Suck it up and ride or take a refresher course? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Suck it up and ride or take a refresher course?

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ice05

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Hi Guys,
Havent ridden in 3 yrs and only for the weekend of the M2 exit course. Have my M2 for 3 yrs but havent really used it. I have friends who have been generous enough to offer to guide me however I feel bad holding them back (though they volunteered).

What do you guys think:
1. keep trying to ride around the residential areas and hope I dont have an accident/ remember things from 3 yrs
OR
2. Take one of the refresher/advanced courses with training schools? if so with who (I know RTI has the advanced course) and Learning Curves has the streetproofing? Id rather not have to wait a month to take a course.
as an aside: wouldnt it seem counterproductive to have to drive to the schools (closest one is Toronto from sauga
or Oakville/Burlington from Hamilton)


PS...I was riding around my neigbhourhood for a good hour...at a stop sign next thing I know as I start tryin to make a right hand turn I drop my bike...whether it was a bit of gravel, improper technique or Im a complete newb...or a combination, I wasnt very happy with myself for dropping my newly bought bike but grateful the only damage were scuff marks on the handle and brake,small scratches on the fairing and a broken light :S
 

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What I take from your post is you lack confidence. Your confidence can only be increased with time and experience behind your clip-ons (handle bars). No refresher course is going to give you that experience. Also, your friends may hinder you, instead of help you, as their level of experience will push you to where you shouldn't be. If I were you, I would hit the roads of Caledon, alone. They're simple, north, south, east,'west, straight with the odd curve and corner. Just get a "feel" for the bike going at your own pace. Tell your buds you'll hook up with them next season when you have some KM's under your belt. You're mature enough to ask this question, so you're mature enough to know your limits. Also, set your PVR for every motorcycle race (AMA, SBK, MotoGP). You will begin to "see things" that most people don't notice, which will make you ask more intelligent questions like the one you just asked. Good luck bro, and wear your gear!

ice05 said:
Hi Guys,Havent ridden in 3 yrs and only for the weekend of the M2 exit course. Have my M2 for 3 yrs but havent really used it. I have friends who have been generous enough to offer to guide me however I feel bad holding them back (though they volunteered).What do you guys think:1. keep trying to ride around the residential areas and hope I dont have an accident/ remember things from 3 yrsOR2. Take one of the refresher/advanced courses with training schools? if so with who (I know RTI has the advanced course) and Learning Curves has the streetproofing? Id rather not have to wait a month to take a course. as an aside: wouldnt it seem counterproductive to have to drive to the schools (closest one is Toronto from sauga or Oakville/Burlington from Hamilton)PS...I was riding around my neigbhourhood for a good hour...at a stop sign next thing I know as I start tryin to make a right hand turn I drop my bike...whether it was a bit of gravel, improper technique or Im a complete newb...or a combination, I wasnt very happy with myself for dropping my newly bought bike but grateful the only damage were scuff marks on the handle and brake,small scratches on the fairing and a broken light :S
Click to expand...
 
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what he said....

especially the caledon roads - you've already dropped the bike so don't worry about scratching - just put saddle hours in
do errands - for whatever reason in all but the worst weather get out and ride and make sure some of them are half day or more.

I often feel "top of the world" after a long day of riding as you become far more bonded to the machine - you are out riding not riding on a mcycle....big difference.

Even after 43 years riding I still get and still am rusty early in the season and have to get out frequently to get the "feel" back.

Riding on your own - especially in mostly traffic free areas as much of Caledon is will let you relax - the skills that result are at the reflexive level - not something you think about.

You don't say where you are located but seems to me you are over analysing and also lacking in confidence.

Get out of the residential areas into the rural and relax.
 
I would stick to the side streets and prob go to a empty parking lot to practice emergency stops and what ever you need to work on. If after a week of doing this you still don't feel good about your riding skills/capabilities, see if you can get in on a day two of the M1 exit course at the same school that you got it from originally or the advanced course at either of the schools you mentioned.

I wouldn't trust friends to show you what to do cause they might be doing it wrong anyways. Always good to have someone experienced to take a look at your riding to point out what your doing wrong or not doing at all.
 
rafiki911 said:
I would stick to the side streets and prob go to a empty parking lot to practice emergency stops and what ever you need to work on. If after a week of doing this you still don't feel good about your riding skills/capabilities, see if you can get in on a day two of the M1 exit course at the same school that you got it from originally or the advanced course at either of the schools you mentioned.

I wouldn't trust friends to show you what to do cause they might be doing it wrong anyways. Always good to have someone experienced to take a look at your riding to point out what your doing wrong or not doing at all.
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^ what he said.
when i first got my bike fresh after my RTI course, having never owned/ridden a motorcycle before the course, I logged many km's on my residential side streets during early morning hours (light or no traffic!). I practiced starting-stopping, mirror checks, signals, clutch-control, shifting, etc... I started off having to look at controls when performing some of these actions but eventually they become 2nd nature.
When I was comfortable I started to commute to work via side-streets usually leaving a bit earlier and so as to get off work earlier and minimize traffic going to and returning from work. I did this for over 10,000 km in my first season, with eventually some highway riding, group rides and day trips near the end of the season.

Get back in the saddle and good luck!
 
Also if you like talk to Don from Learning curves. Many instructors will do one on one practice sessions. The fee is decided upon by you and the instructor. They can help you work on the skills then I suggest hitting the streets and practice.
 
If you live in Sauga and are free the same times I am (if our schedules match), buy me lunch and we can hit a parking lot to work on whatever you need to work on for an hour or 2...
 
just ride around your neighbourhood for a while and once you've got a good feel for how the brakes, throttle react on straightaways and turns, move onto the highway when there will be no cars (say Sunday morning at 8am)/. That's how i learned on my 600. As someone else mentioned, its confidence. You already have the skill in you.
 
The only riding course I took didn't really prepare me for street riding anyway. Just the basics of how to start, stop, etc. If you learned that 3 years ago you should be fine IMO. Just take it easy for awhile.
 
I agree with others about lack of confidence and KMs needed to get it. Hey, I am another newb on the bike. Took my first ride on 700 cruiser yesterday in many many years. I used to ride, raced motorcross - but yesterday it was like a I just learned how to switch gears. Almost dropped right next to ma garage, luckily Im strong enough to muscle it up; stalled couple of time in trafic at red light starts - who cares. Most importantly to put miles under yourself, keep riding it. Every time you get on it (at least for myself) say to yourself, I am confortable, not nervous, im good. Watch your surroundings, wear the gear, don't go crazy dont speed, dont be afraid to tell a car driver to back up - and ride and ride.

No course will give this.


ice05 said:
Hi Guys,
Havent ridden in 3 yrs and only for the weekend of the M2 exit course. Have my M2 for 3 yrs but havent really used it. I have friends who have been generous enough to offer to guide me however I feel bad holding them back (though they volunteered).

What do you guys think:
1. keep trying to ride around the residential areas and hope I dont have an accident/ remember things from 3 yrs
OR
2. Take one of the refresher/advanced courses with training schools? if so with who (I know RTI has the advanced course) and Learning Curves has the streetproofing? Id rather not have to wait a month to take a course.
as an aside: wouldnt it seem counterproductive to have to drive to the schools (closest one is Toronto from sauga
or Oakville/Burlington from Hamilton)


PS...I was riding around my neigbhourhood for a good hour...at a stop sign next thing I know as I start tryin to make a right hand turn I drop my bike...whether it was a bit of gravel, improper technique or Im a complete newb...or a combination, I wasnt very happy with myself for dropping my newly bought bike but grateful the only damage were scuff marks on the handle and brake,small scratches on the fairing and a broken light :S
Click to expand...
 
I really disagree about neighborhoods as appropriate learning areas
- there are way too many things going on - it's an environment of continuous distraction and while not dangerous it is prone for accidents/dropped bikes and nervous making - hell I'm nervous in them.

For low speed skills big empty parking lots are ideal do 30x pull up to a line and stop in a row until its smooth gearing down the whole way.

then pull away and gear up a couple of gears ....repeat ad nauseum until low speed skills are embedded - do it every other day ( best pattern for retention )

For general riding just get out of traffic and into some of the rural roads and enjoy yourself. You need saddle time to get your body used to the bike so you stop thinking so much and just ride.
I still take time to concentrate on smooth stops.....the Burgman is heavy and I'm not as smooth as I should be.

Good routes here....I'm in Sauga too....don't mind leading you through some of the nicer areas on a quiet Sunday morning

http://wingnutty.ca
 
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I disagree with most of the views in this thread. If your only riding experience is the M1X course over 3 years go, I would say you have forgotten most (if not all) of the most important things that are taught in that course -- especially given your low-speed mishap (the cause of which I would guess to be applying the front brake in the turn).

My advice to you would be to take a brief refresher course, or a few 1-on-1 lessons. It's the best way to ensure you won't start out with any bad habits. Then go out and ride as much as you can, to cement all the principles (re)learned.
 
Everyone is right with regards to the confidence...Im one of the those people that tend to over-analyze and if I dont know ALL Im a little bit hesitant. I know that its impossible to know EVERYTHING about riding but I just feel like a complete newb. I was waitin to get used to the low speeds of the residential (40-50km) before hitting actual roads but Im guessing I should just bite the bullet and try and ride all the way to caledon (about 20-30 minutes in my car im guessing hours on my bike) ?

I appreciate all the suggestions, I didnt even consider goin to Caledon...for one it would mean getting from the Erindale station & Burnhamthorpe area in mississauga to Caledon lol. Im eventually hopin to ride the bike back and forth to Hamilton but it seems like an odd dream right now...

Upshifting was becoming easier in the hour I was attempting to do it on the residential roads but downshifting was an entirely different matter...
Maybe Im a bit slow but how many people here do "blipping" http://www.sportrider.com/riding_tips/146_0508_sport_rider_down_shifting_skills/index.html OR
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?140170-Matching-Rev-s-downshifting

is that just basically pullin in the clutch till the RPMs are low enough not to cause a jump?

should I not be worryin about the downshifting aspect for now and just pull in the clutch and break for lights? I drive a stick shift and im used to downshifting so it feels unnatural and a bit out of control to just do that?
 
Actually reading this again, and thinking about it more, I am realizing me actually being a bit hypocritical in my previous post - I am taking a course myself to get some good, but forgotten, habits back, I am leaning more towards D-3vil post. Yes take a course again, but then back to the same opinion - ride as much as you can. And to help getting the confidence and comfort, one very good thing I remember and am going to do myself - ride as early in the morning as possible on the weekends, like 5 am, when its just getting bright outside, set a target for yourself to get breakfast somewhere, go there, have breakfast and go back...probably taking a different route...it works.
 
Honestly, you are a bit scared right now. Take yourself out of the danger zone = streets and get familiar with bike control. Take a dirtbike school. You won't find a better place for a new to learn motorcycle control..... then you can introduce yourself into the streets.
http://www.cmts.org/location_main.aspx
 
I followed Cat13's suggestion and contacted learning curves. Set up an appointment with Danielle for some 1 on 1 just so she can maybe offer a refresher to bolster the confidence level...crossed fingers it works out?
 
ice05 said:
I followed Cat13's suggestion and contacted learning curves. Set up an appointment with Danielle for some 1 on 1 just so she can maybe offer a refresher to bolster the confidence level...crossed fingers it works out?
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good luck, if it doesn't work let me know (since it sounds like your in 'sauga) ... buying me lunch is probably cheaper :p
 
Just get some ride time in and get use to being on a bike again. Everything will come back to you. The test is about $75 and you could take that 3-4 times over until you pass before it costs as much as taking a course. There is a long thread on road test questions/scenarios in the HTA law section. Go through all of it. Good luck!
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