Silver Penguin
Silver Penguin
I guess it's like all things BB. Practice makes perfect. That being said, I still have a long way to go but I'm making progress.
As for the mindset, you need a big smile on your face and the knowledge that you CAN do it. If you wake up on the morning you're going to ride, and your head isn't in the right place, then go to plan B and leave the bike at home that day.
If you twist Scab's arm hard enough behind his bike, he might just be willing to go out for a short ride each evening with you. It's that seat time that will build your confidence. When I got my VStar 650 (the biggest bike I'd ever dreamed that I would ride), I would follow Andy in and out of housing tracts. There was little to no traffic (which was a good thing) as I made friends with my bike. We didn't ride for more than a half hour at a time, but we did go out regularly.
After a while, the actual mechanics of riding just started happening which freed my brain to pay more attention to what was around me. That made riding in traffic much easier. One day, we went out early in the morning and just rode around. By late afternoon when we got home, I'd done A HUNDRED miles. I remember like it was yesterday. You might imagine how slow we were going and how many breaks we took, to spend a whole day doing that.
Now, I will ride 500-600 miles in a day at the kind of speeds that FJR's do so well. I'm also confident to ride in Los Angeles traffic. I will ride by myself when I feel like it but I much prefer riding with Andy. We have some great times together on the bikes, and I hope you guys will too.
Jill
As for the mindset, you need a big smile on your face and the knowledge that you CAN do it. If you wake up on the morning you're going to ride, and your head isn't in the right place, then go to plan B and leave the bike at home that day.
If you twist Scab's arm hard enough behind his bike, he might just be willing to go out for a short ride each evening with you. It's that seat time that will build your confidence. When I got my VStar 650 (the biggest bike I'd ever dreamed that I would ride), I would follow Andy in and out of housing tracts. There was little to no traffic (which was a good thing) as I made friends with my bike. We didn't ride for more than a half hour at a time, but we did go out regularly.
After a while, the actual mechanics of riding just started happening which freed my brain to pay more attention to what was around me. That made riding in traffic much easier. One day, we went out early in the morning and just rode around. By late afternoon when we got home, I'd done A HUNDRED miles. I remember like it was yesterday. You might imagine how slow we were going and how many breaks we took, to spend a whole day doing that.
Now, I will ride 500-600 miles in a day at the kind of speeds that FJR's do so well. I'm also confident to ride in Los Angeles traffic. I will ride by myself when I feel like it but I much prefer riding with Andy. We have some great times together on the bikes, and I hope you guys will too.
Jill
Or maybe I'll just trade in the cruiser and get me an FZ6 just so I can keep up with his a#*. Thanks for giving me something else to look forward to.....BB
