Another first for me

[Dead Eye]

If you can't afford lessons etc, just get out on the bike and don't be afraid. Is the fear mostly around the damage to the bike or yourself? Silly question I know, but I usually think about what's going to happen to my poor machine rather than myself :P

If its the bike, well you already dropped it and have a second now as well! So use your gold one to get more experience and not worry about dropping it as much. Your drops have been from low speed anyway, so you shouldn't (fingers crossed) hurt too much more than your pride

Try to find out which techniques you aren't familiar with or haven't gotten the knack of yet and get out and practice ONE at a time. Trying to through them all together will likely not end well. For example, how confident are you with counter-steering? If not very, get out on some twisty roads and practice. The more you get out and the more miles you rack up, the better you will get It took me a bit of getting used to when I got back in the saddle in January after not riding for 3 months

[stevierst]

Or what about getting out there in the rain with an experienced rider and watching how they ride. It'll certainly give you a bit more confidence to see them going round a corner in the wet, and following their lines.

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[darrsi]

My little bit of advice would be rather than going from A to B on a short journey in the rain, go out and stay out in it for a while.
I used to get called into London quite often to go to film sets and had to get there as quick as possible.
Riding in the centre of London is traumatic enough anyway, but add rain in the mix and it all becomes a bit manic.
But i find that once you're out in the rain for quite a while you actually tend to forget about it, and i find myself riding the bike much more aggressively by the time i get back than when i first started out.
Saying that, it still falls back again on having tyres that you trust in the wet.
If you have little faith in your tyres then you will become rigid when riding, rather than relaxed, and it will make for a very uncomfortable journey every time you go out in the rain and lean the bike, and you really don't want that at all.
It's all about having a good feeling and rapport with the bike and the road, and the only way to learn that is by getting out there and practising!