- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 10 months ago by Dagger.
Starting to ride? And which bike?
-
AuthorPosts
-
June 1, 2009 at 11:21 pm #2938squidgyParticipant
I’m wanting to start riding a motorcycle to and from school (not on a motorway/freeway) and around town. I’m 17 and female, and about 5’6 and 110lbs. So I have a few questions:
1 – How hard is it to learn to ride a bike? I’m not too worried about balance but I haven’t even driven a manual car so I’m wondering how hard it is to learn to change gears and such?
2 – Will I be too short/not strong enough to ride? I have to get a bike under 250cc as a requirement for my license.
3 – What bikes are good for new riders? I’ve seen a lot of articles praising the 08 Kawasaki Ninja which looks good, but are there any other favourites?
Also any other advice would be welcome
My dad used to ride and will be teaching me.June 2, 2009 at 12:04 am #19170MunchParticipantEven though I am sure you Dad has a good amount of skill…I would still recommend a safety course to get started. It will be easier to you to learn as with most cases the emotional responses will be left out and you can focus on what you are trying to learn.
As far as height…. it can be gotten around ( though you forgot to mention how tall/short you are) and strong enough… well the hardest part about riding is wrecking then getting out from under it…. strength wise . I have seen 120 Lbs women here riding full dressed Valkyries. If you worried about strength go ahead and get your excersize routine in full swing.
Most any 250cc will be a good starter for you , especially since you plan on keeping it in town. Take a look around at some of our members posts and even the reviews.
Other then that …welcome.June 2, 2009 at 12:21 am #19172eonParticipant1. Everyone learns at different rates but I don’t think it is hard to learn the basics. It’s a bit overwhelming at first trying to coordinate all four limbs at once but you soon pick it up. After that it’s just practice, practice, practice till it all becomes second nature. Progressing beyond the basic controls to become a safe rider is a lot harder. Learning to read the road conditions, predict the behavior of other road users, ride defensively etc etc is a life long process.
2. I don’t see any problems with your height/strength if you get a bike that is relatively light and you can get your feet on the ground.
3. Lots of threads on here signing the praises of various bikes. Take a look see which ones you like. I’m guessing you are in the UK? If so, you have more options for smaller cc bikes than we get in the USA. You wont find much mention of them here (as they are unavailable) but I believe there are plenty of nice 125cc bikes out there. If you are not planning any motorway riding then that could be a perfect starter bike.
No offense to your Dad but he might not be the best person to learn from. Do you know if he had bad habits? How long has it been since he has ridden? Will he be able to explain the basics to a beginner? He might be able to do all these things but it never hurts to get some professional advice as well.
Best of luck
June 2, 2009 at 12:26 am #19173squidgyParticipantOops forgot to mention i’m in New Zealand.
I’ve signed up for a learn to ride course as well, Dads just showing me the basics.
Thanks!
June 2, 2009 at 4:16 am #19183briderdtParticipantI remember some quote in Hough’s book about the Hurt report. It stated that some 60%+ of the people who’d had crashes in the study had been taught to ride by a friend or family member. Leave it to the professionals. Please.
As for the rest — no, you’re not too short or weak. I remember seeing in one of the Ride Like a Pro videos, they showed a pretty small woman picking up a loaded Goldwing. Kinda takes away all the excuses for the guys… And as for which bike, just read up on the articles on this site.
June 2, 2009 at 2:25 pm #19196Clay DowlingParticipantLook, there’s no way I can bench the 900lbs curb weight of my bike. So I don’t try. When it goes down, I lean my back up against it, grab on to the bars and the rear fender, and walk it back up, just like they showed in class. Takes a little to get started, but once you get your grip it comes right up.
June 2, 2009 at 3:12 pm #19203briderdtParticipantThere was only one person who dumped the bike in my MSF class (and unfortunately, that was during the test, and it was just an oops on forgetting to put down the side stand), and the instructors righted the bike fore her. I wish we’d had an exercise in picking up the bike though.
June 2, 2009 at 3:17 pm #19205gsmurfetteParticipantIf you know how to lift a bike, you can lift a bike, it’s about your technique (and leverage)! I’m 5’6″, 120 lbs. I have a Ninja 250, and my legs are bent quite a bit when I flat foot it. I might have unnaturally long legs, I had to order a super long pair of riding pants, that people that were like 5’8″ or so said they could see them fitting anyone shorter…..and they’re perfect for me. There were a few people in my riding class that hadn’t ridden before, and we sat and played with the friction zone, people didn’t stall that much in the class.
I copied and pasted this from Kawasaki Motorcycle Forums:
“Yes, Ladies, no matter your size YOU CAN PICK UP A MOTORCYCLE!
**Instructions Assuming bike is on it’s LEFT side**
First, HIT THE KILL SWITCH.
Next, turn off the gas if necessary.
Make sure the bike is in gear if you can get to it. If the bike is not in gear and you cannot get it in gear the technique becomes more difficult but can still be done.
Standing with your butt toward the seat, stoop down and with your right hand take the left grip.
When you grab the grip, pull it until it is as close to the tank as possible. With your left hand find something sturdy to grab hold of under the seat. The closer your left hand is to your body the better.
You place your butt mid way on the edge of the seat.
This is CRUCIAL. The placement of your butt too high or too low on the seat will not give you the leverage angle. You are pushing the bike with your butt and upper legs. You will have to pull up with your arms a bit but mostly you will be pushing the bike up with your legs.You must have good traction under your feet or you will slip. If there is gravel under your feet sweep it away with your boots until you get dirt. Same for grass. Be careful not to push the bike over the other side
Once you have the bike up, carefully put the side stand down and lower the bike to it. If you can’t get to the side stand with the heel of your boot, turn carefully and grab both grips then put the bike on side or center stand.
The process is the same if the bike is on it’s right side. NOTE: But your hands are reversed, of course. Your LEFT HAND is on the RIGHT GRIP and your RIGHT HAND grabs UNDER THE SEAT. It is easier to get it into gear. Remember to put the side stand out first so that you can ease the bike onto it once it is upright.
If you feel like there is no way this bike is going up like this, then move the position of your butt. If that doesn’t work try changing the flex of your knees. Be careful. Often when you get the angle just right the bike goes up like it’s made of paper.”
June 2, 2009 at 3:19 pm #19206DaggerParticipantAre you set on getting a sport bike vs. a cruiser? Cruisers tend to have much shorter seat heights, making it easier for shorter riders.. There’s a few good 250cc cruiser.. The Honda Rebel being the standard.. A great bike and they last forever.. You can usually pick up a used one pretty cheap.. Here’s a good article comparing small cruisers..
http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roadtests/beginner_motorcycles_comparison/index.html
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.