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storysunfolding wrote: ...

Brackstone

First off- Congratulations!

Best Regards,
Ste

Thanks

I read everything you said but to keep the post neat I just left it out of the quote.

I will practice and the tennis ball idea sounds like a good one. I feel confident in my ability to brake because I think it was mostly nerves (I'm really bad on tests) and bad weather. But I certainly know I still want to practice a bit.

One of my friends was telling me it's better for me to get on a highway than to be on back roads to practice. I understand his logic , no driveways, no people making left turns in front of me. But I think I'll be really scared on the highway and that is MORE dangerous to myself than me driving 25 - 35 on the road.

The one thing I will always tout about myself is my ability to SEE. I have always been an excellent driver and I have avoided many perilous accidents.

The only time I've been hit is rear ended and one time someone didn't look when changing lanes and smash into my car when they were in my blind spot as I passed them and I couldn't move over to the right anyway unless I wanted to jump the curb and run over some nice people on the sidewalk.

I understand on my motorcycle though it's different because I may not have the skill to dodge the accident, but I think going on highways is pretty crazy.

Brackstone wrote:One of my friends was telling me it's better for me to get on a highway than to be on back roads to practice.

There are two things I repeat often to my friends and classes. When it comes to traffic and people in cages "Stupidity is an elemental force, and I respect it."

When it comes to friends "Your friends are mentally challenged"

From my vantage point, one or both of those applies here.

You want to be proficient on your bike at lower speeds before going to higher speeds. In this case if you get in a high pressure situation such as the need to to a quick stop at 70 mph, the consequences of messing something up increase dramatically compared to a neighborhood street with a 25 mph speed limit.

I ride my bicycle at 20 mph. I wear essentially spandex and a tiny helmet when I ride my bicycle. Falling at 20 mph sucks but isn't that big of a deal.

Get proficient at slower speeds first and remember that just because people HAVE been riding for X amount of years, doesn't mean that they KNOW how to ride.

Brackstone wrote: One of my friends was telling me it's better for me to get on a highway than to be on back roads to practice.

Note that, statistically (according to the Hurt Report), you are siginificantly more likley to get into an accident if you are taught by friends than if you teach yourself. That stat impressed me. Safest, of course, is elarning from a qualified instructor.

Congratulations!

Brackstone wrote:Hi Lion,

Well on the practices I did the emergency stop right a bunch of times, they told me I was doing a good job. One time I skidded cause I locked the brakes up too hard but I still came to a complete stop within the limits but when the bike stopped it stopped hard and I had to put my foot down. The instructor said "If I wasn't as strong as I was he'd have to pick me up" So I think that scared me a bit and then after that I was probably not braking hard enough.

The parking lot was wet and some dirt was floating around at this point. I'm not sure if that interfered with my ability or I psyched myself out a bit.

Okay. It looks like you know what you didn't do. So you can work to "fix" it.

It is tough to guess what really happened based on the few sentences you offered. And I wanted to make sure YOU knew what happened. I'd be much more worried if you didn't know how you did so badly on the quick stop.

Congratulations!!

P

Diecast, given that you haven't been around here for very long, I understand your mis-interpretation of my caps. Trust me, my first drafted response was MUCH more forceful.

It was also based on a recent personal experience with quick stopping.
I was entering a construction zone, after dark. The on ramp to highway: The ramp was not well coned (marked). The merge lane had been eliminated. Suddenly, I had to STOP, from travelling 45 mph. I came to a stop with my front wheel at the white "fog line." Literally, INCHES from 65+ mph highway traffic. Another foot of stopping distance would have gotten me killed.

Being able to stop quickly is a vital skill that every rider needs to practice regularly, in all weather. So they know how their bike handles and so they can do it automatically.

P

Lion_Lady


Not a problem. I too just passed the MSF ..... it was my first time ever on a bike.

I know that I need to practice everything that I was taught ..... many, many times before I am ready to hit the streets. And since riding is like any other physical activity .... the more you do it (practice) the better you should get (in theory .... anyway). Hence the need to keep praticing the drills ..... for your entire riding career. I'm truly thankful for "parking lots"

While I think that the course was great .... and I fortunately had GREAT instructors.... I'm not sure that granting an "M" is really what should happen ...... after about 10 hours on a bike. Personally .... the skills test is kind of weak ..... being able to do an exercise well once .... also does not make you a good rider. Might have been luck ..... and that's all. But this is a whole other thread.

Anyway .... with all of that said ---- for all you do for we newbies. Both you and Storysunfolding provide great advice. Sorry for having "misinterpreted" your caps .... but like you said ... not here long.

When I've completed teaching a class, and handed out the MSF cards, I always make a point of telling EVERYONE that "You are now qualified to ride around in circles in a parking lot." I tell them to take is slow. That it is really important to go out and get on something small and relatively light/low powered to reinforce the newly acquired skills.

The Basic Riders Course was never designed to be "It" as far as new rider training. It was created to be a step in what had been hoped to be a graduated licensing system here in the US.

As you well know, THAT hasn't happened. But the course is still very very useful. So long as students are reminded that they only have the basics, they do not go out and assume they are prepared for daily communting, etc.

P

I agree that it's not sufficient training in and of itself but I don't see how they could do more in the time frame they have. Even with the basic skills test, our class was terrified of it -- and it seems that the MSF's approach is to give you a basic level of confidence and basic level of awareness, such that, equipped with those two things, you can go about learning more on your own.

If they require a lot more from newbies, more people will fail/get discouraged and just take the (sometimes very easy) DMV road test -- or do what they do here in New York and take the road test on a Vespa, which somehow still qualifies you to ride a litre bike.

I think the BRC is pretty much spot on. You don't want to make it so easy to pass that it doesn't have value, but you also have to keep in mind that you're teaching total newbies, and too much too fast will not only discourage them but will cause the less responsible ones to seek alternate means to get what they want. They stressed how much of riding is mental -- and if they can make you more mentally aware of what you're doing along with giving you the equally important self-awareness of your own limitations, that's a job well done.

I have to admit I would like to take the IRC course but it isn't being offered in my area this year ( I think they are very short on instructors ).

On Saturday we ended with the "How to do a U-Turn Class" and that was pretty depressing cause I sucked at U-Turns. All day I thought "I'm awesome weeeeee!!!! (yes I had a full face helmet on so I can say weeeee! and nobody will hear me)" then I took that and I was like "wow am I really ready for a motorcycle".

I almost didn't go back the next day, but I pushed through and did it anyway. I was very happy I did.

It was also a very sobering moment when I learned how low I scored on the test for emergency stop.

But I can say after 8 hours in the class room and over 12 hours on the motorcycle I was really ready for a break.

I have found some people I can go riding with if I need to but in the beginning I'm just going to go around town at like 25 mph.

I'm going bike shopping this weekend so I'm going to get a Ninja 250

Lion:

You will be relieved that my instructors did say we are now licensed to ride around anywhere in new jerseys systems of parking lots

Also I appreciate the tough love so don't be afraid to tell me I'm being stupid or anything like that. You have my permission

Sorry if this reply came up really jumbled and lacking order I'm at work so I kept typing parts of it between calls (They let me post at work but I still make sure work comes first).