Help for a girl just getting into it (oracle)

[oracle]

Hey everyone, if you could help me with some advice that's be great. Atm I'm just looking into starting to ride, hoping to get my learners in the uni holidays once I'm out of the craziness that is doing biomed. Was looking round at a couple of bikes and would like to know if Lifan is any good? Also any advice for a real beginner. Cheers

[R-Soul]

No
10 characters

[kiwifruit]

Best to learn away from the road if you can. A small dirt bike in a paddock is my suggestion.
Welcome to the site

[Devil]

Hey everyone, if you could help me with some advice that's be great. Atm I'm just looking into starting to ride, hoping to get my learners in the uni holidays once I'm out of the craziness that is doing biomed. Was looking round at a couple of bikes and would like to know if Lifan is any good? Also any advice for a real beginner. Cheers

Lifan are at the acceptable level of chinese bikes. They have distributor support in NZ. I'd still pick something else however.

[NewRob]

Hi, welcome to KB.
Ask your uni friends about the bikes they ride and you will get the idea of what kind of bike to get. I have seen many uni students with bikes. Lifan is ok, but shop around and you can compare the difference in quality of each bike manufactures. Cheers

[reemit]

Hi there young'un. No idea about Lifan, sounds crap tho, like them lawnmowers from the BBQ factory.
But before you fight the Auckland traffic best to get some lessons from a riding school, balance and control etc.
The trick in the city is getting a sixth sense about whats gonna bite ya. Learn where the hotspots are for idiots in cars who havent a clue what their doing and keep your eyes wide open.
Good luck and have fun.

[Qkchk:Me]

Here is a bike that would be VERY suitable for Learning on. CBR125 Currently for sale...........

[R-Soul]

Hey everyone, if you could help me with some advice that's be great. Atm I'm just looking into starting to ride, hoping to get my learners in the uni holidays once I'm out of the craziness that is doing biomed. Was looking round at a couple of bikes and would like to know if Lifan is any good? Also any advice for a real beginner. Cheers

Seriously. Get a bike that is made in Japan, and has a bit of oomph behind it. the power is actually helpful in dodgy situations. and just because youhave it doesn't mean you have to use it (yeah right!).

Jap bikes have decent servicing costs, decent reliability, and decent resale value. And dont fall apart and are not made with dodgy materials and dodgy design. Lifan may be cheap short term but I think it could bite you later....

And honestly, get yourself a decent tutor/trainer and do a few courses AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE (the ride right ride safe course for one). And do reading of books. Specifically and most importantly, learn what counter steering is, and DO IT consciously for as long as it takes until it becomes subconscious.

Biking is ALL about technique. Poor technique is poor control, and lack of confidence. Riding while being unconfident in your abilities to control the bike is damn scary and takes away from the pure joy that is avialable otherwise. And with good technique, even a relative newbie can ride better than some "experienced" riders that have retained bad habits because they have never bothered to get off their ass and think/learn a bit more....

You can tell these riders on the forum by their comments:
"Dont overthink it - just ride"
"Its not a science lesson, just go out and do it", etc.

Never be scared to ask - if you dont ask, you dont learn. And if there is ever ANY doubt about your capabilities or your bike's, then DONT DO IT. A rider driven by ego is a very dangerous thing.

[nodrog:Me]

get a gsxr1000

[rie]

1. university of auckland scooter and motorcycle club meets fridays (see thread in this forum under "AUSMC"...or some acronym to that effect).
2. utilise search engine in this forum
3. utilise google to go beyond nz opinion
4. pm ppl on this forum you think may be especially helpful to you

[Sentox]

And honestly, get yourself a decent tutor/trainer and do a few courses AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE (the ride right ride safe course for one). And do reading of books. Specifically and most importantly, learn what counter steering is, and DO IT consciously for as long as it takes until it becomes subconscious.

Biking is ALL about technique. Poor technique is poor control, and lack of confidence. Riding while being unconfident in your abilities to control the bike is damn scary and takes away from the pure joy that is avialable otherwise. And with good technique, even a relative newbie can ride better than some "experienced" riders that have retained bad habits because they have never bothered to get off their ass and think/learn a bit more....

You can tell these riders on the forum by their comments:
"Dont overthink it - just ride"
"Its not a science lesson, just go out and do it", etc.

+1

I'd be a much worse rider without a systematic application of learning and practice. Get any training you can, read everything you can. Knowledge is power.

I've still got a lot to work on (and probably will do until the day I die), but at least whenever I go out and ride I feel completely in control of the bike. It's not about over-confidence, it's about having a grasp of the mental and physical aspects of riding so that the bike simply does what you want it to do, rather than you fighting against it.

[R-Soul]

Biking is ALL about technique. Poor technique is poor control, and lack of confidence. Riding while being unconfident in your abilities to control the bike is damn scary and takes away from the pure joy that is avialable otherwise. And with good technique, even a relative newbie can ride better than some "experienced" riders that have retained bad habits because they have never bothered to get off their ass and think/learn a bit more....

You can tell these riders on the forum by their comments:
"Dont overthink it - just ride"
"Its not a science lesson, just go out and do it", etc.

A qualifier: once you have learnt what good technique is, you should go out and practise it until it is second nature. The right things to do does NOT just happen intuitively in bad and scary situations. Even if you do theoretically know what they are. In emergency situations, there is no time for thought processes- only ingrained reflexes.

[Gone Burger]

Hey chickie! Good luck with the licence process. I myself have didn't have any licence 10 months ago, and now I have my full and a very lovely bike. The learner license process for me was full on, but I loved every minute of it (almost).

Many on here will have opinions about which bike will be best for you. Take on board what you want to , but I personally think its about finding the bike that suits your needs and you are a person (physically). I learnt on my keeway supershadow. Many would laugh at them as they too are a cheap import bike. But I loved it, and it was the perfect bike for me to learn on. It was light weight and easy for me to learn gearing on, shifting weight etc.

Have a sit on a few different kinds of bikes. See how they feel, how heavy you find them etc. My cheap and tacky keeway that i loved so much served me well, and as I grew confidence it also kepted up with more experinced riders who were kind enough to take me under thier wing.

You'll have a blast - this has been the greatest thing I have ever gotten into!

[rie]

Hey chickie! Good luck with the licence process. I myself have didn't have any licence 10 months ago...
You'll have a blast - this has been the greatest thing I have ever gotten into!

holy crap you can go from zero to full in 10months???

[ital916]

6 months learners, 3 months restricted for 0ver 25 with def driving course is my guess...unless there was an exemption involved katiepie?