Do You Still Get Scared Riding A Motorcycle?

Many of us remember those first few months or years of riding when we were often scared on the bike. Hoping we could make the ride without dropping our bike, or be in a position where we had to do something we were not comfortable with.  And even a few times where we ended up in a situation where we needed to help to get ourselves out of it.

If you are a new rider or thinking of becoming a rider, we have all been there and you are not alone.

Now that I have a few years and several thousands of miles of riding experience, there are still moments when I am scared when on the bike. I personally don't think it ever goes away, the moments simply change and become further apart.

Most of the time there are just a handful of situations that still cause me fear when I am on the bike. Well, it is more like insecurity about my riding. The first is when I have not been on the bike for a while. Example, because of weather and work I went about two weeks without riding. When I went to stand my bike up for the first time, I had a moment of worry to even get out of my steep driveway. I know all the steps, I know how to handle the bike, but it was still a moment of concern until I started rolling. Within 5 minutes I had my 'riding legs' back under me and I was back in the groove.

Other time when I will feel uncertain about my riding ability is when I am tired or have not slept well the night before. Fatigue is a real issue when riding. Just like in a car, when fatigue is present our reaction times can be slower and our ability to process in an emergency situation can be reduced. It is important to know yourself and your limits under different circumstances. For me, I will avoid heavy traffic and demanding roads when I am fatigued. Plus I make sure I have plenty of water and snacks for my breaks to keep my body fueled.

I have had several conversations with not yet riders and new rides that they are scared to start out or to move to a bigger bike for a variety of reasons. Primarily the fear of not being able to control the bike properly or the ability to pick it up if the bike is dropped. Just like anything else, riding is a skill. The more you do it, the more you practice, and the more you seek out those that can help you become a stronger rider, the better your skills will become. I still schedule practice time on my bikes and seek out those that can help me improve my skills like Jay from Motorcycle Drop Guards. I am a firm believer that the day I feel like I know it all is the day I need to give up my keys.

One area that I do not think I will ever get over being concerned about is inattentive drivers. These are the drivers that look right at us, yet still don't see us. Or the ones that do stupid things when driving like changing lanes without looking or pull out in front of us thinking because we are on a bike we can stop in any distance. What they don't realize is if we are hit there is nothing around us but our gear. We have to ride assuming that ever rider around us is going to do something stupid and we will have to respond to them.

So that is my question for the experienced riders out there… do you still get scared from time to time when riding? If so, when. For those of you that are thinking of becoming a rider or are a new rider, what scares you the most? Let's talk about it. Sometimes when a fear is brought out into the light it loses some of its power.

Now let's get out and ride, have fun, be safe, and catch you in the next post……