Getting over that traffic speed hurtle, newbs share your stories | GTAMotorcycle.com

Getting over that traffic speed hurtle, newbs share your stories

djbordie

djbordie

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SO aside from the obvious seat time, what are your thoughts on getting new'ish riders over that hump?
Im all for safety and it really unnerves me when someone im trying to help wont get going above the speed limit.

I can only repeat myself so many times. "get up to speed, go with the flow of traffic, its more dangerous to have that car right behind you riding your tail than using your throttle to get up to traffic speed"

I know seat time is the key here and the more time my friend gets the better, but I took her out on the Allen road Sunday and nerves/wind got the best of her.
She is a great rider when it comes to slow speed skill and traffic awareness and overall riding skills. But the clincher for me is her inability to 70 in a 60 zone when cars are lined up behind her...i cringe. She has no problem accelerating either, its just she stops when she feels she is going "fast enough". This is where I say, its not fast enough based on the traffic flow, etc. Specifically on the Allen, she was doing 75 and felt that was enough...I find it way more settling being ahead of the traffic pack and being far away from those potential dangers...

New people, what have your experiences been like? When did you finally become OK with speeding and getting past the traffic, etc?
 
First day out on the SV650 I was doing 50 in a 70 and I felt like I was speeding...is she aware of how slow she's really going? Most noobs are too scared to glance down at the speedo cause at the courses they ingrane into your head "do not look down". She also needs to LIKE speed to go fast. On my 250 I would speed all the time. Just remind her that being faster than traffic is safer
 
Maybe she'd be doing the same thing if she was driving a car? There's always that one person in the fast lane going the exact limit with not a care in the world.
 
Not a newb, but I still remember the time.. Took me about a week. Mostly because I went out with some semi-hooligans, who were a bad influence on me :cool:
 
Does she do the speed limit on roads less than the Allan? Normal city streets, neighbourhoods? 60, 50 and 40kph areas? If so, then I would suggest she is just not ready yet for faster roads. That's okay.

If I am not mistaken G1 drivers are not allowed on any highways until their G2, or at least not at night and not without a G licensed co-driver. The MTO is basically saying a new driver needs months before they are redy for the highways. The riding season just began, so it seems you've just given you friend a couple weeks - if that?
 
I'm so glad I never had to learn in the city. Maybe there's a way to take your friend somewhere away from the traffic into a quieter area so she gets seat time and more comfortable in moderate traffic?
 
Yeah. Keep pushing her to break the law and encourage her to be ahead of the pack so that shes easy pickings for the coppers. Sounds like a great plan.
 
eljay said:
Maybe she'd be doing the same thing if she was driving a car? There's always that one person in the fast lane going the exact limit with not a care in the world.
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That's a completely different situation.

OP, is she riding the speed limit in the left lane? That's unsafe and dangerous. Doing the speed limit isn't.
 
all good points, she does 50 in a 50 and 40 in a 40 lol...
It's just the mentality of speed limits are sort of irrelevant in the city, you have to go with the flow. its safer, bottom line.

I am constantly waving her to close the gap, close the gap...

I think she needs to go out on her own more often, that may help a bunch. Instead of some dude on a 1000 telling her to speed up lol

I did notice she did 10x better when she was leading...still slow but it seemed she was going a bit quicker.
maybe ill make her lead a bunch the next few rides.

everyone lears at their own pace too, so I have to be patient...

I just dont want her getting frustrated and giving up or anything. it should be a joy no matter what. otherwise its not worth it.

She actually got frustrated and said "maybe this isnt for me". I almost cried lol

but she is definitely loving it, just doesn't seem as much as I remember my first season. You couldn't pry me from my 250 when i first started, I so giddy every time.

hopefully just nerves and timidness ..
 
imnothng said:
Yeah. Keep pushing her to break the law and encourage her to be ahead of the pack so that shes easy pickings for the coppers. Sounds like a great plan.
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wowowo easy there

I simply meant going with the flow of traffic is the proper approach.
Doing 46 in a 50 zone in the right lane is not safe to me...

What is wrong with a nice hard accell to get up to speed and in front of the pack??? absolutely nothing.
 
If you think she's not riding as safe as she can, I don't think having her lead a group is the best idea. Maybe second would be a better choice.

Have you tried driving behind her? Might not work as she just might slow down and end up irritating you hahaha. How about trying to bundle her up with some gear so she can't feel the wind? I know when I squidded it I was like wow i'm going so fast... *going 40 in the neighbourhood*
 
bboySushi said:
If you think she's not riding as safe as she can, I don't think having her lead a group is the best idea. Maybe second would be a better choice.

Have you tried driving behind her? Might not work as she just might slow down and end up irritating you hahaha. How about trying to bundle her up with some gear so she can't feel the wind? I know when I squidded it I was like wow i'm going so fast... *going 40 in the neighbourhood*
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no groups, by leading i meant im just riding behind her.
seems a good approach.
 
as a newbie, i always think of distance between me and the bike ahead, weather we are up to speed or not, I'm always looking for sudden slow down and stoppage.
i guess it goes with riding experience. I'm still uneasy with the hwy. and try to avoid it if i can.
 
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How long has she been riding for and has she driven?

I had an issue when I first started where going 80-90 on hwy 7 (where it's 80) felt like I was gonna flop off and die. It was a VERY strange sensation, happened once or twice and it resulted in me slowing down to around 60 in an 80 zone. My gf had the same problem so I didn't grill her (much) for it.

I think it's something she will get over on her own pace.
 
Get out of the damned traffic. Getting comfortable riding out on some empty roads will do way more for her confidence that dealing with city crap.
 
Option 1

Let her ride on her own for a while. Clearly she slows down when she is feeling uncomfortable, and preasure from you is probably aiding in her discomfort. She is probably worried about disapointing you as well. Give her some time on her own to find her own groove.

Option 2

Take her out 2 up and show her what you mean. Keep it smooth, not too agressive, just using the throttle to keep you out of conjestion, blind spots etc. Maybe if she feels the difference for herself, it will translate to her own riding.

Then again, I'm no phsycologist, and my signature is a pretty good indication of my riding/life phylosophy. Just my 2 cents.
 
Nothing wrong with going the speed limit. She's riding her limit right now. Encourage her to stay in the right lane, same as driving a car (Left lane is for passing). Try to encourage her to go early in the mornings for highway practice when traffic is light. When I first started practicing highway riding, I would hop on around 6:30am and hop off before 9am on weekends when traffic is really light and focus on feeling the response from the bike. Wind and noise can be intimidating to new riders.

The 250s like to be rev'd (high rpms). I remember once I got comfortable riding the power bands, that's when the "highway light bulb" went off for me.

It's cool that you are going with her. Help her out by blocking for her for a few more times so she can concentrate on getting the feel of the bike. Start off with the smaller highways north of the city, and gradually work into the major ones.
 
I agree with ec2010, as a new rider she's dealing with her mind telling her that things will happen a lot faster if she goes faster. She likely does not have her auto responses tuned yet so she's dealing with speed at a pace that's comfortable for her. Best to be her protection and let her go at her own pace with encouragement from you.
 
Sounds fine to me as long as she isn't going below the limit. Eventually she'll speed it up a bit. Except for my very first ride on the bike (to get the safety done) I frankly found it difficult not to speed a little bit. Kept looking down at the speedo and thinking "oh ****" I need to slow it down.
 
DVP 401 during off peak times.
That will get her used to speed.
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