Can't shake the jitters!

Silent Shogun

Silent Shogun

Registered
For some reason I have been extremely nervous this year on the bike! It isn't too horrible unless I'm on the interstate and the grooves in the road seem to pull me from side to side especially on a declining grade right hand turn. I can't seem to shake the nervousness this year!!

On the back roads it isn't TOO bad...but i keep feeling like my rear tire wants to slide. I don't know if this is because of new tires and a new setup or what!

Anyone else have the jitters at the beginning of the season?? I just put some new M3's on and i feel like im sliding!! Any tips??
 
I hear ya, I crashed last summer and put a a 240 kit on with a friend. I think every car in slow oncoming traffic is going to turn in front of me. Im also trying to get comfortable with the fat tire and trusting i did everything right, pretty sure I did. Ive noticed that a after each ride I get more comfortable than the last. I figure that the nice weather this weekend will get me fixed.

Just ride bro, thats what worked for em:thumbsup:
 
Shogun,
I think your problem is that you have a new set of tires and a new setup on the bike. Every time I get a new set of tires on the bike I end up taking it slow for the first couple of hundred miles till the coating is worn off the tires.
 
gear up, say your prayers, and enjoy the ride. nothing else you can do.
 
Yea..i guess that is all i can do guys. Hopefully ill be back in time for the bash...I really don't want to get down there only to be half speed. On a side note...Anyone know how off the speedo is with a +1 on the rear sprocket..... I don't know if i'm going to slow or if everyone is flying on the interstate..lol...I'm showing 80 on the speedo (in a 65) and I get passed!! I know i can't be that far off!! I just know that cops will pull a bike over before a car and don't need a ticket right now...lol
 
It took me a few months to get over my jitters after my near head on with a cage resulting in a nice low side and a few broken ribs. I felt a car was around every left hand curve coming to get me!!!!
Keep riding and keep talking to yourself to relax and let the fear go. :thumbsup:
 
I would say that you are probably 5-7 mph off. What did you change on your setup for your bike?
 
I gotta tell ya, I would rather see you with the jitters than to see you with the "tiger by the tail" attitude... nothing wrong with being on the side of caution..
 
With the weather the way its been, I haven't logged enough miles yet this year to be comfortable in the saddle yet. Hope to change that next week :thumbsup:
 
I went +1 on the rear dogbones and sprocket...I got a GPR V4..M3 tires..heli bars... new brake lines/pads/rotors

I'm hoping it is just a new season/setup jitters.... Hopefully after a few days i will get over it... I'll hit the twisties up over the next few days and hopefully that cures me of it!

EDIT: Maybe i'll crank the GPR a little stiffer and see if that helps tomorrow on my ride to the campus...
 
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The secret to those annoying lines in the road or like we have here that metal bridge grating the old bridges have, is to just let the bike do what it wants. Do not fight it! it's like riding in the wind...it's not going to blow you over..just ride with it. I think a stiffer damper will compound the feeling. JMHO
 
Acehole said:
The secret to those annoying lines in the road or like we have here that metal bridge grating the old bridges have, is to just let the bike do what it wants. Do not fight it! it's like riding in the wind...it's not going to blow you over..just ride with it. I think a stiffer damper will compound the feeling. JMHO
Click to expand...

I'll play around with the dampner tomorrow...I am thinking i may just have to get used to the new tires.....I didn't have any problems with the stock Battleaxes.....

Also..thanks for the tip on how much my speedo might be off....I knew i couldn't be that slow compared to the cars...lol...
 
had the same feeling with a new set of bridgstones i had fitted , felt like the front was washing out all the time , never felt confident with them again , so i ended up changing them out for a set of storms
never looked back :thumbsup:
 
I assume you lowered your ride if you changed the dog bones. It's not your tires, it's the lowered suspension that changed your bikes behavior. Will take some getting use to.
 
Bravo for your honesty, most will not admit they are nervous before a ride. Wife and I both ride and we live in the city. Every time we take the bikes out someone at least once tries to kill us. Our paper reports a riders death almost every weekend. Yet my wife is a much better rider and does not spend much time worrying about it.
I never had the problem until I went down due to a large section of street that was being re-asphalted. (talk about grooves) Anyway, it shook me up for about a year and I still am not the same. Like the other guy said about slow traffic coming towards you. I almost play it out in my head that they turn in front of me. You MUST put that stuff out of your head and enjoy the ride. It's a sport so there is risk. All we can do is balance that risk.
For me, I ride in front of my wife in hopes that if someone gets taken out it will be me not her. I avoid the highway and night riding. And all gear. Even after all that I cannot help but hammer the throttle every now and then. For me it comes with being over 40. I don't think I am superman.
The more I ride the better I feel, it builds confidence. Best of luck to all.
 
Silent Shogun said:
For some reason I have been extremely nervous this year on the bike! It isn't too horrible unless I'm on the interstate and the grooves in the road seem to pull me from side to side especially on a declining grade right hand turn. I can't seem to shake the nervousness this year!!

On the back roads it isn't TOO bad...but i keep feeling like my rear tire wants to slide. I don't know if this is because of new tires and a new setup or what!

Anyone else have the jitters at the beginning of the season?? I just put some new M3's on and i feel like im sliding!! Any tips??
Click to expand...

Stay away from caffeine in any form. It will raise your baseline nervousness in general.
 
Take it a little at a time each day, until you feel gfood with your riding. You should never feel over confident anyway.
 
Silent Shogun said:
On a side note...Anyone know how off the speedo is with a +1 on the rear sprocket..... I don't know if i'm going to slow or if everyone is flying on the interstate..lol...I'm showing 80 on the speedo (in a 65) and I get passed!! I know i can't be that far off!! I just know that cops will pull a bike over before a car and don't need a ticket right now...lol
Click to expand...

Use the on-line calculator off the Speedohealer site which is great for easily figuring this out: HealTech Electronics Ltd. - Makers of the SpeedoHealer, GIpro and X-TRE - & click on Speedohealer on the left, then Online Calculator & punch in your sprocket changes. It will give you the percentage off.

If the speedo is getting annoying, we can send you a Speedohealer whenever you're ready. :)
Buy Now: SpeedoHealer V4.0 Speedo Healer Speedometer Calibrator Correction | Pashnit Moto

And on your nervousness, perfectly normal. Only thing to deal with that is seat time. Get on the bike and just ride.

The Law of Riding goes something like this:
Newbie
Nervousness
Confidence
Extreme Confidence
Overconfidence
Crashing
Repeat :laugh:

Slow in, Fast out.
 
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