All of us have fears. It’s normal and necessary for survival. It is our reaction to that fear which will determine our fate. On two wheels this reaction is no different. Fear can kill you – it leads to riders panicking and making critical control mistakes or worse yet, taking no actions at all. It leads to self-doubt that “I cannot make that corner, or I cannot get the bike stopped quick enough.”
We all have or have had some type of fear when we started riding and you may still have those fears today, but over time with practice and experience, those fears can be morphed into confidence and competence.
Confidence in yourself to be able to have absolute control of your bike. Practice, practice and practice some more. The more you train and practice the better you will get. But more importantly, practice in different environments: in the rain, gravel, in the dark. This will condition yourself to be able to quickly perform functions regardless of the environmental factors surrounding you.
Competence = Confidence. The more proficient rider you become, the better you feel when on the ride. Remember, training and practice are key. If you are passionate about riding, why wouldn’t you want to be the best you could be? There is no better feeling than to be able to make a Big V-Twin do exactly what you want it to do. Master the machine, don’t let it master you.
Until next time, Ride Safe!