Middle aged fear!

[sryder]

...

I'm stuck because I'll never get any better until I hit things harder but I'm not risking big crashes...

Well, could it be partially your attitude? Who says you can't get any better until you hit things harder? IMO that premise is

Fear can be a useful survival mechanism. I say don't fight your fear--use it intelligently and you can get better without always hitting things harder.

For example, you fall on a particular hill enough times that the hill becomes "fear hill" for you. Your fear causes you to do everything wrong and next time you try it you fall even harder. You are caught in a downward spiral. What to do? One approach is to hit the hill even harder and thereby attack your fear head on. Call that the fast learning track. The fast track is valid. You may have used this track yourself. And occasionally you will have no other option but the fast track.

But usually there is another approach: for example, stop worrying, go back to basics (hills that don't cause fear), learn all you can about hill climbing, practice over and over, and adopt a long-term goal of conquering fear hill. Eventually you will be ready to ride up fear hill successfully without the fear. Call that the slow learning track. The slow track is equally valid. On the slow track you always ride in your comfort zone and you don't intentionally enter your fear zone.

You are not allowing fear to control you--you are coping with it in different ways.

Slow learning is not only effective but also beneficial when it allows you more time to enjoy the rides and the never-ending learning experience we call off-road. ?

[Thinc2]

Good thread!

I'm 42 and got my DRZ after many years of road riding, and after 2 years of taking my 1150GS places it shouldn't go.

Seems like a bad idea to offroad a bike you can't pick up on your own ?

So last December I took my first off road ride on the DRZ - at a construction site about 2 miles from house. I couldn't believe the traction those knobby tires had!

I was having a huge blast, then made a mistake going up a hill and next I knew I was on my back with a badly shattered wrist. On my first ride!

4 months later I got back on the bike. I was definately scared of another injury. I road tentatively and slowly got a little better (barely).

Then I took a class and learned how to position my weight etc. and gained more confidence. Lost a lot of my fear.

Now I'm practicing regularly. I still have a lot of trouble with steep (ish) downhills with loose rocks (I live in the Rockies). Still working on modulating my front brake. Have trouble with sharp up/downhill switchbacks.

I'm still careful, but not overly scared. I keep riding the same trail over and over until i master it.

I think crashing is a bad idea. I think dropping my bike a couple of times a day is a good thing - that means I'm learning. But these are mostly step-offs, not crashing and me falling into the rocks.

And yes - I wear a ton of gear - in fact I look a bit like Robocop.

[sonobob]

"Robocop" is what 1/3 of my riding buddies call me....another 1/3 refers to me as "Polio-boy" and then another 1/3 like the nickname "Forest Gump".

I don't mind...after acquiring all my gear, I'm always one of 'em who walks away at the end of the day.

[AbandonedMX]

I'm glad you are still out there riding, that is all that really matters. IMO, the faster you ride over something, the less chance you have of falling. If you go slow over obsticles you have to put your feet down ect. But just ride at your own pace and have fun. Don't stress, you didn't spend the money on that DRZ to be frustrated at it. Ride on.

[Steve Nast]

i am 52 and understand your issues. however the one thing that usually holds true is that speed is your friend. if you question yourself on the trail usually if you add a little more speed you will make it through. it does however go against everything that you feel you should do. you can always apply the brakes. maybe backup and do the same spot over again a little faster just to see how it feels. if in doubt hit the gas.

[MontanaMadman]

Am 52 and started ridin in the 60’s ,raced for yrs and was a factory support rider back in the dg days but I still learn every time I ride but there one thing I know fer sure is you never know how fast you can go… till you fall …unfortunately at 52 its hurts the wallet ,if its broke ya go to the doctor and if aint ya go to a massage parlor and a chiropractor..my advice is stay in shape ,buy the best riding equipment you can afford and get a good lookin massage therapist … ?

[Just_a_trail_rider]

i am 52 and understand your issues. however the one thing that usually holds true is that speed is your friend. if you question yourself on the trail usually if you add a little more speed you will make it through. it does however go against everything that you feel you should do. you can always apply the brakes. maybe backup and do the same spot over again a little faster just to see how it feels. if in doubt hit the gas.

A little more speed, or momentum, is always good. However, I personally think that bikes without the proper chasis/suspension settings are just not safe for turning and manuevering at speed. I am not saying you need to buy the $1000 racetech gold valve setup. But it should be a requirement to have the proper springs and sag settings for your weight.

Riding a bike with a properly setup suspension is very confidence inspiring and makes the ride significantly easier. So don't go too fast on that DRZ until you get your suspension settings correct.

[PRDRZ]

great thread! I'm 37 been riding 28yrs almost every day . I find the only time I worry about riding is when I'm not riding. The best way for me to stop worring is to go for a ride. go figure ?

[octavious]

Yea, I'm 46 and ride a '92 XR 250. I ride with my son and younger brother alot. They keep their eyes out for me on the trail. They'll fly on in front and when they get to bad spot, they watch me and laugh! But, I usually make it through. I'm just having fun trailriding and we also go to Currituck Mx and do some jumping.

[davem450]

I hear you loud and clear. I rode in the desert until iI was 27, moved north and rode motocross. Gave my last bike away 20 years ago. Now i'm riding a WR 450 at 54 years of age with the same respect for broken body parts as yourself. The guys I ride with are great, they ride single track,I never have, they have been all there lives. Thankfully they don't mind a little extra time on the trail wondering where i'm at, I always catch up, ha ha.

I find the more I ride the better I feel, If no one can get away I'll ride fire trails to keep the brain in tune, this helps me with the whole mind thing.

These new bikes are so much more forgiving.

Standing up on my 4 stroke is the simplest way to get the front wheel off the ground and is easy to control with throttle once you relax.

The thing that helps me the most is to visualize riding over that log or through the rut during the week.

PS: Don't tell anybody but I wear all the protective products I can find, it helps......alot.

Good Luck,

From a Oldtimer ?

[Dirtman174]

Just Do It!

I'm 34 and have only been riding for 3 years. It is true, however, throttle, lean back, stand up. You'll be surprised at what you can go over.

Yeah, I've gotta agree with bg10459, It really isn't the bike ya' just gotta go for it. For me the mental game is the worst, I am more afraid of getting hurt that actually getting hurt! I know it sounds crazy but I was so terrified about what the pain was going to be like until I had a nasty get-off, I actually laughed at it because it wasn't so bad after all.

Also as far as KTM, DRZ, or whatever anyone else says, I think you need a bike that you can bond with, I know they're not pets, but it is true. The better you feel on any bike the better you will be.

[sonobob]

Yeah, I've gotta agree with bg10459, It really isn't the bike ya' just gotta go for it. For me the mental game is the worst, I am more afraid of getting hurt that actually getting hurt! I know it sounds crazy but I was so terrified about what the pain was going to be like until I had a nasty get-off, I actually laughed at it because it wasn't so bad after all.

Also as far as KTM, DRZ, or whatever anyone else says, I think you need a bike that you can bond with, I know they're not pets, but it is true. The better you feel on any bike the better you will be.

Without a doubt. Gotta put the time in the saddle. Developing a mindset of staying focused on 'me controlling the bike, not the bike controlling me' made a huge difference. And one last point I'll make with regards to speed and momentum....of all my crashes over the years (and there have been plenty), the one's that have truly hurt me (blown out both knees) have been the low speed, low gear getoff's. The crashes I've had at speed have by and large been nothing more than really great entertainment for those riding with me I've rung my bell a couple times, but that's been the worst of it. ?

[Dauntae]

Good thread (me poor wittle eyes hurt after 18 pages) I just got back into riding after 20 years last fall at age 36 and I am just starting to get over that fear and I'm learning the lean back and give it gas and trusting the bike more. Actually felt kind of dumb one time getting over a fallen tree one time. It was a upslope and I leaned back poped up the front wheel and it went right over BUT when the front wheel got over the bike stopped so my feet where on the log and I give it gas to get the back wheel over and nothing happened, The frame was sitting on the log like a frame stand and the back wheel was just free spinning Felt real dumb at that moment.

Dauntae

[bedheadben]

I've been riding since I was 4, so I'm not exactly in the same boat as you...

[ROCKLANDDALE]

Hey

I am 53 and been ridding over 40 years, 1st you ARE GOING TO GET HURT.

2nd wear ALL THE PROTECTIVE GEAR YOU CAN PUT ON! SIDI boots r best.

3rd YES WHEN IN DOUBT WHIP IT OUT! ie: If you can get your front wheel up or light, it will clear the log/lip/rock/rider/ insert obstical here/ then move foreward VERY AGRESSIVLY as you pass over the obstical [spelling?] transferring you weight over the bars while GASSING it, not too much now you dont want to loose control!

Last time I was hurt bad I was going slow, broke my wrist so bad the DR. had never seen one that bad, front wheel washed on a simple hard pack turn and SLAPPED me down so hard I was seeing stars.

What I am trying to convey is, mental image, if you imagine crashing YOU WILL.

All ways look where you want to go! NEVER look where you dont want to go !!!! cause you will. find a safe lip and ride off it then up it then off it then up it all day.

But remember YOU ARE GOING TO CRASH.

[flathedd]

I just got back into riding at 41 years old. Last bike was a 1984 kdx 200 bought new. Crashed pretty hard (girls were watching). Sold bike, started procreating and could not afford a bike. Now kids are raised, more money, and way more common sense. I ride with a buddy who is about 27 and races hare scrambles. Trying to keep up has definately helped and he would rather ride with me (even being pretty slow) than ride alone. You do forget how to ride a bike after 22 years, but the bikes are way better than what we had then. (Got a 2005 400 exc last spring, great bike to relearn on.)

[face_plant]

got my first bile at 4 been riding most of the time ever sense..you name it my face has ran into it...27 going on 60, i can tell if it is going to snow 3 weeks ahead.

at 27 i know my aching butt cant ride like when i was a kid.

i would not call it fear i say common sense.

if you see somthing and you say humm i might be able to make it you will

if you say is that makeable most likley you will not

and last if you say lol thats an obsticle you are looking at the sky saying &%$#@!

[sonobob]

I just got back into riding at 41 years old. Last bike was a 1984 kdx 200 bought new. Crashed pretty hard (girls were watching). Sold bike, started procreating and could not afford a bike. Now kids are raised, more money, and way more common sense. I ride with a buddy who is about 27 and races hare scrambles. Trying to keep up has definately helped and he would rather ride with me (even being pretty slow) than ride alone. You do forget how to ride a bike after 22 years, but the bikes are way better than what we had then. (Got a 2005 400 exc last spring, great bike to relearn on.)

Keep riding with the faster guy, it'll pay huge dividends faster than you could imagine. (Voice of experience)

[meatbomb]

Keep riding with the faster guy, it'll pay huge dividends faster than you could imagine. (Voice of experience)

I have found that a good way to master speed is to pull up near where some guys are taking a breather along a trail. Urinate on one of their bikes then flip the bird (give them the 'finger') to the astonished onlookers. As you ride away it is very likely that these gents will follow. At this point speed will become a prime concern to you.

Try it; you will thank me for the good advice.

Meat (always wash your hands afterwards) bomb

[sonobob]

I have found that a good way to master speed is to pull up near where some guys are taking a breather along a trail. Urinate on one of their bikes then flip the bird (give them the 'finger') to the astonished onlookers. As you ride away it is very likely that these gents will follow. At this point speed will become a prime concern to you.

Try it; you will thank me for the good advice.

Meat (always wash your hands afterwards) bomb

THAT WAS YOU?! No wonder they keep you in a padded cell!

You crazy ass! You need to come to the States...provided we mangaged to survive, there'd be plenty to tell the grandkids... ?