Total Motorcycle Community Forums

woohooo I saw another thread where the guy started his course this weekend as well. I know some of you have seen me on here for a while. well I finally had it this weekend. I was the only one that had never ridden a motorcycle/dirt bike. 1 guy was 67 years old and you could tell lol. we had to guys that were good. the 16 year old thats been riding dirt bikes for like 10 years and then there was a guy who had been riding bikes for 20 years. The 20 year rider said he learned a ton in this course. Me I had a rough start. I could do most of the obsticles but i got frustrated because I kept stalling the bike in the friction zone (basically letting clutch out to quick). One of the instructors (we had 7 instructors haha) asked if I would be willing to come in early the second day to learn and go over the friction zone more. I said absolutly. I went around the parking lot with his instruction just power walking and feeling the friction zone (I still cant feel it as well as I can hear it) but after his help I stalled 1x and that was when I got nervous. as soon as I made myself calm down I was fine. The instructors all said my improvement was kind of like I started the course at the bottom of mount everast and by the end I was at the top of the mountain lol. I guess they were amazed at how well I learned understood and applied everything they tought us. No one failed and I got 2 points. 1 for going outside the line in that 20x60 box and 1 for puttin my foot down. I didnt realize the box was smaller for the test than what they gave us in practice grrr. The braking part they said I did exceptional in that I stopped 3 feet before I had to without any locking up or anything. only 2 guy stopped quicker and that was the dirt bike rider and the 20 year rider. We had 5 men and 5 women in our class and we all passed. Now to possibly go to the DMV to get my CY endorsement. not sure if im gonna since well I dont have a bike right now anyway. I may wait till later this week lol.

Get your endorsement now so that you can test ride at the stealer when you are shopping or if you decide to rent a bike for a day (check out www.eaglerider.com) for a rental location in your area.

Good luck and enjoy the rides!!

Congratulations!

congrats!

Congrats on passing your course! I had problems stalling my bike as well, so I know how good it feels to get it moving without a problem =).

You said you got 1 pt for going outside the box and 1 pt for putting your foot down? Hmm, does anyone know if the points deducted are arbitrarily decided by the instructors or something? My class got 3 pts for going outside the box and 3 pts for putting our foot down...

Hmmm... we got 3 for leaving the box and 5 for putting a foot down. Our box was only 14 feet wide too. I wished the box was 20 feet. My front wheel went out on the right hand portion or I would've nailed the course.

In FL they told us that we could put our foot down, or turn too wide, and not to do both. I had no problem doing it, but it was close to what the bike could do. No easy task at all, if you are too nervous you can forget it.

Good job on passing. I was second in my class, losing one point on the riding and none on the written. I was beaten by a young woman, and I dont think she is a better rider than I. She is too willing to take chances IMO. She was scraping the pegs on the test and loving it. She had already low-sided her 600 gixxer, which she learned on. I am afraid for the poor girl.

Beach wrote: Good job on passing. I was second in my class, losing one point on the riding and none on the written. I was beaten by a young woman, and I dont think she is a better rider than I. She is too willing to take chances IMO. She was scraping the pegs on the test and loving it. She had already low-sided her 600 gixxer, which she learned on. I am afraid for the poor girl.

i admire her guts.

but she needs to take to the tracks... she'll enjoy it and it'll be safer for her.

well for us 15 total pts was passing 16 was failing so I dont see how you can fail this course unless you well just dont care or dont try whatsoever. Heck the old man that was somewhat senile passed it. I am glad I took the course because I learned alot. Not only that I think the biggest thing I learned was PATIENCE. Patience to not tailgate someone, patience with things around you. Basically to be calm and uncaring if someone pulls in front of you or walks in front of you. Just to avoid an accident let the issue slide and go on your merry way. I had no patience before this class in that I tailgate all the time (I like to go 10 over the speed limit) until I could pass. After this class I noticed I stay back more until I see an opportunity to pass.

I had exactly the same problem with the friction zone... till I realised, that once the clutch starts to bite, and the bike starts to move... do no tlet the clutch out anymore, until the bike is going fast enough to keep pace with the engine and not stall it...

Now of course, that doesn't metter. I have the experience to put a lot more power down at a start, and that amount of time is less than 1 second. But yeah it was a big PITA first time round