lots of advice questions for new bike rider

[panaromabel]

I'm new to bike riding at the age of 51. ! I never thought i would be on a bike. I only have a 110cc Honda vision which I love. I did come off the bike once but I was virtually stationary, (slipped on horse poo) I just locked the back wheel and it slipped under me so I just fell sideways, but it was still enough to knock my confidences a bit, but I understand the science behind why that happened so I have now got confidence back in the bike.   but It has come to a point where I need to venture onto a 4 lane A road. (no choice here I have tried all manner of different routes and this is the only option with a motor scooter) (the A2) I only have to be on there for one junction so less than a mile. but the fastest I have ever gone is 40mph and then only for a few seconds as most of my riding is on country lanes, so not had the need to go any faster.  My first problem is I think the fear of speed, but then I think it might be the worry of coming down a slip road and no body letting me in and the slip road running out. !! does this happen?   (my head is terrible sometimes for thinking every possible scenario before I have even done anything!! ).  I don't think I would have a problem with the acceleration as the wider and open a road the fear goes away. but I feel like I will be going out with the big boys and something in me just keeps worrying about getting into the traffic at the correct speed, having never done 50 before. what I need advise for really is am I over thinking it? how easy is it to just go for it and not worry,  any tips please to help me get the courage to go for it. It's just that thought of the first time. how do you know you can do something until you do it !!. what if I have to stay at 45 as I just cannot bring myself to go faster. I'm then worried I will annoy others and they toot at me or shout, that will make me worse. .. obviously I will not be leaving the left hand lane as the slip road of is less then 50 seconds from getting on it.  to be honest I will probably do it , love it, and tell my self im stupid for thinking I could not. but hearing tips of how to help this feeling will really help. please be kind, 

[Nick the wanderer]

Hi, welcome to the forum, you will get plenty of advice on here for sure.

Do you drive a car?

[fullscreenaging]

If no one can let you into a main road from a slip road you should give way until you can enter the main road. 
I see so many idiots forcing their way onto main carriageways. I believe they have forgotten what they were taught on their driving/riding lessons. 
Even if you can’t get to 50 (if the road is a 50) people will overtake you as there are 3 more lanes. 
Just obey the rules of the road and you’ll be fine. 
Everything can be scary the first time. 
 

Go for it. 

[RideWithStyles]

Welcome and congratulations for braving to two wheels!

 

Yep shit happens, sorry POOr joke.

 

looking out for things is great (apart from you overlooking ) but you obviously need to dial your brain back...

 

im guessing you have been driving so suddenly not having a cage etc wrapped around you now is daunting. Not knowing How much grip you have, trusting what the bike does and yourself? 
worried about hurting the bike as it seems to screams at a low 7000+rpm where as car maxes at 6000 but for a bike its barely woken up.

 

if you look far enough away you can see and plan things better and with loads of times so its less of a worry and not rather guess what if??

 

Letting you in? You have your space around you and its yours while you are there, if you want you can actively make your own space

 

some things might be because you are actually creating a window of opportunity for a muppet to do it to you?...like your worried so much you actually make yourself slow so people will want to actively overtake you so you give them the reason due to your own personal fear. 
 

f you are worried about the cars queue jumping past you there are two reasons , if you are going really slowly comepared And why would a slip road running out? If you are looking farther its not a surprise.

 

country lanes are 60 easy.

If you can follow a car while in the car its just the same only ive leave a little more space but aslong as you are with the flow.

 

 
I think a little more time, extra tutoring or going out with other people that will be happy to have a cruise will make you acclimate better and see what YOU need to help you get more comfortable with your riding. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by RideWithStyles

[KiwiBob]

What you need is TITS! .. Time In The Saddle! ... I'm guessing your Honda Vision will have a top speed of around 50mph so just get out there each time try and increase your speed (when the conditions allow) a little each time until you're confident.

 

You/we need to be more aware of road surfaces when biking so apart from shit on the road watch out for diesel and potholes too.

Edited November 2, 2023 by KiwiBob

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Before trying to merge into faster moving traffic you may be better to find a road where you can ride at faster speeds just to get used to going a bit faster. As you get faster things like wind noise and resistance build exponentially. So from 40 to 50 may feel and sound twice as much as 0 to 40. Once you're used to that then merging into faster moving traffic will be safer.

 

One thing not to do is to dither when merging. If you slow up on a bike with low acceleration then getting into the traffic flow becomes harder. You are better looking for a gap and matching your speed to the taffic flow.

 

A mate struggles when on faster roads because he wears an open face helmet and no earplugs. So for him faster speeds are much noisier and uncomfortable. Sometimes your choice of riding gear can be an issue. 

[megaross]

1. The more relaxed on the bike that you are, the more in control of it you will be. That was the hardest thing I had to overcome when I was learning, being I'm quite an anxious person. Relax your muscles, breathe.

 

2. 50 on a small bike can feel intimidating, unlike a big bike that'll feel stable at pretty much an speed you're likely to do, but you will get used to it. Remember to plan, don't be afraid to get up to speed - it's dangerous to go slow when merging. If you need to stop because there's not a gap? That's fine, just patiently wait for one then merge.

 

You'll get used to that speed, it's an odd sensation when you've been doing nsl speeds and then enter a 30. Like everything in slow motion.

[RideWithStyles]

4 hours ago, KiwiBob said:

What you need is TITS! .. Time In The Saddle! ...

Yes!!! Ohwait you mean that....

 

[panaromabel]

5 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

Welcome and congratulations for braving to two wheels!

 

Yep shit happens, sorry POOr joke.

 

looking out for things is great (apart from you overlooking ) but you obviously need to dial your brain back...

 

im guessing you have been driving so suddenly not having a cage etc wrapped around you now is daunting. Not knowing How much grip you have, trusting what the bike does and yourself? 
worried about hurting the bike as it seems to screams at a low 7000+rpm where as car maxes at 6000 but for a bike its barely woken up.

 

if you look far enough away you can see and plan things better and with loads of times so its less of a worry and not rather guess what if??

 

Letting you in? You have your space around you and its yours while you are there, if you want you can actively make your own space

 

some things might be because you are actually creating a window of opportunity for a muppet to do it to you?...like your worried so much you actually make yourself slow so people will want to actively overtake you so you give them the reason due to your own personal fear. 
 

f you are worried about the cars queue jumping past you there are two reasons , if you are going really slowly comepared And why would a slip road running out? If you are looking farther its not a surprise.

 

country lanes are 60 easy.

If you can follow a car while in the car its just the same only ive leave a little more space but aslong as you are with the flow.

 

 
I think a little more time, extra tutoring or going out with other people that will be happy to have a cruise will make you acclimate better and see what YOU need to help you get more comfortable with your riding. 

Thank you for this advise. I have never driven a car or attempted to , this is my first time on the roads alone. !!. only passed my test in feb this year. so yes I may see if I can get some extra lessons to help. thanks again very valuable advice. I never go fast on the lanes as I seem to always come face to face with speeding cars flying round blind corners so I make sure I have enough time top brake.  

[panaromabel]

5 hours ago, KiwiBob said:

What you need is TITS! .. Time In The Saddle! ... I'm guessing your Honda Vision will have a top speed of around 50mph so just get out there each time try and increase your speed (when the conditions allow) a little each time until you're confident.

 

You/we need to be more aware of road surfaces when biking so apart from shit on the road watch out for diesel and potholes too.

yes TITS i understand. I ride a horse so same thing, I also own a pair !!     and no its a 110 vision so I know it will probably do about 70-80 but I'm not ready for that yet lol, but thanks for the advise, am used to pot holes now and got a good eye for diesel on new wet roads, I think it's just going on the big roads and faster that is a little daunting. 

[Nick the wanderer]

Confidence helps with these things. The more you do it the more comfortable you become.( Like riding your horse) I'd be looking at some more advanced lessons to gain the skills and confidence you need. 

[RideWithStyles]

One thing i learned about horses and bikes thats the same, if you fall off just get straight back on.

one other quote thats easier to achieve " You’re not a rider unless you’ve fallen off seven times" luckly in the biking world its alot less than that. Lol.

[bonio]

Can you go out and try doing the route when there's less traffic? A couple of times out of rush hour will give you a lot more confidence.

[Nute]

I recall when I rode my first 125 along the A34, lots of traffic and hgv’s & it was very intimidating. 
 

As said above try it out of rush hour first, wear you high viz and expect a bit of buffeting as the hgv’s or other large vehicles go past. Remember that you have every right to be there and that other road users should respect your space, try to resist the temptation to keep as far left as you can, use the middle of your lane so people don’t try to squeeze by in your lane. 
 

You will soon become accustomed to it …

[Yorky]

13 hours ago, panaromabel said:

yes TITS i understand. I ride a horse so same thing, I also own a pair !!    

[Shepherd]

10 hours ago, bonio said:

Can you go out and try doing the route when there's less traffic? A couple of times out of rush hour will give you a lot more confidence.

This!

I'm guessing you are around the Darenth to Inn On The Lake junctions, which I travel quite often. The traffic towards Chatham / Rochester is a lot less busy in the mornings than London bound. Why not travel that way a couple of times first, then come back through the lanes and do it again?  You'll get to a point when you turn off at the junction and come back on the A2 instead.

 

Give yourself an hour or so on a weekend morning,  and you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. 

 

 

[Interference Fit]

Welcome to the forum and motorcycling.

 

I was in your position just recently having only passed my MOD2 in September.

 

I recognise your fear of the unknown and can only offer up my own personal experiences of my first 500 miles I've clocked up since.

 

At first, everything feels new and therefore has little or no frame of reference for what is normal - this is normal and will very quickly pass as you clock up the miles.

 

I also remember the feeling that 50 mph might as well be 150 mph as I felt so vulnerable and insecure.

 

My suggestion is to gain as much experience, familiarity and muscle memory as you can on familiar roads, in bright and hopefully dry conditions and don't feel under any pressure to advance beyond your comfort zone. Sometimes it takes things to become second nature and to happen in your subconscious to generate enough head space to tackle the next stage or challenge.

 

What I found helped me was asking myself "what would I do in a car in this situation?", and do the same thing (taking into consideration safety based elements as well) as ultimately you are in control of a vehicle which needs to interact dynamically with the traffic around you and this is fundamentally the same whether its a car or bike.

 

Another thing I quickly realised was that it helps to give yourself as much thinking and preparation time as possible, and that means reading what's up ahead and getting ready for it in good time - for example approaching a junction, slow down well in advance, select the right gear, get in the right position etc all in plenty of time, so that as you approach whatever road condition you find yourself trying to navigate, you can apply your full mental capacity to it, rahter than diverting some of it to shifting gears, balancing your breaking, clutch control etc.

 

It will come to you quickly though so don't fret that it feels really daunting now - just get the first few rides out under your belt and only go at the pace you feel comfortable at.