"I'm such a slow rider" - Yeah right!

**Andrew** · 8th July 2004, 23:59

Ok so something has got me thinking over the last few days.
I could be out on a ride or looking through these forums and always get comments like: "I'm such a slower rider", or "It's more bike than it is rider", or "I'm not a good rider" etc.
Fact of the matter is, time and time again those who make these comments are really fast/good riders and often there aren't many if any better riders.

TS, FF, MR, KK, and Frosty are all offending examples just to name a few.

So I'm left with the question in my mind - **WHY**. Why is it that these fast/good riders have to put themselves down?

Is it because of modesty or politness?

It it because you enjoy being told by slower riders that you're a good/fast rider?

Afraid of other riders having expectations of you which you feel obligated to meet?

They say the first step to dealing with a problem is admitting it. So come on guys, its time to come clean and admit that you're good/fast riders!!

I don't think I'm the only one who has found this among riders. So it would be interesting to hear your takes on why fast riders seam to put themselves down.

Any ideas???

Oh & BTW => You can't use old age as an excuse this time FF.

**Bob** · 9th July 2004, 00:05

No idea - but guessing a lot of people are modest.

It is funny with track days though - you get people who think they are 'really something special'... until an instructor goes past them like they are standing still!

As for me? I KNOW I am not fast. No false modesty there - not often I get to do 80mph (130kmph?), let alone much over! But I do work hard on being smooth in my riding style.

I'd be interested to find out why people that can 'push the envelope' hide their talents under a bushel though.

**wari** · 9th July 2004, 00:17

FAlste humility is annoying ... :eyepoke:

So one wood hope thatit wasnit that woodint one ...

MINd u ...

So is braggartery .. eh ...

**bgd** · 9th July 2004, 02:43

Think I prefer the false modesty to the 'riding god' variety.

**Kwaka-Kid** · 9th July 2004, 05:27

/turns a blind eye to th thread... i didnt see it!

Well firstly i shouldnt be on the list! its not fair! i think the problem is if you hear stuff like that too much your head size increases - it changes you, and you hardley benefit from it. id personally far prefer to be told what im doing wrong, or somewhere i can improve. A small compliment to ones riding style can be fine, but only that, and even then , i think i just have personality issues with accepting praise, and will turn it into humour. mybad.
but yeah, Far more can be done with critism then can be with praise. So dont waste your breath on me, make use of it!.

KK

**FzerozeroT** · 9th July 2004, 06:33

Originally Posted by Kwaka-Kid

Well firstly i shouldnt be on the list! its not fair! i think the problem is if you hear stuff like that too much your head size increases - it changes you, and you hardley benefit from it. id personally far prefer to be told what im doing wrong, or somewhere i can improve. A small compliment to ones riding style can be fine, but only that, and even then , i think i just have personality issues with accepting praise, and will turn it into humour. mybad.
but yeah, Far more can be done with critism then can be with praise. So dont waste your breath on me, make use of it!.

KK

It's a defensive reaction against NZ's tall poppy syndrome, remember the all blacks a few years back, told to stop being happy that they'd scored a try and to walk calmly back down the field.

Thats probably the reason I don't give or take compliments, in fact not giving is prettystupid if you think about it

**Lou Girardin** · 9th July 2004, 06:38

I think that it's hard to quantify one's skill.
I know I'm better now than 3 years ago, but I still don't think I'm that good.
Then I chased an RSV Mille from Kawakawa Bay to Clevedon and stayed with him quite easily. So was he a worse rider than me or what?
It's easier just to say that I'm slow.

**6Chris6** · 9th July 2004, 07:02

[QUOTE=Andrew] comments like: "I'm such a slower rider", or "It's more bike than it is rider", or "I'm not a good rider" etc.
Fact of the matter is, time and time again those who make these comments are really fast/good riders and often there aren't many if any better riders.

Yes, I agree, although i suppose it's better than always claiming to be a fast rider, because lets face it there's ALWAYS someone faster (unless you're Rossi)
But really, there's no need to constantly push a point that pretty much everyone here knows isn't true.
I know from the weekends rides that there are certain riders here are not comfortable riding with as they're too far out of my skill level (Saturdays ride).
And the fact that riding behind a certain ZXR250 and RG150 on sunday and not being able to keep up on my little *cough 600 sports bike cough* was a real eye opener.

**White trash** · 9th July 2004, 07:57

I'm fucken fast. And don't mind saying so.

**Deano** · 9th July 2004, 08:18

Possibly because we hear so many stories about guys who consider themselves fast, and we snigger at them (or tell them outright that they are full of shit), and so we don't want to be tarred with the same brush, therefore modesty is the best policy.

Also, as mentioned earlier, there is always someone (or a lot of people) faster than you are, and if you boast about your skills, then get dicked on the road/track, you look like a right prat.

I don't consider myself that fast, especially compared to some of the hoons I ride with, but I don't do slow either.

**curious george** · 9th July 2004, 08:26

Well, I have actual proof. 1'30" lap time at Puke. The watch never lies!
*Oh, hang on, no one ever said I was fast..ermmmm bye*

**Firefight** · 9th July 2004, 08:31

Andrew, Indeed you are a deep thinker, I tend to belive that in most cases it is a matter of comparring ones self with others you have ridden with, In my case I do not consider myself to be slow,but I know that there are many faster, better skilled riders than myself, and I am happy to admit that, I find no disgarce being passed by a better rider in a smaller cc bike, and I am happy to acknowledge that to that rider, when I got my second R6, a young guy on this site who you and I have both ridden with, asked me for advice on lines, cornering etc, I did not know what to say, I had to be honest and say go ask some of the track guys , I don't know much about that shit!.While it might have helped my ego, it was short lived, what, if any advice could I have given him ?

Firefight

**Hoon** · 9th July 2004, 08:48

I think it all depends on your point of view. I read somewhere something that went like:

A fast street rider will be an average track day rider
A fast track day rider will be an average club racer
A fast club racer will be an average nationals racer
A fast nationals racer will be an average international racer
...and so on

So a fast track day rider may seem godly to a typical street rider but will look slow to a fast club racer. Just goes to show all the different size ponds out there.

But yeah I do agree that there is a lot of undeserved ego inflating on these boards but when you get together with other riders over a beer or two out of the public eye then the real truth comes out

**NordieBoy** · 9th July 2004, 08:49

It's like with most things.
The more you know about a subject the more you realise you don't know.

I think I'm a slow rider as I see so many areas I can improve in.
Someone else at my speed could think they're fast as they can't see any areas to improve in.

Like me and computers the more I learn the more I see I don't know and I feel like a beginner.
Yet people pay me to fix theirs.

It's all about perception and levels.

If you havn't seen the next level then you may think you're at the top.

Oh, and I really am slow.
But I've never ridden with anynoe else to see how much slower...