Dealing With Fear on a Motorcycle

My first ride on a motorcycle was disastrous. I was 12 years old, visiting my cousins in New Jersey. They lived on the side of a wooded hillside, and zipped up and down on a pair of Honda Trail 90s. It looked like a lot of fun, and I wanted to try. A few seconds of instruction from 13 year-old Adam, and I was seated at the controls. I grabbed some throttle, let out the clutch, and the bike was instantly careening out of control. I tried to grab the brake, but kept rolling on more throttle. Luckily, my Uncle Joe jumped in front of the bike, between me and the corner of the garage, and dragged the bike to a stop. I was unhurt – just humiliated in front of my cousins and my uncle, and honestly – scared to death. It would be six years before I tried to ride a motorcycle again.

When I turned 18, I realized that fear was keeping me from moving forward in life. I decided, as 18 year-olds do, that I was going to conquer fear wherever it stood in my path. As luck would have it, a friend at work had just received a motorcycle for his birthday and had discovered that he was afraid to ride after a parking lot tip-over. He asked me if I wanted to buy his bike, a 1979 Kawasaki KZ400, and my old fear of riding instantly sprung to life before me. I decided that this was my opportunity to overcome a minor fear, so I bought the bike. I spent the next couple of weeks teaching myself how to ride in the big empty parking lot after work, and soon I was over my fear, and enjoying myself immensely. That led to a lifetime of riding and enjoyment, and a sense of personal accomplishment that helped move me forward in other areas of my life.

The lessons that I can extract from this experience can be drawn larger, and may apply to your riding life.

First, my fear was caused by lack of knowledge. I jumped on that Trail 90 without the proper instruction, without proper equipment and without a chance of success. The physical consequences were minor, for me and for the bike. But the mental consequences kept me from trying again for many years.

So, one way to overcome fear is with training and practice. Learning proper riding technique in a controlled situation gives you great muscle memory to fall back on when fear kicks in. If your body knows how to ride properly, it will default to good habits if you can keep your mind out of the way.

Another way to overcome fear is to identify its source, and to figure out if the fear is rational or irrational. It’s rational to be concerned about the inherent risks of motorcycling. Dealing with a rational fear will lead you to get training, wear the proper protective gear, to check the condition of your motorcycle before every ride and to ride within your abilities and limits. If you’ve checked all of these boxes and you’re still struck with fear, your fear may be irrational, and may need to be examined further before you can ride safely. I realized that my fear of riding originated with one humiliating incident, and once I forgave myself for being a kid, I was able to conquer my fear. Your fear might be easy to root out, or it might be difficult to pin down. Maybe you heard a story about a horrific motorcycle crash, or saw one, or had a family member who was injured on a motorcycle. You might have more than one factor that leads to fear. I’m a big fan of meditation and contemplation, and even therapy can be helpful to discover the source of a fear.

You may never fully conquer your fear of riding, and it can be reawakened at any time by an inciting incident. I had to deal with this last year after my accident, which I wrote about here. I wasn’t severely injured, despite the speed and location of the crash, and I didn’t think it shook me up too badly. But when the bumps and bruises had healed and it was time to climb back in the saddle, I was surprised to discover that I was afraid. I took a step back, and thought about what I was going through, and I realized that I was dealing with a rational fear. I took a few minutes to review my gear selection, to check my bike, and to mentally run through my upcoming ride. By focusing on my training and preparation, I was able to conquer my rational fear. I climbed on the bike, thumbed it to life and rode off, leaving fear behind. Most of it, anyway. The rest fell away in time, as experience overwhelmed anxiety.

Some fear can’t be overcome without help. If you’ve been involved in a motorcycle accident or even a near miss, and you find that you’re too afraid to ride again, you might be suffering from acute stress disorder (ASD) or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, PTSD occurs when the body’s natural “fight-or-flight” response to danger is changed or damaged. “PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm,” the NIH website states.

If you think you might have PTSD involving motorcycles, seek professional help right away. If your fear is more manageable, and you can easily pin down its source, you may be able to ride comfortably again by getting back to the basics. Start slowly, gear up properly and give yourself the best chance to succeed. Take short rides on familiar roads. Sharpen your skills, and your confidence will return. Don’t let fear rule your life – ride your motorcycle!