LADIES: a little fearful

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Loonette · #11 Unread post by **Loonette** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 6:52 am

As with all other things, the confidence to get going again has to come from inside you. Not easy, I know, but you're gonna have to pull it all out yourself.

As for the bike - baby, I can relate. My Honda Shadow was a total dog at low RPMs. Doing slow turns was agonizing - and embarrassing too! It took me longer than any car on the road to get going around turns, and doing a slow climb up any hill was torture. Oh, and I dropped it as well. I absolutely couldn't wait to move up to a different bike, HOWEVER... we couldn't get me another bike yet. So I just kept wrestling with that monster, and the more I rode it, the better I was at knowing how to compensate for its inadequacies. I learned that I had to give it much more gas while still in the friction zone with the clutch. That way, when it was time to pull through a turn, the RPMs were already a bit higher, and my turns did indeed become much smoother. But this took practice - I couldn't give up on myself or the bike (after all - I had wanted to ride since I was and eight-year-old, so at 36 there was nothing stopping me, goshdarnit). And I'm glad for it because it made moving up to the Meanstreak a breeze.

Try to stick with it. Make that bike behave! Do some practice with the throttle/clutch work when you're not on your way to work. The less pressure you have to get someplace, the more time you can spend forming a relationship with the bike.

If you weren't looking to move up to the Ninja650, I'd say get the new bike now. I'm just not sure if it would be a good practice bike for you - especially since you're still feeling uneasy about things. I think building your confidence on the beastly bike might be better for now. But in the end, you'll have to look inside yourself and determine how much you're willing to put up with in order to get going with a life of biking.

Good luck - I hope it works out for you. It really does get better and better, but you have to go out and do it to know those results. And, yes, taking the MSF course would be a great thing to do!

Cheers,
Loonette

Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:01 am

Honestly if she just wants to sell the bike and be a pillion (she does seem to like that) then I'm all for it. She has been mentioning that she needs some more clothes for work and that could fetch a decent wardrobe.

The only reason I didn't throw her into an MSF is that she wanted to start learning in January and they weren't going yet, then her class schedule wouldn't allow it, then she lost a bit of interest while she was focused on more important matters (graduation, moving, new job) and now we're back to it. I think the MSF course is a great place to start learning to ride. We're considering one near the end of September that seems to have alot of spots open.

#13 Unread post by **bok** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:49 am

to add a bit to my earlier post. in my situation, my fiance like to ride her bike, but sometimes she likes to ride on the back of mine as well and is just not interested in riding her own. She says she finds herself able to watch what i am doing and now that she knows how to ride, it all makes a bit more sense to her as well. maybe combine practice sessions with rides on the back of the bike to build some extra confidence.

One added bit of advice to a couple who ride together, when you do take the MSF course, if you are at all nervous tell Story to go for a ride and meet you afterward. Sometimes the added pressure of a loved one watching you practice is more than you need...not saying that is the case here, but just something i observe when watching people (men or women) when they take lessons here.

Nalian · #14 Unread post by **Nalian** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:56 am

My SO got a scooter rather than a bike, so she has yet to take the MSF course. I still wanted some learning/training to be done though, so we purchased a bunch of little cones and do a lot of parking lot practice. I set up "lanes" and we practiced swerving, turning, slow zones, etc.

If slow turns are your problem - is there a parking lot nearby you can set up a bunch of artificial turns on? The only way to get the confidence is to do it, and if you're doing it in a safer environment (practice range rather than the road), I'm betting that will help out.

Good luck, and don't give up if you want to do it! However if you'd really rather be a pillion than a rider, there's no shame in that.

Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:02 am

Slow turns were only a problem when the carbs were clogged and the bike was starved for fuel. She does a nice fast and tight figure eight, weaves through a fairly intense cone course (cones offset from the center line by 2 feet set 10 feet apart), does a good emergency stop, and does a 90 degree turn from a standstill well too.

The issues Mon has had were related to the carbs getting clogged with sediment that randomly appeared (seriously rinsed and cleaned the tanks, replaced the fuel lines and inline fuel filter and then cleaned the carbs) and caused a massive loss of power. I've been riding the bike a bit to keep her in good use and she hasn't had trouble since.

#16 Unread post by **bok** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:45 am

sounds like the bike is ready for some practice sessions now Mon

Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:48 am

Except that I have it grounded for an oil change, oil filter change, and bleeding the brake and clutch lines...

Isn't that horribly inconvenient.. It will be up and running by this weekend though : )

flynrider · Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:02 am

Lion_Lady wrote:Sell the big beast and take the MSF BRC!!! Then shop for something smaller and easy to handle...

I'm pretty sure she's riding the small Magna (V30) as opposed to the V45 or V65. It's less than 500cc and much easier to handle compared to the bigger ones. It's a pretty good starter bike.

I'd say keep the Magna and definitely take the BRC to get your confidence back up.

Wed Aug 16, 2006 10:04 am

flynrider wrote:
Lion_Lady wrote:Sell the big beast and take the MSF BRC!!! Then shop for something smaller and easy to handle...
I'm pretty sure she's riding the small Magna (V30) as opposed to the V45 or V65. It's less than 500cc and much easier to handle compared to the bigger ones. It's a pretty good starter bike.

I'd say keep the Magna and definitely take the BRC to get your confidence back up.

Yeah- it's the smaller magna. She has some getup and go but not alot of oomph. Monica used to have a xs400 but it was alot louder than the magna and that was a bit disconcerting

bluemonkie99 · Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:12 pm

I love reading these responses.

I have decided I will take a riding course, probably in the last week of September which has plenty of open slots. I enjoyed riding before, although I do love riding behind Ste (nice view, what can i say).

I liked Bok's idea of alternating between driving and riding...and the suggestion to tell the BF to "pee" off when I'm feeling nervous.

I am going to get back on the bike this weekend though or even before if the work on it gets done. Reading everyone's advice has given me a little extra confidence. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!