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Help for a Nervous Rider

ExGMan

Active member
I have a friend with whom I ride occasionally. We wander around two-lane roads in our area. Some of these trips get to 150 miles round-trip. At times we run into some significant congestion and could speed up our trips a lot by just taking an interstate (slab) highway or something similar for a few miles around the congestion.

He has expressed strong nervousness about venturing out on such roads. I haven't been able to get him to talk about what bothers him. I'm wondering if anyone has encountered a similar attitude on the part of a rider, and what techniques might have worked to overcome the rider's nervousness.

TIA - John
 
Might want to let them know that most highways are considered “controlled access”. This limits things like a ball rolling into the road, people backing out of their driveways, people turning on red and the like.
Highways do have their own problems but with more space to maneuver, the risks are more easily planed for.
OM
 
As OM stated above, interstates are statistically safer roads than most others. However, your friend's behavior may not be related to anything logical or sensible. I had a riding buddy that displayed similar riding styles and it was really annoying to ride with him. I tried every single thing i could think of, explained all the ways we could be safe and comfortable in heavier traffic ... nothing worked with him. In the end, I just quit riding with him.

Good luck.
 
Can't help with a suggestion. But I definitely feel safer riding on highways than in my urban neighborhoods. Fewer variables to contend with.

What sort of bike is he riding? Same as you, or something that may not seem as highway-capable to him?
 
I hate Interstate highways but do recognize that they are occasionally useful. One recent summer we rode over 10,000 touring miles of which 7 or 8 miles was on an Interstate. I ride almost exclusively west of the Mississippi River, and mostly in the Great Plains or Mountain West so don't really know the dynamics of traffic where you live/ride. That said, my suggestion would be to think about when a local Interstate highway might have minimal traffic and less chaos. Then pick a short stretch to get on and get off just for practice.

I do have to tell a tale of a trip I was on. We had been at an RA rally in West Virginia (I think) and were headed to Dave Swisher's house near Bowling Green, Virginia to borrow his lift and some tools to work on Voni's bike. We got on I-95 well south of DC, intending to go about 30 miles and then get off and ride east to Dave's house. Traffic was 3 or 4 lanes wide, bumper to bumper, brake lights continuously flashing as tailgaters had to back off, all running between 75 and 80 mph. My nerve lasted exactly 2 miles to the next exit. I got out of that mess and took lovely two-lane roads in a south and east weave and bob to Dave's house.
 
Can't help with a suggestion. But I definitely feel safer riding on highways than in my urban neighborhoods. Fewer variables to contend with.

What sort of bike is he riding? Same as you, or something that may not seem as highway-capable to him?

Thanks to all for reading the post and offering suggestions. My friend is a guy who decided to get a H-D Road King, and has about 3 years riding it now. I have taken him on smaller, twisty roads, and he's nervous there too. I have ridden behind him and he's on the brakes a lot, so perhaps he's just generally nervous.

I've suggested that he and I take a Ken Condon one-day on-road training course. Having taken one of these with Ken a few years ago, I'm ready for a re-fresh and perhaps it could up my pal's confidence level.
 
I've suggested that he and I take a Ken Condon one-day on-road training course. Having taken one of these with Ken a few years ago, I'm ready for a re-fresh and perhaps it could up my pal's confidence level.

We've also done Ken's parking lot skills course. It was slow, inside a business' lot, and well-coached (by Ken & has experienced daughter). This is where your nervous HD chum needs to start!!! He needs to learn how to master his Big Hunk of American Iron before getting Ken's coaching advice through an earpiece. Do Not Let him say No! He's a hazard to himself and to the rest of the community! :scratch

Just my 2 cents; worth every penny!
Ciao! HSV-Phil. :brow
 
Sometimes, the bike people choose is just too damned big for them to ride with mediocre skills. Confidence in his riding ability and handling of that heavy machine is holding him back.
 
Training and experience... you know the answer.
(Meaningful repetition)
Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
 
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We've also done Ken's parking lot skills course. It was slow, inside a business' lot, and well-coached (by Ken & has experienced daughter). This is where your nervous HD chum needs to start!!! He needs to learn how to master his Big Hunk of American Iron before getting Ken's coaching advice through an earpiece. Do Not Let him say No! He's a hazard to himself and to the rest of the community! :scratch

Just my 2 cents; worth every penny!
Ciao! HSV-Phil. :brow

I did the one-day course with Ken. We had a small piece in a parking lot, but then spent most of the day in the little roads out in his area of MA, including the summit road to Mt. Greylock. The lane-positioning work and the discipline of looking ahead were priceless.
 
I’ve heard it said once (maybe more than once by now) that the best farckle you can buy for your bike that will enhance your riding pleasure is training. Your friend’s trepidation in certain riding situations lends itself to this axiom.
 
Fear of interstates isn't that unusual. A lot of people don't like the proximity to large trucks and the speed.

Relative to the rider in question, what kind of bikes did he have before the Road King? In my area, I see lots of cruisers that struggle to negotiate a curve or turn. I've also seen (many) new riders come to the BRC after buying a small HD starter bike like an Iron 883. It's great they bought a "small" bike, but it's 20-lbs heavier than my R1200RS.
 
I am a pretty new rider who has recently gained confidence on the interstate after being pretty scared at first. It turned out that my cheap helmet and too-short windscreen were the things making the higher speeds scary.

The windscreen was causing all kinds of buffeting and I couldn't turn my head to do a lane change without feeling like my head was going to get ripped off my neck.

I took off the windscreen and replaced my cheap helmet with a Shoei GT-Air. Now, riding the higher speeds of the interstate feels pretty much the same as the slower two lane blacktops.

I still like the scenery better on the smaller roads, but the speed and convenience of the interstates is hard to beat.
 
Fear of interstates isn't that unusual. A lot of people don't like the proximity to large trucks and the speed.

Relative to the rider in question, what kind of bikes did he have before the Road King? In my area, I see lots of cruisers that struggle to negotiate a curve or turn. I've also seen (many) new riders come to the BRC after buying a small HD starter bike like an Iron 883. It's great they bought a "small" bike, but it's 20-lbs heavier than my R1200RS.

I think the Road King is his first motorcycle.
 
I’ve heard it said once (maybe more than once by now) that the best farckle you can buy for your bike that will enhance your riding pleasure is training. Your friend’s trepidation in certain riding situations lends itself to this axiom.

I've heard several... including "The best upgrade money can buy is to tighten the loose nut between the steering and the seat."

To those thinking that the guy should just quit:
1) Right now he's not a danger. Slow and cautious is not dangerous, just not fun for most of us.
2) If he actually enjoys cruising around on two wheels, all he needs is education to become more comfortable.
3) If possible (to the OP), see if you can rent or borrow something lighter and easier to ride with better brakes. I've ridden the Road King, and it is indeed heavy and has some of the worst brakes for a bike that massive. If he gets a chance to ride something with real performance for a while and understand the mechanics of riding a little better, then he might be more comfortable. The first time I had to get on a freeway with a road king I was scared too - of not being able to stop the thing.
 
Selling a Road King to a person as his first bike ought to be a crime.

That said, we are being naive to automatically think this person is a bad rider. Rather I think he is just poorly trained and inexperienced. If that were me I wouldn't want to be on the Interstate either: I dislike them as it is after 900,000 miles on motorcycles.

I suspect that at his experience level he is correct in not wanting to be out there with the big boys. I think he needs a day or two at an on-track riding school.
 
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