New Rider Anxiety

[RockBottom]

That's a good point. I had a buddy who was attempting to learn to ride. I urged him to get out of his neighborhood with all of the stop signs and potential threats and on to quiet country roads as soon as he felt comfortable. He didn't and totaled his new Triumph a block from his house on his third day of riding.

Here's the way I explain it: there are two separate components to learning to ride: controlling the bike and threat management. The less focus you have to devote to the second, the more you can concentrate on the first, at least initially. I considered myself lucky in that I can be on back roads with literally no traffic five minutes after leaving my house. I felt that made it much easier to learn than if I lived in a high traffic area where I had to focus heavily on threat management from the beginning.

The information overload notion is also spot on. I remember for my first few months, riding required such intense concentration that I could barely remember where I'd been or what I'd seen. It reminded me of triple digit driving on the German autobahn. Now it seems like the bike has an autopilot and just knows where to go by itself.

[rlmitchell]

Mike: Thank you! I have already found some great advice and tips on this forum. It's awesome!

Rhonda

[rlmitchell]

Legendary: I'm really glad to hear you say such positive things about the Rebel, and I am agreeing with you thus far. I wish I had a dollar for all the times I've heard "that bike is too small", "you'll never make it up over some of the hills around here", and "you'll be downshifting all the time."

I'm not a tiny little woman (I'm 5'7, 175 pounds), but I have read on some of the forums plenty of women who are bigger than me and the Rebel carries them up over hills just fine.

Rhonda

[rlmitchell]

Oops! I'm all messed up on my names! Sorry folks! Previous message was for you, Steve!

[rlmitchell]

SA, I love advice from a trainer. Thank you!

My husband and I were actually talking about this last night and I think you hit the nail on the head. I'm afraid of making a fool out of myself!

Here's my deal with going onto the main road and why I'm sticking to the side roads: They are lower speed. I'm anxious about getting out on the main road and averaging 50 MPH and then having some car pull out in front of me and overreacting and doing something stupid to get myself killed. There is not only an increased change of this happening on the main road because of much heavier traffic, but also the speed. Also, if I have to swerve, am I going to do something stupid?

My husband suggested that I go down the sideroad again tonight and just practice stopping and swerving all evening. Pretend something is coming out in front of me.

My husband has ridden off and on his whole life. He's pretty good and I do trust him. He is going to ride behind me on our first "main road" trip so that I don't have to contend with cars on my butt until I get more comfortable with everything else that will be going on.

I WILL do this! A I'm committed! Just whimpy I think!

Rhonda

[rlmitchell]

" I remember for my first few months, riding required such intense concentration that I could barely remember where I'd been or what I'd seen. It reminded me of triple digit driving on the German autobahn. Now it seems like the bike has an autopilot and just knows where to go by itself."

Sounds so familiar! We went past a friend's house yesterday and he was outside waving like crazy for us to stop in and visit. I never even noticed him standing outside because I was so focused on my driving.

[jstark47]

Here's my deal with going onto the main road and why I'm sticking to the side roads: They are lower speed. I'm anxious about getting out on the main road and averaging 50 MPH and then having some car pull out in front of me and overreacting and doing something stupid to get myself killed. There is not only an increased change of this happening on the main road because of much heavier traffic, but also the speed. Also, if I have to swerve, am I going to do something stupid?

My husband suggested that I go down the sideroad again tonight and just practice stopping and swerving all evening. Pretend something is coming out in front of me.

Suggest you find a parking lot to practice emergency stops. Reason is, if you mess up a stop, you **might** dump the bike. (Don't ask me how I know 'bout this... )

For swerving, find irregularities in the road and practice maneuvering around them. I do this as a general habit with manhole covers, etc. As you become better at it, progressively reduce the distance before the object when you initiate the swerve. (This is the push-push avoidance technique you learned about in MSF: no braking, no body lean, just quick successive pushes on the bars on either side.)

[havegunjoe]

In no time at all you will be looking back on your beginner days and laughing. Just don't get too overconfident when that happens. I started on a scooter and now ride a 2009 Yamaha 950 VStar. Been riding about 4+ years. My wife and I started late in life.

[sapaul]

Here's my deal with going onto the main road and why I'm sticking to the side roads: They are lower speed. I'm anxious about getting out on the main road and averaging 50 MPH and then having some car pull out in front of me and overreacting and doing something stupid to get myself killed. There is not only an increased change of this happening on the main road because of much heavier traffic, but also the speed. Also, if I have to swerve, am I going to do something stupid?

My husband suggested that I go down the sideroad again tonight and just practice stopping and swerving all evening. Pretend something is coming out in front of me.

Suggest you find a parking lot to practice emergency stops. Reason is, if you mess up a stop, you **might** dump the bike. (Don't ask me how I know 'bout this... )

For swerving, find irregularities in the road and practice maneuvering around them. I do this as a general habit with manhole covers, etc. As you become better at it, progressively reduce the distance before the object when you initiate the swerve. (This is the push-push avoidance technique you learned about in MSF: no braking, no body lean, just quick successive pushes on the bars on either side.)

Great advice above.

Thanks Jstark

One more thing for you to try (it's fun) sit on your bike and get hubby to blindfold you. Then get him to ask you to use the different controls while you cant see them. 10 mins of this everyday for a week and you become an expert at "not looking where the controls are".

Next level up from this is to take off the blindfold and look somewhere else that requires attention. In training I use a television and the trainees have to work the controls and tell me what happened on the TV. This is all part of the "overcoming survival instincts" creed that we follow.

[rlmitchell]

You guys have wonderful advice!

An update: I practiced, practiced and practiced last night with my braking and my swerving. By the time I was done, my husband was quite shocked when I didn't turn into our driveway but instead kept going right to the main road! We went about 4 miles on the main drag, maintained a speed of 40-45 (speed limit is 45). I feel SO much more confident now that I know what happens when I need to stop on a dime.

All in all, I think the key to last night's practice wasn't so much about stopping or swerving as it was "KNOWING MY BIKE" and how it feels, how it handles, etc.

Goal tonight: Hubby and I will play follow the leader and I will go whereever I feel comfortable!

One thing is for sure, I sure do love that feeling of being on the open road, and it feels even better after you aren't as rigid as a board and don't have a death grip on the handlebars!

Thank you all for listening to my paranoias and offering what has been VERY helpful advice!

Rhonda