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First time freeway ride experience...

it doesn't sound like you're ready for the freeway if you're not comfortable with the turns or the wind. Ride more local before you get on the freeway.
Get a steering damper to fight the wind. Its the best investment you'll ever spend on the bike.
 
Relying on a steering damper for this would be treating a symptom caused by improper operation on the bike. Treat the root cause and loosen up on the bars.

Allow me to share an anecdote: I hopped on the freeway the day I got my first bike. I just kept repeating the MSF training mantras to myself (push right, go right; grip the tank with your legs) and did fine. It wasn't until the next few freeway rides that I started feeling the 'wind effect' a bit more, but I just rode it out chanting, 'stay light on the bars. Stay light on the bars.'

The 'moment of truth' was going over the San Rafael bridge for the Sunday Morning Ride within the first month of riding. That bridge is long and windy. The mental trick I developed going across? 'Stay calm. If you panic, you will fuck up, and something bad will happen.' So I dug into the tank with my legs, stayed calm and happy, and everything was chill.

In a week or so of regular freeway riding, you won't even notice the wind or rain grooves anymore.

The best part about learning the 'lower-body anchor' technique and keeping your arms light is that even when you go over bumps, rain grooves & other road hazards, even while leaning is this: you'll feel the bars shudder, turn in a bad way, then come right back where they're supposed to be all before your conscious mind has time to think of what to do. Your bike knows where to go. Keep a light touch and trust it. :thumbup
 
AkatomboRR said:
it doesn't sound like you're ready for the freeway if you're not comfortable with the turns or the wind. Ride more local before you get on the freeway.
Get a steering damper to fight the wind. Its the best investment you'll ever spend on the bike.
Click to expand...

the bike actually came with a ohlins as I said above.. Its adjusted pretty well at that. But as you said. I'll wait a little longer, and nextime I'll go with other riders.

If I do this it will take my mind off of it a bit more and I can just ride!

crazybob said:
Relying on a steering damper for this would be treating a symptom caused by improper operation on the bike. Treat the root cause and loosen up on the bars.

Allow me to share an anecdote: I hopped on the freeway the day I got my first bike. I just kept repeating the MSF training mantras to myself (push right, go right; grip the tank with your legs) and did fine. It wasn't until the next few freeway rides that I started feeling the 'wind effect' a bit more, but I just rode it out chanting, 'stay light on the bars. Stay light on the bars.'

The 'moment of truth' was going over the San Rafael bridge for the Sunday Morning Ride within the first month of riding. That bridge is long and windy. The mental trick I developed going across? 'Stay calm. If you panic, you will fuck up, and something bad will happen.' So I dug into the tank with my legs, stayed calm and happy, and everything was chill.

In a week or so of regular freeway riding, you won't even notice the wind or rain grooves anymore.

The best part about learning the 'lower-body anchor' technique and keeping your arms light is that even when you go over bumps, rain grooves & other road hazards, even while leaning is this: you'll feel the bars shudder, turn in a bad way, then come right back where they're supposed to be all before your conscious mind has time to think of what to do. Your bike knows where to go. Keep a light touch and trust it. :thumbup
Click to expand...

word. :thumbup I'll keep all this in mind for the next one.
 
crazybob said:
Relying on a steering damper for this would be treating a symptom caused by improper operation on the bike. Treat the root cause and loosen up on the bars.

Allow me to share an anecdote: I hopped on the freeway the day I got my first bike. I just kept repeating the MSF training mantras to myself (push right, go right; grip the tank with your legs) and did fine. It wasn't until the next few freeway rides that I started feeling the 'wind effect' a bit more, but I just rode it out chanting, 'stay light on the bars. Stay light on the bars.'

The 'moment of truth' was going over the San Rafael bridge for the Sunday Morning Ride within the first month of riding. That bridge is long and windy. The mental trick I developed going across? 'Stay calm. If you panic, you will fuck up, and something bad will happen.' So I dug into the tank with my legs, stayed calm and happy, and everything was chill.

In a week or so of regular freeway riding, you won't even notice the wind or rain grooves anymore.

The best part about learning the 'lower-body anchor' technique and keeping your arms light is that even when you go over bumps, rain grooves & other road hazards, even while leaning is this: you'll feel the bars shudder, turn in a bad way, then come right back where they're supposed to be all before your conscious mind has time to think of what to do. Your bike knows where to go. Keep a light touch and trust it. :thumbup
Click to expand...

+1...you beat me to it. :laughing

OP, you do not need a steering damper. Especially for an F4I. I've owned several CBR's over the past decade and can tell you they are not prone to headshake. I've never had a damper on any of them. I've experienced minor headshake, at the track, and it was my fault.

If your concerned about the bike, since it's nearly ten years old, then take the money you would spend on a damper and take it to Evolution Suspension or another suspension expert. They can make sure the fork oil is fresh and adjust it for you, properly. Then go ride it with the knowledge that it will behave as it should.

Edit: Just noticed that you already have a damper, which is fine, but I still feel that proper set-up and maintenance is more important. Good for peace of mind as well. It's a joy to ride a bike that is set-up right.
 
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Ride 280 on the weekends in the Woodside-San Mateo area for example, take it one exit at a time and DON"T be in a hurry. Do some basic low speed exercises in a parking lot too, nothing fancy even 10 minutes here and there. It will all come together with time so just enjoy yourself and learn slowly.
 
People have mentioned being light on the bars a few times in this thread so far, but it's really hard to overstate it I think. Nothing makes everything come together like not gripping too hard, or putting too much weight on the bars.

At the same time, sometimes it seems like the hardest thing to stick to, especially when anything happens that makes me uncomfortable.

The other problem I had doing the freeway early on was occasionally not looking where I wanted to go...I ride 17 a lot, and a couple times ended up staring at the hillside while heading right for it, heavy on the bars too...relaxing and looking up the road where I needed to solved the problem *instantly* each time.

I also hit a bad patch of gravel my first time out on 35...it was huge, but just relaxing and letting the bike do it's thing got me through it with a scary wiggle, but it was over just as fast. I really had to force myself to relax though!

So relax, and have faith in your bike, and also in yourself. Practice some more on short runs where there are a lot of offramps, and when traffic is light, and you'll get used to it quick.


My last point may or may not help. For me personally, I do my best steering when I don't think about my arms at all. I grip the tank with my knees, look where I want to go, and use my lower body to steer from my hips. When I do that, my arms automatically take care of doing things right. When I do it consciously, I'm never quite as smooth or accurate. Maybe it just works for me because of many years of bicycling, but just in case it helps I thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck, and have fun.
 
Thanks, appreciate all the help im getting in here. Maybe instead of my next freeway run I can focus on something easier like skyline. It has a speed limit of 45 or 50 so I can fluctuate between there.

Ideally I have to find some sound places to start so I have a peace of mind and I'm able to relax. I was worried about riding around cages today while on the freeway which didn't help me ...but If I can start by avoiding traffic and getting my speed up its a start for me.

Funny part about all this is I've never had an issue with speed or not believing in myself going fast until I got on two wheels. Theres so much more that can happen though I guess and I'm finally matured enough to realize that..damnit! lol
 
Mondays a holiday..

Dust the bike off and take her for a nice long ride :teeth

and Im inviting myself as well :thumbup
 
Cheyenne said:
People have mentioned being light on the bars a few times in this thread so far, but it's really hard to overstate it I think. Nothing makes everything come together like not gripping too hard, or putting too much weight on the bars.

At the same time, sometimes it seems like the hardest thing to stick to, especially when anything happens that makes me uncomfortable.

The other problem I had doing the freeway early on was occasionally not looking where I wanted to go...I ride 17 a lot, and a couple times ended up staring at the hillside while heading right for it, heavy on the bars too...relaxing and looking up the road where I needed to solved the problem *instantly* each time.

I also hit a bad patch of gravel my first time out on 35...it was huge, but just relaxing and letting the bike do it's thing got me through it with a scary wiggle, but it was over just as fast. I really had to force myself to relax though!

So relax, and have faith in your bike, and also in yourself. Practice some more on short runs where there are a lot of offramps, and when traffic is light, and you'll get used to it quick.


My last point may or may not help. For me personally, I do my best steering when I don't think about my arms at all. I grip the tank with my knees, look where I want to go, and use my lower body to steer from my hips. When I do that, my arms automatically take care of doing things right. When I do it consciously, I'm never quite as smooth or accurate. Maybe it just works for me because of many years of bicycling, but just in case it helps I thought I'd throw it out there.

Good luck, and have fun.
Click to expand...

This!!!
Your bike can do anything you ask it to do-it is a very skilled and well engineered machine. The buffetting you will get used to and learn to put your body i the most neutral place.
Something that helpsis to B-R-E-A-T-H
Tighten up your belly and let your core carry your weight not your arms-grip the living bejeebus outta the tank with your knees and WOW you are in control of the motorcycle.
Now get out there and ride!
 
Careful on 101! I hate that thing, it's packed with crazy construction and really vicious potholes, 280 is much much nicer-- although yes the wind and rain grooves (and fog! always keep an eye out for the fog and rain around here! there are few things scarier than being on the freeway and suddenly unable to see!) can be a bit disconcerting.

100mi experience is still very very new, it will take time for the anxiety to let up. Go easy. What I did, was go up and down the Great Highway a lot to get more used to the idea of speeds over 30. Farther down 35 the speed limit goes up progressively, so I'd go a bit more south a little at a time.
 
Just keep on riding. 100 miles isn't a lot of saddle time. Comfort comes with experience.

As far as those rain grooves the best thing to do is loosen up your grip on the handle bars and let the bike do its thing. It will move from side to side a little but keep going straight. If you tense up and try to fight it you will actually cause the bike to behave worse and follow the rain grooves around more.
 
A lot of it is experience, relaxing and getting into and enjoying the moment. I remember my first freeway time, which was about 35 miles on 280 from San Bruno to Mountain View on my first street bike (R6). Most of what I remembered was the cold howling wind, but for me it came down to being in the moment and reasons for having a bike (therapeutic values) which helped. All that will come with due time and experience for you, but for now it will help riding with safe and experience riders, in which you can follow their lead, especially during freeway excursions. Ride safe and enjoy!
 
Er... are you wearing earplugs? The first time I got on the highway I wasn't, and there's just no dealing with that deeper lizard brain thing where the low loud dB's tell you be afraid. Same thing as monster movie sounds. I orked myself up to going about 60mph and these three guys on big BMW's came serenely cruising by me, chatting over a com system. I was just kind of like... fuck you guys; maybe this motorbike thing isn't for me. But earplugs and some straight cruising time at speed, and I got used to it. I also found that if I kept my visor open at lower speed, then closing it felt like protection, which it is, when the wind blast got going on. After about 45mph you just don't want the lid up. But the airflow up until this point for me made me feel less trapped when I was starting - so much heavy gear, sometimes I forget when I don't ride for a while. I was able to lower my sensitivity level this way.
 
^-- when I first started wearing plugs on the freeway it felt really weird; I realized that because the noise was much quieter it could actually affect the amount of attention that was being demanded of me. One time I swear I could have dozed off... sometimes it helps to have the unfiltered world say "PAY ATTENTION!!!"
 
I never wear earplugs, but a few of friends do. I just want to be aware, especially with my hearing senses.
 
cnile97 said:
A lot of it is experience, relaxing and getting into and enjoying the moment. I remember my first freeway time, which was about 35 miles on 280 from San Bruno to Mountain View on my first street bike (R6). Most of what I remembered was the cold howling wind, but for me it came down to being in the moment and reasons for having a bike (therapeutic values) which helped. All that will come with due time and experience for you, but for now it will help riding with safe and experience riders, in which you can follow their lead, especially during freeway excursions. Ride safe and enjoy!
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The Therapeutic reasons I could relate with you on pretty well. The fiance and I are planning a wedding and I'd like for this to be my outting when needed lol.

We all need our time. :laughing

biomimetic said:
Er... are you wearing earplugs? The first time I got on the highway I wasn't, and there's just no dealing with that deeper lizard brain thing where the low loud dB's tell you be afraid. Same thing as monster movie sounds. I orked myself up to going about 60mph and these three guys on big BMW's came serenely cruising by me, chatting over a com system. I was just kind of like... fuck you guys; maybe this motorbike thing isn't for me. But earplugs and some straight cruising time at speed, and I got used to it. I also found that if I kept my visor open at lower speed, then closing it felt like protection, which it is, when the wind blast got going on. After about 45mph you just don't want the lid up. But the airflow up until this point for me made me feel less trapped when I was starting - so much heavy gear, sometimes I forget when I don't ride for a while. I was able to lower my sensitivity level this way.
Click to expand...

No I wasn't wearing earplugs. I figured it was best if I could hear everything humanly possible. My bike actually isn't too loud honestly. The wind sort of got to me because I could hear it whistling as I was out there but no part of the shield was open. Just the vents on the helmet.

Yeah there was a guy on a SV that passed me, I was probably going about 60mph or so and he had to have been going about 80+

I felt like a turtle :)
 
Don't get me wrong... if you ride freeway speeds regularly you definitely DO want earplugs (or you want hearing loss). It's just a different experience.
 
Yeah it's the perfect cure for a bad day for me. I only need to be on my bike for 15 minutes from an all day of hell to feel better. You can't beat that.
 
cnile97 said:
Yeah it's the perfect cure for a bad day for me. I only need to be on my bike for 15 minutes from an all day of hell to feel better. You can't beat that.
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Sounds about right to me. :thumbup

If she sees me pick up the helmet and gear up, she doesn't even ask questions. Its quite nice.
 
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