Newbie or Not So Newbie?

[sportygrl]

This is a question for everyone. If you no longer consider yourself a newbie, do you recall a point in time when that thought hit you? Or, if you still consider yourself a newbie, do you have any thoughts as to when that title might change to experienced rider? I find this topic interesting because we have riders of all experience levels here. And even some ladies who have been riding for a couple years consider themselves to be newbies.

Here's my take on it...

When I am able to go for a ride, and know that I have the confidence and the experience necessary to handle all situations (traffic, weather, highway, gravel, twisties, emergency braking...etc...etc), and that if an accident does occur it will not be due to my lack of experience. Then and only then will I no longer be a newbie. I know this will only come with miles in saddle...don't know how many, but I'll know it when I get there!

[amy]

I think I fall in the not so newbie group.... almost 3700 miles under me but still have some milestones to reach. More highway riding, an overnighter with hubby, take off from a hill turning, (can finally do it going straight!) The butterflies are pretty much gone but still have lots more to learn. I believe shegoes mentioned to me that she considers everyone with less than 10,000 miles to be a newbie. I think everyone who rides encounters a "newbie" experience when riding. New experiences and challenges are a good thing, keeps you on your toes!

[freyja]

Good question. I've logged almost 20,000 miles but I still consider myself to be a newb somtimes. I guess that's pretty silly. For the last few months I've been trying to explain to myself that I'm a somewhat accomplished rider, at least, I've taken many classes and have done some long distance solo road trips. But I'm only half-convinced...

Part of the problem is speed - there are MANY reckless riders in southern California who ride at what I consider to be ridiculous speeds. Getting passed by them all the time is not a confidence builder, but I wouldn't ride at those speeds even if I were comfortable doing it. So I just need to get over it.

Still, it's good to remember that there's always more to learn, and it doesn't necessarily hurt to feel like beginner if it keeps you open to improving your skills.

[amethaelf]

I remember a time when the butterflies didn't last quite so long, and I was able to ride without thinking I was a menace to both myself and all other road users, and when I forgot for a moment to be terrified and actually thought this was a pretty fun thing to do. Thats when I suppose I became a non-newbie, it was a gradual progression and I still would not dare call myself an experienced rider, even after over 25,000 kilometres in 2 years. There are still skills I need to work on (tight turns!!!!)

[susanL]

This is a good question. I wouldn't consider myself a newbie, but definitly not a seasoned rider either. I've got many more roads to travel. However, as far as the "butterfly feelings" they're pretty much gone. I really think the more riding experiences you have with different types of road surfaces, weather, traffic, etc...that these elements help build up your confidence. Altho, when first faced with a new experience "like a muddy road" that you have to go through and you think your going to fall...but you don't, to me that's a great accomplishment. I used to dread experiences like that, and it's not like I'm out there looking for them either, BUT these are the type of circumstances that make me feel stronger once I've accomplished them.

[Blacktop]

I'm not cocky,I've now rode over a year an almost 7k miles....I'm just now feeling comfortable with my own knowledge of my limitations & strengths on my one and only bike. Yes,I'm not a pro and still feel like a rookie at times.I know the moment I feel I can't learn anything else,then I put myself at risk or others around me.

My bike before it was my very own

This was 2008,before I rode....little did my dog "Jazzy" know She used the bags to load up and pose

[amethaelf]

Nice photo, Blacktop.

[SFW]

Yeah nice photo.

I considered myself a newbie after 3 years when I finally hit 10k now I am not a newbie but experienced. Time to take the advanced course now.

[Ironhorsepilot]

I have well over 10,000 miles and I still feel like a newbie. I don't get so nervous anymore, but there are roads I won't travel still. Funny thing is, I can leave home and travel on strange roads and it doesn't bother me. Here at home, most of the Interstates bother me. I guess it is because I know how people drive here, but once I am away from home, I just concentrate on my driving and deal with it as I don't have a choice at the time.

[Trish]

Around 5,000. I have over 10,000 and consider myself a mid new-experienced rider with a lot to learn still.

[softail02]

Still, it's good to remember that there's always more to learn, and it doesn't necessarily hurt to feel like beginner if it keeps you open to improving your skills.

Totally agree with you freyja!

12+ years, thousands of miles and I still feel like a newbie sometimes when I ride with my brother or ex-bf. There have been rides with them that really pushed my abilities, not "riding over my head" but tackling a new, sometimes unusual, ride. 99% of the time they (at least my brother) takes into consideration my riding ability and/or my bike set up, to tackle it.

I didn't feel to comfortable, when on vacation with my brother, I was running out of gas when we were out looking for a specific valley overlook he wanted to stop at. I had told him that I was low on gas when I saw a sign that said 30 miles (back) to town. He told me we were almost there and kept going.
When we stopped at the overlook, told him I didn't think I would have enough gas to get back. He just kind of shrugged and said that I would just have to coast back down the hills and save what gas I had left. Oooookaaay, all I could think about was some of the curves to coast thru
Had to pull ahead of him going back, kicked it into a gear a couple of times on curves, coasted a long distance in neutral. Every little downhill I clicked it back to neutral. Made it back into town and gas station. Couldn't even see any gas in tank, pump tallied a little over the total amount, when I finished pumping, that the tank was supposed to hold!

I didn't have to worry about traffic, only free range cattle. Turned out it was kind of fun, expecially to know that I accomplished it. There were a couple of other times on the same vacation where he decided to take the Ultra he was riding onto a trail to see if we could make it all the way back there. lol. Most of those I stayed at the road and waited if he didn't remember the trail from his dual sport riding vacations in the area. Mainly he knows to not take me in the mud! lol

[Zoom]

A few days ago, on July 9th was my 2 year anniversary of riding. I got my first bike that day and took the MSF course the following weekend. I have clocked in 28,758 miles in those two years. 14025 on the 650 the first year and 14,733 on my 950 the 2nd year. I do not consider myself a newbie. I have ridden in the rain, in cold weather, in hot weather, on gravel, on dirt roads, interstate and interstate with pouring rain. I have been through heavy traffic in the middle of a crazy big city, I have ridden through Atlanta a few times. I have made short trips and long trips, overnight trips and traveled from Tennessee to FL and Tennessee to WV. I have been on mountainous curves and tiny almost one lane roads. I have ridden many miles solo and many miles with one other person and I have ridden in small groups and large groups. I have ridden sloooooooow and I have ridden fast. I am not sure what I haven't done yet. I guess if I could say I havent done something yet it would be that I haven't traveled on an overnight solo yet and that is about to change even. I plan to ride up to WV soon to see my family. I will be going alone.

I went looking for every different experience I could think of when I was learning, I wanted to defeat them all and know that I could do them. I feel confident in my riding ability and yet, through all that, I have so much more to learn. I doubt we ever stop learning. I ride with a defensive attitude, my son told me from the beginning, "Mom, ride like everyone is trying to get you!" And so to my son, "I do!"

I think when I really knew that I was ok with riding and felt confident that I was ok on my bike was around 10,000 miles. I had lost the jitters way before that and had experienced the differences because I went looking for them but once I had mileage under me I started feeling better about it all.

I don't mean to sound arrogent, LOL, cause I hate arrogence ....... but I do feel I am an experienced rider, one that never wants to stop learning and has a ton more to learn. I have not arrived and not sure if I ever will, I will never be perfect, but I believe I know how to handle the bike enough to do everything in my power to stay out of trouble if trouble tries to find me. AND as I have said many times before, I pray a lot!

[softail02]

I think when I really knew that I was ok with riding and felt confident that I was ok on my bike was around 10,000 miles. I had lost the jitters way before that and had experienced the differences because I went looking for them but once I had mileage under me I started feeling better about it all.

I don't mean to sound arrogent, LOL, cause I hate arrogence ....... but I do feel I am an experienced rider, one that never wants to stop learning and has a ton more to learn. I have not arrived and not sure if I ever will, I will never be perfect, but I believe I know how to handle the bike enough to do everything in my power to stay out of trouble if trouble tries to find me. AND as I have said many times before, I pray a lot!

Doesn't sound arrogant at all to me. You took the miles and challenges, didn't stay in your comfort zone after you had the basic abilities. Hard to get past that newbie stage when you only ride close to home (in most cases) on roads that you feel very comfortable on.

How many times do you hear of a great street bike for sale that only has a few thousand miles on it after several years. Usually means that rider didn't get past the newbie stage, unless they moved to a different bike.

Good for you for moving forward and taking advantage of the time you have available to ride and your area.

[sportygrl]

Zoom...
Doesn't sound arrogant to me at all. You sound like just the kind of rider I aspire to be at my 2-year anniversary...well I'm a little behind, so maybe by my 3rd! Thanks for sharing!

[Zoom]

Thanks ladies! I just love this so much, as I tell anyone that ask why "of all the things in life I have done, this has been something in a league of it's own."

When growing up I was like most little girls, I was nuts about horses. I read about them, dreamed about them and had them, I thought I would always feel strongly about horses and though I do still love them, nothing compares to my bike. It's a horse of a different kind.

I think ..... to be honest here, that my bike and me are something that I don't have to share with anyone else unless I just want to put someone on the back for a ride. Ya know? I mean all my life it's been about everyone else, my husband, the kids .... the kids always came first. I was always last .... Now my four children are raised and when I was given my first bike 2 years ago I fell in love. Love for riding, love of life. It just changed me. I wish I had done this years ago, I do wonder if my life would have been different. Maybe decisions I have made would have had a different outcome because I would have viewed it from a different view. I'm talking about choices I have made in the last 12 to 15 years of my life .... I don't know, maybe not, LOL, but I do know that riding has changed me, made me a better advocate for "myself" if that makes any sense at all.

[firefly]

I've been riding for a little over two years and the butterflies are mostly gone. I would say I'm a newbie with some experience. My longest trip on the bike was from Arizona to Utah, about 1300 round trip. I'm comfortable in heavy city traffic and on interstates, but am still a little uneasy in the twisties. And I haven't ridden in rain yet - we hardly get any here. So there are quite a few things I need to master before I will call myself experienced.

[PIPEDRMZ]

I have approximately 30,000 or so miles clocked in and I feel that motorcycling is similar to playing a musical instrument. The longer you play the better you get at playing that instrument - you can get good, real good but no matter how good you are there will always be something to learn. I feel like I'm always learning and I love it! Maybe fairly new to intermediate!

[freyja]

well said PIPEDRMZ!

[Zoom]

I get to add that I have made a solo trip out of state on the list. I rode 300 miles from TN to WV on Monday. I started out at 9am and got here at 3 pm. 6 hours which is really good on a bike. It takes about 5 in our car. I am not sure when I am going home. I am enjoying the break.

[amethaelf]

One thing that my instructor taught me, is to "ride with purpose". For a time I rode timidly, being a bit daunted by the weight of my bike which prevented me from fully progressing. Now those important words are like a mantra to me, and it is true, if you ride with purpose, you do develop as a rider.

[SFW]

Have fun Zoom!!

[SusanW]

I don't know how many miles I have, but my Dad taught me to ride when I was about 7 or 8 years old. I am 49 now and still have moments when I flash back to those early days of riding. I guess that will always be something I will do. I find myself still following the same safety check list he would insist we do before riding our dirt bikes, of course I have added a few new items to comp for the road bike. I guess what I am trying to say is I try to make sure and learn something new every ride.
I still attend MSF courses, now it is the advanced riders course since I have been to several of the learn to ride courses in different areas so I could get a refresher on my basic skills. I have ridden in the mountains, at the beach and most places in between. I am still a beginner when I do something the first time. (And several times after)
My husband will always classify me as a beginner as he has 8 more years riding than I do. I hope I get to stay on my bike until I have reached the ripe old age of 89. Good Lord willing.