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i recently started riding and feel fairly comfortable on the freeway now with and without traffic. Being california i can also lane split which has been a relatively uneventful and pleasant experience *knock on wood*
Tips:
1. Definitely second the ear buds. I wear ear buds all the time because my exhaust is so loud and in orange county where I live most major streets have 45+ speed limits, so you're almost getting to highway speeds on the street as well. I just went to lunch without plugs and it was a night/day difference..forgot how loud my bike was.
I searched high and low for some good reusable plugs to wear under my helmet. Dont bother with the radians DIY kits. I finally settled on Surefire EP5 plugs. They work just about as well as Hearo Xtreme disposable plugs (not as high of a NRR though) but they are washable and reusable up to 6 months.
2. Just get more seat time on Sunday mornings. Not a lot of traffic and especially with a good set of ear plugs at least for me mentally i feel like i'm not buffeted by wind as much. It has made highway riding overall much more enjoyable and less OMG WIND NOISE EVERYWHERE.
3. good tip on gripping the tank with your legs.
4. Something i discovered is at speed you dont want to stick a limb out too far outside of the fairing or it will be pulled back.
5. I see you're in SD, dont lane split until you feel comfortable. I would suggest doing it first on the street to red lights. My rules for myself: Do not lane split when trying to complete a turn (i.e. double left turn lanes. drivers are too unpredictable and cross over a lot), do not lane split when traffic on the freeway exceeds 30 mph and ride no faster than 10-15 mph faster than traffic, if you're lane splitting and traffic starts moving > 30mph merge back into a lane keeping a safe following distance in front.
6. dont ride on the freeway unless you are alert and focused. I feel some accidents happen when riders zone out and then inadvertently target fixate on the bend coming up.
7. During the day switch on that high beam. At night, use it like you would your car high beam.
good luck and stay safe. I was pretty terrified of traffic on the 405S in Orange County during rush hour so i'd leave on the next exit, but with my guidelines for myself it has been pretty safe. Keep in mind lane position and keep open space on either side and in front (back as well but that's largely dependent on the driver behind).
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