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…so in prep for my return to two wheels I spent a bunch of time on this site trying to brush up & expand my knowledge. I tucked away two suggestions from ‘Legendary’ contributors …Analyze the Ride and talking to yourself to get through tricky situations…

During the first 500 miles of riding I did not use either technique, riding was fun but it was stressful (have I turned the blinker off, am I in third or fourth gear ….oh bugger fifth etc) my only emotionally sensation was tangible relief that I made it back to the driveway intact. Since the first 500 or so after returning from a ride I have done the Analyze the Ride thing…what went OK & not so good and why…and posted a few mental notes in the “Need to do better” and two notes in the “Dumb A$$ Foolish” files….and it seems to be working for me. On one of the two Dumb A$$ Foolish events the ‘talk yourself through it’ technique was beneficial…

The reason to post this is two fold…first to share with other newbies/re-entries something that I have not seen talked about often, secondly, to ask if these techniques are practiced by many folks and/or experienced riders (or is there a puberty phase to this process?)…AND if I have been conned on these matters tell me as I need to stop right now or I fear I will be seeing the ‘Legendary’ contributors in the waiting room of the psycho hospital before I make the 5,000 mile mark…(note: I am not yet pacing in circles in the garage after the ride... is that what happens next?)

BTW.. some folks thing buying a bike qualifies me for immediate certification..they just don't understand...

I am still in that stage where I'm thankful I made it back in one piece, but I do look back on the ride to see what I did and how I could have done it better. My progress is very slow because a very wise man gave me 2 pieces of advice that I follow religiously...

1. If your head ain't right... don't ride. I've been getting so stressed out by everyday life stuff that I'm in no state of mind to be riding, and its probably for the better that I don't.

2. Practice IS stressful... Working on tight turns, figure 8s, panic stopping, swerving, panic starting ( in case the idiot behind you doesn't plan on stopping), etc... all take it's toll on your mind and body. When you're out practicing you should feel tired and stressed when your done... Just like you do from lifting weights. It's a signal that you're getting something done. Just stop before you reach your limit. If you reach your limit and are 10 miles from hone, you still have to get there.

I plan to survive my 1st 6 months of riding. It just may take me a year to do it... lol.

I can't really speak from the point of view of a returning biker but as a newbie who has been reading this forum for quite some time and learning a great deal about riding from this site and others I can relate...i guess. For me riding is a lot like scuba diving, not that the two are at all similar, it is simply the mind set i find similar. When I dive i take some time before i make the plunge to go through all my gear, go through the dive plan and the last step is actually barely related to diving. I stop and think about everything thats happened that day to get me to the site and all my worries and completely forget about them, for the next hour or so my sole focus is the dive. As per the inherient risks in either activity, it may sound cheesy, but I pretty much just ask myself if today is a good day to die. Not that i ever ride or dive thinking i WILL die but i know that i could, and once i accept that fact i no longer worry about the danger, its a risk ive already accepted. As squidish as I am, for me, the main thing in riding right now is the mental aspect, you will master the skills with practice, but to be able to face that risk everytime you start the engine, its definately different.

Mikeydude wrote: 1. If your head ain't right... don't ride.

I guess I'm a little jaded on this one, you see, I ride to get my head straight some time. I can get out on the road, and just go.... I let my mind work through an issue as my body rides the bike. I don't usually take the twisties when I'm doing this, just a long open road, although most of the roads around here are a little twisty, lol...

Mikeydude:

1. If your head ain't right... don't ride.

I agree with this comment but I think it works with

dr_bar's view

I guess I'm a little jaded on this one, you see, I ride to get my head straight some time.

I started using the bike for my work commute and found that my mind was wandering onto work stuff especially on the ride home...bad idea. My rule is to clear my head by focusing 100% of my mind on the ride 100% of the time ...the other garbage can wait until dismounted...if I can't do that the ignition stays off...

I also have recognized that if I am in a really bad frame of mind, I stay off the bike. I need to watch the road ahead not have my mind wandering about what is going to happen tomorrow or about will I deal with this and that.
Sometimes I also try to look back and ask myself if I coud have done something better so that the next time, it will be better.

Mikeydude wrote: When you're out practicing you should feel tired and stressed when your done...

Oh, well then I guess im doing it right...