new to the forum and the world of motorcycling

[sailorstarrr]

Hi all. I thought I'd introduce myself. My name is Diana and I'm 21. I've wanted to know how to ride a motorcycle for as long as I could remember. I got my permit about a month or so ago, and then about a week ago I took a learning to ride course. Yesterday I bought my first motorcycle, a 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 500R.

Although I've been really excited, I'm now more nervous than anything else. The vast majority of my family are against me riding and now that I actually have a bike, I'm beginning to see why. I just watched that deadly crash video and it made me lose my appetite. I'm not a crazy driver at all but the fact is, I'm actually starting to realize that there are gonna be other people on the road besides me.

On another issue, I hadn't planned to spend so much. I was looking for a used bike and although this one is techically used (700 miles...I guess someone bought it two months ago and it ended up back at the dealership), I wasn't looking to spend over $5,000. Actually, I wasn't looking to spend over $4,000. Hell, it's my first bike and I know I'm probably gonna &%*$ it up because I'm inexperienced.

In any case, minus the fear and debt I am really, REALLY excited that I ACTUALLY HAVE A MOTORCYCLE! So there's my story in a nutshell. Hope to keep posting.

[Sev]

First of all glad to have you here. It's always good to see a new rider out there.

As far as being scared of what could happen, never forget that something as simple as a blod clot could end your life. If you spend all of your time worrying about the different ways you could die, you couldn't even stay in bed. It's just not worth it. Take things easy at first, build your confidence in parking lots and under used streets then work you're way up. You'll be fine!

Don't let anyone bring you down. Now get out there and ride, you're lucky, some of us just put our rides away for the winter ! And we won't be riding again for at least a couple months.

Post a lot we're going to be living vicariously through you.

[britishjoe]

its good to have a little fear, its a reality check, just remember your limits and stay within them, your fear diminish and your abillity will rise with experiance, have a fun time and the ninja 500R is a good place to start
Have a good time

Joe

[Lion_Lady]

Fear is good, also NEVER NEVER NEVER watch motorcycle crash videos, especially if you're new to riding. Most postings of that nature are just out there for the 'eww' factor, and feature folks who wrecked cause they were doing something stupid.

All you gotta do is keep your eyes open, and get out and put in some miles. The more you ride, the better you'll get.

Sunday mornings are GREAT, in the US, the earlier the better, cause it seems everyone sleeps in. You can get in some road time without having to deal with too many idiots.

Welcome!!

P

[Loonette]

Greetings, and welcome aboard!

All of your feelings are pretty normal. It's like anything else that is new - you need to make imprints in your mind of what works and what doesn't work. The best thing you can do for yourself is to stay focused on having a ride that is as safe as possible. Be aware of what other drivers are doing. Someone here gave a tip once of glancing the wheels of a car that is waiting to pull out into traffic. It's a good way to see if a driver might be coming out too soon. Also, never stay in a blind spot!! If you can't see the driver's face, then they can't see you at all (and that's if they even bother to look for other traffic).

You are a much more vulnerable human now, if you're in a crash. That's a reality. But you have a lot of power in avoiding those crashes. Even after all that you had said, you still seem extremely happy to have your bike. It's a lot to take in at first, but the more time you spend practicing, the more you're gonna love it. Just do your personal best on every ride. Enjoy!!

Cheers,
Loonette

[Scoutmedic]

[swatter555]

I live out here in LA at the moment, so I can give you a perspective from someone who learned how to ride in socal. Your family has good intentions no doubt, but I find the mis-information most people have on motorcycles is hard to subdue. They just will never know how incredibly fun and exciting it is to ride.

Dont worry about crash pics or videos, there is risk in everything. Im sure if you looked you could find equally gory car crash photos. If you learn how to ride proficiently(which just takes time) your risks are lowered substantially.

Southern California is a great place to own a motorcycle. You are close to some of the best riding roads in the country. You can also ride all year, which is just awesome. There are some serious downsides to remember though. Im not sure how traffic is down there in SD, but up here in LA I would strongly recommend against commuting on a motorcycle on the freeways. People just drive nutty, its very risky over a long period of time. I suspect traffic sucks down there too.

I recommend reading a few books on proficient riding. Just take learning one step at a time. The thing to remember is to just ride, ride,ride. Also, dont ride with squids, which are abundant in socal. Riding with people who dont know how to ride is dangerous. Find some friends with their heads screwed on straight and you will be fine.

You got a Ninja 500 to start with, which shows you have realistic expectations. Just get out there and ride, everything will fall into place.

[KarateChick]

You sound like you're off to a great start - took a course & got a good bike to start with. Hang in there & start out easy & steady...start getting in practice on non-busy roads & of course all those parking lots you're gonna get familiar with . It's an exciting time & you're bound to have lots of adrenaline bundled in causing that fear & excitement but you appear to have your head screwed on straight. Keep all those previous replies to your post in mind & just do it and get out and start riding.

Final note: just make sure you have all the proper gear on when you are riding.

Welcome & enjoy your ride

[sailorstarrr]

Thanks for all the advice and support! I've been practicing in my parking lot and down the little side streets where I live. Today I have to actually go out on the street though, since my insurance agent wants to inspect my bike. I'm glad to be putting to use everything I've learned in my class. I still have a lot of questions, so I'll be posting around here a lot. Hope to see you all around!

-Diana

[cb360]

Keep doing what you are doing. The best way to learn to ride is to take the MSF course and start riding. There are some good books on the subject - pick up David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling. It's a good read and he has lots of good mental tricks that'll help keep you out of those crash videos. It stinks that you already dropped your bike - that's one reason I recommend older bikes to noobs - but what's done is done. Keep practicing, dress for the crash, learn all you can about your new hobby - lifestyle choice - whatever it is, and keep posting. How bout some pics of your new ride?