New to riding and not sure if I am capable! HELP!
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 45
Likes: 24
From: MD
New to riding and not sure if I am capable! HELP!
Hi everyone! So happy to find this forum so hopefully you guys can pull me off the ledge lol. My name is Lisa and I am 50 and my fiance suggested I take the rider course this past weekend. I did and I was awful.
Firstly, I have never ridden anything prior to this. My anxiety was stupid ridiculous and I totally sucked. I felt weak as crap with the bike and seemed to have a major issue with covering my front break on slow turns which you all know where that leads....Everyone else in my class had actually already been riding or riding dirtbikes so I felt very very very behind the curve which increased my insecurities. I didn't test because I knew I would fail and wanted to practice on my own at my own pace but now I am afraid maybe I just won't be able to get it. Seems other people get the course and pass right away. I have a 2014 Sportster 1200 in the garage that my fiance bought for me and I am afraid to even practice on it in case I damage it. Am I crazy? Am I too weak for this? Is that too much bike to practice on? I don't have another option unfortunately. Sales people talked him out of the 883 and said once I got it I'd be sad I had that....which I don't buy. Any words of wisdom? How to rid the fear??
Thanks in advance!!
~Lisa
Firstly, I have never ridden anything prior to this. My anxiety was stupid ridiculous and I totally sucked. I felt weak as crap with the bike and seemed to have a major issue with covering my front break on slow turns which you all know where that leads....Everyone else in my class had actually already been riding or riding dirtbikes so I felt very very very behind the curve which increased my insecurities. I didn't test because I knew I would fail and wanted to practice on my own at my own pace but now I am afraid maybe I just won't be able to get it. Seems other people get the course and pass right away. I have a 2014 Sportster 1200 in the garage that my fiance bought for me and I am afraid to even practice on it in case I damage it. Am I crazy? Am I too weak for this? Is that too much bike to practice on? I don't have another option unfortunately. Sales people talked him out of the 883 and said once I got it I'd be sad I had that....which I don't buy. Any words of wisdom? How to rid the fear??Thanks in advance!!
~Lisa
Popular Reply
Sep 11, 2019, 11:18 AM
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,248
Likes: 604
From: Michigan
First question you need to ask yourself is who are you doing this for? Like anything else in life the ability to over come your fears are directly related to how much you want to succeed. If its not your cup of tea there is no dishonor it it. My wife many years ago went through the similar process as you are now and it was her, I’ll repeat, her decision to be a passenger rather than a rider.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 5,014
Likes: 739
From: Northern California
Lisa,
My advice is to practice on a smaller, lighter motorcycle. Gain confidence, refine your skills. MSF offers several courses designed to help you learn and practice. Don't compare yourself to others as you pointed out some came to the course with experience. Just learn at your own pace and have fun.
Take a look here
https://msf-usa.org/students.aspx
Also, good videos regarding the basics of riding motorcycles
My advice is to practice on a smaller, lighter motorcycle. Gain confidence, refine your skills. MSF offers several courses designed to help you learn and practice. Don't compare yourself to others as you pointed out some came to the course with experience. Just learn at your own pace and have fun.
Take a look here
https://msf-usa.org/students.aspx
Also, good videos regarding the basics of riding motorcycles
Last edited by mmesa005; Sep 11, 2019 at 02:54 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 1,882
Likes: 1,215
From: Fort Myers, Fl
Take the course again. You can do it but youll have to be more relaxed. That course is to learn how to ride so go back and learn how to ride.
But dont get on that sportster, its too top heavy to learn on at your level right now.
But dont get on that sportster, its too top heavy to learn on at your level right now.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 1,248
Likes: 604
From: Michigan
First question you need to ask yourself is who are you doing this for? Like anything else in life the ability to over come your fears are directly related to how much you want to succeed. If its not your cup of tea there is no dishonor it it. My wife many years ago went through the similar process as you are now and it was her, I’ll repeat, her decision to be a passenger rather than a rider.
Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 1,391
Likes: 351
From: MO
When my ex-wife decided that she wanted to learn to ride, I bought her a used Honda Rebel. It was already skinned up, so she didn't have to worry about damaging it. It was small and light, so she could handle it with no problem. I took some traffic cones and rode the bike to a nearby parking lot on a Sunday morning when there was no one around. We started with the very basics and worked our way up. When she felt confident in the basics of handling the bike, she enrolled in the rider's course. I think the fact that I spent several Sundays with her at the parking lot before she took the rider's course was a big help. She went into the rider's course with a higher level of confidence in her abilities versus if she had taken the rider's course cold turkey.
She did well in the rider's course and got her motorcycle endorsement. I sold the Rebel for $50 less than what I paid for it and bought her the bike she wanted, a Honda 750 Shadow. The $50 loss on the Rebel was money well spent IMHO.
She did well in the rider's course and got her motorcycle endorsement. I sold the Rebel for $50 less than what I paid for it and bought her the bike she wanted, a Honda 750 Shadow. The $50 loss on the Rebel was money well spent IMHO.
Last edited by JonW; Sep 11, 2019 at 11:21 AM.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 45
Likes: 24
From: MD
I wanted to be better when I took it again haha. It's embarrassing! I appreciate the responses!
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 10,035
Likes: 10,766
From: SE Michigan
Hi Lisa.
You are awesome for being honest and humble. Good on you.
There is nothing that any one of us can do, that you can't also learn to do. However, don't buy into the bullshit that you being a small female doesn't matter. It does and it puts you at a serious disadvantage. You can overcome that disadvantage with smarts and skill.
My wife is in a similar situation to you. She did the classwork and aced the test, but she's never ridden before. She got heat stroke during the academy and did not finish the range work. She knew right away that she was going to have a hard time. Another small girl in the class failed out. The other girl dropped her bike countless times and failed the range test before it was even over.
I'm wondering if my wife really wants to ride. I adore her and I trust her, but I've decided to take my hand off the throttle. At this point, she has to decide to do it. I don't want her to ride if she is only doing it for me. Be as honest as you have already been and and ask yourself....is this what you really want to do....or is this a way for you to draw closer to your fiance?
Some practical tips:
You are awesome for being honest and humble. Good on you.
There is nothing that any one of us can do, that you can't also learn to do. However, don't buy into the bullshit that you being a small female doesn't matter. It does and it puts you at a serious disadvantage. You can overcome that disadvantage with smarts and skill.
My wife is in a similar situation to you. She did the classwork and aced the test, but she's never ridden before. She got heat stroke during the academy and did not finish the range work. She knew right away that she was going to have a hard time. Another small girl in the class failed out. The other girl dropped her bike countless times and failed the range test before it was even over.
I'm wondering if my wife really wants to ride. I adore her and I trust her, but I've decided to take my hand off the throttle. At this point, she has to decide to do it. I don't want her to ride if she is only doing it for me. Be as honest as you have already been and and ask yourself....is this what you really want to do....or is this a way for you to draw closer to your fiance?
Some practical tips:
- put it in perspective, we all did not know how until we did, and now we know, and you will too....there is no magic
- if you persist, you will get it and you'll impress yourself how well you can learn to master a bike
- a 1200 sportster looks cute and all, but it's actually a fairly aggressive bike and imho, is not a good first bike
- maybe buy a cheap metric bike that you won't feel bad about laying down and practice with that bike
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Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 45
Likes: 24
From: MD
Jon, that sounds like a great idea. I know I just needed more time on each thing than I was getting. Once we moved from friction zone and taking off and stopping I needed practice time on the slow turns and turns and leaning. Scary stuff at first. It's quite the defeating feeling when others are doing so much better ya know.
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2019
Posts: 84
Likes: 55
From: Pittsburgh
A 250 rice bike is a good bike to practice on, its light, so its forgiving when it falls, it will allow you to be more maneuverable for the times you learn that the clutch is your friend and the brake is not , you can lean hard and get on the throttle to get you out of a jam, and they're cheap and cheap to fix. Keep that 1200 shined up, put some money into a cheap rice bike. some kevlar Jean's, gloves, jacket, a nice Shoei helmet and go tear it up.