I should have adhered to the good advice given here. Beginner rider after 30 years and little experience before that. My story; Bought a new fat boy lo and started riding it taking it slow and all was going well except for some reason I hesitate on slow right hand turns it feels awkward. So Saturday at 200 miles on the bike I go to pull into a gas station and the entrance looks like a war zone with pot holes 6 to 8 inches deep across the whole front so I shoot for the middle and swing too wide and catch a curb and down I went. Was not traveling fast and was making a right hand turn. The advice given here to newbees is to go to a empty parking lot and practice turns- I shoulda listened. Scratch and dent to crash bar which I put on that morning rear turn signal and guard, could have been worse thankful it wasn't. Hope I help out another newbee learn from my mistake. My pride hurt most of all but the cell phone in the chest pocket did not help my ribs any. I did not let this deter me and Sunday got the bike out and put over 100 miles on it this time I took into consideration and focused on all the good advice I have read here and practiced it. By the way I am scheduled for a basic riding course later this month. NoRegrets.

 

Sounds like you should have taken the course first. You gotta walk before you run. That's how we learn, through our mistakes.

But I know what you mean about slow right hand turns. They gave me fits in the school and still do. The instructor said it was because the gas is on the right. It makes sense.

 

Good thing you put the crash bar on or the damage would have been worse.
Low speed, u-turns within the width of two parking spaces is your goal.
Head and eyes up, swing your head around, don't look down, feather clutch and throttle..
Put split heater hoses on your damaged crash bar in case you drop it again.
Take that MSF BRC asap.

 

This - - especially the bold, red parts.

 

Been there sort of. Man is it embarrassing.

It happens to the folks that have been riding for many years sometimes. Welcome to the club. A few years back even while going pretty slow I hit the front brake just a tad too hard on a little patch of gravel. It locked and the front wheel slid sideways. The weight was suddenly no longer something I could control and I found my self trying to gently lay down dang near half a ton of Ultra Classic while hopping on my right foot. Mission accomplished but just for a moment I felt like a green horn all over again and got pretty mad at my foolish self for not doing better. But then I got over it, got the bike up and hit the road again

Get right back on there and hit the parking lot until you get used to the weight you are dealing with. Work on your balance in low speed runs and turns. Get to know the feel of your bike under those circumstances. It could be some of the most important time you'll spend riding and you will benefit a lot from it. Glad to hear about the riders course!

Above all, don't let it get you down! Uh.. no pun intended! LOL

LiiT

 

i think the course is a must for anyone who hasnt consistently rode a bike for years... i also think its a good idea to take a refresher course every now and then.. i will find an empty lot and do figure 8s for a while, that gets me into the mode of doing both types of turns at a reasonable speed and then i will tighten my turns up and slow it down untill i get to less then 2 parking spaces, and get comfortable with that tight of a turn

 

Well, you're learning. Maybe the hard way, but at least you're learning. Taking the course will make a world of difference. I rode when I was younger, then kids came along and I took a 30 year break. After that, I took the course and it was the best thing for me. Another year later, I took the advanced course and not to blow my own horn, but my skills are better than most of the lifelong riders I ride with who never took any courses. A lifetime is a long time to form bad habits and that's what a lot of people do. A couple of my buddies were even too nervous to take the courses with me because frankly, they weren't confident enough with their own skills - and these are guys who have been riding for 30+ years!

My point is, taking a course gets the all-important basics ingrained into you, as well as building up your self-confidence. Congrats on the new bike and also on your willingness to not let a little spill get you down.

Keeping your rpms up and using the friction zone is the key to slow speed maneuvering.

 

I humbly agree with everything said thanks. Yesterday I did focus on looking ahead instead of down especially on the right turns and it helped a lot. Kind of funny how the left turns are so much easier than the right. I was going to wait on the rider course but it got cancelled and could not reschedule for a month and hey the sun came out. NoRegrets.

 

Like many others that have already said - go take a beginners course my friend, and when done, take an advance course. Not only will these courses teach you things you might otherwise take years to learn, you will know where these courses are held and be able to go there anytime to practice - the same drills that the instructors have taught you. I make it a point to go practice drills every now and then in the same lots where I have received my training at. Just about everyone has a strong and a week side, the key is to strengthen the week side.
Not only will your wallet thank you - but your health might as well as the next time you hit the pavement, it might not just be your pride

 

A couple of advantages of taking the course are:

1- Your on a smaller bike (usually like a 250)
2- Its not your bike.

A lot of us have done the same thing.