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Originally Posted by entwisi
What sort of bike do you have mate? Modern stuff(last 8 years or so) with decent tyres on will happily get the footrests down. You should also use your body more, moving the body off the seat allows the bike to stay more upright hence you can carry more corner speed for the same amount of lean.
One thing most people get wrong is the line through the corner. Find an experienced rider and follow them. You will soon start to learn braking/entry points as well as general lines.
Fear of falling off is normal, however it shouldn't get so great that you are more worried about it than a general self preservation thing. If you do then you are more likely to come off as you will freeze or target aquire(the bike goes where you look. In that split second before the accident if you look at what you are going to hit you will hit it. Looking at the possible escape route will normally be enough to get you through.) Learn to relax on the bike. The best and fastest riders often look like they are hardly trying. It should come naturally. Its the old 4 stage
Unconcious Incomptetance
Concious Incompetance
Concious Competance
Unconcious Comptetance
i.e. you start off crap but don't know it. Then you realise how crap you are , then you get better but you have to think hard about it. then you are good but don't think about it.
Don't forget that even if you reach stage 4 a bit of time off the bike will dro you back into stage 3. Even a couple of months over winter is enough to kill that rythmn.
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I have a W reg GPZ500, that has been off the road for a few months now (needs new tyres and there's a problem with the engine - it needs to be looked at by someone who knows what they're doing. I have a Haynes manual, but 'rattly squeak' or 'squeaky rattle' isn't covered!).
With regard to following people, when I was using the bike regularly, I was catching people up and passing them at the first given opportunity. Once you get to know the corners, you move into the unconscious competence phase, I guess, but you can have a blast at the same time!!!
I am aware of the four stage thing you mentioned - we went through it in our sales meeting last week.
It's generally a self-preservation thing about the leaning. I don't spend the ride worrying about falling off, but I have had a lucky escape on a couple of occasions, where the bend was sharper than I expected and I snatched the brake. I only got away with it because the road was dry.
For Christmas I got a track day from my sister and brother in law, which I want to use when it's dry. Although I won't be using my bike, I am hoping that I can pick up some useful tips when I do go, as long as I don't drop the thing!