First ride! I'm hooked

[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.

[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.

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.

...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

[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..



F/F

[Leong]

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

You did!! Being an old fart and just getting in at the end of the CBTA trial, I got my full in January!! 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..



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

[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.