- This topic has 14 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 9 months ago by okcpony.
A total newbie on her first set of wheels!
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June 22, 2009 at 5:10 am #3039leigh.vParticipant
Since having purchased my used ’02 Ninja 250R, I have only haven ridden it once to work. Why? Because I’m scared of traffic and still unsure of my skills. Maybe I’m over thinking it, however I would rather be sure and competent of my skills than to let myself be a target. Now I am in the SF Bay Area and there aren’t a lot of open space and empty lots one can find to practice.
The most pavement my bike has seen, is the parking lot in my apartment complex. Now I’m wondering, for someone like me who’s already taken the MSF course, is licensed, is set with their gear, and finally has their bike – where/how to improve upon your skills without being that one person who stalls traffic? Oh don’t get me wrong, the one time I rode to work I encountered a incline (in which I accidentally pulled a mini-wheelie) and stalled my bike at a traffic light. Given that I am very wet under the gills and I have no friends who ride, what do you guys recommend for someone like me who still needs more practice. I have ridden in my apartment complex parking lot but have never left first gear. I want to practice on the road but the only time I can is at night, which is something I do not want to do until I am more comfortable riding. I’ve been told that learning to “ease up on the throttle” is going to be something I need to first accomplish. Which I have been been practicing. Basically, there’s no better way to learn than to get out there, but I’d love to hear your story of when you started out fresh and new.
Can you share what your first time was like and how you managed to finally get on the road and get over the fear?
I appreciate all your inputs!
June 22, 2009 at 5:35 am #20010MunchParticipantMy first…. was letting my boss ride my bike home for me…then after waiting for him to leave I did dough nuts around my yard….. 7 miles worth. Then after negotiating the exit to my up hill gravel driveway ..I got out on the country roads that I live on…. took me 2 weeks to work up the courage to hit the slabs.
My first 5 mins on the bike….. alot of clutch play before moving…. then got 3 to mph through the yard….first huge challenge… relaxing my throttle hand… I had to make a hard left to turn around and yup handle bars went left and my over stressed and tense arm just rolled the throttle more. A quick reminder of what the clutch does saved me from having the bike climb a tree without me. Turned it off… calmed down then got back on.
Are there any schools in your area that you can get to even on the week end to practice in a more open area?June 22, 2009 at 6:04 am #20011leigh.vParticipantLucky for you, you had country roads! I bought the bike from MotoJava, a shop in the City, and had to ask a co-worker to ride it home for me. I was sore that my first bike and I didn’t get to break it in. *shrugs*
I’m going to take it a day at a time.June 22, 2009 at 6:45 am #20012Capt CrashParticipantFind your comfort zone and work to expand it. You might try mapping routes that are low traffic/low threat for a time. I would suggest Sundays, from 8am til noon as an excellent Bay Area time to work secondaries and school parking lots.
If you decide to ride to work, scout your path, then practice for it. Know where you’re gonna turn, when you need to get into the left lane or the right.
I’d consider an Experienced Class in the fall. Also, look for locals who can mentor you–try the BayAreaRidersForum.
My first ride? I bought the bike cash, my buddies who rode over with me gave me a “This is the clutch, throttle, shift” lesson, then said “Follow us, do what we do” AND I survived my first ride/double RR jump all in the same day.
June 22, 2009 at 3:25 pm #20017DaggerParticipantThe main thing you have to do is relax.. The more you stress about it, the more mistakes you will make. Most new riders will have stalls at lights and the such.. Yes it’s reasonable to worry about being rear ended by a car when it happens, but don’t worry about holding them up.. If you have your wits about you, you can restart the bike and be off in a few seconds and the cars behind you will survive. I remember one of the first times it happened to me I freaked out and was so flustered I couldn’t get my bike to restart.. I had to push it to the side so traffic could go by while I calmed down and restarted it. In the grand scheme of life, being held up at a light for a few extra seconds is not going to kill anyone.. And despite what most people say, most car drivers are not going to try to run you over.. They’ll stop and wait for you.
Like Capt Crash said.. Try taking it out early mornings on the weekends and try to get out of the city a bit if you can.. I know the SF traffic can suck at times. Good luck and just remember to stay calm..The worst drivers are the unsure drivers..
Dagger
June 22, 2009 at 7:17 pm #20031leigh.vParticipant“My first ride? I bought the bike cash, my buddies who rode over with me gave me a “This is the clutch, throttle, shift” lesson, then said “Follow us, do what we do” AND I survived “my first ride/double RR jump all in the same day.”
Now that is amazing!
Yeah I have thought about Sunday mornings, the roads are deserted at that time. Hey thanks, I didn’t think about my “comfort zone” and then expanding upon it. Which is complete logic!
June 22, 2009 at 7:25 pm #20032leigh.vParticipantI can feel and hear my heart beating in my chest.
I’ve learn to use the foot brake, give it a little gas, and EASE up on the clutch! I am just LETTING the clutch go and stalling or pulling a wheelie on a incline. “Easy does it” I tell myself while on my bike.
Thanks Dagger for the advice. I do get flustered when it has happens, I’ll have to tell myself that too. “Keep your wits, Leigh!”
June 22, 2009 at 8:33 pm #20037zeppelinfromledParticipantWhen I took my MSF course, I had some trouble with stalling. I found that taking an extra 1 or 2 seconds before I started off was helpful. Even saying the word “slow” out loud (to remind myself to let the clutch out slowly) was helpful. When I got my bike, I was riding around on some “back roads” – actually just some quiet roads that I could find in the Boston area, and I would stall a couple times at a stop sign. I would realize that there was no point in trying again and again unless I changed something, so I would take a deep breath, think about what I was doing, remind myself to let the clutch out slowly and roll on the throttle gently, and I almost always got it on that third try.
If stalling is your major worry, then it sounds like the parking lot where you can’t get out of first would be fine. Just start up, get going smoothly, stop, and repeat. Definitely just slowly releasing the clutch until you find the friction zone is helpful. Get it so you get really used to the feeling of going from having the clutch all the way in to having it in the friction zone. Once you get that muscle memory going, it’s a snap.
One problem that I ran into with giving it too much throttle isn’t that too much throttle caused me to stall. It’s that giving it too much throttle caused me to freeze up and let go of everything (drop the clutch and roll all the way off the throttle), which then caused me to stall. Getting used to how sensitive your throttle is is also important. Once you’re comfortable finding the friction zone, try giving it the smallest amount of throttle that you possibly can, and see what happens (and then squeeze the clutch again and stop). Try that a number of times, and then try it with just a little bit more throttle. Eventually, you’ll find a good amount of throttle for starting off, and when you mix that with the friction zone, you’ll have a nice smooth start.
I think a lot of people have a tendency to see a green light and freak out because they need to be moving and they get all stressed out. When the light turns green, just take a deep breath, let it out, and remind yourself to do things slowly. And remember to keep breathing as you ride.
Also, if you’re not comfortable with your riding after some practice in your apartment parking lot, there’s nothing wrong with taking the MSF course again. You could take the basic course again, just to get some extra time on the bike. And while you’re doing their exercises, you can focus on the things that you need to work on. Or you could look into an intermediate class, but I’m not quite sure what those entail.
It won’t be too long until you’re wondering how you had trouble with this in the first place. It’ll just become second nature.
June 23, 2009 at 12:48 pm #20059ranetteParticipantI’d echo one of the things that Crash said. Find a local rider discussion board and post what you posted here. My guess is that you’ll find good suggestions on suitable practice areas and it wouldn’t surprise me if you found someone willing to get out there with you and help you along.
Hate to bring gender into it, but it does play a role. Motorcycle discussion boards, for the most part, are dominated by men. When a woman joins the discussion her posts get more attention. Obviously, this can be a good thing or a bad thing, I guess depending upon how you take veiled, or maybe not so veiled, sexual references. Yes, discussion boards can be the equivalent of a 7th grade class, but my guess is you’ll find one of those 7th grade boys, or girls, will act like an adult and help you out.
Don’t mean to hijack your welcome thread but thought people might get a kick out of this link of a young woman introducing herself on a New England board, thread got to 1300 responses, more than a few of which were the op’s, my guess is she kind of liked the attention. http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/general-bike-related/46932-where-the-female-sportbike-riders-new-england.html
June 23, 2009 at 3:56 pm #20067SantaCruzRiderParticipantNot sure exactly where you are in the City, but you might want to try heading to the industrial area south of AT&T (Giants) on weekend mornings. Streets are flat, visibility is good and it’s usually deserted on weekends (especially if the Giants are on the road).
Sounds like you just need lots of practice. Don’t waste your time riding through a neighborhood, rather take the opportunity to stop at every intersection (where safe) and then start off again. Repeat 100 times — go get a coffee, congratulate yourself, get back on and do it again.
I would advise not riding to work. My Bay Area commute is something I look forward to, but it is not the time to learn basic bike skills. There is way too much going on, you have a schedule to keep, etc. Instead, make time for concerted practicing and work to master one thing at a time.
And don’t be panicked by having trouble with hills. They aren’t the easiest thing to master, but you’ll be fine once you have the clutching and braking down.
As for my first road ride — went to the Harley dealer, bought a new bike, he showed me where the controls were and I rode home (surface streets, highway, hills, etc…). Pretty low drama.
June 24, 2009 at 2:41 am #20105owlieParticipantYou said in your original post that you don’t know anyone who rides…
I thought that at first until I started looking around me. Over half the IT department at my work rides- and that was just the tip of the iceberg.
If you ask around, you might find some like-minded people who you already know. Of course, if you are like me, you would rather die than admit to someone you know that you don’t know what you are doing. In that case, looking for a local riders’ website as previously suggested would be your best bet.
June 28, 2009 at 2:29 pm #20298Lemur6ParticipantWorking the clutch was one of my problems during the MSF course. I was thinking that you’re supposed to let go of the clutch once it grabs in the friction zone, but I find my self much less stall prone and more smoother if I’m still letting off the clutch as I take off and up to about 3-5mph. Basically I start off moving while I’m still in the friction zone. Also at lights I find myself testing the clutch and letting it off just enough that I can hold the bike in place with my feet. Probably not good for the bike long term but it gets you very familiar with where the friction zone starts.
You can look into a riding organization for help with practicing riding. Here in Ohio we have several women only organizations too. Basically they meet up every now and then and just go for a pleasant ride. Being in a group of riders helps take ease the tension off and you can look and learn to see what you’re doing wrong (or they’ll tell you).
June 29, 2009 at 5:32 am #20306leigh.vParticipantI’ve started talking to myself when I ride now, it helps me process what I’m doing. I’ve discovered that by easing up on the clutch and letting it go when I’m at 3-5 miles, HELPS a lot.
Ya’ll gave a bunch of helpful advice which I shall heed. Thanks!
July 12, 2009 at 5:35 pm #20526lassieParticipantHi Leigh.
I’m like you, so new to riding. I’m a female 5’5″ and lots older. I’m 55. I am nervous and excited, and yes a little scared about riding. I think I could use private coaching. I started the Motorcycle Rider’s course yesterday and they asked me to come back to redo, they said I’m no where near ready for their test. I will buy a motorcycle asap and take the written for my permit this week and then practice as much as I can. Can anyone tell me a good boot to buy so the sole of the shoe doesn’t hang up on the back brake or gear shift lever. I keep looking down at the shift lever to see where it is because I couldn’t feel it through the shoe when I shifted. Those right turns are maddening.
Thanks
Lia
July 13, 2009 at 3:10 am #20550okcponyParticipantHello, Leigh & Lia…
It is a bit unnerving at first to be right there among all the cars & trucks, to be sure. However, it does get easier every time you can find the time to go out. Any riding you can do is “practice”, and the turns and everything else will get to be more second-nature as you move along. You do have to be on your toes and playing “what if” constantly, but there does come a time when you are actually enjoying the ride AND fully analyzing whats going on in front and behind you. I’m really close to the big 50 myself, and hadn’t ridden in 25 years. My hubby & I took the class and have been learning and enjoying the experience for the last nine months or so. Believe in yourself and take it slow, and you’ll see your comfort zone increase.
Lynn -
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