New rider....

sburns said:
I still haven't gone onto any 400 series highways yet, kind avoiding them at the moment. But country highways no problem, and I found this great to practice other things away from the nonsense of the city.

You will get there, find what works for you, good luck!
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I like highways, way less things to avoid. Not so much fun on a naked though.
 
Remember. Let out the clutch nice and slow, it will be next to impossible to stall the bike, regardless of engine speed.
When ever people mention that they took a course, I always want to ask which course the took.


To keep safe, it is double important that you always be aware of every vehicle around you. Know where they are and what could they do to screw you up at any given time.
If you expect the worst case scenario, you should never be surprised at what happens.

Watch for cell phone users, people with the finger on the turn signal, weaving and encroaching into one side of the lane or the other.
Most drivers will veer over to the side of the lane that they wish to turn in, well before they actually turn, weather it is at an intersection or on a highway.

Go train parking lots on the weekend are great for beginners.
I took my wife there after her course with Sheridan.
 
parking lots are a good idea
slow speed handling is real problem for new riders

then get some time on residential streets

need to get to the point where your have your wits about you
about other vehicles, where they are are going, and where you want to go

at first you're going to be focused on the bike controls
need to get beyond that so you can make the bike do what you want
while 100% of your attention is on going where you want to go

stay out of traffic until you feel comfortable enough to do that
 
If you go to industrial parks or parking lots be sure to scout the places out for sand and gravel before performing any emergency braking or cornering exercises.

Your course was a long while ago (8 months) now and you'll be on a new-to-you bike; start nice and slow, grow into the sensitivity of the throttle and brakes. Remember the early parts of the M1X course: finding the friction point of the clutch, threshold braking with just the back brake, slow figure-8s, balance work through cones, slow U-turns etc. Work on theses types of skills. In an empty parking lot you can use the ends of parking space lines as virtual cones; you can use a the width of two parking spaces to do U-turns. Practice starting facing uphill if you can find some camber in the parking lot. Use the back brake to hold the bike while you find the friction point and finesse the throttle. Also practice coming to a stop on off-camber parts if you can find them, to simulate uneven pavement such that tracked by big trucks and buses.

Make conscious efforts to keep moving your eyes (and head) to observe absorb your surroundings. Practice things like virtual lane changes. Practice moving your head but keeping a straight line. Use your mirrors a lot. When you come to a stop, be aware of your surroundings; have a look around to gain an understanding of what's beside and behind you.

If you buy a new bike I'd consider getting some basic frame sliders to give the shiny bits some protection if you do drop the bike.
 
FLSTC said:
You don’t mention how old you are or how much car driving experience..
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I’m 30. And have been driving for over 12 years now. But not manual

Thank you very much everyone for all your tips and advice!! I am definitely nervous and excited together.

I know ive always wanted to ride and figured now is the time or never. Just have to get the confidence level up. I will probably go this week or next week to buy the bike and hopefully the weather will b warm enough to practice.

I live in Markham. There are a few big empty lots in my area that I can test out for sure.
 
Can you find someone experienced to ride with?
Following is a lot easier, so you can concentrate more on riding.
 
jocelyn909 said:
...........I will probably go this week or next week to buy the bike ............
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Give some thought to having the purchase contract include delivery of the bike to your home. Probably minimal cost and you don't have the stress of bringing gear to the dealer, suiting up and then taking off into traffic right away.
 
bitzz said:
Can you find someone experienced to ride with?
Following is a lot easier, so you can concentrate more on riding.
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+1
My first day with an experienced rider on industrial parks area. He got 1000cc bike so it's loud. He's always surrounding me specially in the stop sign and red light. That's help a lot on the first day for sure.
 
cbarne01 said:
This is great when the rider is comfortable on the road and making decisions, but following is less stressful while you figure it all out.
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There are good points on both sides of letting the newbie go first or not.

I do not want to be the person the newbie undoubtedly target fixates on if a panic brake situation arises.
 
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Any Instructors or Instructor Trainers, like to share their opinions.
Ride behind to watch or in front to set an example.(Sometimes not always good? We all have our faults.)
 
I would say newbie in front,
one they can be observed for coaching etc., bike to bike comms would help here...
secondly, if the newb is following they will not develop the ‘scanning’ needed for surviving traffic as they would most likely watch the leading bike mostly.
Just my opinion.
 
I always believed in letting the new rider go in front so they could set the pace and not feel rushed to try to keep up or anything, however I did exactly that with my wife on one of her very first street rides and without going into a lot of detail...suffice to say she had a minor incident that was based around excessive speed...because she didn’t know better.

From that point she rode behind me in most scenarios and I was just exceptionally careful to set a reasonable pace and riding style that I knew she would have no issues maintaining. That worked great.

The only time I put her in front of me now is when we are in extremely heavy traffic (401 through Toronto for example) then I ride behind her to act as a traffic blocker and keep her in a more comfortable space buffer than what might otherwise happen.
 
The common thing I've see with newbs I've assisted is that they go too slow. I ride behind to be a bit of a blocker and to see what they are doing, bad or good. Give em pointers at stops and observe again.
 
stevie t said:
I would say newbie in front,
one they can be observed for coaching etc., bike to bike comms would help here...
secondly, if the newb is following they will not develop the ‘scanning’ needed for surviving traffic as they would most likely watch the leading bike mostly.
Just my opinion.
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Well. I think that is a pretty good opinion.
That is exactly what I did to a couple of friends.
I did not pretend to know everything. Giving opinions, not advice.
They both also did the course at Humber. I was really there to give them confidence.

Worked out OK. Both passed.
 
I would say newb in the front out on the open road in the countryside, letting him/her set the pace with which they're comfortable.

I'm thinking in an urban setting that the new rider should follow the more experienced rider, the latter riding very conservatively and the former watching what he's doing and taking cues from that.
 
Blackfin said:
I would say newb in the front out on the open road in the countryside, letting him/her set the pace with which they're comfortable.

I'm thinking in an urban setting that the new rider should follow the more experienced rider, the latter riding very conservatively and the former watching what he's doing and taking cues from that.
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That's the problem though...the newb would be watching the leader and not doing their own evaluation of the road, conditions, etc.
 
This is great advice....and while you may not believe it, in a year or 2 you'll look back at this thread after having ridden down the 401 with 1 arm on your tank doing 120...
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