New Rider, New Bike, Scared Sh**less
Hi! I just passed my MSF course last weekend and got my license. I went out on Monday and bought a Kawasaki 250. Lime green, GORGEOUS bike, shifts like a dream and way better than the crappy Honda Rebel I learned on. I also took a 2 hour private lesson before my MSF so I've got a good 12 hours of riding under my belt.
But, as you all know, that's 12 hours in a parking lot. With cones. And an instructor. Now I'm all alone with my bike. I don't know anyone who rides and I dropped the bike earlier trying to position it in my driveway. I'm pretty small -- 5'3", 115 lb. -- and it was just so, so, so, SO heavy getting it back up. I have practically 0 confidence right now and I'm afraid of everything that could go wrong. I don't know if this motorcycling thing is for me. But, to be honest, I'm a big wimp and chicken out of most anything I ever try doing and I just want to succeed for once.
Any words of encouragement would be great haha. Thanks.
Don't know where you are but
Don't know where you are but you might try to find some sort of riding buddy. Check for local rider message boards and introduce yourself, much like you did here. Good chance you might find somebody with a little more experience to ride with.
If that doesn't happen just stick to what you're comfortable with. You said that you don't have any friends that ride, do you have any friends with a pickup? Maybe you don't feel comfortable riding to an empty parking lot yet, but maybe a friend could take your bike back and forth for you.
Beyond those two rather hopeful suggestions, one very true comment. It gets easier. Little steps will become big steps. Things that once seemed to take every bit of concentration you could muster soon become as easy as tying your shoes. You're probably a little frustrated right now. Relax, put the bike aside for a day or so(not too long though), reread your MSF handbook and remember the basics. You passed the class so you obviously know the basics but sometimes we forget things we know when we get frustrated. Trust me, and I'm sure the others you'll hear from on this board, things that you can't imagine doing now, riding the highway or the twistiest road in the area will be just down the road if you just take things one step at a time.
Hey Ranette, thanks for
Hey Ranette, thanks for replying. I live in Massachusetts so I'll be sure to google some riding groups up here. I live in a really quiet, residential neighborhood so I don't need to bother my friends with trucks thankfully. I've tooled around a few times on my bike, just upshifting and downshifting, stopping, etc. I got out onto the main street (still pretty quiet, though, and not a state highway) and did well. Except when I went to turn onto my street, I got scared and just stopped instead of turning. Almost dropped the bike but I made it back home.
I love the idea of riding and it was awesome getting around with the wind coming at me. I guess I'll just take little steps and see where I go from there. I'm already a much, MUCH better shifter/clutcher/breaker than I was at the beginning so there's a triumph for me, even if it is a little one :)
Try asking here, my guess is
Try asking here, my guess is you'll find someone who might be able to help/mentor you.
http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/motorcycle-forums/
One of the hardest things
Is that first drop. It'll make you reconsider everything. But push yourself past it (as you're doing already....nice), and you'll find your confidence will keep growing and growing, and soon, you'll be riding without even thinking about it.
That's what happened with me. When I dropped my bike when I first started, it really dazed me, and I recall thinking this whole thing was a bad idea and I was better off not riding. I even remember wondering how long it would take to sell my bike. It was really hard to get back on it, fire it up and keep going. But I did and pushed myself past that feeling. And I still remember grinning from ear to ear when I finally ventured out of my neighborhood and onto main roads...it was the best feeling EVER. And now, 2 years later, I can't imagine NOT riding.
So hang in there, take it slowly as you're doing, and it WILL work out for you!
Size is not a problem
Your size is not a problem - seeing 5-10 year-olds sliding and jumping on motocross tracks convinced me of that - so don't let your size discourage you. Riding, like skiing, skating, mountain biking, etc., is a learned skill. It doesn't come naturally to the vast majority of us, so you just need to keep at it.
Riding is about finding that balance point, and when you lose that balance even the biggest guy woudn't be able to keep a bike upright, with the tremendous weight and momentum. I'm 6', 170, and my back gets sore for a few days everytime I had to pick up my bike. I know to use my legs and not my back, but it's not easy.
A lot of the small mishaps of a new rider can be avoided if you had an experienced rider giving you a few extra pointers. Internet helps a lot, but still most of us sort of find our way in the dark and learn from each small mistakes. Where I am I find a lot of experienced riders are generous with their offer to help a new rider; I often had to politely turn down the persistent offers to help because I dont like to trouble people. ;-) I know I'd be perfectly happy to spend some time tutoring a new rider on my free time.
Girl lifting Harley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6HTs9x3xBE&feature=related
You'll notice that she had ensured that the kick-stand was in the down position prior to lifting it so as the bike wouldn't fall over onto the other side once lifted.
One thing to remember about
One thing to remember about lifting your bike is that sport bikes are harder to lift than cruisers as they tend to fall over further. A cruiser will typically still have rubber on the ground but a sport bike may be flat on its side. I'm not sure about the ninja but I suspect that it would fall over quite far.
Like the others have said, small steps quickly become large ones. You did pass the MSF so you ARE qualified to ride in a parking lot. There is nothing wrong with (and is highly recommended) to spent a lot of time in a parking lot in the beginning honing your skills. Once the mechanics of controling your bike at slow speed become reflexive, riding on the street becomes much easier. You can now spend much more of your limited attention span on the road instead of the bike. Now that you are SEEing things long before they become a potential issue, you are suddenly relaxed and not prone to feeling panic or being out of control. Honestly, it is hard and overwhelming in the beginning but your rate of learning will be very rapid and soon you will be looking back wondering how you survived these early days :D
Another website to check out is meetup.com. I've made some great friends through meetup groups and have lots of riding buddies now.
This is true
In my experience, a sportbike is very hard to lift, also in part because it has a high center of gravity (relative to the bike's position when upright). That means that the weight is at the end of the lever as you're lifting, and it's a bit harder to handle. In fact, the last time I lowsided at the track, I had trouble getting my bike up by myself in the sloped gravel (thankfully a corner worker showed up to help before I embarrassed myself by dropping it again).
Girl lifting Harley
It looks easy on You Tube when they back the bike up, but I have not been able to pick up my bikes (GS500, SV650, DRZ400sm) by backing my butt into the seat like they do. Usually my bike would be lying a weird way, on dirt shoulder, or a slope, with loose footing, and I just couldn't seem to squat that low and get enough foot traction and body leverage to back my body into the bike. It could be the type of bike and how low it lies, like eon said, and it could also be something wrong with my technique.
What I do instead is to use the handlebar as a lever, squat down and hold the grip with both hands, and dead-lift the bike up. Since this is a straight-up lift, loose footing is much less of a problem (except the time when I was standig on a steeply sloped dirt trail). You need to have enough strength to dead lift 70-90 lbs (my estimate) initially with the bike lying flat, depending the bike, but it quickly gets lighter as the bike moves upright. Still, I got a sore back for days every time I did this. Again, poor lifting technique. ;-)
I've only dropped my bike once...
...and I actually couldn't pick it up myself. The only person who stopped to help was a lady who had to be at least 65, and couldn't have weighed more than 100lbs... But I didn't have the choice -- I had to keep riding because I was on the way to a doctor appointment. And I knew WHY I dropped it, and haven't made that mistake again.
So learn from your mistake. It was a driveway drop, and pretty much everybody does it. It wasn't a mistake out on the road. No one got hurt.
If it'll help, take a mountain bike out and do some of those low-speed things on that before getting back out on the motorcycle. Try those tight turns and pay attention to when you need to put more pressure to the pedals (speed up a little) or weight the outside to keep the bike from tipping in. Those skills DO translate to the motorcycle, but instead of putting pressure on the pedals, you slip the clutch out a little more.
I thought I would never drop my bike, but...
I've done it twice now...both times it was my own fault...once on dirt becuase I thought I could throw my street bike around like a dirt bike and pull a 180...umm, no...
The next ( and hopefully the last) time I dropped my bike was in my driveway...I had it on the center stand and was going to move it to the garage, so I grabbed the handle bar and the passenger grab rail...pushed it forward to get it off the center stand, and it was at that moment that I realized that maybe I should be on the low side of the driveway...the bike tipped away from me, and over it went...broke my signal lens, that sucked...
Both times I dropped it, I remember thinking the bike was a lot heavier than I was expecting...pretty sure there was some grunting involved...and I like to think of myself as a big strong guy...???
I don't know if this really helps, but don't feel bad about dropping your bike...most people do it once...but apparently I'm special...I've done it twice...lol
It's like wiping out on your bicycle when you were a kid, just pick it up and try again...if you give up, you'll never learn how...
Later.
** If you're not having fun, you're doing it WRONG...**
Riding since May 2010...
ah... memories... i dropped
ah... memories... i dropped my bike before... the good ol' days... ^__^
---
AFM #998
If there's anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now...
Newbie here..
I'm just starting myself, so don't got a lot of advice, just a sympathetic nod... And one piece good advice from a experienced rider friend; don't worry about being "rude" to the other cars. I've notice that, when I slow down, usually they keep their distance and show some respect... Use your horn as much as needed, go on the speed that's comfortable for you, own your lane (stay smack in the middle) and check you mirrors to make sure no one is about to run you over, which they probably won't (again, when I slow down they either change lanes or keep their distance...).
Another advice. Don't let the fear take over - I notice I ride much better while being safe but without hesitating out of fear. Get some good protective gear, ride safe and have fun!
PS; I highly recommend knee and shin braces, along with riding boots...
At intersections, there will
At intersections, there will often be oil on the middle of the road, where older engines leaked while waiting for a stop sign or traffic light. It is best to stay in the tire tracks of cars in these places. I sometimes ride in the left tire track, sometimes the right, depending on which side seems the least dangerous at the time- whichever side puts me the furthest from cars.
I just finished my first day
I just finished my first day riding my new 2006 Buell Blast. I already got my endorsement via my MSF course and this was my first day taking my bike out on real streets. I took it all around the Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MN) metro. Started out driving to my brother's place via some 30 mph city streets. Then I traversed through a main street connecting the two cities up to a city street turn main highway to the upper north metro. That main highway goes from 30mph, to 50 mph, to 60 mph by the end of it. I had to head up this way to meet a friend at his house. My next destination forced me to jump onto the freeway (65 mph and 70 mph max freeway speeds). That was definitely not my original plan of attack, but I was left with few choices. When up to the next friend that forced me to get on the freeway. Made it there safe, ate dinner, watched the Twins game, and then headed back home. I had to get back onto said freeway, and then I got back off on the Main-Highway turned city street, back to the main street connecting Minneapolis and Saint Paul. Stopped by my girlfriends house on the return home.
Once I left my girlfriends house, I didn't want to get on the freeway so I drove by the Saint Paul Capital and took the long way home. I usually don't take the long way, so I ended up missing my turn. I went straight instead of turning left into a vacant parking lot. Doing a big circle to get back to the street, it was getting to be a little past dusk. Turned my back around in a big circle, and about three-forths of the way thru the turn, I hit a lot of gravel and my bike slid. I managed to stay on the bike, but I foolishly put my foot down on the pavement and nearly low-sided the bike. Throughout the entire day, that was my first "OH! SH!T" moments. Even when I stalled the bike at an intersection (three times, the dang friction zone is more of a friction spot on my Blast), I kept my composure.
I want to thank the commentors on this board for helping make this a good first day. There were a lot of tips and reminders that you have given that made the day just a wee bit safer - thank you.
Hey Katina......... I don't
Hey Katina......... I don't think there is anyone here who hasn't dropped their first bike. The funny thing is is that you'll drop it when you least expect it. Like I did my Versys.
If you wan't to stop being scared shitless, you just have to ride more. You've got to build that muscle memory. Ever notice that the first few minutes of riding are the worst? And after a half hour or so, when you relax, you enjoy it more and are more confident? Its all muscle memory. You just got to make it second nature.
I'm Jealous. You have a brand new Ninja 250. I wish I would have bought one instead of my Versys. Now that I have the R6s, I still wouldn't mind having a Ninja 250 around. Kind of hard to come by and they hold their value well.
Cheers and happy riding.
I know your pain.
I also am a new rider this season in the new england area and put 2000k miles on my Ninja 650R before I lost her on an off ramp exiting interstate 95 in torrential rains. i road for 3 days straight in that crappy weather 1:30 hrs each way dodging oil slicks, cars, and riding through grooved wet construction roads. I read somewhere that you should use more break and no engine breaking when riding in the rain because you could lock up the wheels and low side. I decided to try it on the last day and did so just before entering my exit ramp. Since i couldnt feel the engine speed I came up short on being to high in the gears when i entered not delivering enough power to the rear wheel to lean the bike in to the turn. It just wanted to go straight and in an instinctive act I tried to recover by turning the front wheel to where I wanted to go which caused me to high side the bike. I had on full gear, the worst thing that happened was I got gutted by the right handle bar end when the left end hit the pavement and I caught it as I propelled forward bending it 90 degrees. I even put a crimp in it. Mind you I am 350 lbs. and all i got for that was a big bruise.
Lessons learned and with some humility the insurance company totalled my bike out. I did however get a last ride on it because I needed to get back on otherwise I would think to much and convince myself to not ride. Bent handle bar or not. ( Ok, I just road around the block but still )
I am currently looking for a new bike now and invested some serious cash in some custom fitted air mesh kevlar motoport gear. ( Worth every penny )
The most important thing here is that you learn from your mistakes and keep going.
At The Gear All The Time. Happy riding!
New about rain
Thanks for the story, Senzo - so, basically after your experience, and in general, did you use mainly brakes or engine breaking when in rain - bit confused on that and would like to know what is the best speed reducing technique you favor in wet / sliding surfaces.
Thanks!
In my experience....stay in
In my experience....stay in the current gear and reduce speed via backing off the throttle. If your having to brake hard....your not giving yourself the safety buffer needed to be riding in the rain. I have spent more then my share in thunderstorms and rain showers.... Leave more then plenty room and ride at a slower speed then normal and all should be well. In case of emergency.... well.... your muscles are gonna dictate what you do. But using both brakes will be your best bet with mild pressure to start and progressing from there.
****Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but, rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy Shit....What a ride!!!"****
Ride right, don't just armor up and expect to crash
I too am a little confused by Senzo's description, I've never experienced rear wheel lock-up through engine braking, unless you rear brake way too hard and stall the engine out ???
I have experienced some serious rear wheel 'hop' when engine braking on rough pavement surfaces, which is why BMW redesigned their shaft drive on newer bikes than mine, and for rear brake designs many bikes feature a 'full floating' rear brake control arm.
If "use more break and no engine breaking" implies applying the clutch to brake ? I definitely don't do that! To me engine braking is vital to scrubbing speed off a fast bike, (or heavy truck) in a controlled manor, wet or dry.
Munch said it right, in the wet ride as normal, just check your speed and leave some extra space, same as in a 4 (or more) wheeler.
...would love to hear some of the experienced roadracer recommendations on this topic !
What I meant by engine
What I meant by engine breaking is down shifting and then easing off of the clutch after down shifting. Naturally, if I wanted to a stop completely I would use no throttle after letting out of the clutch and braking. If only slowing down into a turn I re-apply throttle after slowing down sufficiently.
I use engine breaking in conjunction with front and rear braking when slowing down in general.
In this instance in the rain, I used only front and rear braking to slow down while down shifting and not letting out of the clutch until I was into the turn. Then I let out the clutch and gave it throttle once I was entering the turn. I quickly discovered I didnt have enough torque/centrifugal force to propel the bike through the turn or atleast into a lean and it just kept rolling forward towards the divider. My reactions were a bit slow given the amount of time I had to actually react and the short distance of the turn. I didnt use enough throttle for being in 4th gear in a 20 mph turn. Because of the rain maybe i was concerned I would skid out the rear wheel. I didnt think to or didn't have enough time to down shift in the turn causing me to react the way I did. Instincts took over and they weren't the correct instincts.
An accident is seldom one factor. Other factors such as riding fatigue, visibility, comfort, soaked gloves and boots all contributed to my making the error. Better gear and preparation for this type of riding would have helped.
Lessons learned as follows:
1. Get back on and try again.
2. No matter how well you think you can ride or how much you reduce your ladder of risk there is always a chance you will drop your bike or have your right of way violated.
3. You dont go out believing you will crash but should always believe that you can so gear up if your serious about riding.
- Senzo
Bring it on ...the rain that is
Very glad you were not discouraged to the point of giving up riding, as they say; if at first you don't succeed...
I found myself riding in heavy rain twice so far today and your posting had me actually paying attention to what I do different when riding in the rain.
1) I put on my holey rain suit
2) I do tend to keep the bike more upright in the turns and shift my body weigh more than in the dry
But that's the extent of my list !
I would like to report that I ride slower, but I don't. I don't actually leave any additional space in front, because I never tailgate to start with. I ride the same line, avoiding the oily lane center just as I would in the dry. I am extremely alert of what other vehicles are doing around me, as usual. My braking technique was completely unchanged in the wet, and my gear selection unlike on the Trials bike was no different either. ( on the Trials bike I usually cog it up one more gear when it's wet and slimy )
When gearing down to engine brake, I always give the engine a little 'blip' so that engine rev's match my road speed on engaging the clutch. ( difficult action to put into words, but I trust you do something similar when downshifting )
I discovered that I do love to spin the back tire a lot more under straight line acceleration, just because it's fun, if not dangerous, and that also seems to be the safest way to test out traction limits.
I came to the conclusion as long as I am warm and dry, I totally love riding in the rain !:)
...sure hope you get to experience the same thing soon.
BTW: BMW's are great bikes in the rain and the newer one's than mine come with ABS, check em' out. I passed a lot of motorcycles today and I know I was the only rider with a big smile on my face :)
That is NOT how to apply engine braking
Just realized my subject line is probably unclear: I AGREE with Trials Rider and disagree with whatever source told you to hammer downshifts to slow down, especially in the rain. This is BBM, not "expert riders forum," so don't take this as an attack, but rather a very worried plea for you to rethink your riding.
So let's think about this. There are basically three ways to slow your bike down while going straight:
1) Front brake: slows the front wheel only, provides the biggest proportion of available braking power, but can have some catch-22s when you don't have a lot of grip (rain, gravel, etc.)
2) Rear brake: slows the rear wheel only, provides much less braking power, and is much easier to lock due to having less of the bike's weight over the rear tire (and therefore a smaller tire contact patch) when you're braking, but can have a stabilizing effect on low-traction surfaces.
3) Engine braking: This has the same effect as the rear brake because you are applying a slowing force to the rear wheel (through the transmission). However, it is much harder to finesse your rate of slowdown via the engine->transmission than with the rear brake.
Keep in mind that both front and rear brakes on just about all modern bikes a) don't exhibit debilitating brake fade, and b) are more than powerful enough to lock their corresponding wheel just about any time you want. If you have that much braking power on hand, why would you use your transmission to slow down instead, especially when you have more control with your rear brake lever? Doing this in the rain or on loose surfaces is an especially bad idea, as any sudden input can jolt your tire loose and cause a slide.
But when you go so far as to throw yourself down a gear and let out the clutch to slow the bike down, you're not just using engine braking. You're suddenly applying a large and hard-to-control amount of engine braking to the rear wheel. This is akin to grabbing a bunch of rear brake and should be avoided. On top of being useless from the point of view of bike control, it also puts a ton of wear on your clutch and strain on your transmission. This is something that you might have had to do with an old car or bike after the brakes faded away to nothing, but like I said, modern bikes have good brakes! Use them!
Like TrialsRider said, when you downshift, blip the throttle so that the engine speed climbs to match the new gear. If you do it well, you should barely notice a downshift, and the bike should stay settled.
Riding in the rain...
I am new to street bikes this year as well, so take my advice with a grain of salt...anyway, I treat rain the same way I treat riding on packed gravel or dirt...just be a little more smooth with the inputs...really that's about it...just try not to have abrupt inputs...no late braking and smoother on the throttle, as for cornering I am still a little timid when wet, but I think that is an experience thing.
Anyway, glad to hear you weren't really hurt...getting away with a bruise is pretty good...
I guess this thread has wandered a little, but really it is the same...just get back on and keep trying...
Practice, practice, practice...and if you are still not sure...practice some more.
Later.
** If you're not having fun, you're doing it WRONG...**
Riding since May 2010...
New Rider, New Bike, Scared Sh**less
We all were new riders.....ONCE! We almost all started out on an older bike, borrowed or what not......ONCE!
We all went to the dealers, and either made a wish list, or plopped down some hard earned money for a shiny new bike.....ONCE!
Katina, now it's your turn. You went through the course, bought your own bike, and now you can navigate the roads of MA without a problem at all. Twelve hours is not a lot of experience, but you've gotten past the rough stuff. Now it's time to have fun. I live in NY and ride to NH quite a bit. Maybe we could do a few miles someday? Anyway, have a great time and hope to see you out here soon.