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24 years old, first bike, first ride

700 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  BlackDog 
#1 ·
My name is Taylor and I am in the chilly north in Minnesota! (well, not chilly right now, it was fricken 90 degrees today).

I've always wanted to ride a motorcycle, and being who I was, I was keen on jumping on something like a Ninja 500 and running with it. Of course, I have back problems, so that was out for me. I decided to run the thought of getting a cruiser, one that I could sit up straight on as not to hurt myself when sitting.

I'm also broke as a joke. So dishing out cash for exactly what I'm looking for isn't going to happen anytime soon, but my coworker had a nice bike that he didn't use, so I scooped it up from him. So now I'm the proud owner of a 1981 Kawasaki 1000 LTD. This thing scares the hell out of me, which is good, it will keep me from doing something stupid. I also have plenty of lot space that I can practice on so I'm good and ready when I try to take her on the road.

Despite the fact that my first bike is a 1000CC, I am going to let it sit in the garage and take the MSF next year so I know what I'm doing before I get on this beast.

That's a little about me, hope I find some fun things on here!
 
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#2 ·
Congratulations on getting a bike,
that is a lot of bike for a first ride...

save up and get a small cc dirt bike if you can,
learn to ride on it, learn the clutch, gas and braking habits on it first. its much safer...
I always teach new riders skills on a small dirt bike first.
...circles, figure 8's, braking hard,
grass is a lot softer when you fall over compared to concrete and asphalt.

the MSF is useful, but its still is just a basic course.
take your time...
 
#3 ·
I just bought a used 250 a couple days ago as my first bike and I'm really glad that I didn't buy something with more power. I know I can still get myself into trouble with it, but it's going to be a lot more forgiving than a larger bike.

I'm not sure I'd recommend learning figure 8s on dirt or grass unless the OP is planning on riding on those as they're not going to have the same handling characteristics as pavement would.

My recommendation is really to find a rather large parking lot and start with large figure 8s and just get really comfortable with that. Ones that are large enough that there's no question about success. Then over time move the cones or markers closer together until you're doing them nice and tight with appropriate confidence.

One of the main problems with the MSF course when they do the U-turns and figure 8s is that they start out with such a small area and don't permit time to really get used to it. That S curve they have has the same radius, but riders seem to find that easier than the U-turn box.

With a few exceptions, most motorcycle skills are ones that can be learned effectively by making them ridiculously easy and then cautiously making them harder and harder until you've mastered the hardest form.
 
#5 ·
You're certainly entitled to your opinion. But, it's bad pedagogy that unnecessarily scares people resulting in poor performance. Over all I'm glad I went through the MSF program, but I stand by my assertion that it's too short and certain portions of the program have to be shortchanged in order to deal with the time constraints. You may not agree with that assertion, but considering how many people struggle with U-turns later on, it's hardly unreasonable to suggest that the way it's being taught isn't sufficient.

As far as your time riding goes, that's hardly relevant to the discussion. It's bad advice to tell new riders that they're going to fall. Maybe they will and maybe they won't, but if you give us the idea that we're going to fall, you're just increasing the likelihood of an unnecessary spill. You avoid taking a spill when doing a U-turn by properly practicing the skill like I said. Now, you might not agree with me, but that's how education works. You start with the easiest variation and you work your way up to the most complex.

To put it another way, it is possible to learn to ride a bike by just jumping on there and peddling. Some people do learn that way. However, the technique also results in pointless injuries as it does take a while to develop the necessary balance when starting out. These days, it's common to start with a bike that has no peddles, progress to one that has peddles and training wheels and then to a bike that has peddles and no training wheels. It's done like that because it works a lot better and results in less emotional and physical scarring.

BTW, I may be a noob when it comes to riding, but I am a teacher and I do know a thing or two about who to teach people things. I couldn't teach English, most of the sciences as well as art if I didn't know about how people learn. And motorcycle instruction is by and large still way behind the curve when it comes to other areas of education.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Did you even read/understand my post?
:rolleyes:

Teacher's...pedagogy...

A Mediocre teacher Talks,
A Good teacher Explains,
A Great teacher Demonstrates,
A Superior teacher Inspires.

I think you are speaking way outside of your knowledge base too... "teach".
I think my instruction has been somewhat successful, but to each their own.





..."but I am a teacher and I do know a thing or two about who to teach people things"...
:Hmmmm:
 
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