[S42ST]

We've all heard the addage (sp?) 'those who have and those who will'. I think we all know what I'm talking about.

And you know your bike isn't the only thing thats damaged when you lay down. I was just wondering 'those who have,' what do you do to get your head back in the game.

Some out there live by two wheels and never even owed a car, If 'you have' I'm glad you're ok. If you haven't my prayers are with you that you never will.

There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum, intructors (Wombat), to just good ol' fashion experience.

I think we'd all benifit on how to get your mojo back.........thoughts?

 

[DaveM]

We've all heard the addage (sp?) 'those who have and those who will'. I think we all know what I'm talking about.

And you know your bike isn't the only thing thats damaged when you lay down. I was just wondering 'those who have,' what do you do to get your head back in the game.

Some out there live by two wheels and never even owed a car, If 'you have' I'm glad you're ok. If you haven't my prayers are with you that you never will.

There is a wealth of knowledge on this forum, intructors (Wombat), to just good ol' fashion experience.

I think we'd all benifit on how to get your mojo back.........thoughts?

Well for the first part of your post I for one (read old fart Aussie) have no idea what you are talking about.

But you seem to be asking how do you get your confidence back after a major off.

This is something I can talk about as I spent most of my first 10 years riding learning the hard way, trying all the things you can do to loose traction or control on the road on a road bike..........ouch!

I do not recommend this learning technique It hurts and is quite expensive.

Back to your question;

The answer is simple GET BACK ON

Ride as much and as often as you can, if you crashed due to rider error and that is what most of them are. Then go back to where you crashed, do not avoid this area but learn what went wrong and practise getting it right this does a lot to re instil confidence.

I am as every one knows here not a great technician, but I do know a little bit about how to ride one of these two wheeled thingys.

Everything about riding is in your head. Yes it is very important to learn safe and proper riding technique and skills and practise them so they are almost instinctive (like braking in an emergency).

But riding is all in your head, get your head straight, train your brain to think the correct way to ride, to brake, to approach a corner to exit a corner, to avoid a danger etc.

But in the immortal words of YODA

RIDE YOU MUST.

I hope that is of some help.

cheers,
DaveM

 

[Shovelstrokeed]

Ahmen to "Ride you must"

I'm back after a 6 month healing period, both physical and financial, after crashing my Blackbird at 75 mph.

Been learning the bike and re-learning my limits. I'm 67 years old and was never all that fast to begin with, despite 50 years of riding. Like Dave, I had more than my share of "offs" in my youth.

IMHO, you really need to put in the miles. First to get your instincts and situational awareness back to sharp. Then to start working on bike control and technique. There are so many things to work on that you just can't expect it to all come back in one fell swoop.

Once you have built back a bit of confidence and skill, a track school is a fine way to sharpen/improve those skills. Try to find one that gives both lots of track time and a good instructor to student ratio. Emphasis should be about riding technique rather than racing. I have had very good experiences at the California Superbike School. Expensive, but worth every penny.

 

[iceman]

.... I thought Dave would have some good advice for you

I've ridden with Dave a couple of times-and he has plenty of mojo

Grant

 

[steventhechef]

IMO rebuilding confidence after an off only comes with practice and getting comfortable with the bike and your own ability again.

Find "your" comfort zone. You can push a little further each time (as Dave says going back to "that corner") but feel relaxed within yourself.

I push through the same corners a little faster each time until I feel like that I have reached the edge.

It comes back, but the more you ride the sooner it comes back.

FWIW iceman, I'll never have big mojos like Dave !!!

 

[Lazarus Long]

Well for the first part of your post I for one (read old fart Aussie) have no idea what you are talking about.

Dave, the quote goes "there is only two kinds of riders, those who have crashed and those who will"

Had a major crash 17 years ago (wow, has it been that long) and came as close to a casket as you can get and still talk about it.
Was very early in my riding career but I had a burning motorcycle passion so there was never any question for me about if was going to continue to ride or not.
What I think helped me a lot was that I know exactly what I did wrong and learned a lot from it, never even been close to crash after that.

As Dave said, get on that bike and ride asap. I think that's the only way really and that it will only get harder the longer you wait. Sure, I was a really careful and tensed up rider the first times I was back on but after just a few weeks I was very relaxed and having fun again, riding that bike as if I was imortal.

 

[dolson]

Watch this. Crank up the sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDvaJ2ufFS4&feature=rec-HM-r2

Then get back on your bike and ride

 

[dolson]

BTW, don't try this at home. Our bikes don't have enough power to both push the front and spin up the rear at the same time. Doing both is ok but one or the other usually results in a BAD.

 

[DaBrew]

Ride your own ride and RELAX................remember why you started riding in the first place.

Better somebody waits for you at the next stop than wait for the ambulance.

 

[iceman]

BTW, don't try this at home. ......

....... thanks for the warning Don - I was just going to get kitted up and go and try some of those moves - NOT

Thats a cool compilation - I hadnt seen it before.

Grant

 

[DaveM]

The Don

Hey Donski nice post.

I love watching Vale, I could watch hinm all day, the others are good but Rossi is unreal!:thumbsup:

DaveM

 

[JRCollings]

Excellent video - reminds you of just how GOOD those guys really are.....

And returning to the original point of the thread, I was also a maniac when young and I have had a couple of pretty serious 'off's'... and as the others have already said, the way back is 'slowly but surely'... just take it steady, rebuild your confidence levels and you will be fine and probably a little wiser and safer for the experience.

 

[3banger]

Watch this. Crank up the sound.

God damn the 990's with no TC were sooo much more fun to watch!

Dirt Bike! Best thing I ever did to improve my skills.
Just Sunday I Experienced:

Locking up the rear coming into a corner.
Locking up the front coming into a corner.
Washing out the front and saving it.
Washing out the front and not saving it.
Spinning up the rear out of almost every corner .
Killing the engine braking hard for an oh my god I'm going to die corner, standing the bike up dropping off a 2' ledge, shift up to 3rd, ass drop to bump start the bike and wondering were the hell the trail went.
Wheelies, Wheelies, Wheelies, ooops Looped it.....

 

[dolson]

Hey Donski nice post.

I love watching Vale, I could watch hinm all day, the others are good but Rossi is unreal!:thumbsup:

DaveM

I can probably say that no one on earth at this time is close to Rossi in ability or more importantly his mental ability. He is so comfortable he has time time to get into the others decision making process and play with them like a cat. I'd say he's a great example of a practitioner of the OODA loop.

http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_boyd_ooda_loop.html

Get inside their heads and rattle them.

I'm very interested in Spies. The last race Since Spies went to Yam Rossi was there and I'm sure was coaching him. "Get inside Max's head and screw with him. He'll fold like a pack of cards." Which he did.

Sorry for going OT but ride your own ride.

 

[steventhechef]

Great post Don. I just wish that I could ride half as good as that

 

[dolson]

Great post Don. I just wish that I could ride half as good as that

Steven my friend, if we could ride half as good as Rossi we'd make up the rest of the MotoGP field.

 

[wannab]

no doubt Rossi is not Human. he has been sent from another planet to take over the world through MotoGP LOL.

Back to OP, my first bad off, with surgery and bone graft to my wrist. As soon as I got out of the hospital, I rode my buddy's Ninja 600. I still had external fixation on my left wrist. Had to pull the clutch with my fingers, but not like you are thinking. It was like a club, instead of a hand. but it is like the old saying goes, if you fall off of a horse, get back on (unless you are Christopher Reeves ) ok that was a bad joke. But really, you cant let it whip you, or you are whipped. I to this day do not ride as hard or as stupid as I did before my wreck in 92. So I just chalked it up to a learning experience, and moved on.