Aren’t you scared?

The question I get asked the most. No, I’m not scared and no I’m not worried I will die. If that happens, it happens. My life insurance is there for a reason and I will have died doing something I absolutely LOVE.

I have told Mr if I die riding don’t feel bad that you got me into riding. I know the risks, I take the risks off my own bat. While I hope there is always another day for me to look forward to I know this isn’t guaranteed. And despite all of that and other vehicles on the road I can’t control, it’s something I choose to do.

A lot of people, especially women, say they are too scared to ride a motorbike. Believe me, I was scared too. The first time I sat on my bike I couldn’t make it out of the driveway even with Mr holding the grab rails on the back to keep me from falling over. I have come so far from that time to now in confidence and skill.

When you’re starting out there is a lot to think about all at the same time. Slow down, change gears, look to your right, don’t run into the car in front, indicator on, balance, not too heavy on the front or rear brakes, don’t dump the clutch, which part of the lane to be in, leave an exit space in case the car in front stops suddenly, scan for hazards, etc. Over time as you get to know your bike it becomes second nature. The mechanics of riding are something I learned very quickly as I learned to drive in a manual car it’s an extension of that to me.

Mr reckons I’m a natural rider, not sure how true that is 😂😂😂 however I do take a lot of risks every time I ride (filtering and changing lanes with minimal space) which I feel are calculated. I have excellent traffic reading skills, able to anticipate gaps and probably drive behaviour. At 43, I have more than 20 years driving experience even though it’s in a car the same ability to read and respond to traffic is there albeit with more options to jump queues and cheeky overtake!

The only way to get better and less scared is to ride and gain experience. I often think well I’m still as shit a rider as I ever was but when going out with Mr after not riding together for a while he notices my improvements. My advice: get on, give it a go and enjoy your new life.