Getting nervous now.

Yep, I agree Nothwind , 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!

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 . 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.

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.

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]

Originally Posted by colinbal4

Yep, I agree Nothwind , 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.

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.

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.

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

yer head must be buzzin wiyh all the answers u have had. .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

[STRAMASHER]

Can't beat the feeling of getting a new bike, being nervous just means your alive! 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!

Good luck
Andy

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