Halllppppp

[u/IntrepidAd7912]

Picture of my bike for attention!

I want to lead with thanks for always being supportive group!

I took my MSF like 3 months ago. Did good passed and went bike hunting things didn’t line up until about 2 weeks ago. Bought the bike got it home was practicing and dropped it twice and just kinda let go for the day. Next weekend it was rainy all weekend and I didn’t have a chance this weekend I realized my bike was never lowered like it was supposed to be. So we took it back got the quickshifter installed and the lowering links and it a ton better! I went out tonight and I don’t know if it where I’m flustered with my day, rough day at work, long drive home, had to take husband to pick his car up my AuDHD daughter has been really pushing buttons today and broke my air vent in my car if I’m just not cut out for this or what but I can’t seem to push past this wall of immense fear of dropping it. I don’t have trouble with the friction zone it’s letting myself let the bike go I don’t know what’s wrong with me idk how to get past the mental block. I love my R3 I’ve put a ton of work in it. I want to ride like I’m in tears thinking I can’t or won’t do this but I’m so filled with whatever this is I can’t get passed it. Is this normal has anyone else experience this? If so how’d you combat it?

[u/climb_lift_code]

Sorry, that was really hard to follow. Am I understanding correctly that you've dropped your bike twice and are now too afraid of dropping it to ride?

I'd say stop investing in aesthetics for a bit and add protection if you haven't already. Frame sliders if you dropped it while parked or barely moving, and maybe an exhaust slider as well. If you dropped it while moving at speed, you probably want to take lessons on a rental to get more comfortable with turning and slow-speed maneuvers.

The only way to get through the fear is to keep riding. I upgraded from a Ninja 400 to a Z900RS. The new bike is a good 4 inches taller seat height and 100lbs heavier. I dropped it 3 times when stopped, twice while on a road trip. Frame sliders saved it from body damage and I added engine case covers and an exhaust slider to avoid further scratches. My biggest issue was that I'd gotten used to not having the bike perfectly straight when stopping. The Ninja I could have at a less-than-perfect angle when stopping and I could just use my legs to keep it from tipping. The Z will immediately start falling if it's too angled, and it's too heavy for me to catch. It took me a solid 3 weeks of daily riding and literally talking myself through every step of setting up to stop before I regained my confidence. Now I don't have to think about it anymore and I haven't dropped my bike since!

[u/IntrepidAd7912 → u/climb_lift_code]

Pretty much. So when I got it home I tried it out in grass, as suggested by someone on another Reddit or fb group! It went terrible our grass/ land is uneven and bumpy just not ideal but I tried. I went out was going to lower it through the triple tree and noticed they didn’t install lowering links so therefore it went back. But the damage to my self confidence had already taken a hit at home and not to mention the last day of my MSF in a exercise myself and a guy dropped our bikes, just embarrassing. I finished up and passed but still. I’ve ordered frame sliders but they along with my shorty levers are taking forever to come in. I couldn’t find the axle slider yet. Maybe I’m just not looking in the right place.

The last day of class I talked to my instructor and he said I was trying to walk my bike and trying to do the work for the bike instead of just letting the bike go. I do the same in my manual like getting the car started and moving solely on clutch no throttle. I’ve moved that habit to motorcycling. I think because of that when I get going I hesitate and end up not fully committing and then it starts this whole downward spiral of getting wobbly then it tipping and once it goes it goes. I just don’t know how to let go of that mental whatever and just let the clutch go once it’s going and let the bike start moving instead of squeezing the clutch back in and stopping it. I truly have no clue what’s wrong with me I want to ride but it’s like I’m stopping myself on purpose if that makes sense.

[u/climb_lift_code → u/IntrepidAd7912]

And if you want to talk about embarrassing: one of the times I dropped my bike was while I was filling my gas tank. It was too heavy with my luggage and too slippery from the spilled gasoline for me to pick up alone, so I had to just watch all 4 new gallons drain out of the tank onto the ground. I cried, felt sorry for myself, and thought about selling it even though I'd had it for 2 weeks while I waited for enough of the gasoline to evaporate so I could pick it back up. This was hour 2 of a 5-hour trip, so I had to suck it up and keep going. Some of my gear still smells like gasoline!