Riding Skittishly

So, while I do have a great excuse for doing so, its still weighing on my mind that I am riding the R80 in a very skittish fashion.

Yeah, I recently had a crash and it's a new to me bike the R80, I'm relearning the art of manual braking instead of ABS braking and my shoulder still has the occasional twinge (but not while riding).

So I've got plenty of excuses for my ultraconservative riding style; I have to build up my confidence up a bit more on the R80, she and I are getting used to each other slowly but surely. She sure is a different motorcycle than what I am used to. Her lack of any fairings and windshield increase one's "exposed" feeling as well.

This is not to say I rode like a squid before the crash! Not at all, but I used to lean the motorcycle more into the turns before, and barely do much leaning now.

Hopefully, as my confidence on the R80's cornering abilities grows; and I know they can turn much better than my 1150RT; it will bring back some of the "fun" of riding a motorcycle. You know, the feeling that you are "one" with the motorcycle and you don't have to concentrate to make it go where you want it to, that feeling. Right now, it's mostly a mechanical exercise to me, still better than a car. : )