so frusterated and scared to ride.

[Ninja250grl]

hey girls So I recently took the MSF class, passed, bought a ninja 250 and fell on it last week...and now I seem to be having trouble riding, I'm scared to fall again. I want to ride but I think my fears are getting the best of me and its so frusterating. IDK whats wrong with me. I'm considering taking the MSF class all over again this weekend.

[blues2cruise]

You have a lot of replies in your other place you posted....so I won't bother repeating what I wrote over there.

Take your bike to a nice quiet parking lot and start slow....go through your skills maneuvers again. That is a good way to get used to the feel of the bike again.
Don't try to get fancy or too fast...just practice your shifting and turning and be aware of not to use your front brake with the handlebars turned.

It's natural to feel nervous....but...theonly way to overcome the nervousness is to get back on it and start over slowly.

[Tamlyn]

Hi there. I'm new to this forum and new to riding on the road as well, so not sure if I could be of any help but I'd like to try. I have taken the various motorbike courses, but luckily got quite a lot of confidence up riding offroad on a farm over the last couple of years. Believe me, I've fallen off my bike a lot (off-road).

I was a horse trails guide, and I had a lot of people stay at the lodge with family/friends who rode, but swore they would not get back on a horse after a bad experience. I worked with 99% of them to ride horses and enjoy it again, and the emotion I feel could be similar to a fall on a bike.

Basically, I agree with Blues2Cruise about starting slow again. Go somewhere quiet and practice turning and changing gear and I found most helpful - controlled stopping. You need to get to know your bike and it's limits without pressure from other people/cars. Don't let the nervousness overwhelm you - it's ok to feel nervous, but at a slow speed you're completely in control. As soon as it gets too much, stop, breathe, start again slowly, and keep trying.

I really think it's important to carry on riding and to try get over your fear, otherwise you won't enjoy the experience, then what's the point. I just test-rode a bike from a girl who hadn't even done 200km. She had dropped the bike, couldn't get over the fall, so is now selling it. What a shame and a waste.

The only other thing I can think of would be to get a different bike that you would feel confident on, or do the training course again.

Good luck!!

[Belly Dancer]

I took a still once on hubby's Volucia. My confidence was high while riding home one day, but I lost the footing of the back break and dumped it.

It took a few weeks for me to get over the fear (I was shaking like a leaf inside). But I finally got back in the saddle because I love riding, so I had to try.

I've had two bikes since then and now have the perfect bike for me - 650cc V-Star. Point is....keep trying to gain you confidence and it will come back. Also, be aware of your own capabilities and the capabilities of the bike.

Best of luck to you!

[Shorts]

I fell - a lot. You move past it by getting back up again. Its ok to be nervous. Its ok to be scared - we're all human. But, that also means we learn and progress. You get better, just keep trying, go at your pace. And go have fun.

[NancyP]

I feel for you - my bike's "gotten lazy" twice. For me personally, it was more embarassing than anything. Sure, I was a little nervous about getting back in the saddle - but I wasn't going to let "dumping the bike" twice get the best of me - I enjoy riding way too much for that.

But I knew exactly what I did both times. The first time I didn't look through the turn (a legal U-turn in the turning lane here in Florida at a busy intersection, no less) and the second was as I was backing it up out of a parking spot. Both really silly mistakes on my part - but valuable lessons. I was more mad at myself than anything and hubby still can't figure out how I didn't even get a single scratch on the bike - either time

A friend of mine told me if I needed to, get a smaller, "practice" bike and practice on grass somewhere - 'cause like she said, "I don't care if you've been riding for a 100 years, you will drop the bike - more than once - don't care who you are".

Never got that practice bike (I ride an '03 Harley Dyna) and have now learned how to pick up a 700 lb. bike on my own (yeah me!) - not that I wanted to learn, mind you.

Now, get back on that steel horse, practice, be safe and have fun!

Nancy

[follow]

An empty parking lot is the best place to practice. Use the parking squares to do fiqure 8's and practice your stops and everything else you think you need to enhance your riding skills. Go get those plumbers pipe covers, the kind they put on the hot water heater pipes and put them on your crash bar.....really it works great. so when you do lay your bike down it won't cause any damage, and tape some on in places you may need it. I was told to do this by a motorcycle police man when he saw me practicing once in a parking lot. He and his partner gave me a bunch of great information. (I love to practice doing obsticle courses and have won a few trophies).

[rvgal]

I dumped twice in one week. First time not bad, second pretty bad. I thought everything ok but crash bar bent a little and I ended up pretty roughed up. My DH said get back on and practice so off to the school parking lot and practiced, practiced and practiced more. Today about a week after second dump we went for a good ride and I was a little slow starting but after awhile it was great. I have done start/stops enough for everyone but I will be back in the parking lot practicing again before the day ends tomorrow. Start back slow in the parking lot and build up. Take it at your pace.

[Shorts]

I dumped twice in one week. First time not bad, second pretty bad. I thought everything ok but crash bar bent a little and I ended up pretty roughed up. My DH said get back on and practice so off to the school parking lot and practiced, practiced and practiced more. Today about a week after second dump we went for a good ride and I was a little slow starting but after awhile it was great. I have done start/stops enough for everyone but I will be back in the parking lot practicing again before the day ends tomorrow. Start back slow in the parking lot and build up. Take it at your pace.

Mind if I asked what happened the 2nd time?

[follow]

Are you dumping it when you stop?