Crisis of Confidence

Originally Posted by lily

Hovis sat behind me, as that is how i felt comfortable

Christ! I like to keep Hovis where I can see him - you never know when he's going to wind up that 'Blades throttle and go off chasing M3's!

I passed my test a couple of years ago but I don't ride that often and since I got my SV I have also experienced this lack of confidence. This weekend though I faced a lot of my demons and although it was terrifying I am glad I did it. We rode up to Cadwell for the weekend - right up to the last minute I was considering wimping out and taking the car but no, we rode. I followed OH most of the way up there and it was fine (he is a good steady rider - I felt safe following him). Day 2 came and we went out for a ride around the area. It was raining - I don't ride in the rain - and I didn't know where I was going. We were a bit picky about where to stop for lunch which meant lots of pulling into pub car parks (often gravel or poor surfaces). I lead for 50% of the time as I had the map! Day 3 we went to the circuit and watched BSB - even that meant riding with loads of other riders about and going cross country on muddy grass. Day 4 rode home, I led the way for a lot of it.

So 500 miles later I feel quite proud of myself. My slow speed control has improved, my confidence has improved, I have a few more miles under my belt. I think I bonded with my bike, I haven't felt this comfortable since I sold my GPZ500 - which was my first bike.

So ride, ride, ride. I know it's hard and I am as guilty as anyone of making excuses and taking the easy route (i.e. the car!) but in my experience it is the only way to increase your confidence.

Good luck with it. x

Originally Posted by Toypop

Reading the original post, there are a few things in there that really scare me.

Personally I'd stop riding now and evaluate in your mind why you are riding in the first place and what your motivation is etc.

At the moment I am not sure you should be on the road and probably need a lot of off road followed by a lot of on road supervised training before you venture out on your own - and only then if you state of mind is complete different to how it is now.

That's really helpful!! Well done.


Silverelephant, ignore that post. Just get out there with people you know and get confidence.

You've had the confidence to pass the test so all you need now is road miles. The more you do the easier it will get.

Keep riding!

Originally Posted by Jester666

That's really helpful!! Well done.

Not helpful but not unwarranted IMO. If a 17 year old car driver posted saying they had no confidence and weren't sure about going out cos they were so scared then would you not want to question why they were on the road? Would you not think they posed a potential danger to themselves and others? It's obvious that Silverelephant does need some confidence boosting at the moment in order to not be scared - a scared rider is not a safe rider.

Originally Posted by Jester666

Keep riding!

I agree with this - but it sounds like it would be useful to get some friends to ride with you and help build up your confidence. If you can go down to some industrial estates or something and get the feel of the bike controls, accelerating and braking in a controlled environment etc? Once controlling the bike becomes second nature then you can get out on the road more worry about the other traffic.

Originally Posted by Toypop

Reading the original post, there are a few things in there that really scare me.

Personally I'd stop riding now and evaluate in your mind why you are riding in the first place and what your motivation is etc.

At the moment I am not sure you should be on the road and probably need a lot of off road followed by a lot of on road supervised training before you venture out on your own - and only then if you state of mind is complete different to how it is now.

That's ridiculous and not at all helpful. People are saying she needs more practice, which she does, but surely admitting that is a good thing? I need more practice, a lot of people do and you never stop learning.

She's passed her test, said she had a minor hiccup and is now having a confidence crisis-she needs time and experience, that's all.

Personally, if I were you, I'd stop typing now and evaluate what your motivation is.

Originally Posted by shonadoll

That's ridiculous and not at all helpful. People are saying she needs more practice, which she does, but surely admitting that is a good thing? I need more practice, a lot of people do and you never stop learning.

Agreed. I've been riding 14 years and still make mistakes!

Originally Posted by shonadoll

Personally, if I were you, I'd stop typing now and evaluate what your motivation is.

Quality reposte!!

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by silverelephant

In the meantime if you see a black SV going far too slowly in the Central Scotland area it'll probably be me, give me a wave

Hello & welcome to the site

Just picked up on that bit on the first page. I passed my test last year in may and went out with a few mates who all had supersports and seemed to be able to skim through corners & keep on accelerating where I was doing half the speed & felt like I might not make it around.

Everyone has been a 'new rider' at some point and riding a bike really is a continuous learning process which never really stops. Practice and experience will give you plenty of confidence. It's probably better to take corners slower than you need to, then next time you come through, pick up your speed a few mph and feel how the bike handles. Don't expect to thrash through straight away.

You also said that you'll plan a ride out with your neigbhour, then within 5 mins start freaking out about what could go wrong - what sort of things are you panicking about? Just wondering

Don't stress yourself about this kind of thing, because you will end up talking yourself out of it - just take your time, ask all the questions in the world, practice and remember you're the one in control of the bike. You're obviously safe & competent enough to be on the road because a test examiner passed you I'd defo go for the bikesafe/extra training and maybe when you're more confident (and if it's your sort of thing), some track days to really feel how capable the bike is in a safe environment.

Above all, enjoy yourself

Pt6

Originally Posted by stewie

Just get a few miles under your belt to get used to the bike and being out in town, country etc, no ones an expert straight off so bite the bullet and go and do it, like now, right now, get your gear on have half an hour on it, you,ll feel a lot better for just going out and doing it, dont sit and think about it, get your lid and leathers on and enjoy the bike for 30 mins or so.

Well that was the kick up the ar$e I needed! Just been out for a leisurely wee half hour as suggested, decided to go back and tackle the dreaded left hander.....not a problem at all Wondering now why I was getting so worked up this morning.

Some very helpful peeps on here thank you all! I'm not (that) daft, I know that passing your test doesn't instantly qualify you as the "best rider ever" it merely means I'm legal to be let loose on my own and I know I've got a lot to learn, I'm not gonna learn anything by sitting on me bum complaining about having no confidence

So here's to us newbies, looking forward to one day being able to say to someone in a similar situation "been there, done that, here's my advice". Let's face it we've all got to start somewhere, it's a shame some people forget that they were ever learners!

Originally Posted by shonadoll

That's ridiculous and not at all helpful. People are saying she needs more practice, which she does, but surely admitting that is a good thing? I need more practice, a lot of people do and you never stop learning.

She's passed her test, said she had a minor hiccup and is now having a confidence crisis-she needs time and experience, that's all.

Personally, if I were you, I'd stop typing now and evaluate what your motivation is.

It's hard to give advice to someone who is not confident or afraid of their motorcycle. You really don't want to push someone (however indirectly) into doing something that they do not wish to do, particularly something as hazardous as this.

I think we all need to step back once in a while and consider why we do this, why we ride. I know I do, I think it's healthy to. We shouldn't ride for the wrong reasons.

Anyway, I actually agree with your post, I just understand why some people are so wary of encouraging people to ride if their heart is not in it. It's easy to say "just get out there and get some experience", but on the other hand, if the person really wanted to do that, they already would have. If they do it because they've been told to, is that really a good thing?

You have to approach riding with a positive mindset. Even if you lack confidence with the machine, you have to be confident that riding is something you really want to become good at. You have to be the only one that encourages you to climb onto the bike.

Specifically to the OP: If you're positive, and enthusiastic, then you will become an accomplished rider in no time. Just remember that you can do it (you've passed your test, you know what you're doing), and make sure that you only ride when you're in that positive state of mind. There's no need to hurry yourself, you'll have your license for a long time. Enjoy it, don't ride if you're not enjoying it.


Edit: Well done, sounds like you've made good progress and parked the bike up with a smile on your face, which is the most important thing I bet you turned and looked at her as you walked away

Originally Posted by Paul the 6th

Hello & welcome to the site
<snip>
You also said that you'll plan a ride out with your neigbhour, then within 5 mins start freaking out about what could go wrong - what sort of things are you panicking about? Just wondering

Hi PT6!

We seem to have got our wires crossed a wee bit here, what I meant was I always find that I settle down a bit after the first 5 minutes or so. My problem this morning was a self-enforced inability to get past this, but as you'll see above I soon kicked it into touch.

A half an hour ride might not seem like much to some but it's all time on the bike and experience, plus it lets my muscles gradually get used to a position that is slowly starting to feel a bit more natural