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flamewraith
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 06 Dec 2018
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PostPosted: 20:41 - 06 Dec 2018    Post subject: Introduction and ask for advice. Reply with quote

New to the forum just introducing myself and asking for a bit of advice also

im 34 Been riding for year and half now currently riding a 2016 cbr125 and in the process of getting my unrestricted license (mod 1 and theory done just mod 2 to pass)

anywho thats me, Ive registered to ask for a bit of advice

I recently wiped out on my Yamaha sr125 long story short lost traction in the wet (think i was a wee bit quick for the corner heh)

Since that day im finding I cant take corners for the life of me every time I lean the bike a little I get that feeling the back wheel is going to go so I ease off the throttle and make the bike even more unstable and gingerly crawl round the corner.

i thought it may just be the bike but im having the same problem with my cbr, probs worse on that tbh cause im scared of dropping it lol

any tips on how I can get my confidence back on wet roads? cause this is really frustrating! Laughing lol
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M.C
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PostPosted: 20:48 - 06 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Err apart from mileage I can't really think of anything. Riding in the wet requires yes, taking it a bit easier but also smoothness. Bikes also translate nervousness so even if you're nervous you have to be brave* as stupid as that sounds Smile

*brave as in your mental attitude rather than cornering speed
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stinkwheel
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PostPosted: 22:01 - 06 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

What tyres does the CBR have on it? It's a while since I rode one but the out of the box ones on the one I rode were pretty dire. How are the tyres looking? Plenty of tread? Have you checked the pressures?

Decelerating round corners will not be helping matters, by rolling off the throttle you are transferring the weight onto the front wheel and unloading the rear. As well as unbalancing the bike, this will make the rear more likely to step out as there is less weight on it.

Aim to do all your slowing down before the corner, LOOK AT WHERE YOU WANT TO GO* then proceed round the corner on either neutral throttle or under slight acceleration, do not back off.

Also remember the handlebars are for steering with, not for hanging onto, you hang onto the bike by gripping the tank with your knees and taking some of your weight on the footpegs. You turn the bike by moving the bars. Loose grip, soft elbows.

*Looking where you want to go is generally the key to success. It's harder to do than you'd think. If you have lost confidence, you'll be looking round at all the places you don't want to go. Head up, look at the exit, that's where you want to go. Don't look at the road/your clutch/the kerb. They are exactly where you left them. The exit from the corner moves about, keep your eye on it..
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I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.
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Riejufixing
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PostPosted: 00:48 - 07 Dec 2018    Post subject: Re: Introduction and ask for advice. Reply with quote

flamewraith wrote:
Since that day im finding I cant take corners for the life of me every time I lean the bike a little I get that feeling the back wheel is going to go so I ease off the throttle and make the bike even more unstable and gingerly crawl round the corner.

Oh. You need to wimp out before you get to a corner, then go around it, rather than eratically braking or igniting the afterburners....

Edit: Ugh, ninja'd.
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Teflon-Mike
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PostPosted: 02:14 - 07 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's mind over matter.... no one can tell you how to get confidence, you either build it or you dont, from getting 'good' experience and hop[efully avoiding the bad.

You need to put the old 'off' out your mind, and go get miles and hopefully good experience under your belt... that is pretty much ALL you can do.

Good tyres can help, a lot... and the erstwile old SR? There's full licence holder that have been born, gone to school, become old enough to get thier own driving licence, and passed tests to get a full motorbike licence, since they sold the last 'new' Yammie SR!!!If it had the OE tyres on it.... they would likely have been rather hard and perished by now! Likely not... in which case what was on it is any-one's guess, b-u-t few buy decent rubber for what is either a low-cost miser-mile commuter or cheap learner hack.. even if brand new tyres were put on it, odds is that they were cheapo-budget concrete e-bay examples... even more odds that they were run at the wrong pressure and on a semi-cruiserified commuter, square as feck, like a car tyre flat accross the tread not curved.

Ironically, on a light-weight like a 125, good tyres are even more important than on the big-guns, where they often get them, and often, where the tiddlers dont.

Reasoning is that 'grip', how much force a tyre can transmit side-ways is a function of the co-efficient of friction twixt the rubber and the road, and a fraction of the force clamping it to the road... tyre width actually matters little... put a greater area of rubber incontact with the road, you just spread what little weight is on it over more rubber and get less effective clamping pressure....

So... little 125, probably weighs something in the order of 125Kg... stick rider on top, you got aprox 200Kg. Big 750... mine, according to the MOT mans scales is near enough 200Kg... before I plonk my arse on it and add, depending which way the wind is blowing and how heavy I am that week... probably another 100Kg on top.

SO, it is ironical, that you get heavier weight big bikes, that these days are actually quite 'light' at 200Kg, add 100Kg rider, let alone pillion or luggage, but that 'big' bike is putting 50% more clamping force on the tyres than a light-weight, before you begin.... and you put the 'expensive' stickly rubber under the heavy bike to get worn out toot-sweet, and cast-iron budget rubber on the light-weight to NEVER wear out, and make the bike wander about the road like a toddler on roller skates!

THERE-IN, is likely explanation as to why your SR stepped out and chucked you off.... and why the CBR, that with more of a weight bias towards the front, likely feels even more prone to the same.... and iof they are on cheap and nasty budget rubber, good chance thet it will, especially if you are nervouse about it, and it becomes a self-fullfilling-proffesy fear.... robing you of what confidence you might have had.

BUT....

ITS IN YOUR HEAD

You can do a 'bit' to aleviate some of that fear, by checking tyres and tyre pressures and struff, even fitting decent rubber.... BUT as long as that fear is still in your head.... its robbing you of confidence......

And THAT is what you need.

We can tell you to go get miles; we can tell you how un-grippy lightweights on budget rubber are, we can tell you how even lighter 125 GP bikes, on decent rubber can lap a track, even in the wet, as fast or faster than super-bikes... BUT that imparted widsom does nothing toi change the way you 'feel' on the bike, or the way you 'think' on the bike..... and THAT is what needs to change.....

Good news is that it will often come with a change of bike, prompting a change of mind-set, but it is the mind-set and the 'irrational' and oft ironic thinking that gets you where you are.... and there's no magic pill that we can give you to change that... because its IS an irrational fear, for the most part, and that is seldom corrected by 'sensible' talk or argument....

You JUST have to grasp the nettle, and stop your head fretting about it... there's plenty of real chit to be fretting about, without going looking for stuff to fret about that is pretty much all in your head.....

YES... cold and wet and dark.... its NOT nice, and you ARE more likely to crash and being a BIT cautious is no bad thing, BUT, its question of being cautious of the RIGHT things....

Cold and wet and dark... slow-down; don't ride faster than you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear; Be smooth; dont chuck the bike about or make it wobble changing your mind every two seconds; make a decission, how fast, what line, and STICK WITH IT! be confident in your choices! As the army mantra, the worst decision is indecision... and keep your effin eyes open for SMIDSY! this time of year they arent used to seeing bikes, so are even less want to look for them, than they might have been, and they have excuse of the dark.. these are REAL threats, IF you gotta fret, fret about the ones that matter.... not ones you only dream about and start obscessing over!!!

In short? Stop thinking - start riding!!!! And get some GOOD experience to dispell the bad.

If its any solace, I have an irrational fear of spiders.... doesn't matter how often any-one tells me that's utterly irrational captain, or tries to tell me that the spider is likely more scared of me, than I am of it... I STILL cant get in the bath!!!! BUT..... it has to be dealt with.... and that means either NOT having a bath.... or being brave for a few seconds and biting back the fear impulses.... or wimping out and getting my daughter to come wrestle the many legged beastie out the back door..... its the same deal, and IF you want to ride motie-byke... thats wot-choo-have-to-do... bite back the irrational, and or find coping strategies.... or take a taxi! Your call.
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Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'
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flamewraith
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 06 Dec 2018
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PostPosted: 16:15 - 07 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for all the advice guys, its defo a mental barrier I agree just gonna keep at it and hopefully a few rides out with no spills will get my confidence back again.

not giving up the bikes way to much fun!

Will get back to were I was again, though spiders Mike i dont think there is anyway to overcome those things, i got the easier task i reckon lol
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redeem ouzzer
World Chat Champion



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PostPosted: 16:18 - 07 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

Initially it takes faith, be it faith in whatever God you prefer or faith in the bike / tyres. Now you've crashed you know how fast you can't go! But as already mentioned, smooth is all, as long as your tyres aren't completely awful you'll be surprised how fast you can actually go in the wet. Basically if you keep chipping away at it you will eventually get to the level where you instinctively know how much grip there is before you even turn in.
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flamewraith
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PostPosted: 17:04 - 07 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

GT200Fan79 wrote:
Initially it takes faith, be it faith in whatever God you prefer or faith in the bike / tyres. Now you've crashed you know how fast you can't go! But as already mentioned, smooth is all, as long as your tyres aren't completely awful you'll be surprised how fast you can actually go in the wet. Basically if you keep chipping away at it you will eventually get to the level where you instinctively know how much grip there is before you even turn in.


Thats the annoying thing I did have a feel for what my bike could do and happly rode in any condtions even snow lol but after that slip its like ive never rode a bike in my life lol

I did think coming into the corner hmm its quite wet here im going a wee bit quick but should be ok..
back wheel just went out and i watched the bike bounce down the road, I didnt get the feedback that traction was going which i have felt once or twice when close to the limit in the past. Was just easing round the corner nicely then. oh hello floor lol thats whats got me on edge i think, the lack of warning just traction gone with no warning never experienced that before.
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M.C
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PostPosted: 14:51 - 08 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

flamewraith wrote:
I did think coming into the corner hmm its quite wet here im going a wee bit quick but should be ok..

So you've learnt your lesson Smile Marquez crashes multiple times finding the limit, you now know to trust that little voice in your head (unless it tells you to kill people).
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waffles
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PostPosted: 16:14 - 08 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

I lowsided going round a tight corner, I slowed down to what I thought was an appropriate speed for the road and weather conditions but still found a patch of something in the middle that caused a loss of traction.

It took a while before I gained back confidence to take similar bends at anything other than a snails pace, you just need to keep at it. Make sure your tyres are in good condition and pumped up to an appropriate pressure.

If you want to see exactly how far bikes can lean over (in good conditions) then go watch some Motogymkhana videos on YouTube. Like this one
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125
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flamewraith
L Plate Warrior



Joined: 06 Dec 2018
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PostPosted: 19:58 - 19 Dec 2018    Post subject: Reply with quote

just an update thanks for all the advice, the vids were an eyeopener lol have been riding about everyday and doing some time over the car park practising the basics.

Took a corner I crawled round last week at a decent pace today and got a big grin + confidence lift lol.

seems time in the saddle has eased my nerves, must say though i am loving this new cbr125 feels like a jet compared to my old yam sr125 lol XD

After Christmas will see about trying this mod 2 again me thinks Smile
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