The LEARN

[Quartida]

You know that time, back in your first days of riding, when you needed someone to give you the learn? As in the learn-to-ride?

What are people's experiences with getting a friend/partner to help them to learn? I am just about to start learning - hopefully - and though the boyfriend had offered very generously to teach me, I'm a little nervous. I will either
a) drop it
b) drop it
c) drop it AND break some part of my anatomy
d) somehow get something stuck and end up hitting something (perhaps even said boyfriend)

Having said that, it's a lot cheaper to learn this way than to take a course. My question is - is doing the course a more stress-free way to learn to ride (and thus worth the moolah)?

[bobsmith]

I got one of my friend to teach me... She was the helpful kind, we went to an empty road, she started her bike for me and told me to go for it...... :gob:

So I said... uhhh... which controls do which??? at which point I think she was a little nervous about teaching me to ride... Anyway, 5 minutes and two wheelies later, I was riding around everywhere laughing my head off in joy.

Oh she told me the next day that everyother person she has taught to ride has either gone into a fence or a paddock or fallen off the bike..... so I suppose I was lucky.

I would have taken a proper course if I could have though (no such thing in Palmy) in fact, I still am thinking about trying to attend one of the courses (I've been riding for a couple of months now) to upgrade my skills and learn new ones since I essentially taught myself to ride.

But if your boyfriend is a very competent rider, you could try getting him to teach you first, it's really not that bad, just go easy on the clutch the first time. Mind you the bike my friend taught me in was a mean 2 stroke 180cc farm bike, the thing would wheelie on 2nd gear with no clutch.

[Quartida]

Haha, perhaps what I SHOULD have asked the forums is whether my boyfriend is a competent rider ;)


He is. I think. :shutup:

[cowpoos]

You know that time, back in your first days of riding, when you needed someone to give you the learn? As in the learn-to-ride?

What are people's experiences with getting a friend/partner to help them to learn? I am just about to start learning - hopefully - and though the boyfriend had offered very generously to teach me, I'm a little nervous. I will either
a) drop it
b) drop it
c) drop it AND break some part of my anatomy
d) somehow get something stuck and end up hitting something (perhaps even said boyfriend)

Having said that, it's a lot cheaper to learn this way than to take a course. My question is - is doing the course a more stress-free way to learn to ride (and thus worth the moolah)?
I offered to learn ya? aff man....wasn't really keen on that idea....hmm???

[nodrog]

Haha, perhaps what I SHOULD have asked the forums is whether my boyfriend is a competent rider ;)


He is. I think. :shutup:

he's a good rider alright, just needs a bloody haircut.

[crashe]

Quartida - So what bike have you brought????


The offer still stands on going out there to help you learn...
as it is with Scorpygirl... who has also shyed away from her bike...:nono:



If Aff_man gets shitty when teaching you, just tell him to shuddup...:whistle:


Oh and when he is asleep give his hair a wee trim will ya...
He is starting to look like a woolly sheep....:rofl:
(pt)

[Rosie]

My boyfriend is teaching me to ride (been on my learners since February).
It may have been useful to go on a course as well, but there isn't much in the way of motorcycle courses in Rotorua, and it's worked out really well with him teaching me.

Maybe start off with him teaching you, and see how it goes. If it starts to get stressful, and doesn't seem to be working out you can sort yourself some lessons. Maybe you could agree to a couple of weeks of bf teaching you, then you'll decide if you want professional lessons or not.

Clint was incredibly patient and supportive when I was learning to ride. It can be a bit stressful, and you do have to do the same things over and over again until you get them right.

I have found it useful to ask lots of questions, and discuss ways I can improve my riding. I learn a lot that way, and avoid a stream of well meaning advice when I am stressed out and trying to concentrate on other things. Clint won't generally say anything about my riding (other than "you're doing really well!") unless I ask. And I try to ask specific questions about problems I'm having rather than "how was my riding" (one may as well ask "do I look fat in this").

Dropping-the-bike-wise, it's good to start out on something that is very drop proof. I learnt on a friends KRR150 that had been crashed multiple times and I wasn't going to be able to do it any damage. I did drop it once. I got a fright, but the bike was fine.

Start off somewhere like a carpark where there isn't much to hit, and work on going slowly and learning how the controls work (especially the brakes :laugh: ). If you are nervous, and likely to get stressed about the whole thing (as I did when I first started) it might help to do lots of frequent short (< 1hour) lessons, rather than a weekend-long learn to ride marathon.

Let us know how you get on. :scooter:

[Quartida]

Thanks Rosie. You have reassured me. But I'm thinking those <1 hour sessions are a good idea. :yes: Else aff-man might start pulling his hair out.

And as we all know, there's a hell of a lot of it. :laugh:

Crashe: no bike yet...I'm on the lookout (with a small bank balance - bye bye all my savings :bye:)

[Colapop]

I still think a paddock and a farmbike is the best way to start to learn to ride. Wide open spaces and a fairly soft landing. Patience and trust are the next best things. You've got to trust yourself and feel that whoever is teaching you trusts you (sometimes on their bike). And you've got to be patient - you're not going to be riding MotoGP on your first go.

[kiwifruit]

Fully agree with colapop there,
nothing better than learning basic control skills in wide open spaces with grass instead of tarseal to land apon.
Learning on the grass/dirt tends to be helpful with things like skid control,
learning how the bike moves when its sliding etc.
I have taught lots of people to ride who have never riden this way,
at least if its an old dirt bike the thought of dropping it isnt really a worry.
4 sure let your bf teach you!
As long as you are comfortable with it, its a great way to recieve the learn :)

[vifferman]

Meh.
No-one taught me, I just got on and rode. Most of my first experiences were on grass, which helped, including my first bad experience: parking across a steep hill (good), losing my balance after stopping (not good), toppling over to the downhill side with the bike's crankcase on top of my left ankle (very bad). Eventually the nerve damage repaired itself...

But mostly it was all good, and lotsa fun. Even the day riding through swamps on a friend's farm, and even the same day getting barbed wire wrapped around my ankle (socks and sandshoes were little protection against that).

[mikey]

gay - keep your relationship offline! or least off kiwibiker, for your own sake.

[Quartida]

Sorry :o

Thanks for the advice everyone.

[aff-man]

Ok so this thread has turned into is aff a competent rider... and what is the best way to get me a haircut.

Ok the ideal thing for her to larn on would be a dirtbike and a paddock... but seeing as we have neither this will have to do. I learnet to ride from a mate (CK) in a parking lot on my first bike.

I am pretty sure that if she doesn't freak out to much she'll be fine. No I won't get to stressed watching her.... but I am a little worried as anyone would be in this situation.

She'll be right mate. She just needs to get a bike first.:gob: So anyone got anything.

[crashe]

Frosty has a little wee GN250 that he has just purchased...
It could be sold at a real cheap price...

Grab it before the rest of the KBers destroy it completely...
It was Markauckland's bike.
Just had a nice paint job and engine work done on it..

[aff-man]

Frosty has a little wee GN250 that he has just purchased...
It could be sold at a real cheap price...

Grab it before the rest of the KBers destroy it completely...
It was Markauckland's bike.
Just had a nice paint job and engine work done on it..

No..... enough said...

Don't go try undo all my good work young lady. She is going to get a sprotbike of sorts.:rockon:

[placidfemme]

You know that time, back in your first days of riding, when you needed someone to give you the learn? As in the learn-to-ride?

What are people's experiences with getting a friend/partner to help them to learn? I am just about to start learning - hopefully - and though the boyfriend had offered very generously to teach me, I'm a little nervous. I will either
a) drop it
b) drop it
c) drop it AND break some part of my anatomy
d) somehow get something stuck and end up hitting something (perhaps even said boyfriend)

Having said that, it's a lot cheaper to learn this way than to take a course. My question is - is doing the course a more stress-free way to learn to ride (and thus worth the moolah)?

Personally I'd advise getting real lessons... however, I had two friends start to teach me to ride... the first time I nearly crashed into a tree... the second time I got the bike going and had major issues trying to stop... (Which is becuase he taught me to change up gears and not down lol).

There are a lot of good riding instructors out there, but you should go with your own intuition... is your boyfriend a good rider? Has he been riding long? Does he have patience? Is he a good teacher and does he make you feel safe and confident when on the bike? If you answered yes to some or most of those questions and want to save some $$ then get lessons from him... if the answer is no... it wouldn't be a waste to spend $30-$50 on lessons professionally :)

Good luck

Edit: Ok I just clicked Aff-man is the "boyfriend' lol so take lessons from him (cause I gotta be nice so he'll finish helping me fix my bike) :)

[Quartida]

Edit: Ok I just clicked Aff-man is the "boyfriend' lol so take lessons from him (cause I gotta be nice so he'll finish helping me fix my bike) :)

:rofl:

Me too, in case I ever need him to fix MY bike!

[Gremlin]

... is your boyfriend a good rider? Has he been riding long? Does he have patience? Is he a good teacher and does he make you feel safe and confident when on the bike?
hehehehehehehehe :killingme I reckon I would have a good shot at nailing all your questions with one easy answer :bleh:

Seriously tho, and not being harsh on ol' affie, it is easy to overlook the odd little details that an experience rider takes for granted, while you, the learner, do not know at all.

I would say use an instructor to get all the basics, then use aff-man after that. You will have a solid base of instruction, then he can fill in the questions that you will have, and offer the next phase of learning as such.

[aff-man]

hehehehehehehehe :killingme I reckon I would have a good shot at nailing all your questions with one easy answer :bleh:

Seriously tho, and not being harsh on ol' affie, it is easy to overlook the odd little details that an experience rider takes for granted, while you, the learner, do not know at all.

I would say use an instructor to get all the basics, then use aff-man after that. You will have a solid base of instruction, then he can fill in the questions that you will have, and offer the next phase of learning as such.

Hey just cause you're slow:nya: Not to bad advice but then again I'm still learning so wouldn't class myself as "experienced" just yet. But I should be able to teach her the basics. This is the brake... If you freak out and use it unlike like a car you will fall over.... don't freak out.:doobey:

[Gremlin]

well.... those are very basic basics :lol:

but would you feel happy that you have covered ALL the basics she would need?? Remember, overlooking something simple, could cost her...

I thought John Wright (for example) was good. Because I was an absolute learner, I definitely was happy to fork out the $200 odd for 3 hours of tuition and practice, instead of a condensed 1 hour course or something.

but if you feel you can cover all the basics, then go ahead. Just that you don't have all those pretty pictures John did about your angle of view at different speeds... which was also sobering...

[Quartida]

No, I take your point Gremlin. Though I don't know the 'pictures' you're talking about. But I think it's probably something that I will have to think about in more detail...

...at least, something I will have to think about in more detail when I finally get a bike. :scooter:

[Gremlin]

Though I don't know the 'pictures' you're talking about.
The first half hour or so of his 3 hour course (well, this is for John Wright, who I obviously did it with - no ideas how the other operate) is theory based. One of the things he had were pictures of streets, and you angle of vision at various speeds.

The point being, as you go faster, your field of vision narrows. So at 30-40 (no idea on given speeds, these are for example), you see all side streets etc. At 70 or whatever, you are barely noticing the side streets coming up but can still see the whole road. At 100 all you see is the line in front of you. Its all your brain can cope with etc.

But yeah, just resources like that (ashamed to admit I can hardly remember what other stuff he had... something about road surfaces etc :Oops: )

[SkOrM]

Don't go try undo all my good work young lady. She is going to get a sprotbike of sorts.:rockon:

She could borrow my FXR for a day... its crashed on both sides so she wouldnt feel too bad if she drops it.

[NC]

Taught myself how to ride...

[Quartida]

At 100 all you see is the line in front of you. Its all your brain can cope with etc.

I assume 'etc.' accounts for "I'm riding at 180kph and I'm lucky if I see anything."

[aff-man]

I assume 'etc.' accounts for "I'm riding at 180kph and I'm lucky if I see anything."

As long as you got like 10-20m visablility she'll be right mate... Try riding in fog... aye gremlin :killingme :killingme :killingme

[apteryx_haasti]

Hiya - speaking as a total newbie. I took a learn to ride course here in Wgtn and did the basic skills the same day. It was good because they supplied the bike and it was in a carpark and all. On the other hand, it really didn't prepare me for actually going out on the road on my own! I took a course because I didn't have a bike or know anyone with a 250 and I also didn't know anything about bikes, having only been on one as a passenger. For me, the course was good, but the first test ride of a shop bike a couple of weeks later was scary!

If I'd known someone with a 250 who was willing to let me tootle around a carpark on it, that would have been great...

[Drew]

Person teaching dont have to be competant, just patient and understanding. Show the basics, and let ya go at it. You'll stall a hundred times, long as he wont get shity with that, he'll do just fine to teach.
I think the course teaches too much, and makes people over think what will eventually come naturally.
In the unlikely event that he does get pissed off, get him back by standing with your ass just touching the seat, give it death, let go of the clutch, and watch the bike dissapear away from under you, then turn around and storm off.
Hehehe, no way he'll toss his toys at ya again.

[kevie]

when I got first bike in 1969 the bike shop delivered the bike, showed me what all the 'bits' were and left .... I learned by falling off a couple times and several stalls LOL

But close friends/family teaching you is ok if they are patient and not critical. I taught my wife to drive, my daughter, couple friends and my niece.

They all seem competent and we didnt have any stress or dramas despite all our friends advising me not to teach someone close.

My stepfather tried to teach me to drive a car.... but lessons stopped abruptly when I almost took out a power pole after getting mixed up in the pedals LOL

[VasalineWarrior]

Hehhe you all sound so compentent like riding came natural.
I borrowed a friends bike and went straight into the side of his house. Spat the gravel out and got back on. Since then its been a constant battle not to repeat that first experience, and ive managed to substitute the house for running into other things instead.

[Indiana_Jones]

I got my old man to teach me

-Indy

[Quartida]

I borrowed a friends bike and went straight into the side of his house.

Haha, see that's what I'm scared of :confused:

"So here's the clutch, and here's the accelerator. Gears are on your right, down once for first. Got that?"

"Um, which one's the brake again?"

"Don't worry, you'll be f-"




And then I will go into the house.

I can visualise it so clearly :doh:

[Ixion]

I knew a chap tried learning to ride in his back yard.

He rode straight through the side of their garage (his parents' garage). One of those fibrolite ones. Just kept on going, didn't swerve, didn't brake. We were all yelling at him to brake. We thought he would ride round in a circle, but he just went straight.

The fibrolite just shattered and he went straight through and hit his father's car parked in the gargage.

Lucky that the garage was jerry built, with no dwangs, or he have done himself a mischief. He wasn't hurt at all, which is more than could be said for the garage or the car.

It;s a good idea to know where the brake is and how to use it :rofl: :yes:

[Quartida]

It;s a good idea to know where the brake is and how to use it :rofl: :yes:

Of perhaps in this case, the handlebars at least. :ride:

[mikey]

Personally I'd advise getting real lessons... however, I had two friends start to teach me to ride... the first time I nearly crashed into a tree... the second time I got the bike going and had major issues trying to stop...

thats casue your a stupid little lesbian that an "didn't play with barbies when you were a kid".

best way to learn is to get on a bike, an go ride it. not spend hours thinking about it an going on the net asking for pointers, (duh, left is a clutch right is brake an throttle, dont worry about indicators, there a flase sense of security
) its not rocket science. 5 yr olds can do it. just get on an ride, i na car park if your scared of the road an cars

don't see what the problem is, with this mumbo jumbo mummy didnt breast feed me, need someone to teach me to ride a bike (cheers gormsby)

[XP@]

According to the HURT report, an old but in depth study in to bike crashes, you are a lot more likely to fall off if you were taught by friends and family as opposed to a qualified instructor.


The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.
http://www.clarity.net/~adam/hurt-report.html

Aff-man, be a man and pay for some training for her :-)

[buellbabe]

My 1st bike was a trail bike, my mate showed me the basics and the rest was up to me. Mistakes made in the dirt didn't hurt that bad...(personally i recommend riding off-road first if ya can...) Anyway I survived... and by the time I progressed to road bikes I was a fairly competent rider and now with many years experience would even call myself a very competent rider (altho I concede that there is always room for improvement...every ride is a learning experience eh!).
I agree with what others have said re: learn the basics from yr b/friend ie: where the controls are and what they do then get some professional lessons. They will really help with the confidence and you will learn some really valuable skills.
Oh yeah and don't forget to ENJOY!

[kiwifruit]

taught 2 people to ride on the weekend
paddock + sub 1000 dollar bike = minta
bike was dropped a couple of times, no probs....

Edit; for some reason the pics arent loading :\

http://i1.tinypic.com/zumnb4.jpg
http://i3.tinypic.com/zums7k.jpg

[mstriumph]

i learnt by falling off :confused:
and running into things :confused:
a lot

it probaly took longer than it should have .... 'cause it was - erm - fun :shifty:

[aff-man]

Aff-man, be a man and pay for some training for her :-)

Dude I'm a broke ass student... and she is not far off. Has enough for a bike but that's about it.

It'll be up to her in the end but i'm easy either way:drinkup:

[XP@]

No problem, for the price of a couple of tanks of gas (ok, small tanks) ...

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=843&day=2006-6-18&

[aff-man]

No problem, for the price of a couple of tanks of gas (ok, small tanks) ...

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/calendar.php?do=getinfo&e=843&day=2006-6-18&

need to get her a bike first.

[metric]

i know the pictures he's talking about. pay for a professional...

[Gremlin]

Try riding in fog... aye gremlin :killingme :killingme :killingme
What?? Who?? Me?? :pinch:

No, you have it all wrong, I rode into the ditch immediately BEFORE the fog :o

And of course I won't say anything about it being my second lesson in 3 days :weep:

[wendy]

i did the course got my L's then about 3 weeks later dropped the bike in front of bf anyway :o i hit the gutter and fell over, i recommend doing both but i think the course was worth it

good luck