Nervous Riders Query!

Originally Posted by clodge

That would be great - thanks! I've also rung the IAM and we're going to their meeting next Tuesday at Panshanger

OK, see how you get on there, but the offer still stands if you feel it would be helpful. Nice to get some more of us girls riding!

i think what you are feeling what we all feel to be honest, as it was posted above you have to put the miles in.. the instructers will teach you the basics and how to pass your test.. but not road experience. as fizz says if you put the miles in you will get your sense of confidence.. but by all means an IAM cause is always advised they are very comprihensive and lower your insurance over time. the SV in its standard form is very forgiving so your on a good machine to learn the bigger CC bikes feel and attitude.

you will be all good

in my personal oppinion as far as stopping is concerned i always keep my foot on the bake when stopped. just incase some idot dosnt stop in time and rear ends me. i figure it should stop the bike from flying away as i fall off!

Bazza

Has any body got any top tips for making the leap from a 125 to the SV?

I am soon to make the jump, when the weathers a little nicer and have saved up the insurance (just under £1400 is the best comp quote I have had so far!!). I have a years worth of 125 exp and am very proficient in my riding of that).

I have joined the IAM and will start my observed rides when I get the SV and I will be harassing the local car parks when I pick her up but any thing else to particularly watch out for?

Cheers in advance,
Pix

Your speed.. and cars.. they are normally two good choices

Pointless advice after all that's gone before but just to add my plus one.....

IMHO the turning right thing is just because you not familiar with the bike. The whole how many revs/ what's the clutch going to do/ how far can I turn stuff - on top of the "is it safe to pull out now".

Practise will sort this - familiarity breeds familiarity.... so quiet roads & car parks etc are good just to get used to the how the new bike works (without having to worry about the 5 mile tail back) and bob's your mothers sibling

If I'm driving someone else's car I always look like I should have L plates for the first 5 mins... Riding my brother's bike the first time I looked like I'd never seen one before...same sort of thing.


Enjoy.

Cool, let us know how it goes! Unlil then get to the carpark and practice those starts while turning

The impression I get is that you, like everyone else, has been taught to pass the test.

What you need to do is throw most of that crap away and just keep the 5% of it that is any use in the real world.

If you try riding in real life like they expect you to on the test you would soon have an accident. I would therefore recommend that you don't let the pipe and slippers IAM brigade further mess you up.

In the real world I attribute far more risk (99%) to what is going on in front than what is going on behind (the test seems to have it at 50/50) so I don't bother with 95% of the life savers etc but use the mirrors more. I'd suggest keeping your eyes forward more and throwing out some of the other checks that are taking up too much of your attention. Sounds to me like you are overloaded and it is all too much to fit into your concentration capacity.

I only have my foot on the rear brake if the bike is trying to roll. If someone hits me from behind it is a joke to think that I'd keep my foot on the brake and that it would stop me being thrown 50ft through the air!!!!!!!!!! There is no way anyone should need to be consciously thinking about that whilst at a junction.

You just need to go out and ride a lot on quiet country roads. If you still don't feel comfortable after that then you are maybe not cut out for riding.

IMO the SV is not the best learner bike and does require more advanced skills especially in clutch and throttle control. It can be a tricky little bugger on tight junctions or mini roundabouts as the throttle is very snatchy and on-off. A Bandit would have been a lot softer and easier to control.

[Biker Biggles]

I think this is mainly a basic confidence and practice issue and nothing to get too worried about.You highlight the pulling out turning right thing which is actually quite a tricky manoevre as you are pulling away from a left foot down position,hence the bike will be leaning left then turning right.Much easier to do from a right foot down IMO but the experts say no.Also experience teaches you to stop the bike angled slightly to the right making the turn easier.All this comes with practice but we all struggle with some manoevres no matter how long we have been doing it.Keep at it.

Just to add to what people have said.
I found a quiet road and practised loads of turns in the road to get the hang of balance on the bike. It really improved my confidence when it came to manouvering in the traffic.

I found it really helpful to do the bikesafe course. It's only £30 (i think) and it was useful to follow experienced riders and have them give me riding tips.

Riding round with friends who were more experienced than me also helped me enjoy riding more.
Good luck with it!
mary