Learning To Ride

Do you really have to ask that Q ????? Now I shall ask you a Q...Do you want to stay alive???? surley you can figure that out...stay alive learn right !!!  

Do you really have to ask that Q ????? Now I shall ask you a Q...Do you want to stay alive???? surely you can figure that out...stay alive learn right !!!  

one thing i learned in my few years of learning to ride faster is to  block your view of the speedometer.  

On grooved pavement.
Make sure your tires aren't soft (if stock). If they've been replaced, try running them much closer to the max PSI printed on the tire, actually, try it regardless.
Step 2, You're riding a 750. If it has 20k or more, it's possible the suspension is just giving up the ghost. Upgrade it if it's failing.  

I a beginner.  I took the training course.  I thought I had it figure out what cruiser I want, which in the 800cc range.  But, I've gone into 3 different dealership, and they tell me I should get a bigger bike and grow into it?  Tell me your thought.  

I highly recommend the MSF rider training course.  Your size has little to do with it!  I recently took the course after a long layoff (20 years) from riding.  It was excellent!  20 years ago, when I was younger and much stupider, I taught myself how to ride.  You'd be surprised how many bad (and dangerous) habits you can teach yourself.  Though I'm still working the kinks out, my progress is much faster and more comfortable since taking the course.  For your safety, I recommend the course.

By the way, I'm 6'1", 260.  There were ladies in the course half my size.  We all had to learn the same principles and techniques.

I currently ride a Yamaha Roadstar 1600.  I love the bike but am not sure I would recommend it to a totally new rider.  A bike such as the Vulcan 900 or Yamaha V-star 1100 may be more appropriate.

Enjoy the journey!  

apmccom,do you have any friends whose bikes you could test ride?i would recommend buying a first bike that you feel comfortable with.BIGGER isnt always better,especially when you are learning.you want a bike thats not too heavy for a starter bike.most riders dont keep their bikes forever.MANY,MANY harley riders have started out on a sportster.whats youre weight,age and height.good luck.  

I'm glad to see that both indadman and ks_cyclist are feeling better about their bikes and level of confidence on them. As a beginner, getting a bigger bike won't help confidence and might discourage you completely. You'll know if you need a bigger one once you've gotten your road confidence.  

I took the MSF course in the beginning of this month, having never ridden before.  I bought an '03 Shadow ACE for my first bike and love it.  I have only been able to go out a few times (getting colder out) but my riding buddy says he sees me getting more confident (he went with me on my first extended ride).  I am pretty comfortable on a 750 - is there any reason I might want to consider going 1100+ in the future?  

One of the problems with "dealer info" is a lot of times, they are paid on commission. If they can upsell you, they will make more money. Same on new vs used.
Not the people you want to trust your life with.
Listen to them as far as the technical features of the bike, but, take the size recommendation with a small Siberian salt mine.
I'm 6' 240 lb, and I did 6 years/36000 on an 800cc bike.
Loved it, but, the wife wanted more time on the back of mine.  

I Tell my students to look at older (well maintained) metric motorcycles for a riding season.  Nothing makes me cringe more than to hear someone at introductions say that they have a $42K Harlaondazuki pro custom, high compression, chrome don't gethca home, waiting for them at the dealer when (if) they pass they course.  In a season, someone else will be looking for your elderly wonder metric and you will sell it.  Start out mid-sized 650-900cc.  Get a feel, get some practice.  
Jay T
www.ridesafe.today.com  
Jay T.
www.ridesafe.today.com

I took the MSF course Aug.08 and was completely comfortable on the bikes they had us ride on (250s).  I even had the instructors surprised and I scraped my pegs not once but twice just in the training exercises.  They said I was very comfortable with my lean.  I knew then and there that 750cc was not going to be enough for me for long and I really didn't want to buy a bike and then feel like I have to sell it 6 months later.  So after extensive searching and pricing, I found a Honda VT1100C2 on Craigslist that I fell in love with.  Keeping in mind, the MSF course was the first time I've been on a bike.  After purchasing my bike, I had a 45 min drive home which was my first time over 30mph.  With my friend in front of me and my wife behind, I felt more than comfortable hitting 70mph before backing off.  I of course will spend the next few months staying in rural areas around my neighborhood because I don't feel like I have the hours to be on the highway yet.  I guess the moral is...every person is different when it comes to comfort and speed.  

I just started riding again. The first thing i did was take MSF beginner rider course. I highly recommend it. I bought a used vstar 1100 and have really enjoyed learing on it. my major practice issue so far is slow right turns. i  bought some orange traffic cones at wal mart and have started practice work in empty, safe parking lots. I have ridden on interstate, back roads, in town, and enjoy it. i continue to remember the SEE  technique, Search, evaluate , execute from class. i find myself remembering both classroom info and the skills class drills as i ride. remembering to slow, look, push, roll has helped in turns. the safety margins in seconds has been a great help. I plan to borrow and watch the Ride like a Pro soon. I purchased safety gear and have added addn reflective tape. it has been a real learning experience for an older guy like me , but i find it helps awareness and alertness, and it is refreshing to be out enjoying the wind, the beauty the surroundings. I am careful, but still extremely respectful of the bike, and others, and the unkowns of the road, weather conditions, bike, driver, and others. thank all of you for your advice, it is very helpful. Ride safe, enjoy life, help one another, we have much to be thankful for.  

Hi,
There is no substitute for experience, it is not something you can rush.
Like the grooved pavement you will learn over time to have a ton of following distance because it can be  hard to get slowed down on steel bridges and badly grooved roadways. No big deal as long as you don't have to stop quickly.
You will learn to make allowance for yourself, always have a way out of any given traffic situation! and allow for the car behind you to have a way out also.
My best advice is for you to make some friends with a group of Harley riders and ride with them for 6 months. Consider this maybe once a year you will see an old guy on a Harley or big cruiser in a wreck as opposed to weekly you will see guys on sport bikes in wrecks almost daily. This is truly a situation where you need to pick your riding buddies carefully. The biggest deal is find a way to get comfortable on all versions of roadway with your bike before you deal with traffic. One of the best ways is to get on the freeway miles out side of any city limits where traffic is reduced. At night be careful of animals, holes in the road you can not see and tired eye strained car drivers who have lost distance judgement and reaction time, ie you stop for the deer and the car runs you over.
Well thats some stuff to consider anyway.  

Fear is a good thing, ride to your skill level and speed.  You will grow into it through experience but don't ride to far outside your skill level.  Push it but not too far, that's how you get hurt.  
Shellbird
Kawasaki Vulcan 500