How long does it take?

[Matt54987]

Rode a bike for the very first time today. Rode my friends dirt bike. its a 70cc. I sucked. Rode it for about 15 minutes. Didnt dump it but had no throttle control, i was scared. Paniced a lot and killed it just about everything. Got the front tire off the ground quite a bit.

Needless to say, this sucks. I want a bike so bad and I want to learn so bad

Is this normal? How long does it usually take?

[intotherain]

For you I'd recommend the MSF safety course. They take it nice and slow so riders don't get scared.

[Matt54987]

For you I'd recommend the MSF safety course. They take it nice and slow so riders don't get scared.

but im embarrassingly bad. i'd hate to pay that much money only to fail it...

[shalihe74]

Soo... I took the course as a refresher last weekend. There were approximately 22 people in the class, separated into two groups of 11. Of the 22 people, only one person didn't pass.

In our group, we had two people on the bikes who had never even driven a manual transmission before. One of these people stalled her bike so often that, by the time the first break came around, she was so frustrated she was literally in tears. She was ready to go home, but I encouraged her to stick it out.

By the end of the day, she was cruising around like a she had been doing it her whole life. AND, by the end of the second day - when we were evaluated - she got only 4 penalty points. (20 or more constituted failing.) 3rd lowest score in the class.

Point of the story: you're new to the sport, you just need practice and the MSF course is a great, structured way to get that practice, as well as build your confidence on a bike. You'll have experienced people giving you tips on how to improve and you'll be on bikes whose wheels only come off the ground if you stick the things on a lift.

Do the class; you'll be great, I'm sure.

[NightNurse]

I was very frustrated my first time too. So I learned in very short increments, a few weeks later I am cruising all over town! Dont give up . The first day, I thought I can NOT DO THIS. Im glad I gave it another go.

[nate1714]

yes u might be one of the worse ones in class but honestly all that could lead u with is some one on one with the teacher and thats great stuff...and a lot of people aren't good at first depends if u have balance down or not..u dont apparently and thats fine just dont rush anything and make sure u keep practicing WITH a friend that KNOWS that to do....

[Grey Thumper]

I know the feeling. My first ride on a motorcycle was about three months ago, even smaller than the bike you rode (about 50cc), and it was still pretty terrifying.

It really helped that I was in an MSF class at the time though. A controlled environment and armor all over does wonders for one's confidence.

I think confidence tempered with a healthy level of fear is key though. If you're terrified, it'll be hard to concentrate on your riding. On the other hand, fearlessness and overconfidence will get you in all sorts of trouble though ;-P

[Flting Duck]

For a lot of noobs, the most important first lesson is to LOOK UP, not at the ground. Chances are you were fixating on the ground, which will make you ride like crap while scaring you to death. Look where you want to go.

Take MSF.

[Nalian]

A lot of guys I know that ride off-road say its a lot easier to wheelie a dirt bike than a lot of streetbikes - so keep that in mind too.

The MSF is very good at building confidence and giving you the basics of how to ride, regardless of your skill starting out. If you stay focused you should do fine. I highly recommend it as well.

[IcyHound]

I walked into the MSF sure I was going to fail. My goal was to learn to ride the bike.

I passed without a single missed point. It teaches you the basics of riding. I'd never ridden before, been on anyones bike, or anything else. It was just something I wanted to do and it turned out quite well.