Losing My Bollocks.

[johnsmith222]

Hi guys.

I have noticed that I have lost a lot of bollocks in terms of my riding. I thought it was supposed to be a case of your confidence was supposed to be low when you first start out, then as you get more experienced your confidence increases and you can ride faster and more safely.

Well, when I first started out riding, ignoring the commuting on the CG125, I was pretty much full on pretty much all the time. I had the guts to tear it round country roads as fast as I possibly could and while there were a few hairy moments, it seemed to work out ok.

Fast forward 3 years later and I've gone from care free to someone who's very interested in safety. I can't help but think shit like "if that guy moves a couple of feet over into my lane, or if I come off here then I'm a goner". I guess it's probably a case of me realising my own mortality and growing up. It's not enough to put me off riding or motorcycling, but I'm actually finding I enjoy working on my bikes more than riding the bloomin things.

I guess my enjoyment may be hindered because I'm on my bike every day all year round, so it's pretty much transport for me. I guess it takes away from the times where I do ride for enjoyment.

I think seeing a mate crash his cbr400 in front of me into a barbed wire fence affected me too. Actually, I would say it affected me way more than coming off myself. It's the first and last time I want to see someone fly in real life. He was fine, but it was the worst feeling ever.

I'm guessing maybe track days and the likes might be a good option as it could help me regain confidence in riding and also let off some steam that I feel is holding back. Or perhaps a change of direction is required. Maybe getting into off roading. I'd need to wait and save up some money for a bike though.

I'm 20, but I feel my riding experiences has put years on me. I guess I don't want to be too concerned about the consequences of things, but I guess it could also be what is keeping me alive.

I'm just wondering if anyone else feels the same? I mean, I get the impression that quite a few of you are quite the hooligans on the road without being concerned about the concequences, and I kinda miss that.

[kingsknight]

https://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcS19-wew39ncGpOLXtOrE8cj2jPseDQ_CnF16MFhz5gu9RPTRjF&t=1
____________________
TS50 (sold) NS125F (sold) NSR125R-K (write off after 2 crashes) CG125 (nicked) XR125L-3 (Sold )-: ) DR125SM '11 (sold yay) XL125V '12 (In love with this bike) XT600E '04 (fun on the dirt)

[MarkJ]

[Flip]

Or maybe some advanced lessons or bikesafe as a starting point. Although the less you know the better sometimes.

I lost my hooligan streak a few years ago. I miss it deeply.

[MarJay]

It happens as you get older. The trick appears to be to replace bare faced bravery and risk taking with advanced riding techniques. So you'll be just as quick, but you'll also be smooth and safe.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Rogerborg]

I started cautious and stayed cautious. FFS, you only have to watch a couple of crash aftermath videos, let alone see a real one, to figure out that we're fragile sacks of meat and blood and pointy bones. If you don't ride with that in mind, then you're just going to add to the KSI statistics sooner or later.

So, good on you, you've grown up and got sensible. Save it for the track, get a Honda Dullsville, whatever it takes for you to enjoy riding the bike you've got in a way that doesn't make you feel like you're deliberately pushing your luck just to recapture your hooligan days.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[27cows]

With the passage of time you become more aware of your own mortality, it's that simple. If you're unlucky, you know people who have been seriously injured or killed hooning around on fast bikes. It's there in the back of your mind.

People who adopt the attitude you have stay alive and in one piece. Not everyone who rides like a nutter comes a cropper...but a lot do.
____________________
The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[Hetzer]

Only morons have no fear. And courage is doing something despite your fears. I stopped riding the first time around 1995 because I'd get off the bike and be trembling, a mixture of adrenalin and piss. Nine years later I took it up again and was better at it but the fear crept back until I finally thought "enough is enough".

If you ride balls-out it's only a matter of time until you are maimed or killed, no matter how good you are. Russian roulette. I'm still here, or in one piece at least, because I was lucky playing the wheel, with whatever skill I had giving me a bit of an edge against the odds.

Biking, putting a round in a six-shot cylinder and pulling the trigger against your head. The glory don't come free.
____________________
"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[swiftb]

Wow your only 20, you shouldnt be growing up yet. I see where your coming from - and suppose it doesn't neccesarily come with age but experience. When I was 20 I was driving very fast cars very fast. But generally safely. However at that time I never felt I could trust myself to ride a sportsbike due to my immense 'need for speed'. I thought if I did get a bike id probably be dead in no time. So I put it off for a good few years until I had calmed down a little. Once I had calmed down in the cars I decided I had enough self control to get a bike. (I probably did when I was 20 but there were plenty other reasons why a bike wasn't right at that time).
When I first got my bike and passed my test I was initially ultimately safety concsious, but still balls out - 6 months later I was just balls out and loving it. If I wasnt cranked over going almost as fast as possible round a hedgelined blind bend I felt lacking.
Then I kind of woke up to the fact that Im not invincible and what the fuk would I do if I came round that bend and a tractor was in the middle of the road. I knew I was taking risks but I also knew the roads so was playing a percentage game as I 'knew' to a point what was round the corner.
Nowadays I still take the 'calculated' risks but I definetly have a bit more in reserve than I did when I first passed. The way I see it is biking is a big risk in itself _ I only ride for fun and part of that fun sometimes is the thrill factor. But to me its the 'type' of risks you take which determine wether your going to stay generally safe or not. Theres going a bit too fast and a bit too cranked around a bend that you know 99.9% of the time will be without hazard, then theres the bellends who swing out to overtake a line of traffic without being able to see their destination - Ive had those bellends coming at me on more than one occassion full chat and its not fun. Those riders dont have balls there just plain retarded.

[27cows]

I guess I was quite lucky because in my day (sounding about 90 now ) big bikes just didn't handle or stop well enough to do anything too mental. This is partly why I like the brutal old iron of yore. If you take liberties with something like an XS1100, you'll soon know about it.

These ultra fast, on rails, brick wall braked sportsbikes you get now give the rider too much confidence for their own good, IMHO. Probably sounds stupid but I know what I mean

If I had my way, fairings would be illegal on road bikes, except for tourers
____________________
The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[salty21]

[Paulington]

I have found this since I got back on the bike.

It may have something to do with the major surgery I had and the Doctors not knowing if I was going to make it through the evening plus the week in hospital. .

After what I've been through most people don't live to tell the tale, let alone get back on a bike like I did. !
____________________
"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[stigg]

I've been riding some 35 years and have changed the way I ride over the years but always within my limits. When I was young I rode without much thought of danger and as fast as I could, which on the bikes I could afford then wasn't that fast, just felt like it, now I still don't really think of the danger but ride a lot more sensible but on a much faster bike, so I doubt if the speed has changed that much. The difference is that now if the road is clear and the weather is good I can actually go fast! Danger is all around us and if you start thinking too hard about it you won't do anything. I've seen a few bad off's on the road with one fatality and have come off a few times myself but you just forget about it after a while and carry on, if women thought about the pain of child birth after the first one they would never have another!! Ride in your comfort zone and just enjoy it.

[DrDonnyBrago]

Similar thing here really, I no longer tear around risking my balls all the time or do dodgy overtakes for the sake of a few seconds progress. I generally spend all my time thinking about the possibilities around blind bends, hidden driveways, over the crests of hills etc or what if that guy does this/that or doesn't see me etc etc.

It's probably a better mindset to be in from a coming home alive perspective but I haven't really got any faster for a while now. I also find riding fast somewhat less enjoyable, to the point where I too probably prefer working on my bike to riding it. I am also tempted to downgrade to something cheaper and slower that I can ride harder, sports bikes in all guises are basically too much for UK roads and the excess performance costs a lot considering it doesn't get used properly (certainly not by me anyway).


At least January is over, one long depressing fucking month that is.

[G]

Off-roading is a good way to keep that 'challenge' going with less danger, etc. There's a hell of a lot of skills to learn and it does feel pretty nice in some cases as you get the opportunity to do nice controlled slides etc a lot more easily than on the road.

Track riding is the other obvious one if you're not finding you want to ride at the speeds you find fun.
Clear tarmac, everyone going the same way and trying to do about the same thing, fair bit of run-off (mostly!)

Advanced riding is the other thing, as mentioned - a different skill set, but still a challenge to learn.