Thanks again!
When I'm not riding I'm a musician and I also teach many private music lessons. The bulk of my daily activities involve learning new skills and improving the old ones and helping others to (hopefully) do the same. I'm trying to tackle this the way that I would a musical endeavor. Daily practice, focusing on correct technique, looking to others for advice and insight, mental focus, physical isolation and relaxation, repetition and so forth.
Today I feel as though I may have figured out one of my issues. I feel as though I'm not "connected" to the bike properly at higher speeds. I figured this could have something to do with my seating position. I have been considering all the places that I touch the bike when I ride. Laying on the tank helps with the wind a bit but doesn't really cure what is bugging me. Relaxing my hands, elbows and shoulders has helped as well but I still don't feel grounded on the bike. So that leaves my butt. I tried straightening my back which 1. Puts my weight more on my legs and inner thighs as opposed to my tailbone, also making my feet connect with the pegs a little better but smashing my "junk" against the seat and tank a bit and 2. pushing my overall body position forward just a bit making my body literally lay over the tank a bit more, making it easier to reach the handlebars thus making it easier to keep my elbows bent and relaxed and making me feel more comfortable, more in control and even making the bike feel a bit smoother. (oh, and my super-trainer fiancee' is less likely to fuss at me about poor posture!!!)

I have picked-up most every book that I could find on sport riding including the MSF book, the Hough books, the Code books (of which Twist of the Wrist II has helped me immensely) and a few others by a variety of pro riders. The interesting thing is that how little basic body-positioning on the bike is mentioned in those books. There's lots of info about braking and turning and so forth but not so much basic straight-line putting-your-butt-on-the-bike info. I have started studying pictures of racers and video to try to get an idea of what they seem to be doing and relating it to my riding. Every little bit helps!!!

I'll shut up now- must go work on some music!!!

 

I'm feeling like the seating position is helping. I'm also noticing now that though my arms are bent I think that maybe I'm putting a bit too much weight on them. I have read that you want to use your lower back muscles (core) to support your body as opposed to resting weight on the handlebars. I didn't really notice it so much until today. 55 isn't bugging me out nearly as much. Now I need to not feel wierd about shifting at high speeds. One step at a time!!!

 

If you still feel disconnected try getting an aftermarket seatbelt off ebay. Every little bit helps.

j/k Congrats on getting used to the bike. What do you play?

 

Trust me- the seatbelt idea may not be so bad!!![:-]
I'm getting used to it and I'm chipping away at my anxieties.
I got it for $2900 cash from a buddy of mine who never rode it
who got it from a guy who didn't really ride it. It had about 2500 miles
on it when I got it. The first owner had a Vance & Hines put on it and
had it rejetted. I don't think that whoever did it did very good work.
The aftermarket pipe melted through the bottom fairing and I think that
it makes the bike so loud it's almost buzzy. Also, the center stand was on it
and the chain was sawing right through it due to the aftermarket pipe addition.
Still working on getting the bike all bolted together in a way that I feel comfy with.
All the little buzzes and rattles in various RPM ranges kinda bug me, too.
I'm learning as much about how to repair and maintain a bike as I am
how to ride one! (I guess that's a good thing!)

 

Well, the faster riding seems to be getting better! Even though I have been working on relaxing my arms and my grip I have also noticed that relaxing my upper body and making my shoulders "small" has helped. I think that maybe the wind buffeting my tense shoulders made my upper body more like a sail and has been transferring the movement from my shoulders to my body to the bike. I'm moving in the right direction- fast!!!

 

I had similar problems when i first got my bike. I remember driving it after dark on the highway a week after i got it. Road was empty and i got up to 65 but didn't feel very comfortable at all. Was really nervous about the various shaking due to wind. That all changed in a few weeks though. I was riding around on back country roads and got it up to 95. I would have gone a bit faster but I had my jacket slightly unzipped at the time and the wind was catching in it and pulling me around a bit.

I had a tiny bit of fear of speed again since i didn't ride much this winter. But i'm starting to get over it as i ride more. Still feels a little odd to be going faster than 85 to me though.

 

Getting much better!!! I'm getting better at relaxing my shoulders and just sitting on the bike. Also not holding on to the bars as much. Trying to operate them and not use them as panic bars. I was going 65 yesterday no problem. I must also say that I got my bike running better, though, so it feels a lot more comfortable to ride. My rider inputs seem to get much more reliable outputs from the bike.

 

kingvegas,

excellent thread. I just got my first bike, a '94 ninja 500. I've never ridden before so all the advice from everyone and your questions/comments are an excellent learning tool for this newb.

Thanks!

-Joe

 

Yes, I'm kinda trying to keep it going because I couldn't find much on the web concerning this particular issue. Like I said, I have a bunch of books that contain all kinds of great info but very very little info about how to actually sit on the bike. I've been spending half my time getting my bike to run right but when it's acting right I try to get out as much as possible. Starting riding at 39 may be a little late in the game but it seems lots of people do it that way. I just don't want to be a casualty so I'm trying to learn as much as possible about riding. I'm having a great time and learning some great lessons in life along the way.

Good luck and enjoy!!!!
JK

 

imo, if you asked 5 different riders about seating position, youd get 5 different answers. go with what works for you, while keeping in mind the stuff from MSF. keep the ***** of your feet on the pegs, no death grip on the bars, etc etc.