on mountain bikes forever. My mate and me decided it was time to get some power between our legs so we both went and did our DAS. I must say that even the CBT opened my eyes a huge amount - and I've always been considerate to anyone on any form of 2 wheels.

There are parralells between mountain biking and motor biking that I seem to have brought accross - braking and suspension. You learn excellent front brake control on the down hills and learn how to feel what your suspension is doing. Where the huge difference is in the power, weight and size. It's taken me a good bit of getting used to but it's introduced a slight element of fear. That and all the negative stuff people say when you tell them you're getting a bike.

I've never actually been out with anyone but I'm looking forward to that.

Cornering is great (even on a 125) and it'st he best feeling t do a series of corners well.

I know that it's all down to experience so I just need to take things easy and enjoy it.

Oh...forgot. Thanks for the advice about the roadcraft book. I actually bought one just after I got my test. Great book and a constant lavvy companion.

Roll on Monday! A whole weekend of dreaming and excitement.