[RJay]

First off let me say that I am about as big of a newbie as possible. I have never ridden a motorcycle at all. I was just wondering how difficult of a time I will have in the course if I have never driven a standard car. I kinda understand that shifting gears on a bike is different than shifting on a car, but will my lack of knowledge about shifting gears make it difficult for me to learn the basics that the course is trying to teach? Sorry if this question has been asked before.

[Andrew]

When I did the MSF course I didn’t know how to drive a standard either. I did fine after some early problems with stalling. I was dropping the clutch and not giving the engine enough revs. I was probably the worst shifter in the class too. I did get the hang of it and I did have fun and pass.

So you will be ok but you will have to work harder at the beginning than the people who have driven a stick.

[RJay]

Cool, thanks for the info

[ilnam]

I was a huge newbie myself. I didn’t know shifting and I hadn’t even sat on a bike. Fortunately (or unfortunately) we only got up to second gear so shifting never got complicated. I was really eager to learn though, so I read a lot and watched lots of motorcycle videos online, which, in my opinion, helps to some degree. A big part is to relax. Some people pick it up quicker than others, and being a total newb may put you behind others who have ridden before, but as mentioned before, the class is geared to total beginners. I think balancing and throttle control is actually more of struggle than shifting, but regardless, you’ll get the hang of it. Have fun!

[cybrnathan]

Just relax and have fun. If you don’t get an exercise completely at first, don’t sweat it. I could barely power-walk at the beginning of the first day, but by the end of that day I was able to shift smoothly and accelerate through turns (the fun stuff). Just relax.

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something” – Randy Pausch

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