First Solo Ride

Morning all.

I had a great weekend. I picked up my 650s and took it out on the road for my first solo ride. For those of you that said in my introduction thread last week, that I'd love it, you are completely correct. It's fantastic. It feels totaly different to the honda 500 that I learnt on and I can't help but look like a grinning idiot when I'm on it. OK, so I stalled it more times than I'd like to admit (very frustrating/embarrasing when you do it twice at the front of a queue at some lights!) but by the end of the trip I was feeling better and better.

OK, so I'm riding really slowly on it (well, up to the speed limit anyway) and taking the corners carefully, but I'm sure that after some time I'l get more used to it and more confident and will be able to treat it the way it deserves to be treated. Whilst I was out on the local twisty country roads I was zipping along quite merrily thinking that I was going quite quickly when some bloke on a massive easy rider type moster (as you can tell I've no idea what it was - lots of chrome!) overtook me and flew around the next corner. How he managed it I'll never know, but it made me realise that the bike will hold the corner far more than my confidence will allow me to take it.

I suppose what I'm getting at is - how long after you passed did you start to feel really confident on the bike?

I'm taking it out for my fist night time ride tonight and again the thought of that is both exciting and just a little scary. I'm such a baby!!

Great news and really glad you`re enjoying yourself. Your confidence will come and by the sounds of it it won`t take long. Take care and carry on enjoying yourself.

[Viney]

Nice one Stu. I have been riding my SV for 10 years, and its still a far more capable bike than i am a rider an that goes for every rider imho.

Just take it easy and enjoy your riding. It will all come with time.

Riding confidence just comes with time and milage an not something that you think, oh, im better now. Its a gradual thing and you just get better. You start taking corners a little faster, braking a little later, hanging off the bike, knee dragg....you get the idea. Just enjoy it and learn form any mistakes that you may make.

I had a Honda CB500 for a year before my SV and yeah, the difference is huge. The CB500 was no slouch but the SV was like a rocket in comparison. Take it easy for a while as it will catch you out if you're unwary.

Glad to hear you're enjoying it, though. I think it was at least six months before I felt a somewhat confident, but even so it's easy to feel confident when everything is going smoothly, you have to be ready to handle something unexpected, it's when you panic (and grab the front) that things can go wrong.