First ride on the open road...

[BIKEGAL68]

well on sat i was riding with hubby due to him been grounded for couple of wks....
my first ride on the open on the whitford rd area back of howick heading towards clevedon.............
it was a whole different feeling riding thoses rd's and i am new to biking an need to ride more offen as when i came up the hill to a smallish corner i nearly lots it ........... i think the term is called riding the lines or something ............ well not sure about that as i nearly was part of the white line on the shoulder of the rd..................... so i ask myself how am i going to get this right as i will lose the confindence if i dont get back out there.

was reading big reds thread an well done mate nice to know there is some get peops out there

[Stickchick]

well on sat i was riding with hubby due to him been grounded for couple of wks....
my first ride on the open on the whitford rd area back of howick heading towards clevedon.............
it was a whole different feeling riding thoses rd's and i am new to biking an need to ride more offen as when i came up the hill to a smallish corner i nearly lots it ........... i think the term is called riding the lines or something ............ well not sure about that as i nearly was part of the white line on the shoulder of the rd..................... so i ask myself how am i going to get this right as i will lose the confindence if i dont get back out there.

was reading big reds thread an well done mate nice to know there is some get peops out there

You should go on the mentor rides too or even ask someone in here to be your mentor. I have one in Hawkes Bay and he is amazing. Considering the only time I had ridden was basic handling I think I'm doing ok. Haven't ridden over 40k yet but working on it hehehe

[boomer]

good on you! go do some of the quieter main roads .,. maybe along the waterfront, around town.. do some laps and get use to the bike in that environment THEn go play out in the sticks.. some of the corners out bush can be deceptive and pay dearly on your confidence.. and do what ^ says maybe.. get some mentoring !

mainly HAVE FUN !

[Nasty]

Way to go ... it is a lovely area you were riding in as well ... don't forget the auckland mentor rides .. I think they are not too far from you

[gijoe1313]

Hi there, glad to hear you kept it all together and reflecting on your experiences! There's usually 250 themed rides geared for new riders (been a bit quiet in that department lately! Where's Maverick?)

I often ride out those ways - if you need someone to help out/ride with you, I'm happy to oblige! (Any excuse for a ride... )

[zeocen]

Yeah gijoe and I sometimes make impromtu rides whenever we feel like (when I don't have to move furniture, rrrr!), you can always come tag along. I think you'll feel a bit more confident with fellow bikers following and making sure you're okay.

Other than that, time and practice! You'll be fine! (Trust me, I know a lot of people have had the "oh god am I ever going to get this right?" feeling, myself included, now I eat sleep and breathe bikes, it just took time!)

[vifferman]

Good for you, getting out there!
Just remember: your bike can go around corners much faster than you think it can. Newbies often have problems on corners because they look AT the corner, instead of through it (to where they want to go), decide it's too sharp and focus on the corner, freeze up, and lose it.
"OMIGOD! The corner's too sharp!! I'm going too fast!" (stares at corner).
"I'm going to crash!" (stares straight ahead, at corner).
Guess what? Bike ends up crashing in a heap, exactly where you were looking!

It's VERY important to always look where you want to go. Look through the corner as far ahead as you can, NEVER at the edge of the road, a crash barrier, a ditch whatever, as that is target fixation = you will go where you're looking.

Also, keep your head upright (rather than in a straight line with your body). Let your chin or inside shoulder lead you through the corner (stick your chin and/or shoulder out), and the rest of you (and your bike) will follow.

Practice it! You'll soon see what I mean.

[zeocen]

That is good advice from vifferman, and has saved my newbie ass many times.. One that has especially stuck with me is the "kiss the mirror" when going around an unexpectedly tight corner.

If I go to "kiss the mirror" my shoulder and arm drops and my weight goes to that side of the bike, while keeping my head up (looking down results in "ohshitimgoingtofastimnotgoingtomakeit"ism) it's much easier to get out of a sticky situation. I thank every day for my new tyres and my forgiving bike, otherwise I would be in a world of hurt many times over hehe

[discotex]

That is good advice from vifferman, and has saved my newbie ass many times.. One that has especially stuck with me is the "kiss the mirror" when going around an unexpectedly tight corner.

If I go to "kiss the mirror" my shoulder and arm drops and my weight goes to that side of the bike, while keeping my head up (looking down results in "ohshitimgoingtofastimnotgoingtomakeit"ism) it's much easier to get out of a sticky situation. I thank every day for my new tyres and my forgiving bike, otherwise I would be in a world of hurt many times over hehe

Ditto on the "kiss the mirror" advice. The temptation to lean your body outwards increases the more you find you have to lean the bike over. Of course leaning out means you have to lean the bike over more to corner so it's a bit of a downward spiral.

Leaning in towards the mirror really helps you keep your weight in the inside. I push the bars to countersteer so it's also a bonus that helps me do that.

The other thing I find very helpful is to keep the throttle on and keep it on just a little no matter what happens. Coming off the gas seems to make things worse if you feel you're going too fast for the corner.

[BIKEGAL68]

hey all thanks for the advise ....................
would love to hook up with as many as poss and learn how to ride in a safe an fun manner ............ as i have never riden before an its been the best time ever i am so glad i took up riding

[BarBender]

hey all thanks for the advise ....................
would love to hook up with as many as poss and learn how to ride in a safe an fun manner ............ as i have never riden before an its been the best time ever i am so glad i took up riding

Good on ya.
Hooking up with a few is a great idea.
Name the time and we'll see if we pull a few people together OR shoot out on one of the many organised rides.

Dont let the weather stop ya from getting out either. Even if its for a short one...get out there and ride to the conditions.

[nick]

well on sat i was riding with hubby due to him been grounded for couple of wks....
my first ride on the open on the whitford rd area back of howick heading towards clevedon.............
it was a whole different feeling riding thoses rd's and i am new to biking an need to ride more offen as when i came up the hill to a smallish corner i nearly lots it ........... i think the term is called riding the lines or something ............ well not sure about that as i nearly was part of the white line on the shoulder of the rd..................... so i ask myself how am i going to get this right as i will lose the confindence if i dont get back out there.

was reading big reds thread an well done mate nice to know there is some get peops out there

If you want to get confident then go and do a track with a good club usually these are not race days and are trainer days I hadn't ridden for 25 years and one day at a training day and I had a 100% increase in confidence and safety but you must have good gear [Spool] not jeans
Have fun Nick