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One hurdle that many new riders need to get over is the sense of speed or SOS. You see it all the time even in a new rider class where the top speed is 20 – 25 MPH many riders struggle with rolling on the throttle.
Many of these riders pass the training class but then they graduate to the roadway with traffic at speeds that are much greater than 25 MPH and they struggle to ride at road speeds.
Causes of SOS
So what causes this Sense of Speed or SOS and what can new riders do to overcome it?
First, let me say this…SOS is not just an issue that new riders face. Have you ever taken a track day where speeds can get into the triple digits? If you are not used to those speeds some of these same SOS issues creep their way back into your riding.
The tips I share here will also help with SOS on the track as well.
Why is a heightened SOS a problem, to begin with? Everyone reacts to SOS differently, some people have no problem with it, others struggle with it. When SOS causes fear we have the sensation that sensory information is coming at us faster than we can deal with it.
A rider may be riding down the road approaching a turn at an intersection, there is a car waiting at the intersection, is the light green or red, do I have the right away, am I in the proper gear, should I downshift, do I need to brake, is that car still behind me?
These are all things that run through the mind of a new rider and if they are riding at speeds faster than they have in the past it causes our SOS to go through the roof. The result might be that our rider then slows down even more but that causes other problems because they are riding much slower than the flow of traffic.
We have all driven or ridden in cars at speeds much greater than 25 MPH so why does it seem so fast when we ride a motorcycle at road speed?
There are 3 reasons why SOS is higher on a motorcycle
How your field of view affects your sense of speed
When you are on a motorcycle there is a sense that you are riding a magic carpet. The entire view is open to you. There is no dashboard in front of you, no roof over your head, no doors to block the view from the side, and no windshield with bug splatter that you are looking through.
It is you and a wide-open view of the road ahead and to the side of you. That is one of the reasons why I love to ride so much. I can’t tell you how many times I have been somewhere in a car and thought, this would be such a cool road to ride my motorcycle on. It is just different on a motorcycle, it is wide open and something you will never get in a car or truck.
While that view makes the road that much more open it also adds a degree of uncertainty to a new rider. You have the realization that there really is nothing between you and the road and that makes just about any speed on a motorcycle feel faster.
How wind affects your sense of speed
The other new experience for beginning riders is the amount of wind you are subjected to. You can feel the wind on your clothes, going up your pant legs and rattling your helmet. Having a well-fitted helmet will help with this greatly but it is a new sensation for a rider and one they don’t get in an MSF class.
At 25 MPH in a new rider class, there is really not that much wind for our new rider and things are pretty smooth as far as wind is concerned. Put that same rider on a motorcycle on the highway at 65 MPH and they will feel like they are in a wind tunnel. Add a little gusty headwind to that and the feeling is even more real. Depending on their bike they may feel the wind wants to push them off the back. But trust me, that sensitivity to the wind goes away with time and something you will learn to appreciate.
My advice is don’t fight the wind, stay relaxed with your grip on the handlebars, keep from locking your arms out and the motorcycle will adjust to the wind with very little input required from you.
If you are getting wind buffeting from a windshield that is not correct for you or wind coming up from the sides of the motorcycle, or a few other causes, that is a different story but one that can also be fixed. Go to MCrider.com/Wind and I have a video to help you diagnose and fix wind buffeting issues on your motorcycle.
Look further up the road
Many riders have a really bad habit of not looking far enough up the road, this increases your SOS, gives you fewer options to deal with hazards, and less time to deal with hazards when they do appear.
So, my advice to new riders dealing with a heightened SOS. First, practice on a parking lot. Spend some time with the Field Guide and practice the core skills of riding until they are second nature. Slow – look – press and roll should be ingrained on a parking lot, not on the street with traffic.
While you are practicing reinforce that you are keeping your head and eyes up. I have taught enough experienced riders to know that many of you are not doing this…look up, look further down the road or across the parking lot in practice. If you develop that habit in practice it will carry over to the street.
Then when you get on the street your SOS is decreased, the core skills are second nature and your Road Skills then come into play to further reduce your risk.
Hopefully, this helps, we will be discussing this video on the forums. Become a member at MCrider.com/Member and join the conversation. You will get the forums and the Field Guide and maybe even one of these cool reflective decals from my friends over at stickercutting.com.
