Scared And Butterflies
 

I just been riding a little over 3 weeks now and I still get scared and get butterflies right before I ride. It always goes away afetr a minute or two of riding. Will I always feel this way before a ride or is just part of being human.

It'll go away. Just keep riding and remember that being a little nervous can be a good thing as it'll keep you alert to the dangers we face when we get on two wheels.

+1 on staying alert. The butterflies will start to move up ending eventually on your lips with a smile.....you may find you have a new love.
Congratulations on your move to two...

the more u ride, the more you will become one with your machine. your confidence will build. be careful and ride as if you are invisible to cages.

I've been riding for awhile and I get nervous and butterflies every time. Then, I get to the end of the driveway and off I go....The butterflies disappear and I'm having fun. I have had days when I'll ride for awhile and it's (something) is not right. Just not a bike riding day, and I turn around and park it. Just a feeling. Hasn't happened but a few times but I go with my gut feeling. Anyone else have that happen?

Everyday is a good day for riding, but I've been riding since I was eight. Keep that fear and respect for the machine and you'll find your zone.

I've been riding since April and I still get the butterflies. If not more than that even. It just adds to the exhilaration you get when you arrive at your destination.

Stay alert at all times. Be comfortable where you are riding. Don't focus on fear. Have a positive mindset about riding. No your limitations. Ride safe. It will become more enjoyable when you can overcome these obstacles.

Stay alert~Stay alive!

Ride confident, not over confident. It will come.

It's so nice having new riders in the group. The old salty guys have long forgotten about things like butterflies before riding. The new guys bring a nice balance to the group.

I got my bike one Wednesday last week - a friend rode it from Indy to my house. I took it out the first time Thursday night. Had some butterflies then, because I hadnt ridden in 20 years. Prior to that, I always had a bike - from dirt bikes when I was a kid, to street bikes after that (but never a Harley). ... So, Thursday night, I just went around the neighborhood, doing starts, stops, turns, turning around, then a little cruise on some local back roads.

Friday night, I still had some butterflies - getting used to the feel of the bike. Took it out on some country roads and opened it up a bit.

By Saturday, I was pretty cool with it - felt like things were coming back pretty well. I was out pretty much all day Saturday, then I felt OK taking her out later that day. Hooked up with a friend and we went for a little cruise.

Sunday... had to go. We were out all day and well into the evening.

Today - took it to work, got home, threw the wife on the back, and we just got home at 11 pm. Dragged the pipes in a hard right turn once.

... but are the butterflies gone? No. The butterflies are why I ride. Amongst many things, it's one of the feelings that make riding fun - exhilaration might be a better word.

If you ever lose that feeling, it means you've lost respect for the machine and the realities of riding - it's time to hang it up for a while, until you get that feeling again.

Butterflies, nerves, big @#ss smile, ain't that the greatest. What other bike give you all of that? Why can't I stop smiling when I'm riding????

I have to admit that I'm actually more worried about the day I do go out riding without some hint of butterflies than the days I do. The last thing I want is to start riding with too much confidence such that lose my respect for the risks.

As others have said, though, once I'm out there the fun pushes the butterflies to the back of my mind.

Every once in a while I get a premonition that something isn't right too, whether in the cage or on the bike. I never ignore them, but that doesn't say I stop either. I may just slow down and drive or ride a little more carefully, stop for a short break, take a different route, or whatver it takes to put my mind back at ease. If your sensing that something bad is about to happen, anything that changes the timing or situation also changes the events that will follow. I'm generally not a superstitious person, but accept the fact that our brains are capable of far more than we understand.

I had the butterflies a bit. The more and more I got out there and rode the less and less they appeared before I got on my bike. Its your body's way of telling you your in for a hell of a ride that its still getting used to. Everything will become copacetic and after that, everythings good!

Being nervous will help keep you safe until you get experienced. You can never eliminate human error and being over confident is not good. I don't get nervous anymore but I still make mistakes, last one was thinking about something else as i swung a fast right hander, heading to the kerb, I come off the throttle and looked where i needed to go, back on the throttle and not an issue. If I had been inexperienced I would have been off. The moral of the story is stay on the ball and never take anything for granted on a ride. You can easily be over confident but you can never be experienced enough for this past time.

Always great advise on this forum, Thanks all

What is your pre-ride routine like? I know when i first started riding my hd about a year ago i would stand and stare at the bike. Think about it and the money it cost. This would provoke the butterflies and nerves to the next level. I found it better to just get my gear together, jump on, and ride. Doesnt allow the nerves and butterflies time to set in, you actually leave them in the garage if your quick enough.

Been riding 44 years and yer i love it every time :D and yep the butterflies will go :D

I just keep my mouth closed, it keeps the butterflies, June bugs, skeeters and other unwanted pests out of the digestive tract. :p :p

Keep the butterflies. Adds to the ride. Once the butterflies leave, the only thing left to do for excitement, is to play dodge'em with crack/potholes in the road, swerve back and forth to practice high speed avoidance, or stare blankly at the gray ribbon.
42 yrs(road riding) this year, the only time I get them, when I know I HAVE to ride into the Cities for an event. Ppl drive like idiots. I think, at that point, it is called 'anxiety' tho, not butterflies. :confused: :confused: :confused:

i get the BFs every time. to lessor or greater degrees, depending on the day. then while i am riding i often get the "oh my god" feeling as i realize that i just avoided a bad situation. or the "oh ****" when i totally misread something that could have been real bad, but use it to learn.

some of the BFs is fear and respect and some is the excitment.

Great advice.

They will go away, and you'll just be able to think about riding... but just keep your head on a swivel. Never stop looking around you.

A couple of things maybe: Go to an empty parking lot on a Sunday morning and do all sorts of situational maneuvering. And another, I force myself to get antsy about cages and stay aware that they really want to kill me... after awhile the butterflies turned to alertness.

It will (or should) turn to respect, never be afraid always have respect, It could keep u safe LOL

I don't get nervous,I get gas,but that eventually goes away !!!! the butterflies stay a little longer,that's a good thing,it keeps you on your toes and more aware of your surroundings and speed.

Be aware, the time a newer rider is most likely to get into an accident is when they've been riding from six months to two years.

Before six months, you know you don't know how to ride so you're extra careful.

After two years, you have enough experience to know what you're doing.

Between six months and two years, you don't have enough experience to know what you're doing. But you think you do.

LeonD

P.S. The butterflies will go away.

+1 on all comments. Ride, have fun, but don't ever lose respect for what you are riding and never forget to ride like you are invisible to everyone else.

I always listen to my gut. The brain and the subconcious pick up a lot of seemingly unrelated information that when added together can make the difference. Good example of this was last week for me when I was riding without my gear (it was strapped to the back of the bike as it was smokin' hot out). Something told me to throw my jacket and full face on so I stopped and did so. 6 miles down the road, a gravel hauler tossed a freakin' big rock out of the tires. I saw it coming in time to throw my arm up and deflect it and it grazed my helmet instead. I have a honking big bruise on my arm and a wicked scrape on my helmet, but the extra layers kept me from having a broken arm or a split skull. I shudder when I think what would have happened if that thing struck me with the beanie on...

+1
Tom

Ive been skydiving for 9 years. people ask me if its routine after that long. I tell em when it gets 'routine' I'll stop doing it. I little fear helps keep you alive.

You hit the nail right on the head Josh. I'll go out in the garage and just stand there and stare at the bike for a few minutes before i even start her up. Yesterday I started it up and just let it warm up enought to take off and that seemed like it helped alot.

+1.
Always get a nervous rush as I am getting ready to get on the scoot, it turns into a big smile as soon as I turn the corner of my block.
Same thing with that weird "bad riding day" feeling. Sometimes I will be out for hours and hours and don't want it to end, sometimes I see stuff that makes me want to get off the road. Extremely rare, but it happens and I go with the feeling.

On Motorcycles I would say it's more like 20,000 miles instead of 2 yrs for the experience thing. I bought a 4 yr old Ultra once and it had 7,000 miles on it and belive me that guy was a real nice fella but he was still a FNG when it came to road ridein. Miles is experience not time! And I think the MSF courses can help to speed up that learnin curve and can teach you things that you may never really learn on your own.
The last time I had a feelin, i had rode maybe 40 miles and it was gettin near evenin and I thought, I think I'll ease back home get a good night sleep get up early and take off for a good 400-500mile ridein day. 10min later a fella blows thru a stop sign on a blind entrance road and broadsides me breakin both my lower legs. Now I aint got a freekin clue what the Tea leaves said about that, but after hundreds of jitterbugs in 40yrs of ridein Harleys, just tell yourself it's a GREAT DAY TO RIDE, turn up the rock an roll and go ridein!!!!!
Though I have had thoughts over the years, man you better slow yur ass down, and once in a while there was a road hazzard that would have been big trouble had I not slowed down., but I aint never not rode cause of the jitters.

i was taking flying lessons out of midway in chicago ( before it became more crowded). i was schedule to take my first solo flight. it just wasn't right.

my instructor saw me and asked, are you back already. i said no, its just not right. he didn't say a word other than well okay lets go for a flight.

so him and i went up.

next lesson i soloed without a problem (still had some butterflies, but not the "not right" feeling).

I think that is cool for you to admit it. Man, it's a new world.

It hasn't happened in a while, but there have been times when I've been riding, usually on the highway, and all of a sudden I'd this real "ominous" feeling, or even worse of real impending doom. So since turning around wasn't an option, I would slow down, breathe deeply and wait until the feeling went away, then pick the speed back up and go. I tend to really pay attention to my "gut feelings". Always seems I regret it when I don't. As for butterflies, it happened to me all the time, until this year. Now I only get them occasionally,but they disappear as soon as I'm down the end of the street.

I used to get the butterflies, but when I got the "impending doom" feeling I saw a psych and discovered the joy of life through legalized medicine. Now I only have the smile.

Man, I'm glad someone posted something like this. I just got my first Harley at the age of 38 and have never ridden in my life and I'm nervous as can be and intimidated at the same time. Heck, I'm intimidated to post on he fourm. LOL I've played a lot of sports in my life and being a little nervous is usually a good thing. It keeps you on your toes and at your best.

That being said, I can't wait till the first time I take it out for a ride, I'm sure I'll have a smile from ear-to-ear. It's an old 78 lowrider that needs a little bit of work so it might be a month or so before I finally get to take it out.