Been a few offs lately...
 

A few unlucky peeps on here have had 'off's' lately and it was playing on my mind earlier when I went for a quick spin, didn't really settle and enjoy it that much..

Only passed last weds so still gaining experience of the road at higher speeds you can do on your test. My cornering is quite slow, well tonight it was V slow as it had rained round here in the day. Coming up to a mini roundabout the road was clear ahead and I couldn't see anything coming from the right so I was winding it up and suddenly a car shot out of nowhere at speed and I had to put an emergency stop into practice!

Gonna put it down to experience and make sure 110% that there is nothing coming before twisting the throttle again. The old ticker was going a bit though esp as I was feeling a bit uneasy anyway. Suppose we all have days like that?

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Yup, I know I have off days.

I was one of those that recently had an off. Mine was down to my own stupidity initially, but then my sensability after that. Locked the rear coming to a bend & decided to throw it on the floor rather than have a head on with a dry stone wall.

Because I know why my off happened, I know how to go about correcting it. I set off tonight on my way home, damp road, opened the throttle coming out the car park, straight over a manhole cover. Back end stepped out a little (more like a wiggle) & my reaction was simply ":D"

Take it easy on off days, and do whatever feels right the rest of the time.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

As long as you know you are having an off day, take it easy and bimble around. Concentrate on seeing everything and not on going fast.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

speaking to lots of people it seems everyone has days when they feel like they cant ride for toffee... I call them my lego man days when I get on the bike and just look like I am a lego man on the bike!

It will take time to build confidence and speed isnt necessarsily the main objective out there! ;) Just take your time and the rest will come.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Sage wisdom indeed from the one that rules ;)

Cheers Mark.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Glad its not just me. Had a mega crap day yesterday.
As long as you acknowledge the mistakes you make and learn from them.

Mine was so bad I came to work in the car today. (Plus it was looking rather lonely and neglected as it had not moved for a fortnight).

Looking forward to getting back on the bike tommorow mind.

Lego man, I like that. :D

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Sometimes it feels right, sometimes it doesnt. When it dosnt, i back off and take it easy. When it does, i have a good enthusiastic go, but with a dash of caution always.

Offs happen, but if your protected you'll stand a good chance of walking away. Take it easy riding, and build yourself up slowly. Cornering is an artform that takes a few thousand miles to get the hang of, then the rest is spent perfecting it. You'll get there, Im slowly understanding what needs to be done to corner nicley.

Still a wobbler though!

Matt

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

As one of those making up the recent statistics...
My advice is it's all about observation. If you get that right you won't have a problem.

getting it to that high level is really difficult though.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Glad that people are finally realising that I RULE!!!!:queen:

:takeabow: .. but no pictures will be provided as evidence!!

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Like Baph - mine in October was hit a dry stone wall head on or drop it going round a right hander doing about 50mph. I dropped it. The bike skidded along and i hit the wall instead. Hurt like feck for a few days and my big toe is still black months later (my only scar).

Good thing for me I think was that i was about 20 miles from home and had no choice but to get straight back on and ride it home. I hated every second of it. The next day when it came to going to work i was just about to step on the bus when i changed my mind and got the bike out. Best thing I did. 2 new tyres gave me loads more confidence too.

When you get a scare like that "off days" come quite a lot but they do disappear. Not completely though.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

bignev, strikingly similar actually.

Only mine was about 40mph, over cooked the rear brake, didn't scrub enough speed & binned it. Neither me or the bike hit the wall, luckily. Only minimal damage to the bike.

I had a car with an old couple stop (they saw it) and a van driver offer to stick the bike on the back & give me a lift. I was a good 50miles ish from home.

The bike was ridable. The first couple of miles were treated with extreme caution. I wasn't sure if I'd missed anything on the visual inspection I did by the roadside.

After that, business as usual. Until I went for the back brake again & almost put my foot on the floor. Oops.

Not riding isn't an option, I just get on with it. You ride hard, you fall hard.

Off days tend to get shrugged off pretty quickly. There's nothing like jumping back on the horse straight away.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

What a difference a day makes...! :p

Been out this afternoon and after 10 mins or so it was all flowing very smoothly. Did a bit of commentry in my head, picking out potential hazards etc so I knew when to slow and when I could go quicker and the cornering felt better too. Took time to pick my line and look through the bend not at the road and it felt much better. Trouble is everytime I go for a spin I do around 100 miles, my bike is gonna have an astronmical milage soon :o .

Stopped off at a local garage (PDQ in Taplow) and asked about getting my brake light fixed (wasn't activating on rear brake). Was thinking i'd have to book it in and leave it with them but the guy came out from behind the service desk and took a look at it. 5 mins later he had fixed it, no charge..

Happy days :cool:

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

I talk out loud in my helmet, and often sing. Why bother thinking to yourself when you can safley say all the pratish things in the world in a Murray Walker voice ("ooooooooh! he's pulled out on matt! He wont be pleased!" etc etc) out loud? :D

Matt

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Firstly very jealous of you all :smt089 :smt068

LMAO Matt :D

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Remember that it's not a race, better to arrive at your destination late in this life instead of early in the next one. We all have our 'Lego Man' days. Ride at your own pace.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Sage words.

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

After riding for 43 years, I'm still learning and I think I'm improving!
Some days, though, it just doesn't feel right, so I usually cut my ride short and head for home. Today was fantastic, however! I've just broken in a new BT021 tyre and the handling is back and I had wonderful ride around one of my favourite windy roads.I tend to drive my car like an old lady, but I ride my bike as though everyone else on the road wants to kill me , and I'm determined that they wont! I ride fast but careful and I haven't crashed on the road since 1965. Touch wood, quick.
I'm visiting the UK later this week, travelling around England and Wales with my family. May run into some of you (not literally). If you find an old guy with a funny Canadian/Yorkshire accent checking out your SV's, don't worry, it's only me.
Oldie

Re: Been a few off's lately..
 

Everyone has off days.....If I go out for a ride, and it doesnt feel right...I usually come back in.

Seeing as though you've only just passed.....dont expect too much of yourself, too soon. I have only been passed my test 8 months, and the best bit of advice I was given was 'never ride beyond your capabilities', never do anything your not comfortable with.