What the heck….mental hesitation… | GTAMotorcycle.com

What the heck….mental hesitation…

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mimico_polak

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What the hell!? Been riding 12 years and got on the bike no issue. For some reason this season I’m having a massive mental hesitation each time I jump on. Not sure where it’s coming from but this season has been mentally garbage for me. Maybe it’s the lack of time. Maybe the switch from the X to the Scrambler.

I can’t figure it out but it’s like a fear came over me to get on the bike and go ride. Planning on going later today but I need to shake this somehow as it’s effing frustrating and will affect my fun and enjoyment of riding.

Anybody go through this? Could be the 3 kids. Could be the mental and physical toll of the Reno…something is up and it’s frustrating.
 
mimico_polak said:
What the hell!? Been riding 12 years and got on the bike no issue. For some reason this season I’m having a massive mental hesitation each time I jump on. Not sure where it’s coming from but this season has been mentally garbage for me. Maybe it’s the lack of time. Maybe the switch from the X to the Scrambler.

I can’t figure it out but it’s like a fear came over me to get on the bike and go ride. Planning on going later today but I need to shake this somehow as it’s effing frustrating and will affect my fun and enjoyment of riding.

Anybody go through this? Could be the 3 kids. Could be the mental and physical toll of the Reno…something is up and it’s frustrating.
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Go back to bed - try again later.
 
Happened to me a few years ago. If I get on the bike and these type of thoughts enter my mind, I get off and do something else.
one time I was just down the road and everything felt fine and these anxious thoughts surfaced, I turned around and went home. It took a few tries before I got over it. Interesting it happened when my kids were younger too.
Hang in there it will resolve itself
 
If it's a new bike and you've had limited riding time this season, I'd head back to the parking lot and do some drills. "Beginner's mind" is a powerful tool, where you drop any expectations about how you think you "should" be riding or feeling and just approach it as though you are a novice.

I usually try to do this every spring, or after any significant time away from the bike during the season.
 
There's been alot of motorcycle deaths the last few weeks. Its got me questioning when and where I choose to street-ride.

When something like this happens to someone you know, it hits close to home. Makes me reconsider the type of riding I do, or at least where... I always try and rationalize the event. Where it happened, when, contributing factors... and try and convince myself that it couldn't happen to me.

Many drivers are self entitled morons... running stop signs, red lights, etc. thinking the rules don't apply to them. Makes me mad...

It hits close to home since a co-worker got killed by a drunk 21 year old this week. I hate riding in the city.

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mimico_polak said:
What the hell!? Been riding 12 years and got on the bike no issue. For some reason this season I’m having a massive mental hesitation each time I jump on. Not sure where it’s coming from but this season has been mentally garbage for me. Maybe it’s the lack of time. Maybe the switch from the X to the Scrambler.

I can’t figure it out but it’s like a fear came over me to get on the bike and go ride. Planning on going later today but I need to shake this somehow as it’s effing frustrating and will affect my fun and enjoyment of riding.

Anybody go through this? Could be the 3 kids. Could be the mental and physical toll of the Reno…something is up and it’s frustrating.
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Could just be the kind of riding you are doing and motivation related.

I often don’t just ride aimlessly anymore, I’m usually riding while looking forward to something (like trying out a restaurant on a ride) or riding to get a new photo tag etc

The garbage roads around us don’t help either.
 
Wow sorry to hear @matt365 thats horrible. It could be a contributing factor considering the amount of carnage on our roads.

@Ash yes. New to me bike. Minimal riding time this season could also be a factor.
 
Happens to me everytime at the beginning of the season or when I ride after a while.

Passes away quickly once I get upto highway speeds 😊
 
Maybe you have too much time on your hands after finishing that big reno, don't know what to do with yourself so some anxiety setting in.
Just don't be one of those guys who turns on the bike in the garage to just listen to it.
Go ride it should fade once you get going.
 
Just take it easy.

Try to get all other thoughts out of your head. All those responsibilities, all the to-do lists, the kids, the wife, family, work and anything else that may typically get in the way. I know that it may not be easy and all those things I just mentioned ARE important. Just try to have a relaxed and approach. The more relaxed your mind and body are the better and safer the ride will be.

Trust yourself that you know how to ride, especially that you do not do anything stupid on a bike asking for trouble.
Unfortunately our safety is not only in our hands. The other half is in the hands of our surroundings, other drivers/rider, the environment etc. We can't do anything about other people being stupid on the road. Other than being vigilant and planning your next move. This comes with experience.


Go for as long as you feel it necessary, its that's an hour than its only an hour with only 60kms under the belt. If its 5 hours and a 600kms under the belt than that's great.

Don't over do it and try to prove anything to anyone.

I have been there and done that on occasions. Especially on longer riders or rides further away from home. Just have to get over that mind-hump and it will all flow smoothly from there.
 
matt365 said:
There's been alot of motorcycle deaths the last few weeks. Its got me questioning when and where I choose to street-ride.

Many drivers are self entitled morons... running stop signs, red lights, etc. thinking the rules don't apply to them. Makes me mad...
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Never say never, but I don't see myself riding on the street any more. Not around here, anyway. The number of idiots on the road in the GTA+ has risen exponentially..........and then some.

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matt365 said:
It hits close to home since a co-worker got killed by a drunk 21 year old this week. I hate riding in the city.
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Speaking of close to home, pic I took of the tractor the contractor uses to cut the grass in our park in the spring of last year. Later that summer my neighbour and I were both out in our driveways. He comes over and says to me "remember my coworker that came over on a Ducati a few months ago?". The voice inside my head immediately said to me "he's dead". Sure enough, he was involved in a fatality on Appleby at 1st Line. As soon as he said the location I knew exactly what happened. Too fast northbound coming up out of the valley on Appleby and someone turned left in front of him at the blind intersection where 1st Line ends. He hit him hard/fast enough that the bike burst into flames.

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Many riders understand the loss their family must feel if they fail to make it home.
A Prior crash or close call may trigger memories of dealing with police, lawyers, insurance companies, hospitals, physiotherapy, pain etc.
Riding is a risk not all are comfortable with. These feelings may accelerate the older we get. At some point we realize our own mortality.
After my 2019 crash, (after 38 years of riding) my family and friends thought I was insane when I ordered my new bike from a hospital bed. At that time I had no idea if I would ever be able to ride again.
I have lost some confidence but realize that zero risk is no fun at all.
Life is short, live on your knees or die on your feet...is my philosophy.
As always, moderation is the key to just about everything.

Some of my concerns:
Clueless cagers
Cell phone distracted drivers
Oil or standing water on the road
Tire failure
Mechanical failure
Wild life around a blind corner.
Sand, leaves, gravel, grass clippings on road.
Severe storms
Being cut off
Passing on the right shoulder (this almost wiped me out numerous times).
Fatigue

We don't get to become senior without learning said hazards but they are none the less there and stark realities.

Happy apexes.
 
oioioi said:
Try to get all other thoughts out of your head. All those responsibilities, all the to-do lists, the kids, the wife, family, work and anything else that may typically get in the way.
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This echoes a quote that I stumbled across years ago that I really like. I haven't gotten around to reading the book yet, but maybe this winter is a good time to tackle that. From Milan Kundera's Slowness:

“What could I say? Maybe this: the man hunched over his motorcycle can focus only on the present instant of his flight; he is caught in a fragment of time cut off from both the past and the future; he is wrenched from the continuity of time; he is outside time; in other words, he is in a state of ecstasy; in that state he is unaware of his age, his wife, his children, his worries, and so he has no fear, because the source of fear is in the future, and a person freed of the future has nothing to fear.”​

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I've been doing most of my riding on the track the past couple of years, and the first part of the quote is totally accurate. The nature of pushing close to your limits on the track naturally focuses all of your attention, and that state of complete focus feels awesome. Addictive, even. There are almost no thoughts at all, just a direct link from your body and nervous system to the bike and track.

The second part of the quote "and so he has no fear..." is debatable. There's always some element of fear, and that's not a bad thing. It's what keeps us from blowing right past the limits of the track/road/conditions, our bikes/tires, or our own abilities. It feels best when the fear is present but low. If the fear isn't there at all it can actually be a warning sign that we're riding without any feedback about how close we are to those limits.


oioioi said:
The more relaxed your mind and body are the better and safer the ride will be. Trust yourself that you know how to ride, especially that you do not do anything stupid on a bike asking for trouble.
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Very much agreed. 'The Inner Game of Tennis' is built on this idea. It's well worth a read.
 
Had something like this my first few years - took all possible courses at that time: FAST I and II, Turn2 and many TrailTours One-on-One coaching = definitely imporved my techniques in general but moreover it made riding street way less stressful and enjoyable (comparing to pushing lap times or following experienced dirt rider on Ganny trails).
 
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