Not hugely confident on my bike.

[Runaway987]

I have noticed people on the roads are anywhere from slightly to massively faster than me when out in the twisty country roads and I don't know what my problem is. his is humble me.
https://img376.imageshack.us/img376/8720/imgp1362ok4.jpg

Enjoying lancashire as you do... Anyways - will this get better over time? Key things that I think might be putting me off are -

*Possibly hardish tyres I am not experienced with them.

*I have no leg protection as of yet!

*Bike is old and crappy.

*I am a wuss.

*Only been riding a 600cc for around a year - is that a short time?

On the other hand I have tried pushing myself once or twice on the country roads and I am not enjoying it, I nearly lost the back end to some gravelly bits in the middle of the road - 4x4 drivers on their phones are oncoming in the middle of the roads and a couple of times I have badly overshot corners into the wrong side of the road or even straight into the middle of a large T junction.

I want to get faster but I don't want to die trying!

[Bendy]

Trackday.

It'll do your confidence the world of good, teach you loads about your bike and how to go round corners, and it's all knowledge you can take to the roads.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Look where you want to go and practise counter steering.(Turn left to go right and right to go left).

Don't go mad from the off, just gradually build up your speed on roads you are familar with.

Get out there and practise practise.
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[Runaway987]

Yeah but people who I am fairly sure aren't familiar with the roads are just going rounf them - makes me sad lol.

I am just thinking about what might be coming round the corner as 9/10 you cannot see anything round the corner at all and they are usually fairly sharp things... But I suppose there is no magic answer.

Booking a test ride on an 07 CBR600RR and a GSXR750 to be sure though eh?

[Kal]

Don't take this the wrong way but I doubt is the bikes fault. It is a modern sportsbike - any fault is much more likel to be with you than with the bike and a year isnt a long time - what kind of mileage are you doing?

Don't push it beyond your confidence - theres a reason your subconcious isnt happy. Check your tyre pressures - even a little thing like that picked up by yourn subconcious but not by your concsious will have a huge effect on the way you ride.

Down here there is a port test course called Roadcraft where an instructor takes you out, he'll usually be on a sportsbike as well and show you how to ride safely, confidently and fast.

The course is based on the idea they know you will speed so you should have the skills to ride at speed well. ask at your local bike schools, see if you have a local equivilant.

Don't bother measuring your ride against anyone elses - yours is the only one that matters. Trying to push yourself into situations you arent ready for will sooner or later end unfortunately.
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Kal...
I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It I Like To Hoon It Hoon It Ya Like To (HOON IT!).
1984 GB250 Clubman,1983 CB250N Superdream, 1999 GPZ500S

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[BanditBitch]

Dont be too hard on yourself........

When I see my OH and his mates, who have been riding for for about 25 years... I sometimes feel a pang of jealousy, cos they seem to be so fast and smooth, as if they are on rails. But I am a novice and realistically, probably wont ever ride like they do.

Ride your own ride, you dont have anything to prove to anyone. Never ride beyond your capabilities or you will come unstuck.

[Itchy]

A Lancashireman eh? , join up with the northern section , there are occassional rides now and again , or
try the A675 AFTER a recon run for speed camera vans, open wide sweeping corners which you can see round
easy.

not that the northern lot ride much anymore,

but remember its how you ride it not what you ride , the NTV chalked up tons of kills last year against sports
600s and 1000s
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[BooBoo]

Some basic post-test training would help e.g. IAM, RoSPA etc. What part of the country do you live in?

[Runaway987]

Catterall, 10 odd miles north of Preston. I have bugged yams to let me into the Northerners group - just waiting for him/her to get on I think

Meeting some people would be A* because I moved from Norwich and know basically no one up here.

[Itchy]

Babyyam's a girlie, a fast one at that , come down to Rivington some time? , theres always somebody there (its next to horwich angalize resevoir) , there is also the devils bridge meet on Sunday.
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Spain 2008France 2007Big one 2009 We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will. In the end, your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is worth watching.

[Runaway987]

But but I don't know anyone lol.

I know *precisely what some women moan about now when they say they can't go into a pub alone and everyone is thinking "yeah whatever lady".

[DaveH]

[SoND]

[Runaway987]

That's what I was hoping to hear - to clarify I love the bike and there isn't anything wrong with it, just the egotistical mind starts rationalising it as "Well if I had a newer bike I would be more confident on it obviously".

[doggone]

Planning ahead - your line through bends, and concentrating on smoothness and then consciously using countersteering are going to help.

You need to be doing all the mechanical details of controlling the bike without needing to think about it first, then you can work on making good progress - or rather more speed will come naturally.

[gadfium]

Hey Runaway, i live in Morecambe, and am a BAB.... If you fancy a run out sometime let me know
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Those who risk nothing, do nothing, achieve nothing, become nothing.

[MarJay]

My reccomendation would be to first of all find someone to ride with who is smooth and safe. They can teach you a lot about road riding.

Trackdays are all well and good, but they only work if you manage to get a decent instructor etc.

I don't think its worth doing a trackday until you at least have a little bit of confidence on the road I'd say.

I'd also say that a lot of the problems you are having are in your head. If someone took your bike away and brought it back a week later and they told you they'd completely overhauled the suspension, you might find a renewed confidence.

To make certain it is a rider problem and not a bike problem I'd spend some time making sure your bike is on standard suspension settings, and you have good quality tyres in good condition at the correct pressure. Tyre pressures alone can make a great bike feel like a dog.

I'm not saying it *is* a problem with the bike because more often than not it isn't. I'm just saying you'll need to check those things for the sake of your own confidence.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[colin1]

ride at your own pace

try to get smoother

and only when you are smoother think of going faster

its not compulsory to ride fast, as long as you are enjoying your ride dont feel you have to ride as fast as anyone else

ride at a speed that you are relaxed with and your confidence will grow

scare yourself too much and you wont grow more confident
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Matt06]

Try to push yourself out of your comfort zone and confidence level but only a little. When you are happy at that new point go a bit further or faster. If that makes sense. Its generally how I 'do' things on my bike and how im taking it on my first 'big' bike the ZXR.

If you always stay with what you are confident with or comfortable with then you will either not really get much better or it will take longer than it should. For example, I was not comfortable riding my ZXR the first few times but If I didnt make myself ride it then it would still be sat in the drive not being used.

Its just my opinion but it might help.
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Current: MT-10, Bandit, Grom, GPZ500
Previous: YBR125, GSXR400, ZXR400, MT-03, NTV650, R6, z750, ZX6R, MT-09

[Itchy]

[Runaway987]

Thanks for the responses everyone

[Bendy]

[dodsi]

[Noxious89123]

Counter-steering feels weird why you conciously make yourself do it...

Its not so much "turn the bars right to go left"...

It's more like "put pressure on the right grip (push) to lean right"
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