Should I just quit riding after only a week?

Hey All,

I'm a new rider (less than 1-month experience) and I fell victim to the talk that a 2003 Kaw ZX6R is a decent beginners bike (partially my fault i'm sure).  So I bought the bike last weekend (after riding a friends bike on and off for the preceding few weeks).  I went into this experience telling myself and others about how safe I was going to be, and how maturely I'd handle a sportsbike.  So after reading all the articles in the "Riding" section of this website, and taking and passing the California Motorcycle Permit test, I was off and running.  I rode briefly around my neighborhoods last Sunday, and I rode my bike to work (less than 5 miles around city streets) from Wednesday to Friday.  Yesterday I took it slow and easy on some mountain roads up in the foothills of the South San Francisco Bay Area.  

So naturally I couldn't wait to get out today and ride with my buddy in the coastal hills out to the coast and back (highway 9 if your from the bay).  He's also fairly new (only had his bike a couple months).  I stressed to him that I wanted to take it slow and steady (no more than 10mph above any posted speeds).  The mountain roads were fun, and fairly stress free (most of the turns were 25-35 mph sweepers.  I came off the mountain having enjoyed myself and feeling a bit of confidence in my ability (stupid, in fact, just retarded considering I've ridden less than 500 miles total on a bike, EVER).  

So I jump on the freeway to come home and get up to a cruising speed of 70-75mph.  It was pretty comfortable, and soon I approached a freeway interchange where the ramp elevates about 150 feet from the ground.  The posted ramp speed is 45mph I believe, but I routinely turn it at 80-85mph in my Roush GT Mustang.  So I figured (w/ my newfound confidence) that 65mph would be safe (traffic moves at about 60mph over the 2 lane ramp).  

Immediately when I got into the turn entrance I was terrified to find that my bike was NOT turning.  I leaned harder only to continue to drift closer and closer to the yellow lane markers and the solid 3 foot high concrete k-rail that is designed to stop cars from flying off the interchange.  I quickly realized that if I continued to drift outward and bumped the wall, I would surely be thrown high-side off my bike and over the edge, to certain death from the 150 foot fall at 65mph.  I tried as hard as I could to NOT focus on the wall (as I read that I need to look where I WANT to go, and not stare at the object I'm trying to avoid).  I focused on the corner exit and countersteered with what seemes like all of my strength to get the *** bike to lean as I rolled off the throttle to slow to about 55 or 60mph.  I came within about a foot of the wall before regaining control and correcting my course.  I made it out alive.

My heart raced as I rode away, but within about an hour my nerves were calmed.  In hindsight, I remember reading that countersteering requires more and more force when the bike is traveling faster.  Being a newbie idiot, I just didnt process that in my mind as I went into that turn going 25mph faster than I had any effing business going.  

Here I am 5 hours later, feeling like a total idiot who almost lost his life.  Maybe I shouldn't have bought a bike.  Maybe I shouldn't have bought a 636cc modern sportbike.  Maybe I'm not responsible enough for this sport.  Maybe I should call it quits and sell my bike before I get hurt or worse.  I now have a ton of anxiety built up around that event... so much that I can't sleep and decided to post this message instead.  

Mike  

I guess more than anything, this made me realize how punishing this sport can be.  You can do everthing right for days, and on day 8 you can make 1 mistake, 1 lapse of judgement, or 1 case of falling victim to not even know what you don't know, and that can be it.  That can be the end game - lights out/game over.  Doesn't seem very forgiving.  

So its Wednesday now, I've had a few days to calm my nerves and reflect on this whole deal.  I've decided I'm going to keep learning to ride.  I made a self imposed rule that I'm going to ride at posted speed limits (both on the straights and recommended curve speeds) for the next 1,000 miles at least.  I'm understanding now how important it is to at least get very familiar with the handling of bikes at different speeds before even riding a mile per hour over any recommended speed.  

i would say you might have made a jump to get a SS bike instead of something easier to learn on.  A SS bike is a lot less forgiving than other bikes.  I would say DONT give it up like you first thought of, I would say try to find a friend or another rider that has been riding for a while and ride with him and learn from him or her.  Dont over due it and keep it safe and learn as slow as you need to.  Life isnt something to play with as you found out, good luck and stay safe.  

It is your choice man. You already got the bike.  I mean you can either keep it or get rid of it.  You can get rid of it and take the hit for selling it used.  Keep it and basically let it take up space in the garage.  Or you can keep it, ride it, and enjoy it.  Isn't that the reason why you got it?  So you can ride it and enjoy it?  

I would advise you not to quit riding.  You seem to have taken the incident and learned a valuable lesson,,Always ride within your limits!  The more you ride the more your limits expand.  When I began
riding, the "dangerous" time period was at about  6 months when beginning riders tended to have an accident, and another one at about one year.
I would suggest you learn to believe that you are invisible when you are riding. Auto drivers will look right at you and still not see you.  And always, always
expect the guy coming toward you to turn left right in front of you.  If you are going to survive on a motorcycle, you have to drive defensively!
AS bad as that incident scared you, you really have used it and learned from it.  

Let me guess. You haven't taken the MSF course, right? Think seriously about taking it if you plan to keep riding.  

hey what is up I read your story sounds pretty wicked scary. I am also new to the sportbike scene. I haven't got out on the road yet and after reading your post I ain't going to get in any hurry to go fast either. I have tinkered around my subdivision on my bike and it is hard judging certain things. I wouldn't quit though you learn from your mistakes you  just found out you weren't ready to do something like that no biggie. besides I know you like the feeling when you are out riding everyone I have talked to say it gets addicting you want to ride everywhere on the bike.  

Its been a few weeks now, and I didnt quit.  I spent a lot of time practicing around town, slower stuff.  I took the M1 License test here at the CA DMV, and got my license.  

Since then I've gotten much more comfortable.  More than anything I'm realizing that its OK to learn slow.  The last 2 weekends I've gone out riding with riders with much more experience, and I have no problem letting them dash off ahead of me in the twisties while I take it slow n smooth.  

The hardest thing is overcoming the natural tendency to quickly build your confidence up faster than your abilities.  Keeping my confidence in check is helping a lot.  Since then I've put over 1,000 miles on the bike, and I'm definitely not going to sell it anytime soon.

Ride safe fellow noobies.  

Sounds pretty crazy what happened. glad to hear that u didnt quit. i personally took the msf riders course and 2 days later bought a 07 zx6r a month and a half later at 700 miles im already hittin 120 mph i guess the class helped with my skills and confidence i havent gotten up to the 16500 rpm redline yet but 10000 rpm is crazy. u will get it down pack soon just stay safe and keep ridin  

Don't give up, experience takes time. I have ridden motorcycles since I was about 12yrs old. First street bike was a V45 Magna, the next year I traded it in for the '83 V65 Magna. I was out riding one day and was doing about 90moh around a corner goig to montello, I cut the corner a little to much and there was an oncoming car when I rounde the corner, I lifted up and went into the ditch and flew towards the pine trees. Luckily my experience helped me recover from my antics and I held the bike up, slowed to a safe speed and got right back on the road. Another time I rear ended a car that stopped right in front of me during a 4th of July parade. I flew about 100 feet over the car and totalled my 84VFR750. I got up with out a scratch, only a chunk torn out of my helmet. One more story before I make my point. I was living in Ft. Myers and racing a car up from the beach, closing in on an intersection someone pulled out in front of me and I hit the brakes hard to avoid rearending him. I slid on my but for a good 75ft with a car right behind me, I held up my arm as I began to realize he was going to run me over. He stopped just in time. I tell you these stories because even the many times I have been close to death, I have never thought of giving up riding. No one hasn't had a close call that scared the *** out of them, in any motorsport. I have learned to be alot more defensive as a driver, and now own an '07 GSXR1000, I have had it over 160mph on the interstate. The moral is, don't be afraid to live. I bet you even had close calls with your Mustang, I know I did with my custom 89GT.  

Mike
Working to be a safer rider is a never-ending effort.  I have been riding for over 30 years and I still have a lot to learn. My best suggestion to you is get your butt into a riding course, there are a lot of options to consider that cater to the newbie rider- MSF, Reg Pridmore, Lee Parks, ect.
Being a safe rider takes a discipline to gather experience, skill and a knowledge about yourself, your bike and the technical side of riding. I guarantee you, the more you learn, the more you will enjoy the sport and develop an attitude to survive.
Good Luck !!  

Dude, put your weight on the inside peg, look thru the corner toward where you want to go and don't overthink things. Never have been to MSF course but the STAR motorcycle class is awesome.  

SoutBayAreaCruiser:
Hey All,

I'm a new rider (less than 1-month experience) and I fell victim to the talk that a 2003 Kaw ZX6R is a decent beginners bike (partially my fault i'm sure).  So I bought the bike last weekend (after riding a friends bike on and off for the preceding few weeks).  I went into this experience telling myself and others about how safe I was going to be, and how maturely I'd handle a sportsbike.  So after reading all the articles in the "Riding" section of this website, and taking and passing the California Motorcycle Permit test, I was off and running.  I rode briefly around my neighborhoods last Sunday, and I rode my bike to work (less than 5 miles around city streets) from Wednesday to Friday.  Yesterday I took it slow and easy on some mountain roads up in the foothills of the South San Francisco Bay Area.  

So naturally I couldn't wait to get out today and ride with my buddy in the coastal hills out to the coast and back (highway 9 if your from the bay).  He's also fairly new (only had his bike a couple months).  I stressed to him that I wanted to take it slow and steady (no more than 10mph above any posted speeds).  The mountain roads were fun, and fairly stress free (most of the turns were 25-35 mph sweepers.  I came off the mountain having enjoyed myself and feeling a bit of confidence in my ability (stupid, in fact, just retarded considering I've ridden less than 500 miles total on a bike, EVER).  

So I jump on the freeway to come home and get up to a cruising speed of 70-75mph.  It was pretty comfortable, and soon I approached a freeway interchange where the ramp elevates about 150 feet from the ground.  The posted ramp speed is 45mph I believe, but I routinely turn it at 80-85mph in my Roush GT Mustang.  So I figured (w/ my newfound confidence) that 65mph would be safe (traffic moves at about 60mph over the 2 lane ramp).  

Immediately when I got into the turn entrance I was terrified to find that my bike was NOT turning.  I leaned harder only to continue to drift closer and closer to the yellow lane markers and the solid 3 foot high concrete k-rail that is designed to stop cars from flying off the interchange.  I quickly realized that if I continued to drift outward and bumped the wall, I would surely be thrown high-side off my bike and over the edge, to certain death from the 150 foot fall at 65mph.  I tried as hard as I could to NOT focus on the wall (as I read that I need to look where I WANT to go, and not stare at the object I'm trying to avoid).  I focused on the corner exit and countersteered with what seemes like all of my strength to get the *** bike to lean as I rolled off the throttle to slow to about 55 or 60mph.  I came within about a foot of the wall before regaining control and correcting my course.  I made it out alive.

My heart raced as I rode away, but within about an hour my nerves were calmed.  In hindsight, I remember reading that countersteering requires more and more force when the bike is traveling faster.  Being a newbie idiot, I just didnt process that in my mind as I went into that turn going 25mph faster than I had any effing business going.  

Here I am 5 hours later, feeling like a total idiot who almost lost his life.  Maybe I shouldn't have bought a bike.  Maybe I shouldn't have bought a 636cc modern sportbike.  Maybe I'm not responsible enough for this sport.  Maybe I should call it quits and sell my bike before I get hurt or worse.  I now have a ton of anxiety built up around that event... so much that I can't sleep and decided to post this message instead.  

Mike

YES  

You should feel like an idiot...thats what making mistakes and learning from them is all about Bottom line, you took a class, you bought the bike...You DID survive your scarry encounter and that is job well done. Dont beat yourself up, just really ride to learn. That doesnt mean going very slow, it means ride within your limits and ride with a good head. I have also ridden for many years, and what you did and the lack of control you felt will happen again...it happens to me even today. Motorcycling is never mastered, and takes so much more to operate than a car. It is a life long learning process, and I think you need to keep going, take it easy, and have FUN learning everyday, learning something new.