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Nervous novice - fighting fear?


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It's not even been a week but I've had no time to ride and kind of lost my nerve again :(

 

Getting on it will be the hardest thing! I remember getting proper butterflies at the thought of going anywhere but once I was going I was always fine! :thumb:

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It's not even been a week but I've had no time to ride and kind of lost my nerve again :(

 

Getting on it will be the hardest thing! I remember getting proper butterflies at the thought of going anywhere but once I was going I was always fine! :thumb:

 

Last time I was learning there was a few times I had to take my helmet off because I nearly threw up from nerves haha! Thankfully not as bad this time around, but same anxious feeling :/

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I properly get butterflies before going out. Got to force myself and then love it when I get out. Still have odd junctions that I have a mental block with, not to mention a bit of fear of motorways. Practice and time will get me there and you too.

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

yup. you will get there just takes practise not going to happen over night I'm afraid.


buy worth it when it does click!

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

Yes. Both when starting out and again when trying to get over an injury last year. It just felt it was getting harder each time out and that I thought I should give up. But I just kept forcing myself to ride, no matter how simple of boring the rides were, and it eventually became easier.


Once you know what the controls are and can balance, the stuff that happens on the CBT, learning is then just experience. There was one time when I suddenly had the thought I was guiding the bike rather than riding it, and that is when I realized I could do it. Starting out you are thinking about riding, and that holds you back. With experience though it becomes more innate.


Take changing gear, for example. First you have to go off the throttle, then pull in the clutch, now you can change gear, if going down maybe you will blip the throttle, then you need to start increasing the throttle and releasing the clutch, but carefully to match road speed. Broken down to going through it methodically like that, one step after the other, is sounds like a lot to do. Yet once you it becomes natural you do it all together in a fraction of a second without any awareness of the individual steps. Thinking about it makes it far more difficult and slower. But eventually it becomes natural and you will do all those steps without realizing.


Just keep riding and 'getting there' will happen automatically that you will not even notice.


That said, I suck at corners, I am very slow on them, so still have the "I can never do that" feeling seeing others. But it is not generally a problem (I ride on my own so can set my own pace) and I just keeping hoping those too will happen naturally over time. Still hoping. Always hoping.

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

Yes. Both when starting out and again when trying to get over an injury last year. It just felt it was getting harder each time out and that I thought I should give up. But I just kept forcing myself to ride, no matter how simple of boring the rides were, and it eventually became easier.


Once you know what the controls are and can balance, the stuff that happens on the CBT, learning is then just experience. There was one time when I suddenly had the thought I was guiding the bike rather than riding it, and that is when I realized I could do it. Starting out you are thinking about riding, and that holds you back. With experience though it becomes more innate.


Take changing gear, for example. First you have to go off the throttle, then pull in the clutch, now you can change gear, if going down maybe you will blip the throttle, then you need to start increasing the throttle and releasing the clutch, but carefully to match road speed. Broken down to going through it methodically like that, one step after the other, is sounds like a lot to do. Yet once you it becomes natural you do it all together in a fraction of a second without any awareness of the individual steps. Thinking about it makes it far more difficult and slower. But eventually it becomes natural and you will do all those steps without realizing.


Just keep riding and 'getting there' will happen automatically that you will not even notice.


That said, I suck at corners, I am very slow on them, so still have the "I can never do that" feeling seeing others. But it is not generally a problem (I ride on my own so can set my own pace) and I just keeping hoping those too will happen naturally over time. Still hoping. Always hoping.

 

Thank you thats a really interesting way of viewing it!

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

yup. you will get there just takes practise not going to happen over night I'm afraid.


buy worth it when it does click!

 

I really want an ER6n but I can barely bring myself to ride my little beastie :(

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I really want an ER6n but I can barely bring myself to ride my little beastie :(

 

Maybe you need to break this down into smaller chunks. Going from a 125 to passing all your tests and buying a big bike is a HUGE step.


Step 1. Go out for at least half an hour on the 125.


When you have completed this let me know and you will get step 2 :mrgreen:

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I really want an ER6n but I can barely bring myself to ride my little beastie :(

 

Maybe you need to break this down into smaller chunks. Going from a 125 to passing all your tests and buying a big bike is a HUGE step.


Step 1. Go out for at least half an hour on the 125.


When you have completed this let me know and you will get step 2 :mrgreen:

 


Oh I don't mean I want it now, just even looking at its like such an unreal thought I would ever be like a "biker" haha! Retaking CBT friday so all day riding yaaay!

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Step 1. Go out for at least half an hour on the 125.


When you have completed this let me know and you will get step 2 :mrgreen:

 


Oh I don't mean I want it now, just even looking at its like such an unreal thought I would ever be like a "biker" haha! Retaking CBT friday so all day riding yaaay!

 

That counts.. you can have step 2 on Friday PM then :wink:

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Step 1. Go out for at least half an hour on the 125.


When you have completed this let me know and you will get step 2 :mrgreen:

 


Oh I don't mean I want it now, just even looking at its like such an unreal thought I would ever be like a "biker" haha! Retaking CBT friday so all day riding yaaay!

 

That counts.. you can have step 2 on Friday PM then :wink:

 

Wooo! Actually kind of excited!

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

No, never. I have seen myself racing them... and it's what I do now :D

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

Yes, about half way through my CBT last May. I thought I would never get it. In all honesty I probably shouldn't have gone out on the road I was that bad. After I somehow got my certificate I got a 125, practice, practice, road miles etc and never looked back since......plenty of shoulder checks though :wink:

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

Yes, about half way through my CBT last May. I thought I would never get it. In all honesty I probably shouldn't have gone out on the road I was that bad. After I somehow got my certificate I got a 125, practice, practice, road miles etc and never looked back since......plenty of shoulder checks though :wink:

 

This is literally like me, yaaay! Haha that makes me feel better!

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Did anyone ever feel like they were never going to get there? Seeing people with bikes and riding and feeling like no, thats never going to be me, I can't do that.

 

Yes, about half way through my CBT last May. I thought I would never get it. In all honesty I probably shouldn't have gone out on the road I was that bad. After I somehow got my certificate I got a 125, practice, practice, road miles etc and never looked back since......plenty of shoulder checks though :wink:

 

This is literally like me, yaaay! Haha that makes me feel better!

 

Just keep at it :thumb: I literally haven't stopped riding since. Through the Summer on my 125 and though the Autumn and dark cold winter on a 600. Now enjoying the much dryer roads. :D I do regret not 'discovering' bikes 20 years ago though.

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Went for a ride by myself last night in the dark for like an hour at least haha I regret not sticking to roads with streetlights, bit scary! But still good haha! Criteria met; didn't stall, didn't die. Thats the main thing :lol:

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when I first started (and I'm still relatively new to it) riding at night on roads with streetlights freaked me out as I kept catching my shadow in the corner of my eye and thought it was something/someone coming up beside me, scared the bejeezus out of me!! :oops:

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when I first started (and I'm still relatively new to it) riding at night on roads with streetlights freaked me out as I kept catching my shadow in the corner of my eye and thought it was something/someone coming up beside me, scared the bejeezus out of me!! :oops:

 

Oh gosh I bet! I went out a few country lanes which I think is a bit past my current ability for night riding haha! :')

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Went for a ride by myself last night in the dark for like an hour at least haha I regret not sticking to roads with streetlights, bit scary! But still good haha! Criteria met; didn't stall, didn't die. Thats the main thing :lol:

 

Excellent! Especially on the not dying bit!


night riding wasn't until like step 6 :lol: :lol:

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The first time I went on an unlit rode is still the most frightening experience I have had on my bike, and I have twice broken bones on it. The old-style YBR headlamp with a standard bulb seems to be just for decoration and I felt completely blind, you could literally only see a few feet ahead. It too was a country road but thankfully one I knew a bit, as it was that bad I was too scared to stop to turn around until I got to the forked junction by a pub.


Replacing the bulb with a halogen one helped a bit, it made it just about usable at night although it is still pretty rubbish and dangerous. But even under street lighting it adds no extra illumination.


Well done, though. Every bit of riding helps, plus you got a head start on step six!

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Thank you Hoggs! :D :D



Oh dear someone, yeah my headlamp is actually so week it was like riding blind! It was routes that I know at least but I feel like my cbt today will give me the confidence I need to get going properly :)

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