When you know you're a little "off" . . .

[Albert]

I just returned from the fall BRR in Kentucky where we had a wonderful time with friends and found some great motorcycling roads. One facet of this trip nagged me however, practically from the beginning to the end. I found myself riding very tentatively and with an unnerving lack of confidence. Approching corners became an almost foreign concept to me. I routinely dove in too fast or had to tighten up part way through. In retrospect I had no "oh shit!" moments and didn't wind up an any real dangerous situations. Rather it was a constant feeling that something about my riding was just "off".

 

A little background, I'm riding an 06 RT, 2 up, upon which I've put roughly 33k miles lot's of them 2 up. Routine maintenance was just performed, tires only have 3 to 4k on them and inflations were as normal for me. We were loaded for a 5 day trip but, again, nothing out of the ordinary there.

 

By the end of our trip I was so conscious of my condition that I was focusing on everything I could think of to correct the situation. Looking through the turns, ride smart position (feet, butt, back, etc.), proper upper body postion in the turns, in short, the whole nine yards. Still, it seemed nothing I did could shake the feeling that I was simply misjudging the machine and the road.

 

There were a few moments in the twisties when things seemed to align and following brief sections I'd have that feeling that things just clicked. They were unfortunately the rare exception for the weekend.

 

I can't say there's a moral to this story because I can't pinpoint what the cause was. The trip was the culmination of around 15 days of motorcycle travel (mostly work related), so maybe it was just mental burnout when it came to my concentration. I suppose the best I can say is, at least I recognized there was something "not right" and made allowances for that without fully understanding it. Anyone else have experiences like that?

[RodB]

No, not really, but if I ever do; I'll remember this post and try try to process it like you just did.

[Huzband]

If Phil posted this, I'd have some smart answer for him. But since it's you, I'll just surmise that you suck at riding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Albert]

If Phil posted this, I'd have some smart answer for him. But since it's you, I'll just surmise that you suck at riding.

 

I certainly qualified this weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Firefight911]

If Phil posted this, I'd have some smart answer for him. But since it's you, I'll just surmise that you suck at riding.

 

I certainly qualified this weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm watching you BOTH!!

[Francois_Dumas]

ROFL !

 

 

[Survived-til-now]

Albert

 

A straight answer because I can see there's some leg pulling going on......

 

Yes of course, and it is the sign of a good rider that you recognized the condition and adjusted your riding to suit. I have had that same feeling of not being in sync with the bike, the other traffic, and just plain feeling "a bit off". It has usually been at the end of a hard day in the office and at the end of the week. On a very rare occasion I have come home thinking that I rode the trip home like a total idiot and it was only for the grace of other road users that I got home.

 

I now recognise the feeling when it happens and deliberately set out to ride home "safe", taking no risks in lane splitting, overtaking etc.

 

I do some observer riding for our Institute of Advanced Motorists,that is being a buddy to someone out to improve their riding. I tell them that before they set out they should ask themselves the question "Is there anything today that is pre-occupying me? Do I feel alright to ride? I.E. Positively check the rider's condition and not just check the bike's.

 

The other thing that occurs to me is perhaps you are going through a period of doubt about riding at all but just haven't recognised it as such. I think it is something that happens to a lot of us from time to time. When it does, I decide it is time to go out with a mate and get him to check my riding, and I also set out on my own (i.e. without the added responsibility of a pillion) just to have a refresher ride and put the bike and me through our paces - needless to say I pick a dry day when adhesion is good and I can test both myself and the bike in ideal conditions. It usually works and helps me settle those nagging thoughts that creep into one's consciousness from time to time.

 

Hope this helps

 

Andy

[yabadabapal]

Albert, I have had this same feeling many times throughout my life. However, not on a motorcycle because I am in no way, shape, or form a MC rider like you and many of the other riders on this site.

Nonetheless, I think its fantastic that you picked up on this whole situation as it was occurring, and I believe, you probably saved your life, or at the very least respected your gut instinct and adjusted in order to manage things. Success!

[russell_bynum]

Have you been riding much lately? I notice if I've been off the bike a while, I get really tentative...especially in the long fast corners.

 

Anything else change? New helmet, gloves, saddle, riding gear, boots, etc? A small change in the interface between you and the bike can make a big difference in what you feel.

[Quinn]

Al, it sounds to me like you were riding with the expectation that something bad was going to happen and the distraction through you off pace. I can get that way when the road is wet and I'm anticipating losing traction. Also I'll go out some days and ride the whole time waiting for a deer to jump out in front of me. In Kentucky, all I saw were squirrels and no deer, but I kept looking for them.

 

---

 

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Some days/times it just isn't there. Could be the onset of a cold, dehydration, low blood sugar or mental distraction/stress. To paraphrase the great Yogi Bera, 99% of riding is 50% mental. It doesn't take much to knock that good edge right off.

[BailyD]

I've absolutely had days like you mentioned and I handled them in a similar way. Adjust my riding and make myself aware.

 

The flip side is I've had days where everything is done perfectly. If you've had the really, really good days and you know it, you have to think you should have days that are the complete opposite thus explaining the feelings you had.

[PBee]

Have you been riding much lately? I notice if I've been off the bike a while, I get really tentative...especially in the long fast corners.

 

Anything else change? New helmet, gloves, saddle, riding gear, boots, etc? A small change in the interface between you and the bike can make a big difference in what you feel.

I think you have a point there, Russell. The other day I pulled overpants on over my jeans instead of wearing overpants only and put on a pair of winter gloves. The restriction from the jeans/overpant combination and the thicker gloves made me feel completely out of sync with the bike.

[Polo]

No, not quite like that, although...

 

Once I saw this beautiful red chiffon dress, and imagined how it would cascade of my naked shoulders...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes!, I've had many days like that. I turn around, park the bike and have a scotch or a tequila, and just tell myself that some days I'm not OK riding, and that's fine, as long as I'm OK all the others, and there are more of the good ones than of the bad ones.

[Albert]

. . . Could be the onset of a cold . . .

 

I think you might be on to something Ed. I have noticed a bit of congestion lately and even my wife asked if I was coming down with a cold. I haven't felt any obvious effects but it's possible something's brewing.

[bobbybob]

The exact same thing has happened to me--twice--since I've owned my 07 RT. First time, my bike had 8,000 miles on it and I finally figured out the OEM shocks were toast. Replaced with OHLINS--problem solved immediately. Like a "new me" and a new bike. Second time 4 weeks ago: after feeling how you felt for a few weeks and getting worse, my front Ohlins sprung a leak. Suddenly it was clear. One shock rebuild later, problem solved.

 

This may sound overly simplistic, but its exactly what happened. A front (or rear) shock that gradually loses damping is difficult to diagnose at first because it DOES feel like YOU are off. Diving into corners feeling "disconnected", then making corrections that worsened the turn, etc. I was beating myself up to riding buddies, looking for answers, and suddenly the leak. Eureka!

 

(Al, are you still running the OEM shocks? )

 

 

Edit: Forgot to mention, the times I felt the worst were in descending twisties. And I noticed that the front end seemed to rise and fall much more than usual if I jerkily opened and shut the throttle say in 3rd gear at 40mph for example. That was the first thing I tried after installing the rebuilt shock and I knew instantly I was "cured".

 

 

[Bernie]

Too much air pressure in the front tire will do that for me.

On our first day of the trip to KY, i had the same sensation, the next morning I lowered my front air pressure from 38 to 36 psi (2up and loaded), and everything was back to normal.

I never had these problems with the R1100RT, but this R1200RT-07 has spooked me more then once, if the front tire pressure is above factory recommendations. Now this is with Metzler Z-6 tires. I have just have a Pilot Road 2 mounted, will have to see if it does the same.

[LPR1100RT]

Tuesday morning a deer ran across the road in front of the car that was ahead of me on my early morning commute into work. It missed us both but I never saw it till it was in the road.

 

This whole week has been a little off for me. I been very tentative driving though any wooded area especially since the my commute takes me through wooded areas early morning and twilight hours.

 

Riding safely is so depended on your mental state. I love commuting on my bike its like a bit of freedom before work but some days upon leaving work I delay to yuck it up with colleagues or maybe read this forum to unwind a bit before getting on the bike to ride home

[upflying]

I had a feeling of being a bit off on a ride just yesterday. I was lane splitting as usual but something did not feel right. I felt my mental edge and reaction time was off. I did not feel as comfortable with my reactionary defenses as I normally do.

Although I felt physically fine, I had been suffering from a bout of intestinal distress during he previous 24 hrs. Most of you recognize the symptoms as the frequent and urgent loose stools syndrome. I was probably dehydrated and that's why I didn't feel right when riding.

[gottago]

It's comforting to hear someone with your experience has those days too. I thought it was just me.

[Whip]

I had many days on my 05 RT just like that. I always thought somethin was wrong with me. It turned out the suspension was shot. I never did get it right even with new Wilbers. It was the only bike that ever made me feel that way.

 

Go Figure.

[bobbybob]

I had many days on my 05 RT just like that. I always thought somethin was wrong with me. It turned out the suspension was shot. I never did get it right even with new Wilbers. It was the only bike that ever made me feel that way.

 

Go Figure.

 

Whip echo's what I stated about suspension but added something I also agree with: NONE of my previous bikes, which had worn shocks when sold, have ever made me feel as uncomfortable as my RT has when the shocks were loosey-goosey. FJR1300, V-strom, Electra Glide--none shook my confidence as the RT has. Wonder why.....

 

Edit: Whip, I see where your Mediterranean brethren have decided to bury the ax.

[Linz]

I can get like that on occasions. I'll try to analyze what's going on and do a quick checklist after saying out loud inside my helmet, "the object here is to get home safe".

 

After that reminder, I'll start with visually riding further up the road, ensuring that I'm turning my head correctly through a turn (and that my eyes are pointed to where they should be). Body and especially feet position checked.

 

If that's OK, am I counter-steering properly. I do this intuitively but sometimes I find myself using both hands instead of the "inside hand".

 

If all that is OK, I'll start on how the bike is performing, for some reason, am I turning in later or earlier than normal, am I running wider on bends than usual.

 

That could mean tire pressure or suspension setup, especially with a passenger.

 

And, sometimes I just don't get to be at one with the bike and I accept that getting home safely and backing off slightly will do that. Live to fight another day.

 

I'm in my 60th year. I discovered several years ago that my physical condition was not allowing me to ride as I'd always ridden. I've spent some time building up my core strength with sit-ups, stretches, some yoga and especially riding my bicycle or walking 3-5 days a week for about 40 minutes. This has allowed me to ride my Triumph Daytona with my belly muscles and back supporting my weight and NOT my wrists. In turn, my touch on the controls is lighter without a death grip and as a result, I'm fitter and faster than a few years ago.

 

On the BMW, I can simply do more hours in the saddle.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Linz

[Peter Parts]

snip

I'm in my 60th year. I discovered several years ago that my physical condition was not allowing me to ride as I'd always ridden. I've spent some time building up my core strength with sit-ups, stretches, some yoga and especially riding my bicycle or walking 3-5 days a week for about 40 minutes. This has allowed me to ride my Triumph Daytona with my belly muscles and back supporting my weight and NOT my wrists. In turn, my touch on the controls is lighter without a death grip and as a result, I'm fitter and faster than a few years ago.

snip

Linz

 

About the basic thread, all I can say is: life is full of illusions. Trusting your gut instincts may feel real warm and cuddly, but is not reliable. I don't say you should ignore intuitions; you should take them only a vague starting point.

 

What you need to do, as someone said, is ask "What's up in my little life today that might get me killed on the road?"

 

Now, at 69 and with hundreds of thousands of miles behind me, I sure know how diminished are my abilities. Unlike Linz, I know that keeping in shape (which I do as conscientiously and have for many decades) barely makes dent in improving basic physical and sensory skills related to longevity as a rider.

 

So a terrible issue for riders is not "how do I feel this morning?" but "imperceptibly as I age, how to keep my risk to acceptable levels even if like all aging riders, there're only poor ways to sense the degree of loss."

[Couchrocket]

Some days/times it just isn't there. Could be the onset of a cold, dehydration, low blood sugar or mental distraction/stress. To paraphrase the great Yogi Bera, 99% of riding is 50% mental. It doesn't take much to knock that good edge right off.

 

+1 Sometimes it just isn't there. I've tried to learn to listen to my "inner voice" at those times so that my ego doesn't write checks my body can't cash.

[moshe_levy]

This is a great thread! I've been going through the same thing recently, and it's definitely not a hardware problem - it's a mental problem.

 

As a beginning student in martial arts, I was once advised never to judge my own performance, but just to practice for the sake of practice. Some days, what was easy yesterday is all of a sudden difficult today, and that's frustrating to deal with. It violates the mind's insistence that your skills should develop on a perfectly linear scale, which of course is not true in reality.

 

So when I'm having an "off" day, I don't focus on it. I just try to breathe deeper, get a centered feeling, and keep trying whatever I'm doing without judging. The "off" feeling usually goes away faster than if I sit there and beat myself up over it.

 

In martial arts, my teacher called it "getting out of your own way" - namely, not thinking or analyzing the physical motions so much, but rather just doing it without judgment until good habit become reflexive in nature. Sounds really easy - it's not.

 

-MKL

[BeniciaRT_GT]

Albert,

 

I ride almost every day, especially the last 6 years, and this happens way too often for me.

 

I've found hydration is a big issue, and as lots of others have said, but least for me less frequently, it is mechanical. Usually I can kind of feel when it is the bike...

 

Most days are just normal and fine, some are bad, and some days are just freakin' glorious!!! I've been on a roll with latter lately and feel as though there isn't even a bike involved, just me floating along the road and completely in tune with it all. Tomorrow on the way home it might be like I don't even know how to ride...

 

When the ride is like that, I do just what you did... Listen to the spidy sense and give myself much more margin. I think it just happens sometimes and could be any number of things inside us that cause it, which may or may not be detectable by our conscious side.

[Indy Dave]

I can get like that on occasions. I'll try to analyze what's going on and do a quick checklist after saying out loud inside my helmet, "the object here is to get home safe".

 

Linz

 

What a great reminder.

 

The last two weeks I've been riding in Michigan and on every outing, at times the bike felt like the back end was sloppy. In trying to figure out if it's the road, wind, bike or me, I'd compare the coming corner with the previous. Not pushing hard, but perhaps not easing up enough either given the unknown cause. Perhaps an initial refocus on the main thing - to get home and ride again - would have been a more prudent approach to the troubleshooting.

 

The feeling is certainly unnerving, and like Albert, some corners feel good and right. But then the next, something seems off and more often than not, I'll need to tighten up mid corner.

 

Everything seems tight on the bike, so I'm still wondering. Perhaps at 35K, the ESA shocks are shot?

 

Albert, did you ever look into your shocks? Have you had the feeling since returning from KY?

[Albert]

I have rebounded from my riding "funk" quite nicely. In the end I think Ed had it pretty much right. I lapsed into a (very mild) cold that hung on for a week or so but has since cleared up. I've done nothing to the bike in the way of maintenance and I'm riding as confidently as ever (knock on wood). There may have been other factors but I think my experience was mostly physical.

[KarlS]

If you are a golfer you recognize the problem.

 

Some days puts go in the hole and other days they don't. It is often inexplicable.

 

If the bike checked out the problem is that you are not having a good day. I won't worry about it as it may be a good day tomorrow. You took sensible precautions.

 

Karl

[knight88]

I won't over analyzed the Original post, I'll keep it simple and say we all good days and bad and it just happened to be a bad day.