Performance Anxiety (first time rider)

[Rawr01]

its nearly the beginning of the riding season; not just any, but my first, an i'm a little freaked out. i've been asking around an' there are differing opinions on the subject of "crash avoidance". some say you are going to go down...a lot; its inevitable. period. but there are about as many who claim they have never crashed and still others who say that if they did crash it was the result of some calculated risk, a foolish mistake, or circumstances beyond their control. i even had a dream where i had to avoid some hazard and nearly came to a complete stop...then tipped rite the f#@k over. forgot to put my feet down. something i've heard about, but never thought could really happen. in the the dream i thought "so this is how it happens". in my previous life i had a similar thought during a near fatal overdose.

so where does that leave me? obviously, i can't keep some idiot in a car doing something stupid. i can, however, do my best to spot them before they spot me, or don'tspot me, i should say. but what else can i do? i mean i am of course concerned for my own safety and well-being and all that, but i also like my bike. i've (perhaps foolishly some might suggest) done a few things to it already. ; a cf belly fairing; my exhaust is currently off to a JetHot coater; and thinking they look cool as hell and would help make me more visible and better able to communicate my intentions i added bar end signals and mirrors. that's just the start. crazy as it sounz, given the choice between some minor injury that i would eventually recover from and turning my signals and mirrors into expensive handlebar sliders i most certainly would take the former. but what can i do?

here's a few of ideas:

once i get the bike back and the weather begins to cooperate my intention is to find some large open areas of tarmac (closed businesses, schools, etc.) and just spend literally hours familiarizing myself with the controls; turning, stopping, and maneuvering (especially at low speed).

take plenty of early AM back-road rides like before traffic (watch for deer); not to push it or go fast, but to gain confidence in the machine and get comfortable turning at speed. altho the physics and logic of riding on the sides of the tires seem sound enuff, the whole concept is still messing with my head.

i also intend to plan my commute and ride times and routes so that i will have to deal with the minimum hassle cuz i can see how easy it could be to be distracted or get pressured into doing something stupid by some prick yelling or honking or whatever else. situation like that i'm just gonna try an keep a cool head and play my own game.


i am enrolled in the motorcycle safety course for early april.

well, that's as much as i've been able to come up with on my own. any advice, pointers, cautionary tails, or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

below: a work in progress

[jc.cyberdemon]

last year was my first year riding, i hadnt really planned on owning a bike and never even had a desire to. My o5 620 kind of just fell into my lap and knew i HAD to learn to ride it. I had never ridden a bike so I was a bit nervous. right away i got on and had no problem using the clutch and it felt pretty nice testing it out in my driveway. I decided not to take the course as I didnt really have any cash. I took a written test and passed it and they gave me 30 days to practice before the riding test. The following 30 days I rode everyday every chance i had. no parking lots or anything just streets and twisty and just rode. took the riding test and passed no problem. I never felt to afraid on the bike and just focused on my riding position, braking, throttle control, and mostly trying to get my cornering down on the back roads. obviously you have to always be aware of whats going on around you and be ready for anything but dont let it overwhelm you or your not thinking about getting any better as a rider. sorry for the long post...bike looks good btw.

[thought]

in general, calming down, relaxing, and not thinking about crashing is one of the easiest ways to not crash imo

i'm basically in the same boat as you jc, its my second year riding, and what i found is that not worrying is the best way to go about it... which is not to say that you shouldnt always be aware of what's going on.

whenever i'm riding, i always tell myself that i should only be thinking of one thing... riding.  and at all times, staying relaxed on the bike.  arms not tensed up, legs and core doing most of the work of holding onto the bike, and always scanning ahead of me for any issues that might come up.  and anytime i find myself thinking of something other than riding, i give myself a mental headshake and refocus.

also... i avoided commuting on my bike till 6-8 months of solid riding passed.  commuting hours are the times when the roads are the most full of distracted drivers, and after a day of work, when i find myself to be the most fatigued and distracted.  i spent nights/weekends riding casually till i felt comfortable enough to deal with all the issues that come up during the commuting hours... and even now, i only do it on a irregular basis.  i would suggest that if you are this worried, you might want to hold off on it too.

either way, once you get a couple of more miles under your belt, i'm sure you'll relax just fine   and pay attention in the msf course, and reading a couple of good riding books wouldn't hurt either

[jc.cyberdemon]

that being said i got my bike with just over 6k on it and now it has over 13k and i didnt get my bike till mid summer. a week after i got my license i went on a group ride here with a couple other members and founders. a bit intimidating to say the least! Looking forward to this season as now i have full gear and my bike is all modded up!

[DoubleEagle]

Being nervous and anxious as a new rider is natural.

It's not how you want to be when you are riding however.

One thing that I did that really helped me a lot is read the book by Keith Code " A Twist of the Wrist ."

He might even have 2 out , 1 and 2 .

He addresses  all aspects of the things that most all riders do wrong that 'cause crashes and what to do as far as how to ride , the skills of riding that will enhance your ability to be a better rider and avoid the most common reasons for crashing.

It's in fairly large type so it's fast reading and it's easy to understand.

 As you put into practice what you have read you will gain confidence and with that comes an ease so that you will feel more comfortable on the bike.

Just remember...never let your focus be taken from the road in front and up to 1/8th mile in front of you...not for a second.

Losing your focus is one of the fastest ways to lose your bike and crash !

Best of luck and read that book.

Dolph     

[stopintime]

Of course you're nervous - human nature.
That doesn't mean you're not going to be good.

Practice and pay attention.

 [moto]

[Turf]

Step 1. Grab chopsticks

Step 2. Catch Flys

what everyone else said was good stuff too.

[zooom]

RULE #1 = RELAX...a tensed up rider is a danger to themself...whether it be yoga or finding your chi or getting a blowjob, do whatever it is you need to do to be relaxed before you get on the bike and maintain that whilst mounted and riding.

RULE #2 = Your thoughts are going to be a direct input to exactly what you are going to do. MSF and many other books and riding folks will tell you this. It is more exampled in your actions, and so if you think negative or of things that are "going" to happen, then more than likely they will. Be actively aware, but don't dwell on what might happen as you'll miss the opportunity of learn on how to avoid from keeping it from happening.

suggestion #1 - take those bar end mirrors and signals off for your 1st few months, because if you are afraid you are going to drop the bike, then you will and those will be crushed and it will annoy the shit out of you and cost you $$$. Put on a set of the old Mickey Mouse mirrors and some regular visable turn signals. They work, they are effective, and most of all, they are cheap and easy to put on or take off and generally out of the way of crash damage when low speed things occur.

No offense to Keith Code and his books, but some of his concepts are much more geared to someone that has the basic dynamics down and is aiming at various track riding techniques. I think AFTER you take the MSF course, you might want to read Total Control by Lee Parks and follow it by Sport Riding Techniques by Nick Ienatsch. Everyone has there preference or teaching style when it comes to learning, and mine just didn't jibe with KC's TOTW books. YMMV of course.

[julitro]

From reading your post, it sounds like you are doing things the right way. Better to start out learning real slow than riding past your limitations imo. Besides you'll have the whole summer and the rest of your life to hone your skills. Last year was my first year as well and I too was very cautious and still am. Just take it easy but always stay focused when on the bike. The MSF will help for sure. I took the course to get my license and they start from the beginning and by the end of the course there was way more confidence. You will be just fine!! Great looking bike by the way!! 

[orangelion03]

Regarding books...

For a rank beginner (we all were), I suggest "Proficient Motorcycling" by Hough;    lots of good solid advice on basic rider skills and behavior.  "Total Control" by Lee Parks;  covers a lot of what Code does but much clearer for a newbie and easier to digest.  Code's Twist of the wrist vol 2 is much better than vol 1 for street orientation, but I think best left until you have a few thousand miles under your helmet.

[WarrenJ]

I started riding when I was 45 so I am learning all the things most of you learned when you were young and fearless.  One of the big things that was alluded to in the previous posts was thinking positively.  I coach an Olympic smallbore rifle program and one of the things I NEVER allow is negative talk about performance or techniques.

This may sound simplistic but instead of thinking "don't crash" think "be smooth and in control".   Also, every time I get on the bike, I think about something I am going to try to do better during my ride, whether it is shifting smoother, or looking through my turns better or something.  Visualize yourself performing your riding activities excellently over and over in your head before you ride and your subconscious will make the likelihood of good performance more likely.  

When you are out riding and things happen to make you scared or uncomfortable, (and it will), force yourself to think positively about what you want to happen.  Instead of thinking "O-Crap!"  think "Be Smooth", it will help your performance and break the downward mental spiral that can lead up to a failure.
I'll take my Tony Robbins hat off now.

[orangelion03]

^^^^^^^^^^  Good advice Warren!!!

[sbrguy]

as dolph says,

you have to maintain focus on your riding at hand.  that includes but it not limited to always scanning ahead and your mirrors and behind you using your mirros and such and knowing about your environment where you are.  that includes where other cars are everything, its a lot to do but you have to do it from the minute you are on the road.  one way to practive this awarness skill is to ride a bicycle on public roads, not hwys but roads with cars it teaches you to constantly be aware of everythgign around you, the skills in some ways cross over to motorcycle riding, not 100% but a lot of it is the same especially the road awareness part.

[RBX QB]

I learned late, as well (33). I ordered the bike before I took the MSF course, and knew that the course would tell me a LOT about if I could ride a motorcycle (with NO previous riding experience).

The class was great for technique, and just the how-to's... plus the seat time on a smaller bike made me realize I could do this.

When the bike arrived at the dealer, I had a friend ride it to my parents house. My idea was to store it there, and use the many miles of suburban neighborhood roads where they live be my training ground for the bike. The Monster was DRASTICALLY different from the little 125 training bike, so the first ride wasn't the best. But, after many miles on well groomed neighborhood roads with little to no cars, I got more and more comfortable. I went through all of the things I learned in the MSF class... shifting, braking, turning... plus I was able to practice hills.

First time in traffic was a little anxious again, but the practicing in neighborhoods helped me get through the anxiety pretty quickly.

First time in freeways was, again, anxious. But that too passed in quick order.

Take it easy until your MSF class, then just get some seat time in. You'll gain confidence with every mile you clock.

[Rawr01]

thanks all. keep it coming; i'm feeling betterer already. most ppl i know who ride seem to have been practically born into it so it is nice to know others have started later in life as have i (i am 38).

i mentioned the c-word. i live and work in the suburbs and my "commute" is less than 15 mins in very light traffic (no freeways or inner city chaos). id like to read all those books but i cant afford them (anyone know how i can plug into the matrix and download a program for a 2001 M900?). seriously tho, if i read only 1, which should it be? i have, however, been cruizing the Riding Techniques thread.

did the bicycle thing too, in a nice little town called anoka where im pretty sure there exists a community of ppl who support a conspiracy to rid the streets of skate boarders and BMXers. of course they try to make it look like an accident. you learn to look thru things; scan fences, shrubbery, parked cars, or whatever, for movement behind.

alot of the advice sounds kinda zen. in a fun little read called The Life-Giving Sword, written by a contemporary of Musashi, there is a passage about seeing vs perception where the idea of chugan, or looking in stolen glances comes into play. "the dragonfly avoids the shrike by looking in stolen glances". look everywhere; do not let your mind be detained by any one thing, but see everything. that is going to be my mantra.

1nce i get my monster back and if winter ever ends, i'd like to hook up with some others in the MN metro to play a little follow the leader so i can just think about my riding rather than where the f im going.

ps: ur all pretty smart for a bunch of DMFers thanx again