Do you have a friend that drives a car?
Do you have a friend that rides a bike? Have bike friend come to your place and double you on your bike to parking lot for you to practice safely.
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i wanna go for my first ride but not alone
- Thread starter ScorpioCBR16
- Start date
Do you have a friend that drives a car?
Do you have a friend that rides a bike? Have bike friend come to your place and double you on your bike to parking lot for you to practice safely.
silvrsurfr
Well-known member
Im downtown. this is my 2nd season riding. if you keep it small. no more than 3 people i would be interested in coming along.
A small group is manageable for first timers. hit a parking lot. practice some drills. learn on some small side roads.
I think it would go far in building ur confidence.
A small group is manageable for first timers. hit a parking lot. practice some drills. learn on some small side roads.
I think it would go far in building ur confidence.
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
the rider who is sitting behind a keyboard is only sitting at home right now because i got an exam but will be going for a ride at my parking lot later. i wont drop the bike because i got enough experience from the weekend on how to balance it well and how to take corners. the stalling part happened to me at the course only and not when i was riding my bike yesterday at all. so if u think that im a scared rider then sorry to disappoint u im not i just dont want to go on the streets alone in case something happens.
nesobriquet
Well-known member
You mention a few times your fear of possibly stalling.
To really lighten that fear a LOT, just do two things.
- make sure you are in first gear as you slow to a stopped light. This one is important and sets you up automatically for the 2nd thing to always do. Plus it increases your chances a LOT that you won't stall repeatedly. This is best done while bike is still moving. If you find that your bike tends to be sticky into first (or any lower gear) if you do end up coming to a stop first (many bikes do this) simply let your clutch out a little bit while you press down into first at same time. usually you can feel it go thru neutral and even observe the neutral light when you are stopped.
- then the other thing to do is, if you do stall it, don't freak. Simply don't panic, proactively keep the bike as vertical as possible before doing anything else, and remember that all you have to do is pull the clutch in and stab the starter again. No need to worry the shifter or anything.
so two things..
- make sure you are in first gear as you slow to a stopped light.
- then the other thing to do is, if you do stall it, don't freak, just pull in the clutch and stab starter and try again...takes longer to type it out than do.
Good luck, enjoy, always assume they don't see you or don't care about you even if they do see you.
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
thanks for ur advice ya i always have the bike on 1st when i stop but then when i start to move i stall sometimes. but i find that when i give it a bit of throttle before i leave i dont stall. i will try doing that at my parking lot first then on the streets just to get used to the stop and leave with no stall
May I suggest a nice quiet long stretch of road for practicing your shifting and braking? Google Commissioners Street. This is near the T&T on Cherry Street. You can travel the entire length at 50-60km/h, from Cherry all the way to Leslie, with 2-3 traffic lights in between. That's where I smoothed out my shifting when I first started riding. Also, this street is extremely quiet at the wee hours (6am to 8am). The only ones you have to watch out for are the cyclists and the occasional bus/truck. Try it out. The trick is how comfortable are you getting down there... early morning downtown, traffic is at very minimum. Plan your route and go 
Julz
Well-known member
For the safety of others and yourself I would strongly suggest that if you are to ride with someone, have that person be experienced and not at the same level as you. Have you ever heard of the term "the blind leading the blind"
For the love of God, you were told several times NOT to ride with new riders and the reasoning.
Okay, I am done with this thread. It seems you are in the learn the hard way camp.
Best of luck to you, stay safe, stay alert, stay calm.
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
thanks i will def google it and go there once im more comfortable with the road to practice shifting and braking
May I suggest a nice quiet long stretch of road for practicing your shifting and braking? Google Commissioners Street. This is near the T&T on Cherry Street. You can travel the entire length at 50-60km/h, from Cherry all the way to Leslie, with 2-3 traffic lights in between. That's where I smoothed out my shifting when I first started riding. Also, this street is extremely quiet at the wee hours (6am to 8am). The only ones you have to watch out for are the cyclists and the occasional bus/truck. Try it out. The trick is how comfortable are you getting down there... early morning downtown, traffic is at very minimum. Plan your route and go
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
we will be going to a parking lot to ride and learn. im waiting for my experienced friend to get his plates so he can go for rides with me
If I'm not out of town this weekend, I'd go with you. Mind you I won't be leading in front of you, but only helping you to block traffic behind you
thanks i will def google it and go there once im more comfortable with the road to practice shifting and braking
Maybe she is just worried that if she gets hurt or has some technical issue there will be some one there to give a hand??? I kind of wish I had some one there to help me out on my first few rides. I ended up having to call my dad to help me pick my bike up when I dumped it in some gravel, lol.
ScorpioCBR16
Well-known member
thats true it would be nice to have someone help out and learn with. me,HA10 and silvrsurfr who has been riding longer than us will join us
My first time on the street with my first bike, I had a friend (over 20 years experience) come over to ride with me to the local Mall. I was so nervous, I really appreciated her there. She kept quiet, and just rode behind me. Once at the mall, she rode around at her end and I rode around at my end. Bless her, she stayed with me that first couple of hours. Finally she "escorted" me home, and from that point on, I was on my own. I basically rode alone that first season. It was lonely at times, but I didn't feel I had the confidence or skill to take my bike around other riders...lol. I didn't want to get in the way, or cause problems... We finally rode together again a week ago. We had a ball riding the countryside. She remarked on how I wasn't the same rider she took out over a year ago. That was to be expected, but it still felt good..... Ok, I digress..... Not suggesting this is for everyone, but it worked for me.
I would say practice at parking lot or somewhere with less people before you ride out with anyone. I practiced around small streets for a bit like 30 mins each day for 2-3 days before I started heading out to major roads. And downtown is more busy and dangerous so more practice is good. then you can have more advice and suggestions from small group riding to gain more experience. BUT this is personal preference so do what you think is best for you. Maybe have someone experience watch over you while you practice. This is coming from someone who's just started riding for 2 weeks. ninja 250
And don't rush yourself in group rides. I found out that I prefer to ride solo or with my tried and tested riding buddies. I know how they ride and they know how I ride. We added couple more people to our group over last couple of years but it is always joint decision as you really introduce new unknown to a group with well established dynamics. I became opposed to riding with unknown folks after couple of group rides where were some a**holes plus it is very rare for me to go for a demo ride and not meet one or two guys who absolutely suck at riding and spoil demo ride for everyone else.
So take it slow, gain confidence, try couple of group rides and see what works for you. I know one guy who's been riding for 30+ years and he always rides solo - group ride is just not his cup of tea.
So take it slow, gain confidence, try couple of group rides and see what works for you. I know one guy who's been riding for 30+ years and he always rides solo - group ride is just not his cup of tea.
dieselxx
Well-known member
i just finished my course and want to go on my first ride on the street but im not sure if i should go alone on a ride. i live downtown and wanna take my motorcycle cbr 125 for a ride early in the morning
anyone want to join me saturday or sunday morning
I would ride with you as I am 10 minutes from downtown but I suggest like others to go on your own and stay on side streets for the first few hours. If you venture out on main streets do it early Sunday morning as there is not many cars. Or a parking lot of course.
Nothing to be ashamed of as its your first time. Take it easy and enjoy it. We have all been through it
I actually just picked up my second bike but haven't ridden it yet. Just got my plate today. So I am going to ride some side streets this afternoon just to become accustomed to the 800cc torque lol.
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