Losing your nerve!

[dazza]

I'm fairly new to riding and had a bit of a stuff up the other day turned too sharp in a carpark and dropped the bike...

Then today I pulled up funny and when taking off stalled the bike a few times and since then I have just been incredibly nervous at slow speed!

I'm really scared I'm going to drop the bike again and everytime I come to a stop I'm worried about overbalancing etc etc

Please share your experiences how can I make myself feel more confident?

[RookWV]

Ride, ride, ride (secluded roads or parking lots)...sit on the bike in your driveway...take the MSF course...ride, ride, ride.

Spending time on the bike is the only thing that going to make you more comfortable.

[Memphis]

Don't worry about stalling, take your time, if you rush it from a stop to get going you will stall it and then harder you try to take off fast it will stall again.

From personal experience on a heavy trafficed off ramp near the mall. Lets just say I kept trying to hurry and I got 4 tank slappers. It was not fun. We all go through something so don't worry

Keep the chin high. A little tip, if your in a slow turn and it feels like the bike is going to fall over on its side and it is such a urge to try to stop and put your foot down. But if you give it just a little bit off gas the bike will come out of the turn and straighten by itself. Not sure why it does but it does. Practice in a parking lot doing slow small circles. Thats what I did for about 30 min-hour to get use to the feeling of the bike tipping over when it really wasn't going to and to give it gas to bring it up.

[revolution600]

its alot like when i hit a deer in my dads civic (yeah, scary isnt it). i wouldnt get in that car for 9 months. the only way i got over it was to just force myself to get in and drive. if i had immediatly drove the car after hitting the deer i wouldnt have had an issue.

point is, if you are nervous about doing something, go to an environment where you know youll be safe doing it (ie: dry pavement, no sand or gravel, no traffic). just practice. do it once and youll be able to eventually build the skills to be a master.

[98G]

Originally Posted by dazza

I'm fairly new to riding and had a bit of a stuff up the other day turned too sharp in a carpark and dropped the bike...

Then today I pulled up funny and when taking off stalled the bike a few times and since then I have just been incredibly nervous at slow speed!

I'm really scared I'm going to drop the bike again and everytime I come to a stop I'm worried about overbalancing etc etc

Please share your experiences how can I make myself feel more confident?

//Overcompensate for a while: Put both feet down at stops, rev to 2k rpm and slowly let off the clutch to take off, put your feet down and walk it at extreme low speeds in tight places, that sort of thing.

//Find someplace deserted and practice extreme low speed balancing with no witnesses and don't be hesitant to put a foot down.

//I went through this sort of thing when I was first learning to ride. Though it's been over 15 years ago I still remember it vividly.

98G

[TL chris]

Memphis has some good advice. Just practice on your own and you'll get the hang of it. Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice does. Remember riding a 10-speed for the first time?? You'll get better, just keep doing it. Gotta crawl before you can walk.

[bat4255]

I agree, practice, on your own, or with a someone who may be able to help, and not rush you.

[dazza]

Well the reason I stalled it a few times didn't realise I was in 2nd

But all because I pulled up a bit weird and panic snuck in just threw me off what i was doing...

All kinda combined to make me worry, I know it's stupid but still if there's that thought in the back of your head it makes it hard to get through it

[TL chris]

If it was a learning experience and you didn't get hurt, and didn't damage the bike, it wasn't stupid. You learned something to look for. We all make mistakes sometimes, but if you don't learn from it, it's just gonna happen again.