New Rider - Gaining Confidence

[twistedwinter]

Hey guys,

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but you all seem a good bunch!

I passed my test new years eve and have a new (well 650cc) Transalp.

Obviously the whole sensation of riding is still new to me, and my confidence was growing with every mile under my belt. Collected the bike just over 3 weeks ago and have racked up just over 800 miles on the commute to work.

Last weekend I was out riding, perfect clear sunny day, dry roads etc etc.. Went into a roundabout as normal (remember I'm new so I'm not going steaming in!) and the back end of the bike "stepped out".. I had to do a double foot "slam" to keep the bike upright (as far as I'm concerned!). No visable signs of the usual culprits like diesel etc etc....

Well, since that incident, my cornering confidence has been shattered.. I'm crawling around roundabouts now and thinking that I'm feeling it on the point of stepping out again...

What can I do to overcome this please? It's getting very frustrating now and I feel as if I'm back to square one!

Cheers guys

[Cie]

Where abouts are you?

Go out for a ride with someone else and just see that there's nothing wrong with roundabouts or bends etc.

[alpslapper]

also, has the TA got the original trailwings on - thesecan be squirrely even in very dry weather and good roads.

Get as much riding in as you can

Visualise - see yourself approaching, planning and executing the corner/roundabout

Join your local IAM or ROSPA

Do a bikesafe day - see calender for one happening on the 9th of march

practice, practice practice - especially getting your approach speed and position right on the run up to corners and roundabouts.

[Annette]

Hi twistedwinter

Congratulations on passing your test and buying a top bike.

I know what you mean. When I first passed my test I was very nervous and everytime the bike "twitched" I thought I was going to come off.

What Cie said is a great idea. If you go into UserCP you can put in your location and you will probably find some members near you who will be happy to go out with you.

It could have been something slippy on the road, or it may have been a small stone which was flipped out and made your back wheel twitch a bit.

Getting used to your bike and trusting that you won't fall off. I'm not anywhere near as experienced as most of the riders on this forum but I have found that to just keep going is the best idea. It sounds like you just lost a bit of traction. In which case, don't do anything sharp like jamming on the brake, as this will cause your bike to stand up and is the easiest way to then come off.

The best thing to do is find a quiet, road and practice, practice, practice. If it's nice and quiet, you can go at your own speed. Start slowly, get a feeling for how the bike handles going round bends and gradually increase your speed, until you feel more confident. That's what worked for me.

A lot of the guys recommend taking a gentle off road ride (although don't do this on your own - find someone to go with) as it helps build confidence in handling your bike at low speed and also how to deal with your bike "slipping out" a bit.

I'm sure some of the more experienced riders will be along shortly to give you loads more advice.

But good luck and keep practicing. Once you gain more confidence, and it can take time so don't rush it and you'll soon be wondering what you were worried about.

And I just know that one of 3 other members is likely to come along very soon and tell you how I managed to drop my bike doing about 2 mph as I wasn't paying proper attention and grabbed the front brake

[twistedwinter]

RE riding with someone else.. all my mates that do ride are experienced.. and I don't want to get into the trap of riding beyond my ability!

Erm.. Trailwings? - excuse my ignorance here! I'm guessing it has the original ones as I've not changed anything!

I've emailed 2 addresses of my local IAM group and got sweet FA in terms of any sort of reply from them! So not a good start there!

Bikesafe also.. I'm on the local mailing list for that one as the first local one is over subscribed it seems!

And yeah, I'm still putting in the practice!!! I am "lovin' it" it just gets a bit frustrating at times!

Cheers guys

[alpslapper]

Good man - at the end of the day there really is NO substitute for just getting out there and riding just about the best all round bike on the planet.

[vulcan72]

with respect to alpslappers comment about trailwings/ deathwings!

forget about the fact these tyres do not have a good reputation with the more experienced riders on this site, i too have only just passed my test and am in the same position as you.

i took to heart all the negative comments about these tyres and it shattered my confidence even more, but i dont suppose you or i are exploring the limits of grip..........

i asked my instructors if they would take me out for an hour or so, now that i have passed my test, to help build my speed and observe his lines through corners.it cost 60 quid but was worth the money

i'm still not too confident at times but it has helped a lot.

[alpslapper]

Youre right vulcan - getting a bit of further training/observation is just about the best thing you can do to be honest; tyres are not THAT great an issue so long as theyre in good nick and suitable for the bike. The trailwings just popped into my head as a possible for what was described as even without pushing it on the bike, when I had them, the back would regularly step right out.

Others love them and have never had an issue. Always remember when someone is giving you info like this theyre giving you their and only their opinion - you may have a completely different experience.

Its also a good point about listening too much to others - I was told the dunlops I have on now were dire for the TA by a guy I met on another TA (not from here I might add) and increased vibrations etc etc - others swear by them - 4000 miles later I doubt I'll put any other tyres on her, sticky and hot as a sticky thing on a big sticky stick !!!!

As I and others have said - practice practice practice - there really is no substitute for getting the miles under your belt.

Get some meetups planned as well. Everyone Ive met on/off this site have been so incredibly helpful, patient, knowledgable and willing to share hints tips and tricks. A nicer bunch of people you wont meet anywhere

with respect to alpslappers comment about trailwings/ deathwings!

forget about the fact these tyres do not have a good reputation with the more experienced riders on this site, i too have only just passed my test and am in the same position as you.

i took to heart all the negative comments about these tyres and it shattered my confidence even more, but i dont suppose you or i are exploring the limits of grip..........

i asked my instructors if they would take me out for an hour or so, now that i have passed my test, to help build my speed and observe his lines through corners.it cost 60 quid but was worth the money

i'm still not too confident at times but it has helped a lot.

[vulcan72]

As I and others have said - practice practice practice - there really is no substitute for getting the miles under your belt.

Get some meetups planned as well. Everyone Ive met on/off this site have been so incredibly helpful, patient, knowledgable and willing to share hints tips and tricks. A nicer bunch of people you wont meet anywhere

[BobA]

Just keep racking the miles up!

One thing that is worth pointing out is that, as a new rider you are probably quite tense when you're in the seat. Bike tyres can move around a bit sometimes, and when you first feel it, an inch of tyre slip will feel like you had the back out by atleast 2 feet.

I would actually recommend riding a bit more in the rain (believe it or not) and just taking your time and concentrating on being smooth. Also, relax, and accept the bike make move around sometimes, so when it does, you don't tense up, lock your arms and end up in the nearest hedge. Feel the bike through your butt, feel what happens when you transfer weight on the pegs (literally steering with your feet), learn to transfer a bit of your weight into the corner, easing the bike over.

Above all, take your time, don't try and rush and keep up with other people, ALWAYS ride at your own comfortable pace.

"The wise man, is the one that is still around to tell al of his stories!"

Oh, and believe it or not, you cn smell spilt diesel (and people smoking in the car in front too) so use all your senses when riding!


Good Luck


Bob