First ride! I'm hooked

[zeocen]

Well I'm not sure if this is thread-worthy, but I'm just ecstatic about it haha.
I'm not a very confident person (should ring alarm bells as to why I even bought a bike) but I've just always wanted a bike..

Anywho, so I got a bike but don't have my licence, due to not being confident enough to take the bike cert before I actually got some hands on experience (turning etc) despite people saying its easy. I just didn't want to have to pay $70 twice, you know?

So anyway, we have a hospital ...er.. thing.. near our house in Manurewa and in the weekend the carpark is deserted, so I went down there with my old man and he said "go for it".

And I did, and it was fucking great. I couldn't tell you how great it felt to be on the bike, or maybe everyone already knows and I'm just catching the last bus. Anyway, after having the bunnyhops I finally got the hang of it, did some pretty sweet turning and got up to 3rd gear (car park isn't really that big, and I'm a pussy). So I'm chuffed at myself that I even was able to change gears on my first real ride on a 2 wheeler bike.

So yeah, pretty euphoric right now, don't know why.. with so many things going on in your head while riding it's still pretty calm, and I reaaally don't think I would have been as confident as I have been if it wasn't for this website and the great help I've recieved (not to mention the great bike haha).

And that's my story of how boring I can be! Sorry for the rant, it won't happen again, well.. maybe when I get to 5th gear.

:calm:

[madmal64]

Good on ya:scooter:
Just take your time, keep your brain in gear and enjoying the learning process (which never stops BTW) and the buzz of motorcycling will stay with you.
Its great to hear a good news story.

[beyond]

Good on ya mate. Yep, take your time as you'll always be learning. We all are.

Don't whatever you do, push the envelope too early or before you are ready. You can get into a hell of a lot of trouble real quick if you push your abilities too hard and too fast. Biking is loads of fun but an inherently dangerous exercise made even more dangerous by over confidence. Remember that and you'll be riding still at 70. :)

[Nicksta]

hey, congratts for getting a bike... sounds like you loved it like we all did the first time.,... welcome

[Sniper]

Good on ya mate. Remember, rubber sidedown

[limbimtimwim]

Well I'm not sure if this is thread-worthy, but I'm just ecstatic about it haha.
I'm not a very confident person (should ring alarm bells as to why I even bought a bike) but I've just always wanted a bike.. I was a total wuss on the bike to begin with.

Don't know what day things changed.. But they did. A "new level" so to speak.

It will for you too. Crazy when you realise it. I think it made me a more 'ballsy' person in other facets of life too.

[avrflr]

And I did, and it was fucking great. :
That's one more of us, and one less of them. Excellent. I try and explain to non-bikers why it's so addictive and they just don't get it. Well now you know. Happy trails, zeocen.

[Drew]

Very cool that you get a buzz out of it dude.
Don't know about anyone else, but I still have fun burning round a car park on a little bike, and I own two big ones. :ride:
Only problem I find with the buzz, is it gets harder and harder to find time to just ride for it, with no other reason than that.
Happy riding, keep the black stuff under the rubber stuff, and keep the brown stuff off your shorts.

[terbang]

Yup mate it sounds all good and welcome to the world of Motorcycles..
Allways concentrate on your Handling Skills, Mental Skills & Self Control Skills and you wont go too far wrong..

[Insanity_rules]

Congrats man, you should go for your licence. It is pretty easy and fun. I rode for 18 years on the road without it and feel pretty crap about it now as it was waaaay easier than I thought.

And when you discover the thrill of the ride it is postworthy (is that a word?). Welcome to a new and exciting world grasshopper. There are so more great things you have yet to discover about riding, I almost feel envious.

[MidnightMike]

Good on ya. :clap:

Is that Firefights wifes old bike?

[monica]

Good keep enjoying the ride we still do in more than once

[Jantar]

Well done. Like most on here I can still remember my first solo ride on a bike, even if it was 36 years ago. :ride:

[zeocen]

Good on ya. :clap:

Is that Firefights wifes old bike?

You have a keen eye ;)

Thanks for all the positive feedback, I do feel much more confident in getting my bike cert + learners. An empty carpark is a great place to learn .. no one to harm but yourself, and I know what you mean by over confident... I actually did get a bit cocky while having a go around the corners and found myself infront of a corner before I knew it.. scared me enough to realise I'll forever be a newbie as long as cars and corners are on the road :) It humbled me a bit, but luckily I managed to gain composure and get back on track.

FIZZERMAN: The carpark is very close to me (bout 5 - 10 min walk), my old man took it down at first, and he was impressed at the bikes handling and weight.. and he owns, in my opinion a behemoth of a bike.. so I take his words heavily and it gave me confidence in the bike I was on (trusting to lean on it etc, it was already comfortable as hell to sit on for me).

limbimtimwim: It's great to have people say the things you said, just as reassurance, I know my confidence can only go up from here.. even if I drop/crash it'll be a live and learn experience (unless it was my fault, in that case I'll get what I deserve heh).

Thanks again for the welcomed responses! I just can't wait to get it out, rubber side down, again.

[Colapop]

Get some good gear and plan to fall. Hopefully it never happens but like as not..... The more you ride the better you will become and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Sounds like you got a good support team at home though. Well done.

[Leong]

I was a total wuss on the bike to begin with.

Don't know what day things changed.. But they did. A "new level" so to speak.

It will for you too. Crazy when you realise it. I think it made me a more 'ballsy' person in other facets of life too.

Congrats zeocen, good to hear. I did the same 6 mths ago, except got the basic handling skills cert thru John Wright first. Wasn't sure if biking was for me, and didn't know anyone (well) who had a bike, so did John Wrights course (my first time on a bike) and got the basic handling skills cert two hours later. You'll have no problem getting it!!

ABout being "not very confident".... you're probably safer this way to a degree... but I absolutely agree with what LBTW said.... it does effect your confidence in other facets in life too. :2thumbsup

[surfchick]

arright-congrats,
when i got a bike at first i got it to escape the parking hassles in town - then i started riding it for FUN. i'd have died if someone had said to me a couple of years ago- you'd spend you weekends riding round on roads... it's a bit addictive...

[Blairos]

Nice Work!

As a relative newbie myself, the one thing I have found, is the more you ride, the more you learn, I am respectful of the machine, and dont try to run before you can walk.

If you are looking for a good basic Handling cert instructor, then I can recommend John Wright - like yourself, I am in Manurewa, and he conducts his courses over near Browns Road.

I also have an excellent Australian-produced DVD I can loan to you if you want to get a great perspective on this awesome mode of transport. :ride:

PM me if you are interested

[750Y]

congrats mate, enjoy it & always look to improve your skills, your confidence will grow in time. now get back to the carpark for some more practice! 8-)

[duckaddict]

Congrats on your acheivement, must have felt really good!

Work on getting the Learners and as soon as you've done your first KB ride, you'll be even more stoked. :rockon:



...I did the same 6 mths ago, except got the basic handling skills...

hmm... I thought I saw you on ya 650 at the newbie ride 2 few weeks ago :bash:


:scooter:

[Firefight]

hey Matt,

good on you man, great to hear your getting into it, don,t forget to keep an eye out for the newbie rides when you get sorted..:rockon:



F/F

[Leong]

hmm... I thought I saw you on ya 650 at the newbie ride 2 few weeks ago :bash:


:scooter:

You did!! Being an old fart and just getting in at the end of the CBTA trial, I got my full in January!!:niceone: Good to meet you duckaddict!!

[zeocen]

hey Matt,

good on you man, great to hear your getting into it, don,t forget to keep an eye out for the newbie rides when you get sorted..:rockon:



F/F

Cheers Dave, you bet I'll be there when I get my learners!

Blairos: That's cool, thanks for the offer! I might take you up on it later! ...I'm pretty gutted today, I wanted to get back out on that carpark and get my babysteps going again... seems the weather is against me today :/ Pretty cool to know that there's other people in my suburb who are starting too, even though you seem a fair bit ahead of me hehe

A question re: John Wright, I'll definately be going with him.. I could literally walk there to do the course but what I want to know is what bike do you learn on? Do you take your own (if you have one) or do they have little 50cc auto's you learn on?

[Ixion]

I believe Mr Wright supplies Honda CB250 twins for those doing his courses .Though I did hear that he also had a Honda 100cc trailie, which would probably be easier for a learner. The CB250 is a cumbersome thing.

[Blairos]

Pretty cool to know that there's other people in my suburb who are starting too, even though you seem a fair bit ahead of me hehe

Not so, I have had my bike for a month, but I have been riding the arse off it (1650KM down as at yesterday)


A question re: John Wright, I'll definately be going with him.. I could literally walk there to do the course but what I want to know is what bike do you learn on? Do you take your own (if you have one) or do they have little 50cc auto's you learn on?

He has a selection of GN250-like bikes, and a VTR250 (much like my one)
I founf the VTR to be the better one, as it is a little "twitchier" and makes you think about what you are doing, compared to the others - not sure about the trail bike mentioned in a previous post, it may be hiding there somewhere :ride:

[zeocen]

So it's all gear changing/slalem at 20kmph? Unless It's really simple I just don't know how someone who's never ridden a bike before could do it all without having practice before hand :/

[Blairos]

So it's all gear changing/slalem at 20kmph? Unless It's really simple I just don't know how someone who's never ridden a bike before could do it all without having practice before hand :/

Theres the requirements of the basic Handling certificate covered - riding at walking pace, the cones, stopping in a turn, that sort of thing - you shouldnt have any trouble - John is a great instructor

[Leong]

So it's all gear changing/slalem at 20kmph? Unless It's really simple I just don't know how someone who's never ridden a bike before could do it all without having practice before hand :/

It is really simple, especially if you've ridden a push bike and driven a car with manual transmission.... All 5 of us who did it on the day passed. You do get instruction, time to practice, then the "test".... took most of the morning. Don't really need to change gears in the test... maybe just 1st to 2nd. John's a good instructor!

[Ninja]

Well done Zeocen, and welcome to the world of motorcycling. Been riding for most of my life now and I still get a buzz out of it every time I get on a bike.
Best advice I can give you is to get your basic handling skills certificate as soon as you can. This means you get a start with proper training which may well prolong your riding career.

Riderskills do a basic handling skills test and training course every weekend in auckland and offer a 20% discount for kiwibiker members. You will not be charged for additional tuition or testing if you fail your test first time round, They just put you on the next available course to build your confidence and skills and put you through a retest.

Check out the feedback on kiwibiker and the riderskills website at http://www.riderskills.co.nz

[Rosie]

Sounds like you're doing well.
I did a similar thing when I was learning to ride, bought my bike then spent a few weeks riding around in carparks getting the hang of the bike. In the end the basic handling wasn't too bad, atrocious weather and unfamiliar bike aside.
The road code has a list of all the things you need to do for the basic handling skills course, so you know what to practise. I also practised skills I thought I would need on the road (right + left turns from a side street, small hill starts etc). And starting the bike again quickly. If you stall at traffic lights you'll want to get going quickly without having to think about what you are doing.
I'm pretty conservative/careful on the road, and I'm surprised at how quickly I'm picking things up, and becoming more comfortable with the whole riding thing.

[zeocen]

Thanks a lot Ninja. I think if the weather holds for this weekend I'll have another solid go in a carpark practicing everything that needs to be done in the test and then book it to get it out of the way ASAP :P, I think I'm making a mountain out of molehill but at least no one can say I wasn't being cautious! :P

[Blairos]

Good on ya!

I took the "Do the basic Handling Course on Saturday, the LTSA Application/Photo/Eye Test on Sunday, Learners Scratchy Test on Monday" approach...

Now, you cant keep me off my bike - every opportunity I get (within reason) has me out on it! :ride:

Let us know once you have got all the learners stuff sorted, and I may be persuaded to head out on a ride with you *rubber arm being twisted behind back* :)

I will often just do a zoom out to Clevedon/Duders beach and back - around 50KM round trip - with a good mix of road surface/cowshit/dead animals/bugs/corners/straights etc...

better stop before I get too carried away...

[Gazman]

I have to wait till september to get my learners because my parents want me to be 16. I had my first ride a few weeks back and I'm totally hooked too! Can't wait 'till I get my license.

[JWALKER]

congrats man, you will have heaps of fun

[zeocen]

Good on ya!

I took the "Do the basic Handling Course on Saturday, the LTSA Application/Photo/Eye Test on Sunday, Learners Scratchy Test on Monday" approach...

I work on saturdays so trying to squeeze it all in before my brain forgets everything is going to be hard :D But I'm sure I can do it ! I just want to get it over and done with so I can legally practice riding around in safe areas instead of empty parking lots :P

It's cool to know there's some local friendly riders around these ways though :D

[Blairos]

I work on saturdays so trying to squeeze it all in before my brain forgets everything is going to be hard :D But I'm sure I can do it ! I just want to get it over and done with so I can legally practice riding around in safe areas instead of empty parking lots :P

I would suggest calling John Wright and having a chat with him


It's cool to know there's some local friendly riders around these ways though :D

Theres plenty around! This site is great for seeking advice/tips about all sorts of things - plenty of experience to be found on KB :ride: