Fear after the Wreck

[AcesLA07]

Sorry to keep making new threads but I just wanted to see what you guys said about this.

So after the wreck I'm very fearful on the bike pretty much everywhere I go. I feel myself getting tense and nervous in situations I shouldn't. The worst is going around turns though. If I can't see through the curve I tend to go ridiculously slow. Now we all know that twisties is the best part of a sports bike. There's nothing better than taking a curve and leanin her over. So what do ya'll do? I know to lean in a turn and make it fun you have to take it pretty fast. Just your thoughts and opinions and how you ride on the road around the twisties.

 

[brady_cakes01]

I would say take your time and take it easy untill you feel comfortable again. Just make sure you dont go too slow in traffic, the last thing you need is to get rear ended in a turn or something.

 

[Sawblade]

It took me about 6 months after seeing my friend die before i could take a turn at any kind of speed again. You'll get comfortable again, just don't force it.

 

[AcesLA07]

I'm very sorry about your friend Sawblade.

Also, what is the appropriate way to brake in a turn? I live in the country so its not unfamiliar to have a tractor around some country backroad twistie goin like 5 mph. Obviously you can't break while leaning but what is the proper technique of slowing before plowing into the tractor or whatever it is in a turn?

 

[VEGASRIDER]

There have been many riders on this forum who have been down due to an accident and have gotten back on the saddle. I hope you will be one of them.

Just remember, cornering is the # 1 cause for accidents for motorcyclist due to rider error. Maybe taking a Basic Rider's Course or Experienced Rider's course will help you refresh some of your skills and is just the ticket you need to build your confidence up. With you having previous riding experience, I'm sure you would be one of the stronger, if not the strongest rider in the class. We usually try to send out the strongest riders first to begin a range exercise and definatley first to start the skills test to lead and show how it should be done.

Also, you have to realize that slowing down during cornering makes the bike unstable. It's best to maintain steady throttle or better yet, roll on more throttle because it transfers the weight to the rear of the bike, creating more friction, making the bike more stable and easier to corner.

 

[sm00thpapa]

All I can say is practice, practice and more practice! I dropped my bike the first day I got it and I was scared to death to get on it again. Took about 4 days to get the nerve up to get on it again but I did and it all came back to me. Just don't quit or give up on something you love to do.

 

[AcesLA07]

Yea I've taken the MSF beginner course to get my license. I was on the bike and loved it then I wrecked. Now I'm back riding again and am a little timid. And I know all that jazz about you can't get on the brakes or slow down during a turn. But I'm saying what if I go around a turn at say 50 and have the bike leaned over and bam there's a tractor that I didn't see 3/4 of the way thru the turn. What do I do then?

 

[sm00thpapa]

Yea I've taken the MSF beginner course to get my license. I was on the bike and loved it then I wrecked. Now I'm back riding again and am a little timid. And I know all that jazz about you can't get on the brakes or slow down during a turn. But I'm saying what if I go around a turn at say 50 and have the bike leaned over and bam there's a tractor that I didn't see 3/4 of the way thru the turn. What do I do then?

Do your best to get the bike upright, try to avoid it and brake very, very gently. If your gonna hit it, better to hit it at 20 MPH than 50 MPH.

 

[AcesLA07]

Do your best to get the bike upright, try to avoid it and brake very, very gently. If your gonna hit it, better to hit it at 20 MPH than 50 MPH.

Haha. This is true but still not comforting.

 

[pooty]

my granddad got me riding very young. 45 years ago. he told me " if you are truly scared of it-dont get on it" hope that doesnt happen but there is alot of truth in that. good luck to you.

 

[larryinpa]

I'm very sorry about your friend Sawblade.

Also, what is the appropriate way to brake in a turn? I live in the country so its not unfamiliar to have a tractor around some country backroad twistie goin like 5 mph. Obviously you can't break while leaning but what is the proper technique of slowing before plowing into the tractor or whatever it is in a turn?

You're not supposed to break in a turn. Your speed should be down prior to a turn, then rool on throttle to load the suspension, which will make your turn and contol much better. Breaking does the opposite.

 

[madmanmaigret]

Risk is part of the fun on a motorcycle. If you are not willing to take those risks.....don't. It;s up to you.

If you HAVE to brake in a turn, get the bike upright and brake HARD, then get it leaned back over (if you are still on the road) and finish your turn. If you know you have the possibility of coming up on a slower moving vehicle take the turn slower. Or find a line where you will be able to swerve around the slower vehicle.


A refresher course will help as will starting out slow and shaking off the cobwebs. Don't get in over your head too soon and you will be o.k.

 

[xgrafcorex]

You just have to bite the bullet. Hop back on there and take it slow. Don't let taking it slow making you feel weak or anything like that. That's what I loved about the MSF course..they started you off at the bottom and slowly brought you up until you were actually riding a motorcycle.

I high-sided while I was in that course! haha Hate to admit it, but I did. Twice! Both times were during emergency stopping drills. Once was the first time we did them which was a straight line, and the second was during mid corner.

During the first drill I was able to do the stopping alright with no problem but the instructors (not their fault in any way) asked me to try and basically improve my stopping. (No, I wasn't so good that any improvement would lead to what happened.) So after about 3 or 4 runs, I locked up the front end. They had told us what to do, but when it's happening...that kind of things is out the window unless you truly know it! My immediate thought (in a split second) was "the bike isn't going where I want it to" so I tried to steer! BAM! Right into the deck I went. Bike was fine, I was fine other than a bit of embarrassment. Hopped back on and finished that drill.

Second day...emergency stops during a corner. You're supposed to straighten up the bike to have maximum available traction during hard braking. I grabbed the brakes a bit early (probably too hard either way) and hadn't straightened up the bike all the way. Next thing I knew, there I was..on the deck again with the bike laying on my leg.

Fortunately, these two events happened before the graded evaluation!

Either way, I got up and hopped back on to do what I came there to do. I was wearing a full face helmet, padded and armored jacket, leather/steel toed/over the ankle boots, and some dickies pants.

After completing the course and getting my license. I was left to buy a bike. I did the course on a 250 Honda Rebel (insert laughter here) so it was quite a step up to get the 07 FZ6 I now have been riding for almost a month and for over 1000 city and interstate miles. I was fairly nervous the first time I rode the bike, but was gentle on all the controls and got my foot in the door.

At first I just rode around my neighborhood until I was more comfortable riding the bike itself as far as starting from a stop without stalling, braking, shifting, etc. Then I went out onto some larger roads, same deal. Eventually I got out onto some major roads around here, and then the interstate highways.


Long story short/point of all of this. Don't let an accident keep you from riding. I know it will make you nervous...I'm sure I'd be very nervous after a wreck with my bike..but you can't let that keep you from riding. Start off slow like I did in my initial learning and then just move up as you feel comfortable. When I was riding only in my neighborhood, I couldn't imagine riding on the highways here. Now I have no second thoughts about riding on them..except if there is a huge jam..which sucks! hehe But I've been there too.

Just take your time and ease back into it. There is NO rush! You will (and I will) be an amateur for quite some time! So try not to let that bother you at all...the safer you are, the better! :thumbup:

 

[cv_rider]

I'm very sorry about your friend Sawblade.

Also, what is the appropriate way to brake in a turn? I live in the country so its not unfamiliar to have a tractor around some country backroad twistie goin like 5 mph. Obviously you can't break while leaning but what is the proper technique of slowing before plowing into the tractor or whatever it is in a turn?

I think the proper technique is to go slow enough that you could stop if you did come around the corner and see a tractor stalled in the road. The excelletn book Proficient Motorcycling talks about this. IIRC, the author suggests that if you can see 3 seconds around a corner, you can go up to 30 mph, 4 sec - 40mph, 5 sec - 50 mph. Especially on tight corners, you are going to be hard pressed to see 3 seconds ahead. This piece of advice will probably be the limiting factor in how fast you take a corner.

That may not set off the thrill bells as much as you'd like, but if you don't ride as PM suggests, you're just playing the odds with your life. Not worth the risk.

 

[DefyInertia]

Go do a track day, then do a few more. That way you won't have to listen to questionable advice on how/when to brake/corner a motorcycle. Track days cost money, but IMO, the cost of NOT doing a track day is far greater.

More than anything, just take it easy and give it some tme. I felt you did for quite a while....it was only the track that cured it. Actually, I turned to the track because I was scared to ride on the street at anything but a snails pace. Now I love riding on the street. Your results may vary...

Good luck

 

[Have2BeFree]

+1 on the track day - you will learn a lot and have a controlled environment to practice on.

After being down twice in one week (first time at the track lol) and hurting myself the second time (not seriously) I am dying to get back on the bike but yes, I am feeling a little timid. I haven't ridden since the second fall (a week ago) BUT after the first I did the same as you - slowed down in the turns. Eventually you will stop thinking about crashing and start riding normally again but don't rush it and stay within your abilities.

If you are that afraid of coming up on a tractor in the twisties then I would suggest entering the turns slowly and gaining speed on the exit part of the turn. Being safe means anticipating problems, why would you take the chance of running into a tractor?

 

[ozzieboy]

Go do a track day, then do a few more. That way you won't have to listen to questionable advice on how/when to brake/corner a motorcycle. Track days cost money, but IMO, the cost of NOT doing a track day is far greater.

More than anything, just take it easy and give it some tme. I felt you did for quite a while....it was only the track that cured it. Actually, I turned to the track because I was scared to ride on the street at anything but a snails pace. Now I love riding on the street. Your results may vary...

Good luck

This is probably the best way of getting your self sorted IMHO. You can see through turns, there no oncoming cars in your lane, and you can get tuition.

But as I think everyone has said....take it slow:thumbup:. I hope everything works out for you:Flash:.


Cheers
Mike

 

[agp]

Sorry to hear about your accident. It's ok to be tentative. Just remeber when riding if you're worried about crashing, you're not completely focusing on riding and proper technique. I give the same advice to people learning how to ski. The ones that fall are the ones worried about falling and not their technique.

Sounds like you've never crashed anything before. I rode dirt bikes and dual sports growing up and crashed a lot (I'm sure many people here have a similar background). I've learned to stay positive, fix the bike, and try to correct the mistakes that caused the crash.

I also suggest reading 'Sport Riding Teachniques' by Nick Ienatsch, Lots of good info (I've read it). I also hear 'Twist of the Wrist II' by Kenny Roberts (I think) is real good.

I was hit by a car 3 weeks ago and it was his fault (seriously). My new, 2 day old, FZ6 got $4900 in damage, I broke the tip of a finger, destroyed the nail bed, and had to have surgery to hopefully allow the nail to grow back. As soon as I get the bike back I'm riding! If I can shake it off so can you, good luck.

 

[Yasso]

But I'm saying what if I go around a turn at say 50 and have the bike leaned over and bam there's a tractor that I didn't see 3/4 of the way thru the turn. What do I do then?

Your line selection can help with this as well. If you select a late entry into the corner, that can give you additional visibility through the corner. A perfect race line is often not the best line to take in the real world.

 

[Debaser]

You're not supposed to break in a turn.

This isn't actually true it's just something inexperienced riders are told to stop them having an early off.

You should aim to break before a turn and accelerate through the turn, but when you meet that tractor half way through the bend you CAN break. You do it in the same way you would in a straight line by applying both brakes gently and then increasing the pressure. The difference is the amount you can break in a bend is less than in a straight line and that is something you can only learn with experience, and will differ from bike to bike, tire to tire. It's not something you can be taught. The amount you can break is actually more than most people think as long as you dial in the pressure smoothly and don’t grab a handful.