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Jitters Home
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2009 Dear VTwin Mama, Prior to taking the course, I was a passenger on my husband's Harley Softail Classic and decided I would like to have my own bike. I then purchased a used 2006 Suzuki Boulevard and my husband began to teach me the handling, etc.. The training was going OK until I panicked in the parking lot trying to keep from going into a ditch on my head. I hit the front brake, skidded on wet dirt/grass and next I knew was on the pavement underneath the bike, lying on my right side. I had some minor injuries but basically was OK. I felt comfortable after the first day on the 250cc bike in class, and progressed to be able to pass the class. I took the class here in North Carolina in November 2008. I have not been back on "my" bike since the "crash" in October 2008, due to weather and time constraints. I had no trouble with the throttle and taking off on the course bike but was having a significant problem with the throttle and "taking off" on my bike prior to taking the class. I wanted to be able to ride a bike but not shift gears. I checked into Ridley bikes and initially was enthralled. My husband was very dubious. He was concerned about the maintenance, as well as cost. Other than the website, there were few owner accolades. Adding to his concern was the fact that there are very few certified dealers or repair facilities here in North Carolina. I am now considering taking a hit and trading in my Suzuki Boulevard for a Honda Rebel 250 or possibly a Suzuki Burghman. Initially, the purpose was for pleasure, now, I am looking at the economic factors for commuting 30 miles round trip daily. Your input would be appreciated. Anonymous Dear Anon, It's called target fixation ... you know you don't want to go there, but in the panic of everything, you go where you look and it's quite common for new riders not to be able to turn their heads and eyes away from the very thing they are trying to avoid. So don't mentally beat yourself up about it. Having explained that a bit, I can appreciate that you still have some lingering memories of it all. While in the general economic climate sales of vehicles may not be so hot, bikes are regarded as gas-saving, so you might not have any problem selling the Boulevard. Still, I'd give it another shot, as you've not been back on it since your riding course. In a bigger open space with no goofy hazards anywhere nearby, start with the basics on your Boulevard. Remember the duck walk? You give it a bit of gas, let out the clutch only enough to get forward movement, and paddle your feet along the ground. If the bike bucks a bit, you don't have enough steady gas applied. Going to fast ... pull in the clutch lever some. Remember, the fastest way to remove power from a bike is to pull in the clutch lever! Duck walk, duck walk, duck walk ... until you can do a steady pace that's not too fast and not too slow ... and very measured. That shows you've got the combo of the throttle and clutch friction zone under control. Then proceed to the next lesson you learned in class. Do not force an artificial timeline on the practice sessions in terms of how far you feel you should improve, but you've also got to get on that bike several times a week at least, if even for 1/2 hour. You are teaching your brain to coordinate with your muscles ... and muscle memory in the hands, to control the handling characteristics of your bike in terms of the clutch lever and throttle, is a must. If after 10 fairly closely spaced sessions it's just not getting any better, than definitely regroup and make new decisions on your pathway. I urge you to join the VTwin Mama Message Board if you have not done so already. These folks stand by to listen to you vent it out and will show you that not only are you not alone, but that they care! Mama Thursday, March 5 Congrats! Me too! I have been riding for about 3 1/2 years now. Same story, rode behind my husband on his 1500 Vulcan Classic and wanted to give it a try myself. I purchased a 800 Vulcan Classic and begin to practice on it. My husband has ridden for over 40 years and has lots of good advice. He went through the MSC with me and thankfully, I did pass also. After the class, I had a little more fear of the bigger bike. After many "rounds" on the parking lot of the baseball field, I finally hit the street and I've been going ever since. My husband lowered the bike for me and added a few safety features. I think the best one is the highway bars, and I love the floorboards. Be encouraged. My bike has been laid down with me. It happens. No injuries, just to my pride. It takes time, patience and practice. We live in south Arkansas and so we have riding weather most of the year, even in the winter. Don't be discouraged! When the weather is at least 50 degrees, I ride to work. It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. I never dreamed I could do this. But, I can, and so can you. Nancy in Arkansas (note from Mama: what a wonderful inspirational note of encouragement!) Monday, May 18 Dear Mama, It's been a while since I last wrote you. The last time I did I was just starting to get a real feel for my bike, and than the snow fell after a long winter and about 4 feet of it, I finally got my bike back out and I'm doing super great!!! My first trip out and I had a few butterflies but after a few moments they blew away. 3 weekends ago my sister and I took a drive to town where the motorcycle course was going on, so we stop in to visit. Our instructor was glad to see us. It was a year ago the same weekend since I took the course. We talked to a few future riders about all those butterflies and told them that they can do it we did. And we left. It felt so good to be able to drive in on our own bikes. It just keeps getting better every time I take it out. I enjoy it sooooo!! much. I can take the turns without thinking about it at all. If anyone has a dream to ride a motorcycle and think they can't, Well I'm living prove that you can. It takes a passion and lots of practice. You MUST get yourself comfortable on your bike. And get to know your limits!!! And them it becomes a joy!!! Good luck to the ladies. Till the next up date!! Keep up the great work! Teala Dear Teala, Wednesday, May 20 Dear VTwin Mama, But occasionally I will stall, usually when starting. I did this once at a light and just the other day at a stop sign causing me to almost loose the bike (I recovered luckily). Is this normal? What causes the bike to almost tip when stalling? Sometimes I feel like I take 10 steps forward to only go back 5. Is it also normal to feel more confident riding with others than alone? Will confidence affect your riding ability? Thanks VTwin Mama & Congrats on getting married!! Rach Dear Rach, You're in that zone between gaining confidence but not quite having all the techniques exactly perfect yet. It's incredibly normal and you are not alone! Just the other week, after 30 years of riding, I was at a stop light with a group of friends, but something distracted me, so I never downshifted fully and was in third gear instead of first when I stopped. The light turned green and of course the bike chugged trying to get going in third gear. I had to quickly gear down to first while traffic was piling up behind me. It happens! What I also noticed is that for some odd reason, some reasons being odder than others, we tend to look down at the bike when something isn't quite right ... as if there will be some neon sign flashing to tell us what we've done wrong. That starts the wobbles and the bike tip ... because we go where we look. Some folks gain handling control and confidence alone while others do so in a group of friends. Just keep taking your forward steps, chuckle a bit when a step backward happens, and learn from it. Trust me ... eventually the mechanics of riding will give way to more intuitive handling. And then you'll make an oopsie mistake like I did and just keep going. They make for great stories around the camp fire! Mama Tuesday, June 2 Hey VTwin Mama, Dear Lynne, As I often mention, no matter where you are on your journey, every time you start riding a new-to-you motorcycle, it really does make sense to head to an empty parking lot and go through all the starting drills. For you Lynne, those are fresh in your mind. Find something empty and well paved in your neighborhood and start with the duck walks again. Remember those?! You paddle along with your feet working on your clutch control to keep you moving forward without stalling but not going too fast as well. This drill is imperative ... as clutch handling figures into slow turns and the like. Then work on simple start/stop drills in 1st gear, aiming to stop at a predetermined point. Remember, head and eyes on the horizon ... we go where we look. Then it's on to wide turns to get the clutch in control to tighten up a control and to learn to use that back brake a bit to further control your speed. Your husband can be a big help here as new riders often don't look fully through the turn or start looking at the ground ... by watching you, he can catch your head position and help you correct it. I also consider the Ride Like a Pro DVD one of the best after class learning tools available. As a registered member of the VTwin Mama Message Board, you can head to the Lending Library and check a copy out. Or you can purchase one for yourself. Lots of extra drills and tons of good pointers to master. Every person who has ever commented on it has noted that they became a better rider because of the practice they put in after watching the sections and then sceduling practice time to work on things. You'll be fine ... take a few baby steps away from traffic and soon you'll be better prepared to add that to what your brain needs to process! Mama Hello VTM, Scenario: 5'5", 115 lb, 35 yr old with very limited riding experience (right at a year ... started with a Honda Rebel 250). Recently purchased Honda Shadow ACE 750. The new ride is sweet and super smooth at any point past which the clutch engages first gear. Curves are fine and the bike is easily maneuverable. It seems to fit me nicely: both feet easily touch the ground flat footed and the handlebars and foot controls are in easy reaching distance. Question/Problem: Tipped it over in a parking lot just sitting on it and pushing it around to position it in a parking spot. This has given me the jitters (even in the saddle where I was previously feeling cautiously optimistic!). How do I get used to pushing this hunk o' metal around when I need to in parking areas?! I'm not very big and this bike's weight is very different from the Rebels (which is not a big deal once in motion) In the tipping incident I was facing down a slight hill, trying to turn SLIGHTLY to the right (but the wheel cut sharper than I intended). As the bike started to go down to the right, I instinctively leaned to the right to try to push back up/towards the left (to sort of "get under it" a little). In retrospect I wonder if I should have leaned far left right away. Will I ever be able to adequately handle this bike in super slow motion? Jill Dear Jill, I want you to try something for me. Sit on your bike centered and off the side stand, in first gear so it won't move, and turn the handlebar fully to one side and then the other. Can you do this without having to lift out of your seat or shift your body in any way, including your feet on the ground? If not, therein lies the challenge because when we can't do a full bar lock (as it's called) we in fact do not have the handlebar fully under our control. The solution is to add a pullback riser that will move the handlebar just a bit closer to the body so that the full handlebar turn can be accomplished without any other movement of the body. If this is not the case and all is well with this little test, then I suspect it's the head position that could be goofing you up. I have often noted, even in my own pushing around, that if I start a front wheel turn to maneuver into some position, but I turn my head to look elsewhere (for whatever reason), the handlebar turn will easily move further than I intended ... and then I'm not in the proper body position to handle the subsequent shift in the bike's weight. Small inclines, whether front-to-back or to one side, just compound the quickness of the shift. So, I would encourage you to start from scratch to regain confidence. Sit on the bike in 1st gear (not running) and the wheel straight forward and lean the bike to a feel for the weight and what each leg can hold. Then in neutral and on level ground, push the bike backward and then forward with your head facing forward. Then at home or in an empty parking lot, work on basic parking skills to get it worked out without the worry of other people and bikes in the vicinity. That should get you back in the saddle and ready to take anything on! Mama Thursday, July 2 I also have a Shadow ACE 750 (2002) and really enjoy the ride and handling of my bike. Last year I was experiencing much of the same tipping problems she is having. Part of it was due to a health issue, which affected my upper body strength, making it hard to handle the bike when she started to tip while rolling her around during parking. The best advice you gave me was to always manage to park facing nose out ... to minimize having to back her up, while looking behind me-loosing my balance and dropping her. After a couple of very embarrassing parking lot maneuvers I did finally get into the swing of things, and it does not happen any more. Part of it was getting over my health problem, and building up some upper body strength, but mostly it was taking a little extra time to back into a parking space-so I could exit gracefully later on. P.S. Jill has had her pipes bored out, so she is v-loud. Not sure if she was re-jetted or not. But I did have to have the carb adjusted last year, as she was backfiring a lot, but that is fixed now. Susan (note from Mama: thank you for letting Jill know she is not alone!) Dear VTwin Mama, Dear TJ, The best way to get on the road is to get in your car and map out a simple trip, noting all the traffic signals you'll need to handle and other road conditions. Then head out on an early Sunday morning with your motorcycle when traffic is most likely the lightest. Have your boyfriend follow on his bike or car to keep any others from crowding your backside. If you're still leery of gassing up at a station, fill up a gas container for home and gas there for the time being. I like to suggest that you take out a piece of paper and in the left column note each learning step one by one and then schedule the date you'll work on that skill and when you've completed it, note that date and have gold stars ready to paste on! Creating a battle plan allows you to concentrate on one thing at a time. It's rare that someone can just jump on a bike and go, and even if they are faster at handling the technical end of things, trust me, traffic and obstacles take time to get comfortable with. Stick with and soon you'll be riding with greater ease! One other thing that new riders find helpful ... on a small piece of paper write down why you wanted to learn in the first place or what your goal is, and tuck it into your riding jacket pocket. Whenever you feel the negative thoughts or jitters creeping in, pull it out and read it. It's positive reinforcement that all the learning is worth it! Mama Wednesday, July 8 Hey TJ ... don't give up! I bought a 1200L 2007 Sportster brand new in Dec. of 2007. I had started a year before that on a Rebel ... within two months I was on a 650 Yamaha and six months after that got the Sportster. She now has 21,454 miles on her. I am 51 yrs. and am 5' 1". I tell you this because I don't want you to think I have some great advantage because of size or youthful prowess. I don't. I have put Progressive shocks on the bike and had the seat contoured and put the Sportster mini-apes AND pull backs on for a more comfortable reach to the bars ( yes that made a big difference) so now with a regular type of Harley boot I can flat foot her. I never felt like she was top-heavy. I did feel she was tall for me which made me feel like I was sitting atop her instead of in her and that can translate to feeling top heavy. Getting those ( nearly ) two inches shaved off has made all the difference. I tried high heeled riding boots before the things to lower her, but, getting the bike lower was the KEY. If you are, in fact, flat footed and lowering it isn't what you need, then I do encourage you to keep going in those baby steps Mama has laid out for you. This is a GREAT bike to ride. It is so much fun. So much of riding, as you well know, is a mind challenge (I hate to say mind game cuz it really is more serious than a game). So review what you know to be true about riding well by remembering your safety course info, viewing the suggested DVD and reading a few books if need be. I found that when I was taking my Experienced Rider Courses that I use my friction zone much more than others may have had to on their bikes. I really make it work hard for me in my slower maneuvers. So you may need to really take that little beast in hand and be assertive with that clutch and throttle and make it work for you. Believe me it can take it. Also, I use my whole body when I ride. Lean into those turns, swivel that head around when turning, lean in while throttling up. I guess that is what I mean when I say get assertive (not aggressive ) with her. You are the boss! You be in control! I remember an interview that William Macy did after having filmed "Wild Hogs" with John Travolta. Here is a quote that I LOVE from his interview: "It is Harley humor that in the film I ride a Sportster which is known as a chick bike. This is the bike that the chicks (women) ride, so for my character it is demeaning. Harley guys would laugh at him. Although when you see that bike I am on, it is amazing, if that is a chick bike I do not want to meet the chick that rides it. It is a huge motorcycle." LOLOlolol!!! I think of that every time all 130 lb 5'1" of me throws a leg over. I don't think I am soo scary lookin'! Keep going TJ....let me know if you want more encouragement! Tink. (note from Mama: first-hand accounts of recent achievements speak loud and clear .... thanks for sharing your "voice" with TJ!)
Hello VTwin Mama, Two years ago I decided to ride again, got an 150cc automatic scooter, rode from April to November, had a great time, gained confidence, took off on the back roads from my home in Western MA, went through the White Mountains in NH and then rode to my sister's home in Steuben, Maine. Great trip and decided to move up a notch to a Suzuki GZ250cc in April this year. Love it! However, the accident really has me scared. I was only going about 10mph, taking a turn onto my street, felt the rear end slide (I think from hot summer road patch), did what I knew not to (hit the brakes in a turn), and went down, slid, broke my arm. Thank God I had my armored jacket on! Anyway, most friends and family are saying "Get rid of that thing." I am afraid, but don't know that getting rid of my bike is the answer. Any suggestions? Anybody been through a similar situation that is close to my age? I'd appreciate any and all responses. Thanks, Shirley Dear Shirley, First, given your account of the event, it was just one of those quirky things that crop up from time to time when we're riding. For some it simply results in feeling a bit mortified, for others they get a scrape or two, and in your case, it resulted in a broken bone. It sounds like you're on the mend! If you had slipped on an slick patch while crossing the street and broke your arm, would these well-meaning folks suggest you stop crossing streets and/or get a walker?!?!?! I think not. You do not mention whether or not you took a riding course when you re-entered your riding journey. My suggestion is to consider the following ideas and decide which of the steps would constitute a good battle plan: 1) take a basic riding course as a review ... yup, it's
back to basics, but a good refresher for about a $100 or so. The MSF
(Motorcycle Safety Foundation) is a good place to check out. Will any of these steps make icky road patches go away? Of course not, but we're talking about rebuilding confidence and I know of no better method than getting back to the basics and seeing what one can learn. Learning, at any age, is always a good thing. So is camaraderie! Mama Saturday, July 11 Hi, I am Trish. I have a 2008 Sportster 1200L. I spent a month on a smaller bike (250) and when I realized it was not the bike for me. I got a 2007 1200L ... then a great op came up for a 2008 1200L so I jumped at it. DO NOT despair! I spent quite a bit of time in parking lots, and going 1-2 blocks at a time. My DH would ride it for me to a park with low traffic and I would ride for an hour or so while he photo'd birds and clouds. This went on for weeks, a couple of months, 1-2 times week. It took about 1 month before I could go longer than 10-20 minutes without feeling drained and rattled. The techniques in class work on the bigger bike - but it IS a different feel and balance. You will get it. Give yourself a break, you are a pioneer. Women mostly still don't ride their own. Be proud, you will do it. It is hard probably in part because it takes a certain amount of speed to be stable - yet the speed is scary. You wonder what's the big deal that everyone else is going more than 25mph - those speed demons! I exceeded 25mph when it dawned on me that I rode my bicycle faster than my motorcycle!! LOLOL. THAT made a difference, also reminding myself how it took a while to ride my bicycle in the street when I first got back on a bicycle. I'd ridden many miles as a kid town to town on sidewalks. Now I have a skinny tired bicycle and can get to 30mph on the bicycle. It will come, you will find your skills in due time. You DO have to learn to check your fear and not let your mind come up with disasters. There is a difference between planning ahead for an escape plan, and creating scary scenarios in which you are always the loser. Good luck! Trish. (note from Mama: thanks for chiming in, especially about the amount of time you spent in the beginning in parking lots!) Monday, July 13 For Shirley who has family and friends telling her to give up riding after an oopsie and broken arm: Shirley, I am a few years older than you, but in July
1998 when I was 56, (I had only been riding about 4 years) I was at a
stop sign and got fixated on the curb in front of me and grabbed my
front brake and went over hard. I broke my right shoulder blade.
You are right ... the pain is horrible. There were times
that I thought my arm was glued to my side, and I could not move it away
The doctor told me it would be 3 to 6 months before I could ride
again. I was back to riding about the middle of October.
Please don't listen to family and friends. If you had listened you
probably would not have started riding in the first place. Thursday, July 16 Sorry I missed the first post but its been a busy summer since I missed most of last years riding season with a broken arm! MY story: MORAL: I've been telling people to take away their daughters' credit cards and buy her a motorcycle it's obviously safer!!! Jo (note from Mama: the last line is too too funny!) Sunday, July 19 Hello VTwin Mama, I have a Suzuki Blvd and was considering going to a Burghman 650. You advised me to go back to my instructions in my MSF class and proceed from there. To start out with the "duck walk" and go from there, and if I still felt uncomfortable with shifting, to consider a smaller bike, like I had in the MSF course. I only stalled out once! I was able to downshift, upshift, start and stop, with minimal probs! I am 53 years old and had never been on a motorcycle as a driver before. I am a living example! Believe me, if I can do it, just about anyone can! Thank You! Sandy Dear Sandy, I'm glad you've healed from knee surgery and I am soooo happy to hear that you are giving that Boulevard another shot. And it's just fantastic to know that going back to the very basics and learning the handling characteristics of your Boulevard is really paying off. You are an inspiration to us all. Yahoo! Mama Thursday, August 20 Hi VTwin Mama, If you don't mind I'd like to give you some background. Bought my first bike when I was 16 years old, a Suzuki 125. The fellow that I bought it from showed me how to shift and where the brake lever/clutch and brake pedal were and off I went. Talk about bold, I had no license, no safety course, no safety equipment and I loved riding that bike in the high speed lane on I-95 from NY to Massachusetts and back as often as I could. Even had a rear tire blow out (on I-95 of course) and handled it like nothing had happened. Two years later I joined the Navy and shipped out to San Diego. While there I moved up to a Kawasaki KZ550. This time I took the safety course (administered by the CA Highway Patrol) which was required by the military to ride on base. I also at least knew about safety equipment and occasionally wore a helmet. Just as I had with my 125, I rode with reckless abandon on I-5 from San Diego to San Fran, over to Las Vegas, anywhere there was road I was riding. I even rode down the coast of Baja by myself. It was also not uncommon to find me pulled over by highway patrol and being given a ticket for greatly exceeding the speed limit and riding without a MC endorsement (I had still not gotten my license). Needless to say, I was absolutely fearless. When I got back to New England I bought yet another motorcycle, this time a Yamaha 650 Special. As before, I continued to gleefully ride all the major interstates, major cities and any back road that lay before me, oblivious to any dangers. Sadly, the Yamaha was wrought with mechanical issues and when I lost the chain at 60 mph for a 2nd time I took it as an omen to give up riding. I quit riding with thousands of miles under my belt and a few close calls and very near misses, none of which rattled me. Fast forward 30 years... Life has brought me to the Midwest and the roads here just seem to beckon for two wheels. Being far from the ocean (I had returned to boating shortly after selling the Yamaha) I thought it was time for me to get that Harley I had dreamed of all those years ago and in June of 2008 I bought a Sportster 883. I thought I was ready to ride, having matured in those thirty years I even went all out with my safety gear- helmet, full leathers, and auxiliary lighting. But strangely I also carried with me a disproportionate amount of anxiety about riding a bike again. Perhaps it was due to being a newspaper photographer for those last thirty years, I was witness to too many motorcycle fatalities (many of which involved someone I knew in the community). Or maybe those words from well meaning friends and family, "motorcycles are dangerous!" just finally struck my consciousness. Needless to say I was fear shackled and the Sporty spent most of my free time sitting in the garage. Hoping to overcome this new sensation (anxiety and fear), I invited my best friend to take the safety course with me, after all if I was going to ride safely & legally the license was a must have. We both did well and my friend was hooked, but sadly the anxiety has persisted. It's not a fear of the bike, in fact last month I traded the Sporty for a much more comfortable (and believe it or not easier handling) Heritage Softail. I feel very comfortable with handling the bike, I'm not afraid of dropping it, I drive defensively and at appropriate speeds, I never go beyond what my skill set is capable of until I have practiced it long enough to become part of my skill set and I remain aware as humanly possible of my total surroundings, with particular attention to what lies ahead of me. Yet when I am not on the bike I am riddled with anxiety about riding. Even worse, I have anxiety about my friend riding (she is very much a thrill seeker and risk taker on any type of motor vehicle). I am hoping I am not beyond help, I don't want to live in fear (especially seeing as fear is a relatively new experience for me, and not a particularly pleasant one). And while I am still able to ride (I feel much more comfortable when I'm in a group ride) I feel as though I'm allowing the joy to be taken away by my anxiety. Thanks for listening VTwin Mama. WJ Dear WJ, Despite your many years and miles of riding in your younger days, the 30 year gap has essentially made you a new rider with only 1 year under your belt. I say this because you are a different person now in many ways. You are clearly stating that your core essential sense of fearlessness has morphed into a feeling of vulnerability, and while it may be a foreign feeling, it's an honest one. Life has taught you that we're not bullet-proof (go figure!). To me this suggests that you highly value many other "somethings" in your life that you wouldn't want to lose because some bozo driver crosses in front of you at the last second. And despite your best defensive riding efforts, you can't control the bozos in the world and you know it. So you think about it. You're ok when riding and sharing the adventure, but you fret when alone. If a tornado where to cross your path and take you for a no-return ride, one could say that that's just the breaks of bad luck. But in choosing to ride a motorcycle you have to actively acknowledge the risk and take responsibility for making the choice. This is basically adult-based thinking vs. youth-driven bravado. Is it just "newbie" jitters or something deeper? I'll put it this way: the next time you feel the anxiety, sit down in a quiet corner and contemplate it. Decide if you are willing to embrace the uncertainty and choose to ride or if it makes more sense to let go of this particular pathway for other adventures . Either way you come out the winner! Mama Dear VTwin Mama, As a background, I started riding last year - took the BRC course in March ' 08, bought a Suzuki Boulevard 650 (Suzy Q) in April - loved her and rode her for a couple of months - she was a perfect first bike. I had to travel for work for about a month, and when I got back I couldn't wait to get back out on her. But rather than take the time to practice in a parking lot again, I just took off. I had a great ride, but on the way back I took a wrong turn and soon encountered a hairpin turn. (Those tight turns were the hardest thing for me in the course - just couldn't get the hang of looking where I wanted to go rather than where I was going....) Anyway, I slowed way down on the turn, was doing ok, but then glanced at the guard rail, and, of course, that's right where I went - and, OF COURSE - full speed, because I panicked and hit the throttle! Long story short, my right knee was messed up and the insurance company totaled my bike, BUT - I was lucky - it could have been so much worse. I made some bad judgments that day - should have practiced, should have stayed on known roads, and being so new, I should have ridden with someone. The good thing is that I wore the right gear - jeans, even though it was a hot day, good boots, my armored jacket, and helmet, of course. The accident didn't cure me of my desire to ride, mainly because I knew what my mistake was, and have gotten a lot of encouragement from friends and other riders that I can use that experience to become a better rider. That's what I'm counting on, but I'm having a really hard time getting past that feeling of panic and losing control. I know that with time and practice, I can overcome that feeling by just being in control more and more, but getting there is proving to be much harder than I thought it would. I bought another bike - found a good deal on a bike in the winter - a Suzuki Intruder Volusia 800 - and bought it, thinking that I would have been ready for a bigger bike before long anyway, so why not do it now. When I healed up enough, I took the course again in the spring, which helped a lot - got me over the jitters and gave me some confidence again - on the small bike used in the course. But I have not been able to do the same on my own bike. I have practiced in a parking lot (had someone ride it to the lot so I didn't have to ride on the streets), and finally did a short ride around town. The clutch engagement is not very smooth, so I have stalled it out a few times, dropping it twice, which really doesn't help me feel in control. I have given up a few times, said "I just can't do this. Maybe I just don't have what it takes, maybe the accident was proof of that." But I always come back to wanting to ride, and I start thinking, "maybe if I try this, or that...I CAN DO THIS!" I think this bike is maybe just too big and awkward for me to start over with or I've just psyched myself out - every time I get on it I get that fear in my belly again - like I'm gonna lay on the throttle and run into something, or lay it over in a turn. I'm thinking that if I get a small scooter - ride it around town a lot and just get really comfortable with that, then try again on a smaller bike and build up from there. What caught my eye on the 6 July post was that Erica has a Piaggio MP3 500 scooter. I would love to hear about her experience with that - I'm thinking about getting one myself. Anyway, I would appreciate any words of wisdom ... Teri Dear Teri, When it comes to difficulties becoming one with a motorcycle, I tend to advise that you stick with it a bit more and address any issues of mechanical problems. This brings up two points immediately: 1) all power can be removed from a bike by pulling in the clutch lever ... no matter how much throttle you've got going, the bike can't transfer that "call" to the rear drive without the clutch engaged. So in you're heading toward something you really don't want to encounter, pull in the clutch, make sure the motorcycle is upright, and gently squeeze the front brake (most new riders tend to really stomp on the rear brake in a panic, which sets up a rear wheel skid, so an upright front brake squeeze will get you stopped). 2) a not so smooth clutch engagement would frustrate even the best rider depending on what you mean exactly. I'm going to guess it's that the friction zone engages almost at the end of the lever travel. If this is the case, immediately call your local dealer's service department and ask them if that engage/disengage point can be moved to the middle of the lever travel. Clutch cables stretch and that might be why it's not a pain. If it's some other choppiness, I would spend a few $$ to have the service department check it out. Once that's handled, then it's back to the practice lot for duck walks and getting that friction zone under your complete command. Remember that the duck walk shouldn't be too slow or fast and by getting it mastered, your clutch hand will be ready to handle those turns and such. So, I'm not nixing the idea to get a smaller bike and work your way up, but honestly, a 250cc bike can get you in a jam just as much as a bigger bike ... because the motorcycle is waiting for your skilled commands. Let's see if Erica chimes in with her MP3 experiences (or any other reader with that bike). Mama Monday, August 24 Teri, bear with me because I'm going to make a short
story long, but if your patient I promise it will be relevant to your
concern over having too big of a bike. My husband introduced me to a 2007 VStar 650 Classic, pearl white. Still on the showroom floor with 5 miles on it. I fell in love with her as soon as I saw her on that showroom floor. The only problem ... I was scared to death of her. The thought of me driving that huge bike made my stomach twist. I bought her, brought her home then didn't want to ride her. I was scared of falling and it was just that simple. My husband was very patient with my fear (he bought a
Harley and was dying to open it up) and took me out around the
neighborhood to practice stopping, right turns from a stop, etc. Because
I took my time getting to know the bike I no longer fear her. Now I
really enjoy my bike and love it more then anything else I own - except
my wedding ring of course. I might even like it better then my teenagers
:-) I have 800 miles on her and look forward to the next 30k. Thursday, October 1 Dear Mama, We have a large riding group here ... about 30 bikers once we get them all gathered up. It's quite a sight to see that many bikes all together, enjoying the open roads and highways. Well I'm gonna sign off again ... just wanted to drop ya a note to tell you I love it!!! So to all the newbies, just keep at it. Someday you will truly enjoy it. Love, Teala Dear Teala,
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