Motorway troubles

Antipasti · 18 Mar 2012 at 19:42

I've only been riding since last July. I use my bike mainly to commute, but on the odd occasion I also take it up to Oxford to visit family. It's a ~400 mile round trip, mainly M4 and M5.

When I'm riding on the motorway, I always have a feeling of being drawn towards the hard shoulder. It takes all my effort to stay in the slow lane. If I try and lean right I find my self very unbalanced.

It's quite strange, as I'm fine on the short dual carrage way commute, and I have no problem on A roads.

I'm riding a 1997 VFR 750. Has anyone else experienced this, or am I just a wrongun??

Antipasti · 18 Mar 2012 at 19:54

I think maybe it's a mixture of inexperience and possibly wind. Whatever it is it's very frustrating, not to mention tiring.

Antipasti · 19 Mar 2012 at 06:55

fish said:
I tend to do what i hate people doing in a car when on the motorway and use the middle and outside lanes as i find the tramline laid by lorries on the M4 M5 a pain, however I do the reverse journey quite a lot and although the m4/m5 are fun have you considered
A38 - exeter
a30- a303

then a choice:

a303 - frome then take the road north to trowbridge/chippenham
then a short stint up the M4 to swindon and a420 to oxford
or

a303 come off head toward devizes then on to swindon through swindon and on to a420 to oxford.

Just a thought a much nicer drive and not too much longer.

Thanks for the reply.

That seems like a much more enjoyable ride. I will try this next time I visit, thanks. Although, part of me wants to force myself to use the motorways to try and sort this problem out!

Antipasti · 19 Mar 2012 at 21:11

Luke said:
Alternatively maybe it is target fixation. You are focussed on the hard shoulder so that is where you'll head!

Interesting...

This is something I've never really thought about.

Antipasti · 20 Mar 2012 at 12:57

Thanks for all the help, I think I've found the problem. As suggested I think I'm concentrating on the thick white line for the hard shoulder which is in turn making me ride to it. Then, when I can't seem to get off it I'm tensing up making it even more difficult.

I haven't tried the motorway again yet, but I have used dual carriage ways, keeping in mind what has been said above and I have found that I have a lot more control of where I'm going! Thanks for all the advice, I'll let you know how i get on the next time I have to use the M5.