Nervous newbie (Felix52)

[Felix52]

Hi All

I've been lurking on the site for a while, and have finally started getting lessons from a mate on his CB250 (yes, I'm *that* new to riding).

The first lesson went fine, although my throttle control was a bit jerky, and I was completely confident that after one more short go I'd be able to get a BHS.

Well, today I had that second go, and it went pretty badly....I didn't really feel confident on the bike at all, and I managed to drop it too! :argh: (Note to self, trying to stop while leaned over is *NOT* recommended...)

Luckily there was no real damage apart from a bit of paint loss, and he said he was planning to re-paint it anyway, but I'm still going to owe him a lot of beers for this.....

So anyway, did the rest of you have off days when you were trying to learn? Did it take you a while, or did you just hop on and breeze through the tests? Also, any good tips on how to keep the rubbery bits pointed down in future?

[Matt_TG]

Hi Felix and welcome to KiwiBiker! Balance is something that you should already have sorted (if you can ride a pushbike it's similar), the difference being the weight of a motorbike will tend to pull you over if you are not level when stopped.

You will find that it's easier to keep your balance when moving and tend to wobble more when turning slow. I've found it easier to keep upright by gripping the tank with my knees and use more throttle to keep the speed up when doing slower turns. If you have a jerky throttle response it will be a bit un-nerving, perhaps a more forgiving ride like a GN will help.

As for the Basic Handling Test, I did mine on a scooter (no gears) lol. It was 15 years ago though, things may have changed.

[Maverick]

Hey Felix,
Dont get too disheartened, I remember when I started out thinking that a GN250 was intimidating.
I started about 8 years ago on a scooter, and then (after about 8 months) sat my BHS (on my scooter!) and got my bike licence and an FXR150.
After 1 week I crashed because I stepped too hard on the (new) rear brake trying to stop at an orange light and the (new) rear tyre slid out on the white painted arrow on the wet road.
I did $1600 damage to a $3500 bike. Thankfully it was insured.
Not so great was the damage I did to my knees, I was riding to work in thin work trousers, (leather jacket and gloves) and tore the knees open. Being hard I went home, had a bath, and let my trainee nurse girlfriend look after me. I SHOULD have gone to a doctor as it took about 3 years for my knee joints to heal up.

The moral of the story? Errrr...
Everyone starts somewhere, and yes its scary sometimes, but that will pass.
However dont let it pass to quickly and get cocky, thats usually when fate decides to bust your ego.
Invest in good gear, it can save you from a lot of pain.

Take it easy, and all the best with your learning

Mav :cool:

[NOMIS]

Welcome. I guess its all part of it aye.

Not blowing my own trumpet but to be honest, I got told when I was young how a bike works. I jumped on and i was off. I never had a problem I wasn;t no valentinio rossi or anything but I never had a problem. Is there anyone else who just piked it up?

But I still learn more everytime I ride and I realy wana get to a track day to learn a few tips from some more experianced riders.

Congrates on learning and keep up with it. every one makes mistakes while driving / riding so just learn from them I guess.:2thumbsup

[Gubb]

Mate, even the best riders have off days.

Best thing to do is get back in the saddle and keep practicing. It's the only way you'll get better.

[awayatc]

Life is a never ending learning curve....don't feel bad, you will get better every time you ride....Enjoy it!:2thumbsup
All off us make mistakes at times....:apint:

[mowgli]

I learnt my basic motorcycle skills off road in the dirt where falling off is expected - fun too :) Do you have any farmer friends?

[chubby]

Felix.... there are always days that feel more confident than others. Somedays its in the zone, other days its just not right. Its attitude and confidence. What your experiancing is learning and expecting each day to be better than the last. It takes time to learn. We all make fools of ourselves and make mistakes, its called learning. What people above me have said is very correct and sage advice. There is a lot to take in so don't rush it. If you have the urge to ride then it will come. Identify what your not the best at, where you feel deficient and get some help and practice. Experiance comes a split second after you need it.

Oh and try to enjoy the feeling and keep smiling (and buy your friends beer before you borrow their bikes so its money in the bank so to speak).

[EJK]

Hi All

I've been lurking on the site for a while, and have finally started getting lessons from a mate on his CB250 (yes, I'm *that* new to riding).

The first lesson went fine, although my throttle control was a bit jerky, and I was completely confident that after one more short go I'd be able to get a BHS.

Well, today I had that second go, and it went pretty badly....I didn't really feel confident on the bike at all, and I managed to drop it too! :argh: (Note to self, trying to stop while leaned over is *NOT* recommended...)

Luckily there was no real damage apart from a bit of paint loss, and he said he was planning to re-paint it anyway, but I'm still going to owe him a lot of beers for this.....

So anyway, did the rest of you have off days when you were trying to learn? Did it take you a while, or did you just hop on and breeze through the tests? Also, any good tips on how to keep the rubbery bits pointed down in future?

If you feel stupid about binning from the beginning, maybe you should talk to Drider87 :niceone:

[stevewederell]

Welcome aboard Felix,

Fortunately for me my riding has been all upright so far. I'm just fractionally ahead of you with experience. My lovely lady taught me how to ride on my GN250. Seems to be a classic as far as learning goes and we used a nearby car park to play in.

Be glad that your drop was in a safe place and that it's out of the way, I'm still waiting for mine.

My biggest tip would be to look ahead (where you want to go) not where you are. This seems to help stacks with balance, important when cornering and stopping at lights.

I was lucky when I did the BHT, also used a scooter for that. At that stage I didn't know HOW to change the gears...1 down 4 up and how many sideways? Just keep practicing and you'll be sweet. My flatty failed his BHT:blink: but passed after a few simple lessons and pointers from a new newbie.:2thumbsup

Keep looking up and ahead and relax...the excitement comes soon enough.


Cheers
Steve

[Swoop]

Don't stress.

Relax.

Enjoy.

Learn.
Ride heaps!!

Also, welcome to KB!
:ride:

[madandy]

Welcome to KB and to learning to ride!
Look up and well ahead, relax. Slip the clutch a little on really slow light throttle stuff and some of us drag the back brake ever so lightly to steady the bike in slow turns like U-turns ;)

best of luck

Andy

[rie]

you can sit your BHS on a 50cc scooter with no gears. i would recommend sitting it in something you are comfortable riding though.

i picked up my GPX really quickly and only ever managed to drop it once in my horrendous driveway. on other machines i seem to struggle more though, esp cruiser style bikes.

but when i first started out, a seasoned rider told me that there are some things that as a newbie you are almost guaranteed to do:

1. you will stall at least 500 times.
2. you will drop the bike
3. you will spill petrol over your tank
4. you will incur the wrath of incensed drivers who think you only need half a meter clearance when travelling at 100k/h
5. you WILL get over your newbie jitters.

just time in the seat is all you need.

[Cave Cleaner]

Welcome to the site Felix52. I started riding in the 60,s and yes I did fall off, get cut off by a truck, and skid out on gravel, but Im still here and still riding. Wont give it up.:Punk:

But I find how ever long you have been riding, you are always learning something new.

Im always looking around as I ride, so no one bursts into my bubble so to speak....

Take care and enjoy:headbang:

[tate35]

Hi Felix52 Welcome,

I'm new to riding bikes too. I have'nt dropped it yet ;)but then I have'nt been a great deal yet. The biggest thing for me before I even attempted to ride was getting a handle on the throtte and the brakes which one I got my head around that I was confident.. I was told if you can ride a pushbike then you can ride a motorbike, and that has proved true.

When we learned to ride a pushbike without our training wheels the first time we all canned off - it happens :)

Well good luck to you keep it up - the more you ride the easier it will get.

[HRH]

Hi Felix,

Welcome to the site. I have been riding 6 months now and am hoping to sit my restricted test next week <gulp!>.
If you have some extra money burning a hole in your pocket, it is well worth finding an outfit that does 'Learning to Ride' courses and 'Basic Handling' courses. The first day I ever got on a bike - I did both of these and managed to pass my BHS test that same day. The instructor said that only 50% of people who haven't done a course pass first time, whereas its close to 100% pass rate for those who have. I found it invaluable experience. For a very new rider, the BHS test is challenging!

Having said that, after doing those two courses I was off and haven't looked back! I definately still feel I have my days where Im just not getting it together, but the more I get out there, the more it seems that even experienced riders have these too. The more you ride, the better you get though. I never thought I'd feel confident riding 100km so quickly - looking forward to being able to do it legally soon. I think what worked for me was not putting myself in situations where I would cock up and lose confidence. Instead I have built myself up slowly (too slowly for some no doubt but at least I haven't gone backwards).

I really recommend those two courses I did. I have continuously used the skills I learnt there. Keep climbing back into the saddle - the rest comes with time :)