Judging by the Op's sign on name I'm thinking the bike is a sporty. All the above advice is spot on!

 

Yeah, if it's an 883 then I don't think "over-biked" is the problem. When I started even a V-Star 250 felt cumbersome. After a year on the Dyna, however, it felt like I could just pick it up and carry it away with me.

 

See if Ride Like a Pro does a course near you or has instructors, also your MSF course instructors may do private classes.

Join the local HOG group or pop into your nearest dealer and ask if they know anybody.

 

Years ago myself and a friend had gotten street/trail bikes. We needed to practice to get our mc endorsements. Don't think MSF was even thought of in late 60's. No one else in our family's rode either.

We had already been fussed at by a police officer twice for sneaking around the neighborhood. There was a old cemetery backing up to my friends backyard. It turned out to be a good place practicing low speed turns, backing, had an area big enough for U turns.

Some might consider this being disrespectful but we both had family buried there. We never turned into a race track by any means. after about 2 wks of some practice every day after school and no funereal services while we were there, we went for our endorsements and hit the streets.

All of our kids got some driving/ riding lessons at the ol place.
Always kind thought my Dad and Uncle were laughing at us learning.

WP

 

Check for any meetup.com groups in your area. Perhaps a leader in that group would be willing to do some coaching. I'd be very happy to help out a new rider myself. In the Ham Radio world (yes, I'm a General) - the old timers who are teachers are called Elmers. We need that in biking.

Also - many regions of law enforcement now have intermediate courses. They run all day and you learn a lot of the same techniques as motor-mounted. Not bad! Check with your local police or sheriff web sites. Community colleges may also have intermediate courses.

But yes - miles in the seat are what you need.

It's an adventure. It ain't a joystick on a Playstation. It's real and way funner.

Enjoy!

 

Great advice here. Only thing I would add is after you have basic confidence, find a hill and practice starting out going up the hill from a dead stop. Then find a steeper hill and do it some more.

 

The best way that I know to build up your confidence is to go out and practice the skills that you learned in class. The more you practice, the more confident you should get.

 

One thing I would add - hard stops are the first thing I'd practice the heck out of. Get a quiet street or parking lot. Mark a spot, then take it up to 30 and stop. Mark distance. Then stop again until it's tight. Increase speed and iterate.

I also like to use focal points in the road to swerve as if they were obstacles. Manhole covers, etc. Practice maneuvers any time.

If you have a bunch of people like the Situation trying to take your spot in the lane, that will take time to get used to that. But good safety maneuvers and you can progress to the one finger salute.

 

The above is all great advice. I echo the fact that nothing will give you confidence more than riding time. But TAKE IT SLOW! Let it evolve. Don't push yourself beyond your abilities and comfort zone, especially at first. In time you will naturally venture out more and more. It will be gradual but that is good. Remember that this is supposed to be fun, (and it is...as long as you're comfortable).

When I started riding on roads I was in the same situation - none of my pals rode, so I started with a putt around the block, after which I felt pretty good about myself I might add. But it was probably an entire summer of just gradually pushing the boundary over time. You'll get there, but I will repeat what I said earlier because it can't be overemphasized...TAKE IT SLOW. When you feel ready you can go hang around the dealership or riding events and meet folks that you may want to ride with, but it's important that you wait until you're ready as you don't want to feel pressured to ride above your abilities and also don't want to screw up their rides, nor endanger others who you aren't very well acquainted with.

Last thought - at this point, while you're keeping your rides short, it might do you some good to spend time cleaning the bike afterwards - just enjoy the time to get acquainted with it. In no time you'll be spending less and less time cleaning and more time in the saddle.

 

I love stories like this! Thank you!