I have wandered the halls of this site and read quite a bit... I decided it was time to contribute something.
To give you context, I am 53, decent shape and had literally never ridden a motorcycle before. My son bought a bike and scheduled us both for the Motorcycle Safety Class as a Dad/son bonding opportunity. Well, I fell in love with riding and haven't looked back. His interest has diminished. Who woulda thought? lol Good news is, the bike is usually available!
I thought I would share a process that has worked for me. Perhaps another newbie will find it helpful.
My son and I "share" a V-Star 650 classic. Its been a great first bike. (Although I admit that moving from the Virago 250 I rode in class to the V Star was still a big transition for me.) I then began my regular trips to the local high school. Typically this was weekends, occasionally after work. I was lucky to have a very short ride on residential streets before I find myself in the large parking lot. I then spent about 45 minutes or more repeating some of the exercises I did in my motorcycle class. I used the parking lot markings to create my roadway, turns and stops. I did panic stops and re-created stopping at a light and starting off again... I also did both right and left circles, trying to get the diameter smaller and smaller. This taught me a lot about speed vs. lean ratio as well as clutch friction zone. I also used the driving lanes around the parking lot to create more speed and shifting patterns. My objective was to make simple movements in the parking lot translate to muscle memory. While it was tempting to get on the road, I tried to be disciplined.. I believed that I would intuitively know when it was time. Remember, at this point my lifetime riding experience was still measured in hours... I stayed in the parking lot for almost 6 weeks with minor rides up and down the residential streets in the neighborhood. Speed never exceeded 35 mph.
After this I moved to the road. However before starting a ride, I went first to the parking lot. I spent 15 min or so repeating my exercises and feeling more settled on the bike, then hit the real roads. At first it was short rides and each week I spent more time in traffic... After many more weeks, I now spend about 1 to 1 1/2 hours per ride and only occasionally go the parking lot.
I have used the maneuvers from the parking lot practice a number of times to avoid problems or make confidant, tight turns. I can feel the muscle memory allowing me to respond faster and without a feeling of panic. The weeks spent in the parking lot was a subject of teasing by a few who thought I was just being a cautious old guy. At times others made me wonder if I was being TOO careful and avoiding the road out of fear... I did question myself a few times early on and wondered if riding was really for me... But ultimately, I trusted my intuition and kept practicing till I felt ready...
I approached riding just as I would teaching young kids how to play a sport for the first time.. You focus on the basics, running drills and lots of repetition to build a whole new set of abilities. Many mistakes in sports are due to a momentary failure of something basic. Since making mistakes on a motorcycle has a fairly high price tag, the basics are even more critical!
I have a new passion!! I know I have a long way to go, but the trip has been amazing so far. Why the hell didn't I do this 30 years ago? lol
Thanks for reading, Sorry for the length!
Bill
Mike 
