NEw rider, "procreating" up on the MSF

[lunchmeat]

Dudes, it's been bad.

First, i misunderstood the whole "friction zone" thing, so I "messed" that up.

I can't ever find neutral.

I can't seem to get the whole countersteering technique - it happens naturally when we're in second or thrid gear, but during the weave exercises, I didn't notice any improvement.

Quite honestly, I'm worried - I don't know if I'm gonan pass this test or not. The clutch thing was so bad that I actuall ended up pulling off the course. I cried. Like a "procreating" idiot. Had to slap myself out of it...those MSF instructors probably think I'm an idiot kid who is too reckless (I seem to be fine with the high-speed shifting, and whatnot, but I can't do the slow-speed exercises) and who will probably crash on his first day out.

Any opinions? Advice? Experiences? I need help!

I don't know how people learn this stuff in a day. I dunno...i'im frustrated, annoyed, I can't seem to do anything right, and god dammit, I CRIED.

Again, advice, experiences, opinions - Discuss.

[Sev]

Friction zone is just where the clutch starts to bite and you feel the bike start to move forwards. No other way I can think of to describe it. When it starts to move increase your throttle slightly and keep your chin up.

If you're in first pull up VERY slightly on the shift lever with the clutch lever in till you feel a click, you're in neutral.

Counter steering you just need to believe in. Look in the direction you want to go (left) and push out with that arm (left arm) towards the front of the bike. The bike will tip a bit and you will turn.

You can do this, anyone can do this, just stick with it.

[jstark47]

I can't ever find neutral.

That may be as much the bike's issue as yours. The bike I rode in MSF was seriously worn - neutral was hard to find, and the neutral light didn't always work. The new bike I bought after the course was different as night and day.

[qwerty]

First, you are only supposed to use neutral when starting the engine. When stopped, you are supposed to be in first with the clutch pulled in.

Second, neutral was impossible on the bike I rode for the BRC. When it was time to start the bike, I would rock it back and forth and play with the shifter until the bike rolled. Then I would pull in the clutch and start the bike. Many, many bikes are like that. Don't buy one.

Third, the only time I use neutral in real life is cold starting. I start the bike and let it idle while I don my gear.

[Dragonhawk]

You cried?

(snicker)

Okay, my first reaction is to say that is pretty woosy and point and laugh at you. Buuuuuut, that's not mature or constructive of me. So, let's look at the bright side! You cried - that means you're pretty emotional and passionate. That's a good thing. You should be passionate about motorcycling!

Second, don't fret the clutch. I've been riding about 3 years and have about 34,000 miles under my belt. When I took the MSF, I kept letting the clutch out too fast. Must have stalled the bike 2 dozen times. It was waaaaaaaaay embarassing. Nobody else was doing that. I was the only one.

Eventually, I learned and stopped doing it.

Motorcycling is REALLY hard to learn. You are coordinating both feet and both hands in order to ride - plus your right hand has TWO duties of throttle and front brake! I'm a pretty athletic person and always have been, so I have some respectable coordaination. Nevertheless, motorycling still took me awhile to get the hang of.

Very few activities require you to coordiante the moves of both feet and both hands simultaneously. Think about it; when you stop a bike, your right hand rolls off the throttle, and applies the front brake. Your left hand pulls in the clutch. Your left foot downshifts gears. Your right foot applies the rear brake.

Eventually, those actions become second-nature. But when learning those moves, it is a LOT for your mind to tell your body to do all at once.

My point is - be patient. Yes, it's hard. But stick with that passion and you'll learn it.

Now stop crying.

[lunchmeat]

You cried?

(snicker)

Okay, my first reaction is to say that is pretty woosy and point and laugh at you. Buuuuuut, that's not mature or constructive of me. So, let's look at the bright side! You cried - that means you're pretty emotional and passionate. That's a good thing. You should be passionate about motorcycling!

Second, don't fret the clutch. I've been riding about 3 years and have about 34,000 miles under my belt. When I took the MSF, I kept letting the clutch out too fast. Must have stalled the bike 2 dozen times. It was waaaaaaaaay embarassing. Nobody else was doing that. I was the only one.

Eventually, I learned and stopped doing it.

Motorcycling is REALLY hard to learn. You are coordinating both feet and both hands in order to ride - plus your right hand has TWO duties of throttle and front brake! I'm a pretty athletic person and always have been, so I have some respectable coordaination. Nevertheless, motorycling still took me awhile to get the hang of.

Very few activities require you to coordiante the moves of both feet and both hands simultaneously. Think about it; when you stop a bike, your right hand rolls off the throttle, and applies the front brake. Your left hand pulls in the clutch. Your left foot downshifts gears. Your right foot applies the rear brake.

Eventually, those actions become second-nature. But when learning those moves, it is a LOT for your mind to tell your body to do all at once.

My point is - be patient. Yes, it's hard. But stick with that passion and you'll learn it.

Now stop crying.

I think your first reaction is more accurate than your second. It was pretty pathetic, I felt like a loser, I wanted to slap myself in the face really hard but I couldn't get my helmet off! It was bad. ( eventually did succeed and gave myself a pretty good one.)

The reason, though, was because I've had these lofty hopes, and dreams, I suppose...one day, honestly, I'd love to ride a Suzuki Boulevard...and this would be my main source of transportation, I'd finally be able to get around under my own power without having to rely on other people, and I'd finally not have to rely on my mother, and I saw all of that slipping away. I never would've heard the end of it from my mother. Felt like everything was crashing down on me, simply because I could barely start the bike and once it was started, I could barely keep it on.

As for your clutch situation, that was me today - everyone got it except for me. I think I eventually got it, but I could never quite get a smooth start - it'd always be rough, and a bit jerky. Not smooth acceleration, like a car. Is this normal? Apparently manual transmissions and I don't really mix.

As for the neutral thing, it was for when I needed to start the bike - for some reason, my bike would only start in neutral. Others could start in first gear...?

I've got one more day left - I hope I can make enough progress to pass the exam. Thanks for the support, guys.

[KingRobb]

Take a deep breath. Keep practicing. If you fail the course retake it.

You will get it if you dont give up. The only crying allowed in motorcycling is from the wind. I suggest you slow down, wear googles or a full face helmet so the tears slow down. Hard to see thru teary eyes.

Good luck in your journey.

[Dragonhawk]

I've had these lofty hopes, and dreams, I suppose...one day, honestly, I'd love to ride a Suzuki Boulevard...and this would be my main source of transportation, I'd finally be able to get around under my own power without having to rely on other people, and I'd finally not have to rely on my mother, and I saw all of that slipping away. I never would've heard the end of it from my mother. Felt like everything was crashing down on me, simply because I could barely start the bike and once it was started, I could barely keep it on.

The dream is still there. It's not falling apart, it's just harder to reach than you imagined it would be.

Did you see the latest Rocky? I love the line he says:
"It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can GET hit ... and keep ... moving ... forward."

Keep moving forward. You'll get there.

[JCS]

Okay LM,

This is Ms. JCS. I only post when HE shows me something that he thinks I'll identify with. This response is my opinion - not necessarily his.

You're not experiencing anything that most of us who didn't grow up on dirt bikes have already gone through. When I took the MSF class, the instructor actually asked me to come in early for remedial training. I fell down on the first night of course training. But I kept with it and passed the class. However, that was before passing meant endorsement. I then had to go to the state to prove myself. I had terrible "clipboard" anxiety and failed twice before I finally got through (and I think that was partially a pity pass). I actually successfully rode Deal's Gap not long after I finally got my license.

Just relax and learn what you can. Nobody ever said that passing the MSF meant you could ride. It only means that you can now learn to ride without some restrictions. You will still need about a thousand hours on the road in all kinds of situations before you can ride. The road is alot different than the range. And most people that you'll ride with, especially spouses, are harder to please than the instructors. Other riders, because they care about you and want you to be alive at the end of the ride, can be more aggressive in "learning techniques". I've been "riding" about six years now and still am not near the rider that I would like to be. A low-side about 3 years set me back alot. But I'm still on the bike and learning.

Finish the class and if you don't do as well as you would have liked, practice on your own and then maybe take it again. Don't give up. It doesn't come as easy for all of us.

You can still have your dream ... it just may take a little more effort than you thought. But it's worth it. Good luck.

[qwerty]

It sounds to me that your biggest doubt is yourself and your biggest fear is a fear of failure. Your only failure will come when you give up. There was a woman in my BRC there for the third time. It finally clicked, she ended up with a 100 on the test.

The BRC manuevers are difficult and fatiguing for beginners. You will quickly gain confidence once you move out to a more open environment. Cruising a back road is so much easier than all that starting and stopping.

By the way, if your mother jumps you because you didn't pass, politely ignore her and get on with your life. She is likely the source of your self-doubt and fear of failure in the first place.

Keep that big Suzuki cruiser dream, it is a good one. However, better get yourself a GZ250 for a first bike.