South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

ok guys...girls
only been riding a short while on my R6 just when i thought i was getting faster, smoother etc been out today it was awful like i've never rode before and cornering was useless felt nervous.
so can anyone point me in the direction of a decent trainer or maybee some one on here would be kind enough to help , i'll pay for the teas

really getting down about it and not enjoying riding as much as i should
thanks
Graham

I too had days like that, still do

I avoided turning right at a mini roundabout near to where I live for about 8 months after one day (not had bike long or been riding long) I looked at the railings, got me wrist caught between bars & tank, revs dropped and only JUST made it round. Was always crap at my U turns in training anyway which didn't help Then one day just felt right and had a go and was fine - PHEW

Doing a track day helped with my confidence aswell - they are slightly addictive mind!

Keep the practice going and sure someone bit nearer to you will take you up on your offer of teas

you have a pm

Just keep riding... relax and enjoy it. Don't worry about setting goals to go faster/smoother etc, it'll all come with practise.

Practise makes perfect, not training.

Everyone has bad days when nothing flows.

Don’t let the odd bad day get you down ( unless you’ve just stuffed it into a stone wall!) We all have bad days but mostly they’re good….Get to a pub meet if you can, where we can impart our knowledge and wisdom…. when were not on our bikes we’re all experts and know everything there is to know….not !!!

And as dynamight says, speed is not important. So don’t worry about it..Its all relative anyway….

like julian always says - smooth is best

fast comes later - honest

We all have off days, sometimes it is just something about the bike like a low tyre pressure or unsecured bar end, sometimes it is us.

Things will gel and you'll love it. Otheriwse, training wise, ride with people you know are good and safe as this will take off any pressure that you may have with a formal training course so you can enjoy the experience more.

Smooth is fast, fast is smooth.

Don't be too hard on yourself, everyone has off days as already been said!

I dont think anyone would say additional training could be a bad thing, but riding with other people (ones that dont leave you as a speck in the distance that is!) certainly helps.

Not sure where you are, but if its a gentle bimble you're after just to get some miles in, by all means drop me a pm...I need no encouragement at all to get my bike out!!

Dont dwell on it, if we were all so awesome at riding, we'd all be racing right...?

agree with the majority on this one, when I got back into bikes after a layoff I had similar situations and considered further training, but in the end I never bothered, just rode my bike as often as possible and stopped worrying about if i was fast enough etc. As an exercise though i would say pick a familiar route and ride it as often as possible, start at a pace that you are comfortable with but relax and concentrate on being smooth. As daft as it sounds talk yourself through the route, eg. corner coming, easy right hander, push a little more on the bars this time etc. , its a bit weird but really you are just doing what a trainer would do. The more you ride the route the more smoother you should get and you will find you are probably going quicker than when you started.

also definately put up if you are going for a ride on the site and hopefully you will get some willing riders to come along, don't be worried to tell them about your lack of skills or what is really a confidence issue, everyone I'v ever met through this site has always taken abilities into consideration and is more than willing to give advice and help.
I'm still no where near as quick or as talented as some of the guys i ride with regularly but its brought my riding on leaps and bounds, so don't be afraid to post a ride or tag along with any posted.

Mostly though just enjoy, stop stressing and things will improve straight away, as Smiler said if we were all that great we'd all be World Champions ;)

''Practise makes perfect, not training.'' Thats rubbish

If you have the basics wrong, keep practising them will not make them right.

Someone said before about doing a track day, now Im not just saying this as its the forum day but there's one at Llandow coiming up that would be perfect, its a very relaxed day compared to other track days and the pase is quite sedate. You'd be able to get your own space on track with an instructor and learn more about your bike and ridding in one day than you would ridding on the road for a whole summer, not too mention the safety aspects

Diggler wrote:''Practise makes perfect, not training.'' Thats rubbish

I didnt really explain, what I meant very well I meant in the way of, when you first start doing something, you can train all you like but I personally think you just need to actually do it until you are at a competent level (almost thoughtless level) before you can take the next stage of training. When you first start doing something, your mind is full thinking through every motion, it can be hard to take on board new things.

Yeah, you maybe doing things wrong, but I personally learn from trail and error. I'm not disagreeing on a trackday being a good suggestion, but I do honestly think it can work both ways, its very easy to get nervous, then get worried about 'being too slow' then before you know it you just end up going even slower than before.


I dont know gray, chances are he's a much better rider than he thinks so may not have any issues and start flying around the track. You 100% get a good summers worth of riding experience in one day!

How about getting out with Devon and Cornwalls finest for a day?
http://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/Tra ... eSafe.aspx

Not everyones cup of tea but they'll teach you a thing or two about road positioning and your riding in general.
They're nice and easy going and teach you a bit more than what you covered doing your test.

Depending on where you are I may be able to help. Im a RoSPA Gold holder on an Aprilia RSV in the Barnstaple area.. Tea and a bit of petrol money gets you an assesment and advice

badgerKDD wrote:I'm still no where near as quick or as talented as some of the guys i ride with regularly but its brought my riding on leaps and bounds, .

Ive just read this reply and a thought occured to me. While I agree with most of what you say, Im a little unclear as to what ou are trying to achieve. Is "getting better" just getting faster or safer? Ive seen loads of quick guys but they definately aint safe. On the other hand Ive also seen plenty of safe guys who are mighty quick. I think if you are looking to improve your riding it needs to be safer first then speed will come( if thats what you are looking for). You wont neccesarily get this just by watching the fast boys/girls. You need to be talked through the theory and then shown how to put it into practice. If you just want to go faster then book a track day I guess.

Just my pennyworth.

Thanks for all the replys folks

yea suppose i want to get faster but not at the expense of risking life and limb ( enough idiots out there trying to do that for me anyway )

Just my own stupid ego really !! sat on a sports bike , full gear etc bimbling along like an old lady
start to get the feeling everyone laughing at you ( got completly owned on a roundabout last week bby a OAP on a cruiser. But didn't try to catch him just laughed it of

still after a few months now on the bike i am getting safer and a bit quicker and i'm riding for myself

so guys gals if you see a red power ranger on a R6 give us wave as you fly past

And finally does anyone really care about so called " chicken strips " are you judged on these as to your ability ?

Take it easy and thanks once again for all the advice