Huge lack of confidence =( how do i get over it?

[Quartida]

If it's any consolation, I've been feeling the same. Doing Basic Handling made me realise exactly how hard riding a bike is and how much you have to think about... and how vulnerable you are.

But I think, like anything, that it's scary at first. I was terrified of driving outside of the few quiet roads where I lived when I first got my car licence. But with time and practice, you find that things you thought were hard become easier, and so you can spend more time concentrating on making yourself the best rider/driver you can be.

This is like giving myself a pep talk really. Bring on the bike!

[ZeroIndex]

If it's any consolation, I've been feeling the same. Doing Basic Handling made me realise exactly how hard riding a bike is and how much you have to think about... and how vulnerable you are.

But I think, like anything, that it's scary at first. I was terrified of driving outside of the few quiet roads where I lived when I first got my car licence. But with time and practice, you find that things you thought were hard become easier, and so you can spend more time concentrating on making yourself the best rider/driver you can be.

This is like giving myself a pep talk really. Bring on the bike!

what? all I could think of when I was doing my BHS was this one guy, and how he was "sooooo gonna fail.." (which he did).. few weeks later found myself my bike (in Tauranga, I'm in Hamilton), went and fetched it.. STRAIGHT ON THE MOTORWAY.. my only concerns were "what am I gonna do when I get into Hamilton, with traffic lights and traffic.." which I managaed with perfectly fine.. Got home from picking up the bike, and 10 minutes later, I was out riding again.. a week later i crashed on a bike cruise (from not leaning enough), and boy, did i learn how to lean after that.. went to Whangamata today, and got some 'new skills'.. found out my bike can handle wet roads about 60% better than I originally thought..

I guess what i'm saying is: on windy roads, get used to leaning, and that will help with slower speed stuff.. - some people might object with my theory, but it worked for me..

[terbang]

Well a lack of it is better than too much, so you are at a good starting point. I think that it all has to do with your riding currency (how often you do it) and the company you keep. I think we all have our ups and downs with the currency thing and also we need to ride with someone who is supportive of the way we ride and is also good company andalso stick with the ones who are more experienced as they will lift you up. Yer old man is just watching out for you but he is also a neagative effect. As allready said before 2much and wymadablllty (err its a hard one that) are a nice couple so PM them for a ride.

[metric]

good luck with it... there'll always be 'nay-sayers' every step of the way

prove your dad wrong

be cautious

take it easy

live long & prosper

[metric]

edit: crap. the infamous double post... humble apologies to one & all

[Oakie]

God. I've been riding for 28 years and I can't remember the last time I didn't feel confident on the road. Oh hang on ... yes I can. It was last Monday when there was snow falling.
Don't worry about lack of confidence. It'll keep you careful and probably keep you upright.
As others have said, just start out slow and practice in big empty spaces or on quiet roads. Time and kilometres will bring the confidence. Set small goals each time you ride ... no bad gear changes ... not stalling at give ways ... maintaining a good following distance. Eventually it'll all all come without thinking about it.

[wybmadiity]

Im so keen to get out there cruising the streets, but i have no confidence whatsoever =( it sucks, whenever i get on the bike im always wondering when ill be falling off it or dropping it. I half blame my dad who repeatedly tells me that i cant ride a bike,that ill crash and to sell it before i break it...the other half is just me and my overcautiousness i guess. So yeah, any ideas as to what i should do? (have already told dad to jump-even though hes just doing the whole protective father act). Any advice would be appreciated!!

SCREW THAT!! You are going to fall off, or at least drop it. We know the risk when we get into it, we hope not to fall off but at the end of the day I think it is inevitable. The answer, Enjoy it! Relax. Learn. Live a little, after all you could get hit by a bus while crossing the road! Does the old man want you to stop walking too?! Sure the risk is a little higher, and parents just worry, if they didn't we would wonder why. Just keep riding, get good advice and oneday you will find the flow, for us that are just starting out this happens rarely but when it does... WOOHOO! Find people with more experience than you you enjoy riding with and take all the advice you can!
ENJOY!


I am a learner and a nana, The guys I ride with up this way are AWESOME! come along for a ride some time. They are great for tips as long as you are willing to learn.

[Darkman]

I went out and bought a good leather suit, boots and gloves. Did wonders!!!

[scumdog]

Be cautious and never 'assume' ANYTHING.

Get an experienced rider to follow you, preferably in queiter sections of road and ride as YOU want to then get them to honestly comment on your technique, safeness etc.

AND above all ride regularly to gain experience and confidence.

[wybmadiity]

Yup, I too would say PM Saul. He's a very good rider with a calm, friendly manner. See if you can get him to give you some pointers.

TwoMuch - like his name suggests is a bit too much - don't know if he can ride slow, but try anyway

You parents mean well, but some parents (speaking in general) are always too critical and that doesn't help.

Take it easy one step at a time

Actually 2much is a very good teacher, teaches you to ride your own ride and enjoy it! If you are willing to take his advice he is awesome, but as said... don't try to keep up when he is playing!

[avgas]

Go 'cautiously' to Anzac Cove and give it a good thrashing. Its how i learnt when i lived down there

[Steam]

Apparently some people are born more fearful, and it can be traced back genetically. Like, it's a part of you, nature, not nurture. But the fear response can be trained and changed somewhat.

This is what I remember;
Studies show more than 70% of serial killers tested (and motorcyclists?) have much higher fear threshold than normal people; the brain does not respond to the fear-inducing stimuli that affect most of the normal population.
Situations which would make most of us fearful simply give these people a thrill.
In rare cases, individuals have been found who seem to have no fear at all, they show no physiological signs of alarm. And the converse is also true; there are people who fear everything and cannot function. In extreme cases these poor unfortunates are heavily medicated and must be cared for in institutions for most of their lives.

So maybe you are one of the fearful ones. But i reckon you should persist, the fear response can be changed by habit and training. (for example, soldiers being trained to run into enemy fire, etc)

[Str8 Jacket]

Hey mOOsie I know exactly how your feeling! I had two accidents within a month of each other last year, I had been riding less than 3 months... First accident was entirely my fault as I panicked, second one probably could have been avoided if I had had more experience (I was blown of the road). After my second accident I rode my bike to Featherston and was pillioned back to Wgtn at the time and for about a week afterwards I had basically decided to give up riding for good and I had started making plans to sell it. Couple of weeks later I missed my bike soo much that I got one of my mates to ride it back from Featherston. Even then I still now feel nervous at times when Im riding. There are sometimes I just want to turn around and go home, you know those moments when your riding just doesnt feel right and nothing seems to flow? Other times, well most of the time I'll get back from a longish ride absolutely buzzing! I love riding but I know how dangerous it can be too, one thing ive learned is to just ride to my level. I still get shit for it but I ride slowly (most of the time) until I feel things flowing then I'll step up MY pace more and more to MY limits. I found that taking my bike out on the track was really good for my confidence and you learn alot about your riding and your bike. Another thing that helped me was spending 2000km's + on the back of my partners bike over New Years, when I got back on my bike it felt very uncomfortable not leaning into corners and not being relaxed felt even weirder! If YOU want to ride just do it, I promise that if you keep getting out there you'll be loving it before you know it!

[Squeak the Rat]

Howdy mate,

I see two groupings in the advice so far

1. Practice road skills, building up slowly in a controlled environment or with some one who can critique your riding
2. Go hard, accept it if you crash and learn from it.

I'm sure my wording of the above indicates my preference!

PS - Ditto whoever said to get some good gear.
PPS - Ditto STR8 - Ride to your level. Don't try to impress any one - if you try to you won't!
PPPS - Read up on target fixation. Avoiding this is a must-have skill when learning IMHO, and a great confidence builder when successfully applied during an "oh-shit" moment.

Enjoy.
STR

[Insanity_rules]

Another thing that I don't think has been covered here is learn how to fall off without killing yourself.
When my Uncle was teaching me to ride he showed me how to minimise impact in a fall. Best way is to get on an old clunker (dirtbike) and blat around. Good gear is a must and above all get around some people who have ridden for a long time.
Crashes are a fact