I'm considering signing up for this one (hard to find a free weekend though) Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic
Life "after" Motorcycle Safety Training Course!
- Thread starter Sixpackgal28
- Start date
I'm considering signing up for this one (hard to find a free weekend though) Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic
Karate.Snoopy
Junior Member
There are at least a couple of offerings not far from you Eric.
I will be taking my ARC L 1 on May 20 at NHMS. Totally stoked!!!!
FZ09Bandit
�� Paramedic ��
Girls only or not, this is a common situation many of us find us in.
I hope your instructors told you that you are now qualified to ride in a PARKING LOT
If you're not comfortable with riding on the street yet then don't! Practice the same exercises you've been shown in last day of class in a safe and quiet environment until you feel really comfortable. Don't sweat the u-turns too much, but shifting, stopping and swerving should should all feel natural. If you can set up a curve and practice counterstreeting in both directions, it will be very helpful.
+1 slow circles are more difficult than just riding. Try your starting and stoping and making turns like you would do at a stop light. Sometimes making a tight circle I even put my leg down as a jerk reaction. But if your that scared of hitting anything or dropping it in tight spaces, walk it. Just stay on your comfort level start off with small trips. Get good clutch controll. And I hope you never experience whiskey throttle.
Il let you in on a secret on how I learned how to drive a 5spd. I bought one, after about the 3rd or 4th hill stop light I burned tires, I figured It out
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In the event that a new rider does not know anyone who is willing to help out a new rider, I always suggested that a rider may try joining and logging onto a local motorcycle forum and see if there are any takers. But be careful of their credibility and make sure that they are not there to instruct but just there to keep an eye out for you while you experience something new dealing with traffic on a bike.
Monica A
Junior Member
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
I agree with everyone's advice here. I would only add to read as many technique books are you can. This is my second season and over the off-season I read as much as I could about riding. Practicing the techniques in my head. Now I am practicing them on the street and I have so much more confidence. I recommend to first read "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough. It is an easy read, enjoyable, and easily applied techniques. If the intended audience wasn't men it would have been named "Safe Motorcycling" but men would never read that. Hahaha The author even states this. Another book is "Total Control" by Lee Parks. More of a cornering, track day technique book but still applicable to street riding.
Keep at it. Baby steps but don't be too stuck in the parking lot. Get out there at non-busy times. Concentrate on what you are doing, because car drivers sure aren't. Drive your planned route in a car beforehand and think about possible hazards you will encounter - pot holes, metal construction plates, left-turners, etc. I recently changed my route that I rode to work because of a construction zone. I didn't realize that at one intersection where I have to turn left that the oncoming traffic doesn't have to stop and has the right of way. I almost turned in front of a car coming at me because of this. If I had driven this route beforehand in my car I would have known that. I usually drive a freeway route when I drive my car. I don't ride on the freeway too much by myself because I am concerned about visibility. I do however ride on the freeway with my hubbie and son. Safety in numbers.
Also, remember ATGATT (all the gear, all the time). I recently saw an H-D that had gone down on a corner. If the couple had been wearing the proper gear instead of tank tops and leather vests they wouldn't have had any injuries.
Keep trying. Butterflies in the stomach is an OK thing, a good thing actually. Keeps us from getting too crazy, but don't let butterflies stop you from pushing yourself. You can do it!!!
I agree with everyone's advice here. I would only add to read as many technique books are you can. This is my second season and over the off-season I read as much as I could about riding. Practicing the techniques in my head. Now I am practicing them on the street and I have so much more confidence. I recommend to first read "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hough. It is an easy read, enjoyable, and easily applied techniques. If the intended audience wasn't men it would have been named "Safe Motorcycling" but men would never read that. Hahaha The author even states this. Another book is "Total Control" by Lee Parks. More of a cornering, track day technique book but still applicable to street riding.
Keep at it. Baby steps but don't be too stuck in the parking lot. Get out there at non-busy times. Concentrate on what you are doing, because car drivers sure aren't. Drive your planned route in a car beforehand and think about possible hazards you will encounter - pot holes, metal construction plates, left-turners, etc. I recently changed my route that I rode to work because of a construction zone. I didn't realize that at one intersection where I have to turn left that the oncoming traffic doesn't have to stop and has the right of way. I almost turned in front of a car coming at me because of this. If I had driven this route beforehand in my car I would have known that. I usually drive a freeway route when I drive my car. I don't ride on the freeway too much by myself because I am concerned about visibility. I do however ride on the freeway with my hubbie and son. Safety in numbers.
Also, remember ATGATT (all the gear, all the time). I recently saw an H-D that had gone down on a corner. If the couple had been wearing the proper gear instead of tank tops and leather vests they wouldn't have had any injuries.
Keep trying. Butterflies in the stomach is an OK thing, a good thing actually. Keeps us from getting too crazy, but don't let butterflies stop you from pushing yourself. You can do it!!!
Karate.Snoopy
Junior Member
I still get the same feeling when I am ready to get on my bike as I did when I first started 2.5 years back. Exhilaration,exuberance, some fear, to me it is a good thing, keeps me grounded and meditative on my ride ahead. And I am guessing the butterflies in the stomach do not go away for most; that is the fun part
.In the beginning I was a bit road shy, over the weekends I would set the alarm clock to 5 am, get on my bike by 5:30 am, ride around town get familiar with the roads etc. I would also keep all my insurance and emergency contact information on me along with my cell phone (still do).
I used to then make my way to an empty parking lot and practice a lot of slow maneuvers,quick stops etc.
The learning never ends
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abszero7
Junior Member
I am a temporary girl for today.
So, when I first finished my MSF Course I rode around on my 250r in a parking lot and around the neighborhood exclusively for a week, only going like 30 MPH maximum [This was still an ungodly fast speed to me lol]. So every week I probably just went about 10 mph faster and getting comfortable in that speed. The MSF course was incredibly beneficial and when I completed it i felt ecstatic. I still use skills i learned in the MSF course today and those skills and tips will probably stay with me throughout the entirety of my riding career. I've considered attempting to become a ridercoach in the future; ofc I've got a long way to go ;p
So, when I first finished my MSF Course I rode around on my 250r in a parking lot and around the neighborhood exclusively for a week, only going like 30 MPH maximum [This was still an ungodly fast speed to me lol]. So every week I probably just went about 10 mph faster and getting comfortable in that speed. The MSF course was incredibly beneficial and when I completed it i felt ecstatic. I still use skills i learned in the MSF course today and those skills and tips will probably stay with me throughout the entirety of my riding career. I've considered attempting to become a ridercoach in the future; ofc I've got a long way to go ;p
