My Fear On The Road

kuhlka said:
Yeah, as soon as you start rotating your head and upper torso in the direction you want to go, you tend to notice it's suddenly easier to handle corners and U-turns. Same thing happens in cars if you're not careful while doing head checks...
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Concur!
 
dullsidedn said:
For a while there, I was hitting things like tar snakes, painted lines, manhole covers, etc on purpose just to get used to how the bike reacts. I had a few slidey moments, but nothing that caused a crash. After a while, I got a lot more comfortable with the bike wiggling around under me and now it doesn't bother me when it happens unexpectedly.
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Yeah, after a while the nerves turn into, "Oh, well that was different." *yut-uhhhhhhhhhh*
 
dullsidedn said:
For a while there, I was hitting things like tar snakes, painted lines, manhole covers, etc on purpose just to get used to how the bike reacts. I had a few slidey moments, but nothing that caused a crash. After a while, I got a lot more comfortable with the bike wiggling around under me and now it doesn't bother me when it happens unexpectedly.
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This one's really important if you ask me.

Your bike is going to squirm and slide and move about underneath you as you go over different surfaces.

The best way to deal with it is to just let it! You have to stay loose and relaxed so the bike can do is thing and deal with the obstacle . you're nothing more than a damper sitting on top!

And if you're feeling every jarring bump through the bars and is affecting your course, then you're holding on too tight. Bars are for steering, not for holding on with. Use your legs for that and it'll have the added benefit that your body weight will be acting upon the bike lower down meaning lower centre of gravity and therefore even more stability! Think about horse riders. The reins give them absolutely no support, it's all in their legs.
 
AndyManCam said:
And if you're feeling every jarring bump through the bars and is affecting your course, then you're holding on too tight. Bars are for steering, not for holding on with. Use your legs for that and it'll have the added benefit that your body weight will be acting upon the bike lower down meaning lower centre of gravity and therefore even more stability! Think about horse riders. The reins give them absolutely no support, it's all in their legs.
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This is such a great way to think of it.

I do a LOT of off-road biking even when I am ON ROADS! You have to ride it like a horse... Take it with your knees and gently guide your faithful steed.

Your bike knows what to do.
 
Marbro_za said:
Take it at your own pace.. Dont try to race everywhere.

RJ says, drive at 70%.. its good advice
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I hope that means 70% max on the street. If you're going faster it becomes much harder to anticipate traffic, animals darting onto the road, etc.
 
AndyManCam said:
This one's really important if you ask me.

Your bike is going to squirm and slide and move about underneath you as you go over different surfaces.

The best way to deal with it is to just let it! You have to stay loose and relaxed so the bike can do is thing and deal with the obstacle . you're nothing more than a damper sitting on top!

And if you're feeling every jarring bump through the bars and is affecting your course, then you're holding on too tight. Bars are for steering, not for holding on with. Use your legs for that and it'll have the added benefit that your body weight will be acting upon the bike lower down meaning lower centre of gravity and therefore even more stability! Think about horse riders. The reins give them absolutely no support, it's all in their legs.
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I mentioned this thread when driving over a broken street in my latest motovlog.
 
KawaRider said:
Hey guys :)

I think this is the best place for my topic..

On the road I'm less afraid of traffic then I am of white lines / potholes / manhole covers..
When I am cornering I have the tendency to watch those things rather then actually look at the line I want to be riding! I feel like I have to work on that.. Because one day I'm going to have a problem because of that!

Any suggestions/ideas/opinions?

The Kawa Rider
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Its just natural to be concerned over road conditions. Its also true that the bike will go where you are looking. Have seen riders nearly get into trouble looking at the wrong thing. I've done it too many times. You can pick up obstacles with peripheral vision with experience. Then you'll be less worried about them and able to focus on traffic ahead.
 
Well potholes and lines can be avoided by riding in the correct lane position, eg. 1 2 and 3, 2 is the lane that pot holes and oil from other cars is most likely to be and can cause you to fall off your bike, I suggest staying in 1 or 3 to avoid things like that.
 
It just takes time to read the road for all these things.

At the start your too worried about getting everything else right and I've seen many riders get stuck in the one position on the road. Why there is a prefered position to be in on the road, there is no correct positon.

You need to constantly move around the road to avoid all these things.
 
Roads in Texas are made out of tar snakes and pot holes. We even have "reverse pot holes" where there is a small mountain range going across the lanes. Like someone else mentioned, ride with your legs and just use your hands to control the steering head. Also remember "look there, go there". Focus on the changes ahead and don't look down at the potholes or whatever else. You'll eventually get the feel for it.
 
SighBored said:
Reverse pot-holes? You mean, like speed-bumps? Which do not do anything to bump your speed in any way? :p
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They aren't speed bumps, more like ridges in the road where the asphalt has cracked and buckled. Sort of like when two tectonic plates push up together and make a mountain range, except made out of asphalt and right in the middle of the street! Next time I'm vlogging downtown, there's a big one. I'll record it. If I don't get up on my footpegs I get it in the nuts every time.
 
What I remember from riding in the Netherlands (lots of rain riding) is that there is nothing more scary than hitting one of those road markings when it's wet out. Never went down on one, but got close.
 
get out on a bicycle, mountain bike would be best...you will learn to always be looking ahead otherwise you're going to eat it A LOT...crashing on dirt is much better than pavement
 
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