Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Regaining confidence - HELP!

[HW]

I've just rescued MCN (9/2/2005) from the recyling pile.

<quote from page 9>
NEW GRIT BLAMED FOR SLPPERY ROADS
Hundreds of you have contacted us to say how greasy the roads have been this winter - and MCN can now reveal why. We've discovered that a new additive called Safecote, which is designed to reduce corrosion to behicles and damage to roads, means that salt can stick to the road for 50% longer than narmal, but many councils are using as much as ever. That means they've been spreading salt on top of salt, resulting in a greasy slime.

[Ducnow]

Originally posted by Lily
OK Mister!!!

I have been mrs bloody supportive this week and i know how hard it has been but I am gonna act like you did with me when i came off and tell you

GET A GRIP!!!

the bike is fine, you are fine it was cold tyres and whoopsie on the road, i know that, you know that and you are just playing on your normal negativity and making yourself feel worse!!

Tomorrow on track will be a controlled environment and the safest place to go out and have a gentle test ride to regain your confidence.

You can have a tinker with the settings on the bike if you want to and have info, but stop stressing about it!

You made me go out on track as the firt ride after my accidet and everything was fine so you will be fine and you know it so get a grip of yourself and be positive!!!!

Stop reading this thread and think about how much fun we are gonna have!

:P

No, he's doomed to never have confidence in riding again and he'll flip the bike every single time he takes her out.
There's nothing nobody can do

[misterpink]

my 2p worth...1) it is probably NOT the bike, OR you...... probably the roads/cold tyres. Roads are very slippery this year - i am hooning around on a bmw 650 enduro at the mo' - gutless but fun and controllable sideways - a great learning experience, a bit like a skidpan.2) try riding that bit of road again - not once but quite a few times - you will get over it 3) **** happens and sometimes it is expensive and inconvenient and this sometimes plays on the mind 4) the trackday is totally different to your road excursion - so treat it as such and enjoy....good luck, i am sure most of us have been there sometime??

[Annette]

Same type of accident happened to me at the beginning of Dec. One of those crisp winter mornings; bit of frost; beautiful blue sky. By 11am the frost had gone but it was still v. cold. Car? Bike? Bug*er it. Bike wins. Nice trip 5 miles down the road to have coffee with my dad and a friend. Got back on the bike to go home and the back came round and overtook the front. Tried to ride through it but it spat me over the bars and down the road. Very elegant. Only explanation I can think of is there was salt on the road; the road was cold; cold tyres and I asked too much of it for the conditions.
Been out a couple of times since and it's exactly as you say. Because you don't truely know how it happened, what's to stop it happening again?
Anyway, had the day off work today. Popped down to Brighton in the car to chill out for a couple of hours. Got back home. Sun's out. Road dry. Can't see much salt around (I know it's dry salt, but in my mind IT'S STILL OUT TO GET ME!!). Got the bike out and went for a poodle. Yep, my ears are listening for thing wrong; my senses are telling me it might not feel right; my reactions aren't sharp coz I've lost the feel for it all through lack of 'practice'; whereas before I would sling it about, I'm thinking twice about it. But, my confidence is improving each time I go out and today was a big jump forward.
I believe that when you start to think about what you are doing, whether it be driving a car or riding a push bike, that subconscious feel for things goes out the window and you start to wobble.
I KNOW there is nothing wrong with my bike. It's all in my head. I just need to get out more (it's not the first time I've heard that).
I think it just takes time, and not to put yourself in a position where you feel you have to live up to other peoples (and your own) expectations of how you were before the off for a while.
Doesn't mean I wasn't a bit scared. But I think that's the bit of people that keeps them sharp and alive.
Take it slowly.
Annette x

[Edited on 18-3-2005 by annette harris]

[Jon]

I hope I am imagining things, but the back end just feels loose, like I have a flat or something, it could be something else but everything looks OK from my basic understanding at least


You saying that, I had a go on Pedro's 749R at Cartagena and the back end felt loose to me too. Pedro loves it, says he can feel what the bike is doing. It felt to me has though the rear was moving about a lot? I did only have two hurried laps and not enough to give a real judgment.


I wounder if it might be temperamental to tyre pressures

[Edited on 18-3-2005 by Jon]

[DAVE HARRIS]

When I have crashed on track days I found my confidence came back quite quickly, but I was knocked off whilst stationary twice in the last 2 years by blind stupid drivers since then I have lost a lot of speed on track days and ride like the doddery old git I am in town ( I think that at a subconcious level I have lost my feeling of invuneranility). Time on the bike will help but as soon as I saw your original post I guesed it was probably this new form of salt that caught annette out before christmas.
On a brighter note when I got home last night annette said she had enjoyed riding yesterday and as I arived on the 999 she wanted to take it out this weekend, enjoy your track day theres no salt or shite to muck up the grip.

dave

[andyb]

Just saw this as im now back from sunny Andorra.... oops mate, bugger!

If you want my settings from my jhp set up 999r i can do that no worries??

PS, I wouldnt go with the sec8 superbike site settings. JHP and pro twins recon you leave the forks at std height!

[Rattler]

I reckon you should make a change, get some new tyres, or as recommended, suspension setup - then get back on the horse!!!

It might be a slow process, but you'll get there - good luck fella.

Tim

[Lily]

Well in the (very) brief time he had on it on saturday he said he felt ok, so looks like all will be well

[Rattler]

Originally posted by Lily
Well in the (very) brief time he had on it on saturday he said he felt ok, so looks like all will be well

Well - if he's looking to offload it cheaply, there's space in my garage!!!

Tim