Newbie with a few questions.

S

Splak

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So I have decided with my new job I want a bike for commuting back and fourth to work.

I am going to be getting a 2012 Honda 250CBR.

I am a 20 year old male, living in Dundas Ontario. Clean driving record, currently hold my G.

I am going to get my M1 and then take safety course at Learning Curves for my M2.


So here are a few questions I am still having trouble with.

Who has the best insurance prices and will actually insure me since I am under 20. The best rate I have found was TD and it was 3,900/year, also I will only have a M1 until I can upgrade after my course. - I am looking to spend around 2,000/year
(just looking for liability, no collision and 1000 deductable.)

Here is my real concern.

I have NEVER been on a motorcycle, so if I go to my M2 course with never being on a motorcycle and have NO experience with a standard car, am I going to look stupid and is it going to be very hard to learn? - Basically, should I pass alright. - I do know how to ride a bike.

Lastly, If anyone is kind enough who would show me the basics on a private property that would be awesome. I could pay you for your time, also, if you feel I am not ready to ride, you don`t need to let me, I am looking more to understand the basics of riding.

Thanks, sorry for the newbie questions. If I can give anymore info that would be useful, I will do my best.

Thanks for all the help guys!

John.
 
I would be up for showing you the basics. We could meet at a parking lot close to you. Once you get the basics down, it will become second nature. I took my course at Learning Curves as well and they are great people. Never be afraid to ask questions. They're there to help. Let me know if you wanna get together to learn the basics.
 
Hey, thanks for offering to show me the basics. I notice you are in Toronto area, the only problem is I live near Hamilton. If you are down this way sometime and have some spare time that would be awesome, if not I can come and meet you a bit closer. -can also pay for your time and gas if you want to come down!

Thanks,

John

-tried to send you a PM, but your inbox is full.
 
Last edited:
Welcome and never be afraid to ask questions. If you are unsure, the only way to learn is by asking. Regarding your insurance, call around to a few other companies as well to get a better comparison.

I have taught several people that have never sat on a motorcycle before. Some get it immediately while others take a bit longer.
Important points would be to relax your arms and hands, keep your eyes and chin up and look when you want to go instead of the ground right in front of you.

I may be heading out to Stoney Creek on Sat., and may have some time. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.
 
Motorcycles are not very difficult to learn how to ride. If a regular bicycle is natural to you now, you're really only going to need to get used to the manual transmission and weight of the motorcycle for the most part (many might disagree with this statement but countersteering should be something that is natural to you, and thus turning shouldn't be a difficult concept to grasp). Most people that take the course are not familiar with a manual transmission at all, which is why launches are the first thing they teach you (well, after pushing the motorcycle itself to get used to the weight :P). Lucky for you, the transmission on a motorcycle is a lot easier to learn than on a car. The biting point for the clutch on a bike is a lot easier to find and get used to than in a car and it is considerably less sensitive too.

I'm not going to really go in detail here, because it's just going to confuse you. You don't really need any "private lessons", take the course and you'll slowly get comfortable riding with their baby-steps way of teaching. When I took my course only one person failed because she dropped her bike during the test. Everyone had started the course with zero riding experience. The jump from the bikes that the MSF uses compared to your 250 might be considerable at first but you will slowly get used to it.
 
Honestly, it really isn't very hard to learn. I DO highly recommend the motorcycle safety course though, you're almost guaranteed to pass it and obtain your M2. You also use bikes provided by the school you choose to learn from and it is worth every penny. I did it with Learning Curves recently, they're really good and patient at teaching.

I'm 21 and I'm paying 1,500 upto Feb for TD MM (also new rider, got M1 in May), they pro-rate your insurance so you don't have to pay for the previous months; only thing is, is that you have to pay it all in like 3 months.

Ride safe !
 
Splak said:
Hey, thanks for offering to show me the basics. I notice you are in Toronto area, the only problem is I live near Hamilton. If you are down this way sometime and have some spare time that would be awesome, if not I can come and meet you a bit closer. -can also pay for your time and gas if you want to come down!

Thanks,

John

-tried to send you a PM, but your inbox is full.
Click to expand...

Oh sorry about the inbox. I'll delete some to make room. No worries on paying me. I don't mind at all.
 
I don't know how to ride bike, never driven manual, never ridden a dirt bike or anything. The course was fine, it taught me a lot and passed with flying colours. The first half day was brutal though, and very discouraging. Just don't give up, keep trying and asking for help from the instructors.

If you've never ridden a bike before, I would not buy the bike yet. Not sure what learning curves offers, but there were different types of bikes to try at RTI. It didn't change my mind, but it may change yours. Have you ever been on the back of someone's bike yet?
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