crisis of confidence

[izzi81]

I wasn't sure about posting this so I was waiting to see if my crisis went away.. but it hasn't.

The weather is lovely outside. I have things to do but I could easily make time to nip out on my bike for a bit. The zx6r is looking great, I love it, it's sitting in the garage waiting to get going.

But I keep finding excuses not to go out.

I had the bike for a few weeks before managing to drop it at a slowish speed. It's taken a while to get the plastics patched up again, and while I was doing that I was worried I was missing all the good weather! But it's still here, and yet I'm not leaping on my bike.

I don't know if it's because I'm not as 100% confident at the moment on it as I became on the NSR (well that's because I'd ridden that for 5 years!) or because of the fall, or what. But it's very annoying because the bike of my dreams is in my garage!



Anyone got any advice? I suspect the only solution is to get out there, ride the thing and get familiar with it, and then this problem will disappear... I'd love some words of wisdom
____________________
"The problem with the French is they have no word for 'entrepreneur' " George W Bush
Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese
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[Frost]

It's understandable
I'd love a ferrari, but if i had one it would sit int he garage all day with me too afraid to touch it.

go out ont he bike, ride senibly and build up your confidence

[dibbster]

The quicker you get back on the easier it will be. Go for a short ride somewhere that you know so you can concentrate on the bike rather than navigation and just build your confidence up again.
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[Bendy]

I had one of these about a year and a half ago.

I think it was caused by a combination of a bunch of slides, a near high-side and my annoying brain deciding to build all these things up into more of a big deal than it should have.

I projected all of these neuroses onto my bike (an almost new CB500 that I had at the time) - I was convinced there was something wrong with the brakes, to the point that one time I left my house and got about 500 yards before turning back convinced they were making a weird noise.

I took the bike to Kev and he stripped the brakes down, checked them, concluded there was nothing wrong and said that in his opinion it was all in my head. Which was right, but he was the first person to actually say it.

In my case, I took a weird step - I went out and bought a CBR600. Pretty dumb to go and buy something that's got about twice the power of the bike that's scaring you, but there was logic in my madness. You see, even though deep down I knew it was all in my head, I had lost faith in that bike. My logic said, 'buy something that you *know* handles, you *know* stops' so that's what I did.

Took me probably 6 months to really get back to where I'd been before this confidence crisis, but I did get there in the end. In retrospect, if I'd forced myself out on the CB500, I reckon I'd have got over it that way too, but in my mind I went with what worked for me at the time.

Not sure how this helps you, but at least you know you're not the only one it's happened to.

[karen_moomin]

Any bump/accident/dropping incident is bound to make you a bit wary, even if it's a subconsious thing. It can only be a good thing if it makes you more careful and you are more likely to respect the bike.

In the last week or so I've dropped a ZX6-R twice (not mine - even worse!) while almost going head first into a wall AND crashed my car. It has shook me up and scared me a bit.

Maybe you just need a bit more time. Good luck

[McJamweasel]

Try going out on short rides to start with - nip to the supermarket or the cinema etc. Then just build it up from there.
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BCF: Be yourself, just don't be an arse.

[Korn]

A healthy amount of fear of what your bike could do to you if you take the piss is good, trust me. It keeps you from forgetting your limits. At the end of the day though, it's only a machine - you're the one telling it what to do. You could just as easily hurt yourself with a blender if you used it the wrong way...

I had a weird period after my accident where I didn't particularly want to get back on a bike, but in the end my mind kind of just sorted it all out and got stuck right back in again. Go ride
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3516 Miles, 11 Countries

[iCraig]

Hmmm, I must be weird the evening I had my accident (I was that bad tbh, few bruises and a broken thumb) my parents were telling me not to get back on a bike but I was having none of it, I would have got bak on one there and then if I was well enough, although I did take it very easy for a few weeks after when I got my replacement bike and it has made me a better rider I think so anyway.

I am much more cautious and dont speed as much

But I spose some people are different and can loose confidence quite easily, like the others have said its best if you get out there on the road and shake thses feelings off,

HTH

Craig

[Mr C]

DO THIS

https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=26487

don't try and push yourself on your own

and don't try and "keep up" with others

if you have to dosh go do a "Rider Skills" day - not a track day. These are a fantastic way of gaining confidence in how your machine handles and are not about exploring the limits
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187.3bhp = 201mph

[Sparks!]

This seems to be fairly common, exactly the same as Bendy, last year I lost all confidence, I think I put the same sort of posts up too actually at some point.

I booked my ZXR in at the garage, told them the handling was wrong and the bike just wasn't working properly.

They went over it all, nothing wrong they said the bike was in very good condition and that there was nothing contributing to handling problems.

Still not convinced, I got my mate to take me pillion, he said it was fine, went where he wanted it to go and was smooth and fast, even with me on the back ?

Then my mate (he's an instructor) forced me to tag along when he done a CBT with some other people, he got me in the car park doing slow speed stuff on it, clutch control and general stuff, nothing particulary to do with the handling problems I had, but just general slow speed/control and for some reason, that re-gained almost all my confidence I previously had and the bike suddenly felt like it used to!

It's 99% down the the rider, different things can cause it really, as it just happened to me, didn't do anything to scare myself or crash or anything, I just suddenly lost my confidence.

But you'll get it back, trust me. But only if you get your arse out on the bike and ride it, enjoy it, get some advanced training if you can and have some fun, before long you'll be back to normal

Riding alone for a bit is a good idea, going at your OWN speed with no distractions and no one else to think about, get your confidence back up then go back out on ride outs etc.
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Current Toys: 06 Yamaha WR250F | Nissan 350Z GT | Tech 4 Homes

[dainesefreak]

As everyone else has said bite the bullet. I personally would go out for a nice quiet ride get away from the traffic if you can. A little pootle around some country lanes is good and relaxing and don't have and agenda, just ride the thing. It's remarkable how settled you'll feel when you actually get it moving again, it's second nature.

I jumped back on a bike as soon as I could after my accident because I knew I'd build it up in my head to be more than it was.

Good luck.

[RiderOfTheSto...]

I agree with all of the above. What also may help is thinking about why you like bikes in the first place and what inspires you to get on the bike. I ride off-road so when I have an accident don’t feel like getting back on the bike I watch a DVD of the pros. and that soon gets me back in the mood. I also find that listening to hard, loud music also gets me in the mood for going fast, so I want to get on my bike. Maybe you can think of something that gets you in the ‘mood’. I don’t know if any of these ideas will work for you or anyone else though but I just thought I’d mention them.

[ZZ-Rse]

Respect your bike and the road. Fearing it will lead to trouble (tensing up in corners and other such fun side effects and bad judgement calls).

Main thing to remember though is ride to have fun. We all get a bit too carried away and make mistakes, the trick is to remember what you did wrong and then not do it again
Go on, it's a lovely day out there. You know you want to go for a ride...

[Pete]

Good advice from everyone. My advice is just to go for a ride in places that you enjoyed riding in before. No speed, just a steady pace and enjoy yourself. Keep doing this whenver you can, making things longer and faster untill you are back to your old self again. Is what I did after a bad fall off my trials bike a few years ago. Shook me up badly. Instead of finishing the competition after that my Dad and I just went for a ride around the place, watching other people, having fun. Cured within a few hours! (Leg hurt for a long time after it though!)
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One fine day in the middle of the night, two dead men got up to fight. Back to back they faced each other, drew their swords and shot each other!

[izzi81]

Thanks so much everyone for all that, just the sort of thing I was needing to hear I think. It's good to know quite a few people seem to have had these patches.

You're right about the fear/respect, it *is* good to have that (I'm glad I got it from a small drop not a huge one!) I just need it to recede from the front of my brain to somewhere a bit less glaringly obvious!
I don't think I'm worried about the bike having something wrong with it, it's more about my ablility to control it. Which means just what you've all pointed out, I need to go out on it to practice!

The weather is still nice... maybe after rush hour I will get the bike out of the garage...
____________________
"The problem with the French is they have no word for 'entrepreneur' " George W Bush
Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese
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[MikeyC]

Everyone is pretty much saying similar sort of things, so take heart from that. I've not ridden a bike since my accident, got on the back of major_grooves bike on the weekend and realised how much i missed my bike! They say face your fears, but dont push yourself, do it in your own time

[clemsta]

[True Blue]

I wouldn't worry about it too much izzi, it's perfectly normal to loose your confidence after an off. I know after I lowsided my NSR about 7 months ago I lost all confidence in my cornering ability and I still don't think I have regained it totally yet.

Just take your bike out for a short run and take it easy, you'll be fine.
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Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[izzi81]

I went out!
And I didn't come off
So a definite thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll probably still have to persuade myself the next few times but I'm really glad I didn't come up with another reason I couldn't go out.

I wasn't very confident round corners (especially right handers) and I don't think my roundabout technique was too great either, but I didn't have any shaky moments and I didn't bother anyone else, so that was all good.

First step
____________________
"The problem with the French is they have no word for 'entrepreneur' " George W Bush
Age doesn't matter unless you're a cheese
https://www.bikepics.com/members/izzi81

[True Blue]

Nice one.

Just take your time, confidence is notoriously hard to get back. But it will come, eventually. There's no rush so take it easy.
____________________
Past >>>> Honda NSR 125 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K1 >>>> Suzuki GSXR 600 K4 >>>>Kawasaki Z1000 DAF >>>>Suzuki RMZ 250 >>>> Current >>>> KTM Superduke R 1290 >>>>

[karen_moomin]

[MarJay]

I have had a crisis of confidence recently;
I believe that it wasn't entirely unfounded though... let me explain.

As many of you already know, I am not what people consider to be tall. I am only five feet five and a half inches tall. As a byproduct of my height coupled with the fact that I am a skinny person I only weigh just under nine stone. Now, my bike is known to have an extremely hard spring on the rear shock, and so was kicking me out of the seat over bumps.

This meant that I was afraid to lean the bike over in case the tyre slid over a bump. I ummed and ahhed for ages about what to do about it, as I realised that I wasn't going to be able to dial out the problem with standard suspension. I rode the bike like this for ages thinking that any moment I could fly off. In my heart of hearts I knew this wasn't the case, it was ninety percent psychological.

So instead of taking the drastic step that Bendy took of getting a new bike ( I did seriously contemplate it) I had the rear shock resprung. All I can say now is: Bye Bye chicken strips!

Now, the thing is I KNOW that ZX6R's do corner. Even the rattiest ones do, I have seen it done . It can't possibly be the suspension being set up wrongly unless it has been maladjusted in the past.

What I suggest is that you set the suspension settings back to standard if they have been adjusted and then take each ride as if it is a ride on a brand spanking new handler of a bike. the bike DOES handle tell yourself... It does go fast and its not that scary.

Pretty soon you'll get back into the swing of things!
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Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Flip]

9 stone! I am suprised you don't blow off the back

[Kickstart]

[izzi81]

Being a girl I also can't really use my size to manhandle the bike around - I'm almost exactly the same as you Marjay, 5'5 and a half, about 9 stone

I'll check the suspension settings (although I suspect they haven't been changed but you never know) - I have found it pretty bumpy at times but that could just be in comparison with the good old NSR.