For whatever reason I am the slowest rider I know. I race c senior class and regularly get passed by everyone! Lol Teenage girls, 90 year old men, old ladies on beach cruisers I am only in my first year back to riding and just can't seem to get used to speed of any kind. Even on a flat wide open fire road and just can't keep pace because I back off. Any tips on getting used to riding at speed?
Unplug brain from throttle hand........ Honestly, this is a tough one. At our age, common sense and a sense of our own mortality come into play. When I was younger I used to race desert and baja and I had no problem going wide open over unknown terrain. Now, I'm much more cautious. It'll help to push yourself just a little bit beyond your comfort zone for a bit and then back it down. Eventually you'll be able to sustain that for longer periods and hopefully improve.
Stand up as much as you can, look farther ahead and don't think just do. The older you get the harder it is to do. I grew up riding in the desert and motocross tracks and when I took up riding again I was much older and in the Ozarks. Roots, rocks, trees and logs were things I had to learn to deal with. I've been back at it for about 5 years and I can run a pretty good clip but no for much more than about 15 min. I'll get tired and either want to sit down or my fatigue will cause lapses in concentration. I've been working on that but at the same time I could really care less who passes me. I get more out of riding technically correct in difficult situations then showing off my bravery. lol You might give trials a try, it's about as laid back as it gets. Lately when I ride I look for the more technical stuff to play on.
If you seriously would like to go faster and safer.... Call or email Rich Lafferty and take a private lesson. If you find it helpful, take some more. Rich will give you the tools to expand your comfort zone and go faster. I'm 60 years old and riding faster and safer than ever, thanks to Rich's teaching methods. You live in South Jersey, so it shouldn't be too hard. I travel 5+ hours one way, to train with him. http://www.richlaffertyracing.com/ If that won't work.... Your best bet is to find a faster riding buddy, who is willing to ride, just a little faster than you can and "tow" you around. If your fast buddy, just checks out on you, it isn't going to help you a bit. This will help pull you out of your comfort zone. Push your limits in the open stuff and then practice in the tighter. As Steve said.... Nothing beats seat time, but riding by yourself at the pace you go, won't help with your speed.
Norm, I actually live close to rich and have taken some lessons with him. He has helped a lot but I think like you said. I just need more seat time
Steve, if he can only hang for 30 seconds... it's going to be a long apprenticeship. As you said in your earlier post... we aren't young anymore. You were young, when you chased the fast guy....
Then my best advice is.... practice what he's shown you when you ride. Practice going fast in a sand pit and on the open sand roads, where it's open and safer. Then take that to the trails. Don't just trail ride aimlessly, practice the basics. A figure 8 and some cones will do wonders, if you put your mind to it. It's 45 minutes to trails for me to ride, but I'm lucky enough, to have this across from my house. It will get planted soon, and then I'll set up in a friends hay field.
Race more, works for me. Went from almost dead last in January to passing a bunch a higher class riders today. A sorted bike only works when your brain is in race mode.
I feel like I was not this slow on my kdx220 That bike just felt more planted and less twitchy if that makes sense, felt like I had better control
The WR125/144 is a very good handling and neutral bike and '13's with KYB forks should be great. You need to go through your whole setup... Tires, tire pressure, static and race sag, correct fork and shock springs for weight, fork height and rear axle placement/wheel base. Even without a steering damper, you should be able to pin that bike down a sand road and feel comfortable.
I got a lot from riding with a pro. I got lucky enough to get invited to go ride with Ty Davis recently. Just watching his technique (when I could catch him) was educational. We rode over 180 miles that day, and didn't realize how much I learned at the time. Last weekend I went play riding with my son. I started trying some of the things I saw Ty do in terms of body position, stance, and line choices. It was cool to see that I learned some key things a couple of weeks prior. The NHHA race yesterday was a bit more technical than the last couple of rounds with nasty loose rocky hills mixed with big holes and washes. The big thing that really hit home for me was getting the proper stance and angle of attack made a huge difference. I was in much more control and importantly, more relaxed. I hit a pace that felt good and felt like I was tooling along at just a little faster that fun pace. That's when I started reeling in riders from the start line that was 15 minutes ahead of mine. My finish time was my best ever and I didn't feel too tired. Easily could have been a 2 looper and got the overall beginner finish. I am pretty lucky to have somebody like Ty for a riding buddy. I can't wait until the next time we go out so the Grasshopper can show the Master what he had learned to achieve my next lesson.
I think this is the best advice. Also if the bike is twitchy try increasing the head angle by lowering the forks in the triples by small amounts until it feels right.
Get your suspension done, no excuses . Nothing like a well sprung bike with good feel to go faster safely.
About the only way to get used to speed, is by going fast, anywhere .. Run the bike fast multiple times in a day and your brain will adapt to your surrounding ... Then start tweaking everything else for speed. Try to use proper technique at all times on the bike, even at lower speeds. Even with a bike you like, you still gotta learn proper technique and use it at speed ... Might take a while for all this to come together. Have you considered that you are going as fast as your can? We all have a limit. I've push my speed out some and there are side effects (crashes are gonna be more fun at higher speeds) ... Good luck. .. Keep the braking skills up with the speed skills ...
Yellowfin I just did a race the Sunday before last. 50+ C. I hadn't raced since I was 45. Now 58. Torcs Racing Series in South TX. All Single track and poured for 3 days straight before race weekend. Complete Mudder... Saturday was practice...I felt/was super slow too. The track was a 5-6 mile loop and after one loop I was so tired. Sunday was the race, took off... last to the turn, on purpose so I didn't get railed...and off into the woods. There were 2 lines of racers that started after me. I believe they all passed me...anyway bottom line I know how to ride, But to do it at race pace in the mud for 70 minutes is a different story. On the first loop I came around a turn and there were people cheering me on...I was looking at them feeling all good...and next thing I knew I was on the ground...LOL...got the wind knocked out of me, and had some bruised/cracked ribs. Finished my loop and went to the truck. if I want to continue my mid life racing... I need to be better. Better with my fitness and riding skills. This will give me a more predictable and SAFER ride.
If you know your bike is set up right, it gives you some confidence. The more you ride, the more confident you feel. The more you race, the more challenging obstacles you face and conquer, it's a boost to your confidence. Notice the common thread? When I bought my Husky I rode alone all the time. While I regained some skills I didn't push myself because I was out there solo. Now that I've been racing and riding with people who are way more talented than me on two wheels it's exposed me to stuff I've been worried I couldn't do in the past. Ride, race, ride with faster people and repeat. Get your bike, skills, and most important, that confidence dialed and pretty soon you'll be wondering why your bike can't go any faster and forget all about being worried about going fast.
