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I was looking at the curb - thinking s*** I didn't start turning soon enough, now I am going to hit that curb!!

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yellowrookie wrote:I was looking at the curb - thinking s*** I didn't start turning soon enough, now I am going to hit that curb!!

Yup.

I'm an MSF instructor. One of the key points we teach is to "Look where you WANT to go. (Not at where you don't want to go )."

Most of us have it at least once while riding and ended up "in the weeds" or otherwise. Some of us, more than once

As I said, before. The Basic Riders Course starts out with basic throttle/clutch control - duck walking back and forth across the parking lot to begin with, then step by step to riding and onward. Each skill is acquired - not necessarily "mastered" before moving on to the next step.

Pay attention, ask questions and focus on having FUN! I've observed that women sometimes take longer to "get it" on the range, but if they can avoid overthinking and just try it, they suddenly have an "ah HA!" moment when the skill falls in place.

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Most of us have it at least once while riding and ended up "in the weeds" or otherwise. Some of us, more than once

Really?? Because I was starting to fear that if I weren't a "natural" I may not be able to do this.

yellowrookie wrote:

Most of us have it at least once while riding and ended up "in the weeds" or otherwise. Some of us, more than once

Really?? Because I was starting to fear that if I weren't a "natural" I may not be able to do this.

Nah. Some folks are lucky and take to riding like a duck to water. For others it takes a bit more work and determination. It is a fine line... that divide between 'getting it' and 'not getting it.'

The first thing is to get over any fear you may have of that heavy, noisy machine. I think that THAT is the single deciding factor for many women especially.

I've seen 'housewives' who in middle age, decide to take a chance and learn to ride a motorcycle. But they are simply unfamiliar with machinery of any kind. Not a lawnmower, not even a car engine.

This unfamiliarity causes a fear response whenever anything unexpected happens as they learn, on the range. As a nurturer, they know that if you poke or prod something and it makes a noise, you jerk your hand away... If they unexpedly race the throttle, I've seen them yank their hand off the grip! While in motion! Not a good way to learn to ride.

Women seem to want very very much to 'do it right' the first time and every time as they're learning. They apologize to me (the instructor) for not doing it right. It must be a woman thing. You'll do fine.

Men seem to expect to screw up a few times before getting it. And they'll use each screw up to tweak their technique until they've got it right.

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yellowrookie wrote:

Most of us have it at least once while riding and ended up "in the weeds" or otherwise. Some of us, more than once

Really?? Because I was starting to fear that if I weren't a "natural" I may not be able to do this.

Yeah, watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOnvouZT6Cw

Lion_Lady wrote:.
... If they unexpedly race the throttle, I've seen them yank their hand off the grip! While in motion! Not a good way to learn to ride.

That is so true. I was coaching a woman who just couldn't grasp riding in a group class. So the boss asked me to work one on one with her.

She did exactly what you described. She kept taking her hand off the throttle everytime she blipped it a bit too much. And then of course as the bike lost power, she had to put her foot down for balance.

It took a while, but after a few hours in the parking lot with her, she finally managed to calm down and actually ride around the course.

She was one of those women who had been married and never learned anything. After her husband died, she decided to explore what life had to offer. Motorcycling was the first thing on her list.

well, I am not afraid of it. So I should do ok.

This morning I got it out of the garage, walked it up to the patio and just mock shifted (hand coordination) and this may have looked stupid and may sound stupid but I just sat on it. I am sooo comfortable on our Harley (front and back ) but this Yamaha feels so foreign (no pun intended) so I thought maybe if I just spent some time on it, maybe it would get more comfortable. I think it might of helped a little. I moved the handle bars a little to fit me better, but they are still kinda funky. oh well, I'm sure I'll do ok.

UPDATE:

I PASSED with flying colors. And most ironic part of it all is my BEST skill that I totally rocked on............. BRAKING

I was sooo nervous just power walking in the very beginning because I hadn't got back on my bike since the curb incident. Frankly, was starting to doubt that I would ever get on it.

Man, do you ever learn to LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO. Riding the bike in class was awesome, I really CAN do this.....

but, I managed to psych myself out on my much, much heavier, taller, bigger, old (back when everything was still METAL) 650. I was afraid that even though I exceeded the standards on every skill in class, the skills wouldn't transfer over to the 'different' bike. But I got on it right away (at home in the yard - which by the way - grass sucks! pavement is soooo much easier) and my fear of stopping FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES!!

I stopped fine and I did it many times but not nearly as graceful as I did in class and much less confident. But I am going to practice, practice, practice until it feels just as comfortable as the other bike did before I take it to a parking lot and practice turns, curves, weaves, swerves, fast stops, etc...

Thanks everyone!! And you are right - do not ride before, if you don't know how. My dumps (memories of) made me nervous right out of the gate. Had I never dropped a bike, I wouldn't have feared it. I am sooo thankful that I stopped and never had another BAD experience, the ghost I had from 2 brake drops and the turn (curb) thing were ENOUGH to try to manage.

Way to go. It sure does feel good, I agree.

Congratulations!!!

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