Are they trying to save my Life??

[kerwink040]

Here's the story in a nutshell. I have 4 months of riding a mc under my belt. In those 4 months I have ridden over 3K miles. I have done twisties, country roads, freeways, bridges, hills and dales on the mc at all types of speeds. I have discovered what speeds I'm comfortable with on different roads, etc. I didn't buy my mc to go flying down roads at warp speed. I bought it to cruise and do tours/ touring.

In the last month I have been notified by 2 mc groups that my riding skills are not up to par with their particular ride (both of which were over night rides) The latest message stated, "Our two day ride to hwy 36 is going to be at the very least a moderate pace for seasoned riders. Day 2 has 140 miles of twisties and over 300 miles in all.
I welcome you on any day ride, but I'm sorry I don't believe you are ready for this 600 mile two day ride"

Now what they don't know about me and is that I have 5+ yrs road & mountain biking experience. I have done the AIDS Lifecycle ride 2 years in a row. That's a 600 mile bicycle ride over 7 days from SF to LA (on roads very similar to these I'm riding on the mc). All the skills I've learned on the road and mtn bikes I utilize on the mc and you know what...they have proven to be applicable.
So what I'm saying is that my time on a mc may only be 4 months but it is backed up with several years of other 2 wheeled vehicles.

So my questions are 1) are these groups trying to save my life by keeping me off these particular rides based on the mere knowledge that I have only ridden 3K miles in 4 months? 2) am I being too optimistic & confident of my abilities with all my accumulated skills and experience? 3) are these groups just wanting to ride fast and not have to "babysit" a slower rider?

[High_Side]

So my questions are 1) are these groups trying to save my life by keeping me off these particular rides based on the mere knowledge that I have only ridden 3K miles in 4 months? 2) am I being too optimistic & confident of my abilities with all my accumulated skills and experience? 3) are these groups just wanting to ride fast and not have to "babysit" a slower rider?

1.) Absolutely
2.) Possibly
3.) Again - absolutely

I've personally been on two rides this year where riders have gone down trying to "keep up with the group". In both cases it was explained to all riders that the fast group will go ahead and we will meet up at point "B" with the rest of the group when we get there. In both cases experienced riders volunteered to ride at the back with the slower group to show them the way and reduce the need for the newer riders to want to "try to keep up". Yet, in both cases both riders stated that they crashed trying to keep up because they felt that "they didn't want to hold anyone up".....

I ride with this group only casually and have nothing to do with it's organization. I am actually impressed with how well that they have matured in really trying to look after new riders but yet it still happens. Therefore I feel that the group that you ride with are taking a very responsible and mature approach to managing their ride. There are times when experienced riders want to ride hard and do not want to wait / be responsible for newer riders. Don't feel slighted about it. If you can fully understand why they do this you will understand that they are likely a very responsible group that are worth riding with. Once you get more experience under your belt (3K is not much), you will likely be invited to participate. Be patient.

[storysunfolding]

Mountain bike and road bike skills are great complements to motorcycle skills, but they do not replace them. You have 4 months of riding experience under your belt. While you have been on many types of roads, you have not seen many types of situations. While it's possible that you have seen many, it's not probable. Furthermore, at this point there are lots of skills you've probably not mastered- throttle control, line selection, body posture etc. These skills take time to learn, refine and work towards perfecting. Before you make a case for how much you've learned, consider that many RiderCoaches that teach the fundamentals still haven't mastered them completely. Your challenge as a new rider is to build these skills and work them into your muscle memory.

Once you're in a group environment things tend to get riskier. There are additional stresses caused by peer expectations, tendency to follow the line of the rider in front of you, inattentiveness, fatigue etc. While you might be ready to battle those in the short term, you want to be a master before tackling those over long periods of time. In my experience, motorcycle crashes are more common in group riding situations and increase in probability with the length of the ride.

So to answer your questions
1.) Yes
2.) Yes
3.) Yes

But no worries- there are plenty of group rides in your future.

[kerwink040]

So my questions are 1) are these groups trying to save my life by keeping me off these particular rides based on the mere knowledge that I have only ridden 3K miles in 4 months? 2) am I being too optimistic & confident of my abilities with all my accumulated skills and experience? 3) are these groups just wanting to ride fast and not have to "babysit" a slower rider?

Thanks... I will stick to day rides for now. If I want to do an overnight ride I will enlist some friends and do "our own" ride.

[kerwink040]

[quote="storysunfolding"]

Thanks... I will stick to day rides for now. If I want to do an overnight ride I will enlist some friends and do "our own" ride.
I've been attending and participating in the Doc Wong clinics.

[mogster]

Yes+Yes+Yes

I agree with the previous comments particularly about hazard perception. I am sure you have seen & experienced scary situations as a cyclist but they are different to many on a motorcycle.

To use an analogy..........junior & inexperienced colleagues are sometimes a liability because they think they know everything, more experience gives you the confidence to ask for help.

Take it slow & there's always next summer!