3 Ways To Overcome Fear Of Riding A Motorcycle
- Yuenny Lam
- Mar 18, 2020
- 6 min read
You've decided to take up motorcycling, or you have done your CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) and want to progress onto the next level of travelling on two wheels, but something is holding you back. Sound familiar? Yes? Then keep reading!
I've certainly had my fair share of fear, feeling nervous and just being terrified at the thought of hopping on a motorbike, but I have learnt a few things about riding a motorbike as well as about myself.
Here are three things that helped me pass my motorcycle full license within two years.
1. DON'T RUSH
From never being on a motorcycle (even as a pillion) to getting my full license it took me less than two years in total. To some that may seem like a long time, but having never ridden a motorcycle and barely rode bicycles as a child, I think this is a fair amount of time. The point is - give yourself as much time as you need and don't be too hard on yourself. I feel like I have allowed myself enough time to mentally prepare what I was getting (or have gotten) myself into. I went ahead and booked my CBT with the ambition of ticking things off in life. I've always wanted to ride a motorbike, but as I was growing up I would always think to myself that, for whatever reason "I could never do it". With that thought in mind I've always pushed the idea to the back of my mind and left it there.
Maybe I just got to a point in my life where I wanted something different or just needed a change, so in 2018 I decided to book my CBT. After getting the certificate for the one-day training, I very quickly went out to purchase my Honda CBF 125. I felt excited having a new challenge in life. However, the excitement also came with a lot of worries. I didn't feel ready to go out on the road by myself and I feel like the CBT didn't provide enough for me to feel like I could be safe on the road. I had very little practice on the bike with everything new to me at the time. I am a very competent manual car driver, but the controls on a motorbike is just too different, and to me they felt totally backwards compared to a car. So learning to handle a bike, control it from pulling away and stopping, and then riding on the road with some nutcase drivers, really panicked me. To the point where I was too reluctant to ride any distance on my own.
I did go out around the neighbourhood during quiet times, like on Sunday evenings, but I never went very far until I had others to accompany me on my rides. As soon I wasn't on my own, I focused on keeping up and just getting to our destination. I feel like I didn't have a lot of time to overthink or procrastinate, because I didn't want to be too slow or be a hindrance to others. And I know if I want to ever improve then I just have to take myself out of my comfort zone little by little. I feel that achieving little steps and pushing myself to do a tiny bit more each time I jumped on a bike is what made me achieve what I have today.
Take small steps and focus on one thing at a time, even if you just practice clutch control and never leave the road you live on, it is still improving your skills and helping you gain confidence.
2. DETERMINATION
I on and off rode my motorbike for a year and half since the first time riding, and my CBT and theory test were coming up to its expiration date. At that point I decided to reach out to my local riding school and actually try to progress with motorcycling.
Learning to ride a motorbike is very different to learning to drive a car in the UK (unsure about other countries). When you learn to drive you have to have an instructor or an experienced driver with you at all times and you are not allowed on the road on your own, ever, until you pass your test and have a full driving license. With motorcycling - you are to complete a one-day Compulsory Basic Training day and considering you are not "dangerous" on the road then you are given a certificate that lasts two years which allows you to ride a bike up to 125cc and be loose on the roads by yourself. To me that just feels like an accident waiting to happen for those who are like me, never learnt to ride a motorbike and have no practice or support to begin with.
It is so easy to put off riding a bike just because the fear of having an accident while out alone or breaking down in the middle of the road with angry car drivers behind beeping their horns. It's a terrifying thought for a new rider who knows they didn't do too well on their CBT (yup - I put my hand up).
My aim was to not spend any more money than I needed to, so when time was running out I just went ahead and booked lessons with an instructor. After my CBT I have had in total three lessons before I attempted my Module 1 test, and just over half a day going over Module 2 practice for the final test. All the lessons I have had I personally found very challenging, to the point where I have thought about giving up altogether. I have written about 5 Reasons I Almost Quite Motorcycling and my number one reason was struggling with u-turns, which was my ultimate fear. I fell and got up, fell again and kept getting up until I could just about do it well enough.
I have huge bruises on my legs, my pride is out the window from falling off a motorbike time and time again, and mentally I feel totally traumatised by it all. But I was so determined and focused on each task at hand - I kept pushing myself and worked really hard to passing both my Module 1 and 2 tests first time with minimal minors. I definitely wouldn't have gotten this far if I didn't have the drive and stubbornness to keep pushing my limits. Since then, I feel a confidence in me that I had but lost over the years. The determination has given me strength to believe that I can do more than I even think possible.
3. JUST DO IT
This is probably easier said than done, but instead of overthinking or worrying about the 'what ifs', the best way to overcome the fear of riding a motorcycle is to just do it. The only way you can improve and become more confident in riding is to actually ride the bike. I know it is daunting and trust me when I say that I totally understand, because more often than not I have committed to taking my bike out but changed my mind at the very last second due to fear. All sorts of unhelpful thoughts fill my mind - "What if I stall at a junction and can't get the bike started again?", "What if I fall over in the middle of the road and there's an oncoming car?" and worst thought "What if I lose control of the bike and hurt someone?". Those are definitely genuine worries and even now those thoughts haven't entirely left my mind. I've just learnt to tone them down by acknowledging those thoughts and allowing them to express themselves, but I no longer let them stop me from doing what I enjoy and have worked really hard to get.
If you have friends or family who ride motorbikes, it is helpful having them give you support, whether that's to take you out on bike rides to practice skills, teach you more about motorbikes in general so you are less worried about breaking down or moral support where they cheer you on and truly believe in you.
Practice makes perfect, and I still believe this to be true to an extent. When I started motorcycling I had to think through every step from starting the bike to putting the bike into first gear, shifting up and shifting down, basically every single thing because it was all very new to me. Now having been on the road a bit more I think less about the process of slowing down in traffic and changing gears. Checking mirrors and (life-saving) observations have become natural to me whenever I'm on a bike now.
Whatever works for you to get you out on your bike is what's most important to helping you overcome your fear of riding. Just go and do it, find out about those 'what ifs'. On that note - happy riding and stay safe!
CHECK OUT
My first attempt to some maintenance on my CBF 125. I want to improve my riding skills as well as learning about motorcycles in general. Never stop learning!
Comments