Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Ive been into car, dirt bikes, and any thing that goes fast my entire life, and now im looking into getting a motorcycle. Its been a dream of mine to have one for as long as i can remember, however im very worried about being hurt on one, mainly because ive known a couple people that have died. So before i start riding i want to take a couple classes and go easy for a little while untill it becomes second nature for me to ride it, i was just wondering how long it took you guys to get the point where u dont have to think about dropping your shoulder in a turn ext...

if you have experience with the clutch and shifting and are pretty smooth in that aspect, then all it is after that is situations. for me, It started with short rides in the country around my house, then started going into town with stop lights/more traffic, then out of county back roads, then taking those highway rides, then big city riding getting used to lots of traffic/lights, then out of state rides and on to second hand. More situations you've been in, the more experience you'll have.

alexschultz1 wrote:i was just wondering how long it took you guys to get the point where u dont have to think about dropping your shoulder in a turn ext...

Coupla years, 15000+ miles before basic technique started going on autopilot.

And I still make mistakes. Ran a little wide going around a curve this a.m, curve I've been around hundreds of times (of course speed had somethin' to do with it...... heh, heh ) Thinking back through it, I realized my eye discipline was poor this morning, for whatever reason my eyes weren't totally where they should have been, i.e. looking up past the corner exit. Technical mastery is not a constant, my performance level varies day by day.

About eighteen months - but the bedding down process never stops. Only recently I realised that my riding had become even more 'second nature' than before. Oddly, I think riding an Enfield Bullet in India for two weeks had something to do with that.

Trouble is, when it gets to be very automatic you then enter another danger phase; you start to become a bit complacent. Not a good idea. At some level you always need to maintain vigilance and take a conscious approach to your riding.

sv-wolf wrote: Trouble is, when it gets to be very automatic you then enter another danger phase; you start to become a bit complacent. Not a good idea. At some level you always need to maintain vigilance and take a conscious approach to your riding.

+1

I think i've put about 3-4000 miles on my bike and I feel very comfortable riding it. I don't consider myself an expert or a novice by any means, but I found that riding within your limits and respecting your ride's power will keep the rubber side down. I've been riding faster and faster, but I never zone out and become too comfortable with my surroundings. Always keep your personal safety in high regard with a conscious mind set.

Even after riding 40,000 miles, I will forever assume every cager is out to kill me.

sv-wolf wrote: you start to become a bit complacent.

Ahhh, yes that stuff....


I ride a large bike that has incredible torque and lots of HP. When I'm riding, I can let the RPM get ridiculously low and still just roll on the throttle to get back up to speed and RPM. Well having that ability is like riding an automatic, so, when I'm in the twisties, I tend to foget the need to have the engine take a part in cornering. My bike can get away from me pretty quick when there's very little hold back from the engine and I tend to enter corners way too hot on a regular basis...

10 years and counting.

Sure, I imagine I could hop on my bike and turn on the autopilot, but I feel that is just asking for trouble. So I make it a point to always pay attention to what I could be doing better or differently in any given situation which keeps me alert and aware.

I started riding 43 yrs ago and I still learn new stuff every year. I don't think any two people learn the same way or at the same time so there is no stock answer. I haven't ridden in competition in many years and if I went back to it now I would have to go through a learning curve all over again. The difference is it hopefully wouldn't take as long.

It think the process varies quite a bit from person to person. For the riding, I've gotten tons more comfortable in just the last 5mths, and that's not riding much but nice weekends. Some concerns and weak areas in my riding skills have vastly improved as well as become actions that are automatic rather than being an unsure issue.

I think in regards to getting ready to get on the bike, getting the bike ready, I do that without even thinking. So much so, that I scare myself as I'm sitting there ready to take off but pause for fear I've overlooked something in the startup procedure or gear or whatever.

In every ride I experience something just a little bit different. Whether it be a piloting/technique mistake or run through a randomly new riding situation, there seems to be at least one thing noteworthy (aside from the normal greatness of getting to go ride).