I got my bike at the end of October (Triumph RS Sprint 955i) and have spent as many dry hours as possible trying to get rid of my nerves and stiffness. I have put it on the ground allready when trying to turn around at slow speed, pulled on the front break and stoped too damned quick resulting in an over-balance whilst the front wheel was on a manhole cover, felt stupid as it was on a building site and all these guy's werte looking at me thinking what a pratt!

So anybody out there with the same aituation or been in it I would love to chat and see if we could meet for a (novice) ride out LOL

I must just say that I have been out on a setion with an advanced rider/instuctor who gave me instructions on where to put the bike for safe riding but that does not really do much for the confidence thing.

Ian

Don't slide unless you mean too.

Be sure, ride safe and enjoy

I only passed my test about a month and a half ago so I was all too familiar with a lack of confidence. The part of my learning which gave me the most confidence was practicing things like slow speed manouvers to a point where I knew I could do them whatever the situation, riding fast, for me was the easy bit, the bike's much more stable etc. Oddly the other thing that boosted my confidence was simply looking up and ahead rather than just a short distance infront of the bike, I know it sounds like common sence but for alot the time learning I'd not look very far ahead which made leaning into bends and every other manouver feel very unnatural, just lifting my head up a bit made the world of difference.

The people who I learnt with, along with lots of other places I expect, offered a day long course aimed at people who used to ride years ago and are coming back to biking like you're doing. Might be worth looking into anyway!

The other strange thing that happened was through a simular thing and it was that I thought I was going to go into some bushes over the verge----------- the reason? I was looking at them and not where I wanted to go and my mind started to believe that was where I wanted to go! Strange feeling, like being out of control of my arms, I had to relax and get back on track, had to slow right down and just compose myself again. Did not like the feeling at all and it was a big confidence shaker at the time even with the instructor telling me the reason it happened.

Don't slide unless you mean too.

Be sure, ride safe and enjoy

Cheers you folk.

Don't slide unless you mean too.

Be sure, ride safe and enjoy

.......

Well done with the confidence thing. I'm sure BD did the police day thing, and he loved it. I think it was him anyway!! But he said it's amazing what you learn from them, so i'm sure you'll have a good time. I know what you mean about the hedge thing!!! A very nerve wracking feeling!

The car in front, is now behind!

Be sure, ride safe and enjoy

Sorry, I only post up during the week or whenever I can get on the net... like now!

I think the only way you're going to get confidence is by riding. My mate once said to me "There are two types of biker. Those who have fallen off, and those that are waiting to". I fall into the latter fortunately, but I'm always weary that the next time I ride, I may fall into the former.

Now, I'm not saying I will ever crash, but the law of averages says eventually I will, but I think it might bolster up my confidence more if I do. It sounds really weird I know, but if you look at it logically, it might just help.

Say you leant it over too far and lowsided. You will have leard the hard way but at least you now know where the limit is. I think we all start tentitive until we gain enough confidence to push it that little bit further. Once it goes wrong, you'll know where that limit is so you won't go past it again. This will give you more confidence because you know where the limit is, how far you can push it and how to control it too. At the moment, you don't know how far the limit of the bike is, so you're not sure how far you can go before said crash will happen.

Twisted logic maybe but I think it makes sense. You can't make an omlette with breaking a few eggs as they say. So you can't gain 100% confidence unless you've come off..... does that work? Erm..... Yeah, we'll call it a twisted sort of logic.

This is assuming of course that you don't seriously injure yourself or anyone else!

Now.... where was that black ice I passed on the way to work....?

Yamaha FZS 600 Fazer ... in gold! 

Ride safe, and look out for the Rainbow of Death!

^{There're only 3 kinds of people in the world, those who can count, and those that can't.}

^{Roses are red, Violets are Blue, I'm a schizophrenic ..... and so am I!}

^{Take pity on the man who invented the drawing board, when he screwed up, he had nothing to fall back on.}

^{Stuff everything, I've always got my bike.}

I prefer the idea that I know I am more vulnerable on my bike than if I am in a car, so therefore am a bit more vigilant etc. Most bikers will have had a spill at some point for sure, you're lucky if you haven't but I don't ride thinking that I could crash at any time and if I did it would actually be a good thing, negatives to positives etc I can understand but crashing a good thing? Not too sure about that.

If you really want to know what your bike can do and also what you are capable of then it has to be a track day. You can ride as fast as you can, there is no traffic, cops, cameras, horsesh*t, leaves etc, everybody's going in the same direction, the track is grippier than the roads and there is usually tuition on hand. It really does show you how capable a bike is if you have the confidence to push it which puts you in good stead if on the road and a sticky sitch occurs. Burn a bit of rubber on the track!!

Plus keep riding, the more you do the better you will or should become.

Sideways through time

Be sure, ride safe and enjoy