Lost all confidence in riding..... (test now passed)

[SlowBusa]

How can I put this nicely and positively ?

Your a Doorman right?

You know you cant act or look like a pushover, you have to be confident.......its the same with a bike on the road

But I see your low confidence in the video and so will the car drivers behind you

You need a bigger bike because you seem to be riding like a victim on the 125 and often car drivers will try and bully a small bike.........but very often wont with a bigger one

Your riding style isnt bad ...just a little slow........I dont mean riding fast and power sliding everywhere ....but I think a bigger bike will give you more confidence

And hopefully this new instructor is the one you need.........because the other instructor you talked about sounds like a complete Tosser

BTW you are right to be wary of man hole covers and Tar Snakes .....I avoid them like the plague

[MR_W]

I managed to record a ride home, for those that would like to see what I mean about my riding.

 

DISCLAIMER I'm not trained in any way these are just my thoughts and observations

1. Does your headlight work?? wow in some of those darker areas it didn't look like it illuminated the road at all! Maybe adjustment needed? Or maybe my phone just making it look worse than it it

2. Left hand turns, you tend to cut over the centre line of the road you're turning into - try going a bit further forward before turning to ensure you turn into the centre of the lane.

3. Right bends, you seem to drift a bit to the kerb, especially on country roads you want to get over to the centre of the road to increase your visibility of what's coming.

4. General road position seems ok.

5. Pulling over... I think you did so 4 times? The last one was a bit sketchy as there was a car coming the other way which meant you were more of a hindrance stopping where you did. Make sure you don't get lost looking behind so much you don't assess what's ahead

6. A car was pulling out of a side road at one point, as it was safe to do so don't be afraid to cross the central line to make yourself more visible and give yourself as much escape room as possible.

7. I think it was around 3 minutes in there were some lights that had been green for ages and it felt like you sped up approaching them then had to brake a bit harder than needed when they changed (again I'm watching on my phone so open to corrections)

8. Whilst we all do it, make sure you don't stop in the cycle boxes on your test

 

Point 3 I can only hope Hoggs meant left bends. Otherwise on a right hand curve, keeping to the white line sticks your head into opposing traffic.

Should be keep to the right of your lane in a left curve so your head isn't in a hedge and visibility. Right curve, keep left so not lean into the oncoming truck and visibility.

[Hoggs]

Point 3 I can only hope Hoggs meant left bends.

 

oh crap yes I mean right turns and left bends I'm just going to edit that earlier post....

[MR_W]

Point 3 I can only hope Hoggs meant left bends.

 

oh crap yes I mean right turns and left bends I'm just going to edit that earlier post....

 

You are a

 

[Stu]

Point 3 I can only hope Hoggs meant left bends.

 

oh crap yes I mean right turns and left bends I'm just going to edit that earlier post....

 

You are a

IMG_20180122_210510.jpg

 

A decent mod would have edited your quote and denied all knowledge of the screw up

Shame on you [mention]Hoggs[/mention]

[Hoggs]

haaaa it was tempting

[MR_W]

oh crap yes I mean right turns and left bends I'm just going to edit that earlier post....

 

You are a

IMG_20180122_210510.jpg

 

A decent mod would have edited your quote and denied all knowledge of the screw up

Shame on you @Hoggs

 

Wouldn't of happened if Six had got the mod gig.

[Tango]

OP......sounds like you've found your answer.......bigger bike needed......

[mikestrivens]

Bigger bike, better lights, practice road positioning with instructor and you will be well on your way to be sorted.

[SlowBusa]

[mention]BigHeavy1095[/mention] your throttle control will match a bigger bike nicely.

[Bender]

oh crap yes I mean right turns and left bends I'm just going to edit that earlier post....

 

You are a

IMG_20180122_210510.jpg

 

A decent mod would have edited your quote and denied all knowledge of the screw up

Shame on you @Hoggs

 

Yea right, where are we going to find one of them round here

[Bender]

Re the vid

Its not that bad mostly.

Stop cutting corners off, junctions, corners, roundabouts, your turning in too soon on many of them, much sooner than needed and much too far, putting yourself too close to the curb or the center, not only is it bad from a position point of view your limiting albeit slightly your view of the oncoming road.

Stop with the pulling over too, I know its easier said than done to stop feeling like your in the way of others but your creating problems, your inviting people past and putting yourself at more of a risk than holding your position, you pulled over opposite a junction causing the car that was turning right to turn right along side you over the center line, all that takes to go wrong is to have an idiot behind him not paying attention to try to pass on the left right where you are.

I'm sure a good instructor will soon have you riding better.

Hope it goes well.

[mention]BigHeavy1095[/mention]ohh where do you have the camera

Edited January 24, 2018 by Bender

[Stu]

You are a

IMG_20180122_210510.jpg

 

A decent mod would have edited your quote and denied all knowledge of the screw up

Shame on you @Hoggs

 

Yea right, where are we going to find one of them round here

 

I was thinking the same!

The admin on the other hand

[BigHeavy1095]

@BigHeavy1095ohh where do you have the camera

 

Chest mount. Perks of being a doorman, the company gives us technology to play with like body cameras, tablets, torches etc etc the chest mount is from my body worn camera at work but fits my kitvision escape hd5 perfectly.

[Bender]

Very good, not too bad a video considering your candlelight headlamp lol

[NeilM]

Looking for some advice....

I did go out for a ride with my instructor in the hopes that he could give me some useful tips and advice but nothing came of it apart from "you definitely have some confidence issues, just ride more, Its all in your head, now payment", he only seemed interested in taking my money. I know that it is all in my head but I was hoping for more than that. He has also said that until I've sorted these confidence issues out, He isn't willing to take me out on lessons anymore. The more I ride, the worse it seems to get.

I've been riding on L plates for six years now, Ridden every day in every weather. Always been fine confidence-wise. I've had a few offs but it's only the latest one that has seriously dented my confidence in riding. Im only riding in the dark now due to my working hours (im a door supervisor)

Im having issues with speed, I don't mean Im always speeding. I mean Im finding it hard to get up to and stay at the speed limit. on a 30mph ill generally, sit at 25ish mph and pull to the side to let traffic past if there are more than three cars behind me. Going past junctions, if there is a car my speed drops down another 5mph or so and I completely sh!t myself. (my last accident was when I was doing 40 in a 40, a car pulled out from in front of a parked truck and I hit the car) I also have very little confidence in the bends and I've got a huge fear of going over manhole covers.

Has anyone got any tips or advice on how to get over these confidence issues? Its really starting to get me down and I almost put my bike up for sale because of it.

Sounds easy but.

Utilise the confidence it takes to work the door and apply it to riding.

End of the day most things are "in the head"

[HomerPlata]

I can sympathise a bit. I dropped my bike outside work the other day, literally doing zero mph just trying to park up as I normally do. No injuries, no real damage, but my ride home that night was traumatic. Shaking like a leaf while filtering through massive gaps.

I imagine coming off with an impact at speed is a million times worse, but you'll defo get through it if you just keep at it. With a bit of time, the realisation of how vulnerable we are on the roads on a daily basis won't be so fresh in your mind

[BigHeavy1095]

Been riding quite a lot in the last week, clocked up just over 1500 miles in total.

I've had a couple of lessons with my instructor whenever he has had cancelations, first lesson was covering mod1 stuff which he thinks I'll fly through second lesson was a four hour long road ride session working on my fears.

Ive also been riding a lot with a family friend, somehow did prestatyn and back via the long mynd and we went to bakewell to buy a bakewell tart via snake pass. while I've been slowing him down (he rides a K1600GT) its been good to get the miles in.

Theory has been booked and is in three weeks time

Quick video, still not great but a lot better than I was before I think.

https://youtu.be/kO1YA04Kv3w

[Six30]

Pedestrian in your video about 3/4 through it .... sure he had trainers and jeans on , should of pulled up and told him to go home and perhaps slap him about a bit

[Bender]

Well done on the persevering, better to know your limits and learn than ride beyond them

[Hoggs]

a lot better than I was before I think.

 

 

I agree! Wow it's like a different rider! More confident, I feel you're thinking more about your position on bends and corners too.

(Also because of the style and town environment,watching these makes me feel like I'm doing a Hazard Awareness Test I keep trying to click )

[Westbeef]

Pedestrian in your video about 3/4 through it .... sure he had trainers and jeans on , should of pulled up and told him to go home and perhaps slap him about a bit

 

Don’t tell me you wear shoes with jeans?

[SlowBusa]

Thats a LOT more confident!

And you have the Revs up higher than before

Glad you sorted a good instructor now

[Six30]

Pedestrian in your video about 3/4 through it .... sure he had trainers and jeans on , should of pulled up and told him to go home and perhaps slap him about a bit

 

Don’t tell me you wear shoes with jeans?

[BigHeavy1095]

Pedestrian in your video about 3/4 through it .... sure he had trainers and jeans on , should of pulled up and told him to go home and perhaps slap him about a bit

 

That's just someone born in Walsall. They all look like idiots glad I'm originally from a much better place