Highway Riding

[dboss]

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Hi,

It's my first summer riding and am getting over the nervousness of being on a highway but have a few questions:

(1) Is it normal to feel like the wind is pushing you around or is my posture bad?
(2) Is it normal to be nervous when hitting those "big bumps" in the road that make you feel like you are slightly airbourne.
(3) Is it normal to feel nervous when going around a bend at 120kmh?

I know this will all come with experience but any suggestions/comments about your first times would be appreciated.

Many thanks

 

[Dsquintz]

coming from a new rider ive gone through all these recently

1. no its fine
2. you should be fine as long as its not a pothole
3. take the bend at the posted speed limit while you get more confident with your bike and abilities

ride safe

 

[rideitlikeyoustoleit]

Hi,

It's my first summer riding and am getting over the nervousness of being on a highway but have a few questions:

(1) Is it normal to feel like the wind is pushing you around or is my posture bad?
(2) Is it normal to be nervous when hitting those "big bumps" in the road that make you feel like you are slightly airbourne.
(3) Is it normal to feel nervous when going around a bend at 120kmh?

I know this will all come with experience but any suggestions/comments about your first times would be appreciated.

Many thanks

1) Normal. If you think that's bad, wait till you're riding on a really windy day next to 18 wheelers.
2) Normal. And it doesn't feel like you're slightly airborne..YOU ARE!
3) Speed limit on the highway is 100kmh buddy!

 

[ifiddles]

so how does one get over the fear/nervousness of actually getting on the highway...i don't think i'd have a problem with actually riding at 100 as i've done that already, but my anxiety is over negotiating the on ramps, especially those tight cloverleaf type ones (you know the ones, going north for example and then wanting to take the highway west with the big curly cues)...how can i practice that...

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Hi,

It's my first summer riding and am getting over the nervousness of being on a highway but have a few questions:

(1) Is it normal to feel like the wind is pushing you around or is my posture bad?
(2) Is it normal to be nervous when hitting those "big bumps" in the road that make you feel like you are slightly airbourne.
(3) Is it normal to feel nervous when going around a bend at 120kmh?

I know this will all come with experience but any suggestions/comments about your first times would be appreciated.

Many thanks

1) Yes. It can be minimized by reducing the amount of body surface that's exposed to a crosswind, but it happens anyway.

2) Yes. Take your weight off the seat and put it on your legs, or even stand on the pegs in a crouch while taking those expansion joints, and you'll feel more comfortable about it. If your weight is on the seat then the bump tends to buck you off it. If your weight is on the pegs, then your legs soak up the bump.

3) Yes. Take the bend at a speed that you're comfortable with, while being mindful of the surrounding traffic, and you'll eventually feel better about it. Don't look straight ahead or at the ground in front of you, but rather around the arc of the corner. The further ahead you look, the slower it feels like you are going.

so how does one get over the fear/nervousness of actually getting on the highway...i don't think i'd have a problem with actually riding at 100 as i've done that already, but my anxiety is over negotiating the on ramps, especially those tight cloverleaf type ones (you know the ones, going north for example and then wanting to take the highway west with the big curly cues)...how can i practice that...

You have to realize one thing about the highway; it's objectively the safest place that you'll be riding. There's no oncoming traffic. There are no intersections. Everyone is going essentially the same direction that you are. That limits the places where danger can come from.

 

[FitzR6]

Just stay relaxed. Don't tense up too much. Most importantly, when taking turns at high speeds, use your LEGS to assist in the turn and look where you want to go!!

 

[Baggsy]

Hi,

It's my first summer riding and am getting over the nervousness of being on a highway but have a few questions:


(1) Is it normal to feel like the wind is pushing you around or is my posture bad?
(2) Is it normal to be nervous when hitting those "big bumps" in the road that make you feel like you are slightly airbourne.
(3) Is it normal to feel nervous when going around a bend at 120kmh?


I know this will all come with experience but any suggestions/comments about your first times would be appreciated.


Many thanks

1) It's somewhat normal. You are a bit like a sail on the bike when you are travelling fast. One thing to try is to unlock your shoulders and elbows, so that you don't transmit any wind pressure on your body to the handlebars.


2) I'm not sure that I ever get airborne on them, but its ok to be a little nervous of them and try and hit them at a right angle. Flexing as Rob suggests is a good idea, but might not be as practical on a bike with forward controls. If it seems really bad you might want to check out your suspension for issues.


3) This sounds like you are not 100% certain about countersteering. Many of the things that you learned in class, like countersteering and looking where you want to go, work at 120 kph as well as 25 kph.

so how does one get over the fear/nervousness of actually getting on the highway...i don't think i'd have a problem with actually riding at 100 as i've done that already, but my anxiety is over negotiating the on ramps, especially those tight cloverleaf type ones (you know the ones, going north for example and then wanting to take the highway west with the big curly cues)...how can i practice that...

Find a big open parking lot or quiet traffic circle and practice going at slower speeds you can practice big sweeping turns and circles at 25 kph. The general approach is the same. Do you need to accelerate in a curve on the ramps you are intending to use or can you make the turn at the suggest ramp speed and then open the throttle? I tend to go slowly until I can see exactly what is ahead on the ramp and then accelerate. You would get a real adrenaline rush if you accelerated around a corner and found suddenly that traffic was backed up on the ramp.

 

[Ampallang]

IFIDDLES wrote "so how does one get over the fear/nervousness of actually getting on the highway...i don't think i'd have a problem with actually riding at 100 as i've done that already, but my anxiety is over negotiating the on ramps, especially those tight cloverleaf type ones (you know the ones, going north for example and then wanting to take the highway west with the big curly cues)...how can i practice that..."



remember to push steer and it will feel so much easier. If you find you need to slow down too much and try to turn your front wheel into the turn you are doing it wrong (recent noob experience talking )

 

[houleskis]

1) Yes. It can be minimized by reducing the amount of body surface that's exposed to a crosswind, but it happens anyway.
Don't look straight ahead or at the ground in front of you, but rather around the arc of the corner. The further ahead you look, the slower it feels like you are going.

As a relative newb with many years of ski racing (not the same sport but oddly applicable) I have to say that this works wonders. I like corners/curves and I tend to take them...ahem...enthusiastically. Every time I think I won't make it I just keep on looking past the apex and I 'magically' make it through.

My skills and comfort at speed is nowhere close to the limit of my bike (Ninja 250R) but simply looking to where I want to go, and not to what I could possibly run into if I kept going straight, makes a MASSIVE difference.

Cheers and ride safe!

 

[Nixel]

so how does one get over the fear/nervousness of actually getting on the highway...i don't think i'd have a problem with actually riding at 100 as i've done that already, but my anxiety is over negotiating the on ramps, especially those tight cloverleaf type ones (you know the ones, going north for example and then wanting to take the highway west with the big curly cues)...how can i practice that...

I went through this fear. Just know that the fear is generally unfounded because the bend is so wide that as a motorcycle you have a lot of comfort room when taking the bend. Push steering is a must, but you'll realize you don't need to lean all that much. I just took the on-ramp one morning and felt like an idiot for being so scared of it.

Hi,

It's my first summer riding and am getting over the nervousness of being on a highway but have a few questions:

(1) Is it normal to feel like the wind is pushing you around or is my posture bad?
(2) Is it normal to be nervous when hitting those "big bumps" in the road that make you feel like you are slightly airbourne.
(3) Is it normal to feel nervous when going around a bend at 120kmh?

I know this will all come with experience but any suggestions/comments about your first times would be appreciated.

Many thanks

If you're going to keep taking bends at 120, make sure to take the inside lane. Cars like to drift on bends and it's best to be riding the inside lane so they don't drift into you while you're in your blocking position.

 

[short stop]

I went through this anxiety as well during my first year riding. When I first started tackling the highways, I carefully planned my trips: first I'd only get on early in the morning when there was little traffic. I'd also plan my on and off ramps, choosing by how "easy" they were. After trying this a few times and getting over the initial fear, I'd try something a bit "harder". Like using an on ramp that turns 180 degrees before merging. I'd also start using the highways when there's busier traffic. After progressively upping the ante for highway riding, I quickly got over my anxiety. The idea was always worse than actually being there, and since then I've found highway riding to be easier than riding on the street. It can be a bit boring, too.

Good luck!

 

[Marbleboy]

Try 2-up, then the rest is easy

 

[Baggsy]

Best to learn to ride solo before tackling two up.I had a nice pair of ramps where the limit was 60 to practice on. Unfortunately they were taken out in favor of a stop sign with an obstructed view.

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