Photo from my day at the Northwest Motorcycle Clinic
Some people are great at building muscle memory. I am not one of those people.
Although I knew I wanted to ride a motorcycle from the moment I first let off a clutch, I got overwhelmed easily and panicked often. In my first day at motorcycle class, I dropped the bike half a dozen times.
At first, I thought there was something wrong with me. Was I not cut out for riding?
Of course, I did overcome my panic and learn to ride. Since then, I’ve met many new riders who are like I was: they long to learn to ride, but have a hard time acquiring the basic skills.
Can I learn to ride a motorcycle if I’m nervous?
Some may tell you that if you’re scared of riding, you shouldn’t do it. And I see their point: riding is a dangerous hobby that doesn’t tolerate incompetence. However, I think it’s misguided to exclude new riders just because they have a hard time learning.
Although the idea that different people have different “learning styles” is a myth, I do think some people have an easier time learning physical skills. For these people, skills like learning to ride just “make sense.”
For others (myself included), these skills don’t come so easily. In fact, I used to consider myself clumsy. I was constantly bruised, I avoided any kind of sport, and even after years of dance lessons I still had a hard time picking up new choreography.
However, learning to ride a motorcycle taught me that my body is capable of much more than I gave it credit for. I just had to figure out the right way to learn.
The Three Pillars of Learning to Ride
As far as I’m concerned, anyone of sound mind and body can learn how to ride, even if they struggle their first (or second) time on the bike. All you need is the commitment and patience to learn one step at a time.
With motorcycles, we tend to behave as if there’s no middle ground — either you’re riding or you’re not. However, as I learned to ride, I realized there were three central skills I needed to be a competent rider. I call them “The Three Pillars of Learning to Ride:”
- Balancing and maneuvering
- Operating the controls
- Navigating traffic
Okay, so it’s not groundbreaking. However, thinking about the individual steps of learning to ride helped me realize that I didn’t have to learn everything at once. And, more importantly, I actually learned better when I only tackled one new skill at a time.
Learning to Ride, One Step at a Time
For most people, learning to ride means going out to a big, empty parking lot with a (hopefully small) motorcycle. All at once, they try to learn to work the controls as well as how to maneuver and balance.
People who find it easy to pick up physical skills might not have any trouble learning this way. But for me, simultaneously learning how to balance and work the controls sent my panic into adrenaline-fueled overdrive. Not only was this extremely frustrating, but it wasn’t safe.
However, when I switched to learning to ride a scooter, a new world opened up for me. The scooter’s lighter weight and simpler controls allowed me to focus on learning the physics of two wheels. Once I had learned to balance, I ventured out and learned how to be a two-wheeled vehicle on the road.
After becoming comfortable with my scooter in a variety of situations, it was much easier for me to add the final piece of the puzzle: operating the controls.
How should you learn how to ride?
My journey to learn to ride was atypical, but it worked for me. And, I’m glad it did, because it’s shown me that there’s more than one way to learn to ride.
The important thing is not to focus on the motorcycle itself, but to become more comfortable with how riding a motorcycle feels. The more time you give your mind to acclimate to each new sensation, the easier it will be for you to learn the next skill.
In fact, research has shown that learning new skills in different ways (and giving yourself time for those memories to cement) can help you pick up new physical skills faster.
If you’re struggling to learn to ride on a full motorcycle, I challenge you to simplify the problem. Maybe try a lighter motorcycle, and ride it around a parking lot in only first gear. Or get your hands on a scooter and practice on it for awhile.
But you could go even simpler than that. You could practice on a bicycle, and pay attention to how it moves in response to your inputs. Even visualization can help: studies have found that visualizing yourself doing something can help prime your brain to actually do it.
Whatever you choose, remember that the goal is to find accessible challenges. If you push yourself too hard, you’ll end up back where you started: anxious and frustrated. But if you take it slow and steady, you’ll be riding effortlessly before you know it.
Learning to Ride is a Journey, not a Destination
The first few months of learning to ride are possibly the most dangerous time in your riding career. So remember, you’re playing the long game. The object is not to get up and running on a bike as fast as possible, but to make sure you can stay on the the road for as long as possible.
Even after you attain basic competence on a motorcycle, there will always be room to grow. It’s tempting to think that once you’re comfortable on the street, you’re done learning. But the skills you need to ride defensively go beyond the skills you need on a routine trip to the grocery store.
So, though it might feel like your goal is to get comfortable on a motorcycle, that’s actually only a checkpoint on your journey. Learning to ride is a lifelong endeavor, and by keeping that in mind from the start you’ll position yourself to have a long, happy riding career.
If there’s anything I can do to help you along your journey, please don’t hesitate to ask. Enjoy the ride!
UP NEXT >>
On the hunt for your first motorcycle? Here’s what I wish someone had told me.
I’m writing this note with a significant degree of trepidation. I believe friends (which I consider you to be) can be honest with each other as long as that honesty isn’t wielded like a blunt object or worse disrespectfully – neither mode is my intention.
I think the piece by Christian Jarrett reads like a dismissive oversimplification. I acknowledge that I do not have a degree in psychology nor education; but I have taught children and adults here in the states and overseas, and I have two school-aged children who have had teachers that run the gamut of the teaching spectrum.
I don’t know that we know, nor will ever know, enough to dismiss the concept of learning styles as mythology; but that is not an outright endorsement for them either. Experience on either side of the teaching lectern has shown me that a combination of the level of energy, time, and attentiveness the instructor is able to provide (which is of great disparity in classrooms and schools across the globe) in concert with the respective background (of equal disparity) of each student can yield results that feed into a perceived response – accurately or not – to different learning styles.
I have no empirical data to support my position; and I acknowledge that the concept of learning styles – all things being equal – could be a myth; but, as you know, things in life are seldom equal.
Regarding the rest of the piece, I really enjoyed it. Though, to me, starting out with formal training for motorcycle riding (which is not how I started) is the optimal and safest route to take, I found the fact that I had previously learned how to drive standard-transmission cars extremely beneficial to learning how to ride. All someone had to do was tell me that the clutch was located where my hand was, and the shifter was located where my foot was; and I was all good. Finding “neutral” on a Ducati, on the other hand … that’s like Raiders of the Lost Ark. ?
I love the way you write, LT, because I love the way your pieces not only make me think; but also, often evoke emotions and fond memories. Ever grateful. ?
Ride on and Write on, because you’re Right on!
Ohene — Never feel that you have to mince words around me! I respect your opinion and am always happy to hear it 🙂
I can see why the “learning styles” myth thing may have taken you aback, but I think we’re on the same wavelength here. To me, the article I cited is arguing against an oversimplification of learning styles, which has proliferated education recently. We may each have proclivities toward different learning styles, of course, but really, it should be handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the instructor, the students and the material. I think we could both agree that boiling students down to just their learning styles does everyone a disservice, and to me that’s all the article was trying to say 🙂
And yes, of course, taking an approved, official course should go without saying! However, for many people one weekend on the range isn’t going to be enough to get them comfortable on the road (ahem: me haha), and that’s who this was written for.
Thanks as always for your support and feedback! Hope you’re surviving the brutal winter 🙂
LT, I think Christian Jarrett should pin your response to me to the bottom of his article as an epilogue everywhere it’s published. I cannot disagree with anything you just wrote. Thanks for the different / clarifying perspective.
Appreciate you.
If you want to learn to ride without the pressure of street riding. Get the skill set from motocross riding. What you learn off street on a dirt track or back country translate very well to the street.
There are some differences in technique, but for a new rider the basics do translate 🙂 And yes, there can be much less pressure than when you’re on the street! It’s all about finding the right learning path for you.
Thank you for the article. The weekend course was one of the most emotional, physical and mentally challenging experiences in my life, and it was not a good feeling at all. I left feeling frustrated and incompetent. I am glad to hear that I can overcome my panic and settle down. I completely felt that the style of learning was not for me.
Some people just need more time! It’s a lot to learn at once, and I don’t just mean skills — it takes time for some of us to just get used to the FEELING of riding so we can slow down enough to learn. Don’t be too hard on yourself! Just take it one step at a time 🙂 Ride safe, and best of luck!
Thank you for this. I just left my corse because I felt the pace was goi g faster than I could handle. I’m not sure if it’s for me, but your article gives me hope. Thanks!
I agree with you. Loved the piece. When I took riding school classes as a newbie, their approach took no consideration of learning style whatsoever. They’ve taught 10000+ students. Their success especially in safety was to NOT vere from an extremely structured approach. Yes they would take the time we needed, putting one skill on top of another, but not for one second did they overlook something for sake of student comfort. It’s challenging learning to ride. It’s also deadly if they don’t do it right. In the end they were teaching a ‘system’ of safety and procedures and skills as the foundation. My advice would be go to a good school. Trust their process. Don’t worry about how hard it is. Just listen. It’ll come together. That’s what they do for a living.
I agree with this 100% great advice
Thanks Lynne!!
I learned to ride the bike with the “old school” system, I got on the bike without knowing anything, I learned in 2 minutes, at least the basics, the most advanced skills I learned with time (like dodging a minivan coming out from a stop without looking forcing you to go in the wrong direction while a bus is coming, even dodging that). Maybe I lost it, but a capacity that I find fundamental is the “reactivity” of the body’s response, it has saved me more than once.
And it is not a boast, or something to be proud of, I was very stupid and brazenly lucky (as they say in my part: I had more ass that judgment)
Hah, no worries! You *can* learn to ride that way, but it’s not the safest 😉 I do like that saying though, I might have to steal that from ya!
You have to read the Motorcycle Roadcraft book. It is a Klondike of knowledge gathered by many people that built a System of safetiest behaviors of motorcyclists
I’m just learning to ride and today was my first class. I got overheated (I live in Florida and it was 93 and humid), frustrated, and panicking. I never dropped the bike and was making progress by the time I was just too tired and dehydrated to go on. I know the right way to mount, start, stop and shift. I just bought a 2018 kawasaki vulcan 650 and thinking I could just learn in one weekend. I am very disappointed with myself that I dont learn as quickly as the others in class. I just wanted to say that I appreciate you sharing your story! I know I will get my endorsement but not as quickly as I wanted to. Half of my class could be my kids because they were so much younger than me. Thanks again for sharing and will definitely subscribe.
Connie — Ack, that sounds frustrating! I totally understand your disappointment. As I mentioned in the article, my boyfriend picked up riding SUPER quickly and it was hard watching him zoom around while I was still struggling to stop without panicking. But it sounds like you’ve made some progress already! I’m sure if you remember to take it slow and keep practicing you’ll get there before you know it. In the meantime, I’m glad my story helped 🙂
Ride safe!
I’m Glad I’m not the only one. My husband bought me a motorcycle and yesterday we both went to a 2 day class. I had the same experience as you did.i took longer than everyone else in the class, I was overheated, and around 4:00 the instructor told me I needed more time to learn maybe one on one time before I could go on. I was so disappointed in myself. I thought I was doing ok…it just took me longer than everyone else.but I winded up not going today …not sure what I’m going to do. But I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way or has had similar experiences.
I just came back (and have finally calmed down) from day 1 of a 2-day learner course having fallen off twice, and was asked to take a pre-learner course before I resume the course I enrolled in. I realised as soon as I couldn’t get the hang of stopping without stalling I wasn’t going to get it in two days.
I really appreciate that you shared this on the internet, as I thought that I was overreracting when I got frustrated and worked myself up to a crying mess about not being able to learn to stop properly.
I’m definitely not going to give up on the idea of eventually being able to ride a motorcycle, I just need to tell (and remind) myself that I just need to take more time and more practice in getting the hand of it.
Oh, Hanna, I feel your frustration! I’m so glad this helped you out. Learning to ride a motorcycle is overwhelming, there’s a lot to take in, and your brain has to learn a completely different way of moving. Just because you aren’t going to be able to learn in two days doesn’t mean you can’t do it! I love the idea of a pre-learner class to give you the extra attention you need, and you’ll be a safer, better rider for it.
Remember to hold in the clutch as you come to a stop, and a scooter is a great intermediate step that can help you get more comfortable with being on two wheels without having to worry about a clutch at all! Once you’re comfortable on a scooter, your mind won’t have so much “new” to process when you try a geared bike again.
Take it slow and ride safe, I’m rooting for you! 🙂
It’s good to see this. I committed a real act of idiocy a few days ago and financed a Suzuki dr650 dualsport motorcycle. I have never driven a manual transmission vehicle or dealt with a clutch before. I am an avid mountain biker and figured (foolishly!) that learning to ride a motorcycle would be easy for me. I did a few years of research to decide that I wanted the dr650 model, but I had never attempted to actually ride one. I’ve signed on the dotted line and am on the hook for the full cost of the bike now. I got it in the truck and drove it home with the intention of just running it down the driveway (I have a 1 mile long gravel driveway) a few times before taking the MSF course later this week.
Dear god, I had no concept of what I was trying to do here and how terrifyingly, lethally dangerous 45 horsepower can be. I laid that brand new dualsport down three times, injuring my leg on the last time. Out of 50 attempts, I think I got it actually moving in first gear 5 times. I dropped the clutch time after time, it was a real trial by fire for me. Like getting moving on roller skates and not being able to stop. Already, from day 1, I realize that I should have started on a 250cc or something and that when they say a bike is “torquey” they mean that it will try to leap out from under you if you give it too much throttle from a dead stop. I walked away with a new fear of the throttle and frustrated nearly to the point of tears with the thing.
Luckily, it is a tough dualsport and the bike is no worse for the wear with just a few scratches here and there.
I plan to take the MSF course before laying hands on it again. But I suspect that still, it won’t be nearly enough for me to feel comfortable on it. I completely underestimated the difficulty of learning this and all I can think of is what a huge mistake I have made. Hopefully, further practice and learning will help me overcome my first impression of the bike I have purchased as an outright killing machine. Caveat emptor.
So sorry to hear about your first experiences, Nick! I hope your leg is doing alright, but I’m glad that your injuries weren’t worse! Yes, please do take a class, I think you’ll find it much easier to get to know a motorcycle in a controlled environment than out on your own.
Chances are, you will have a leg up with your mountain biking experience because you’re already familiar with balancing a two-wheeled vehicle, but shifting gears and using the clutch and throttle adds a whole different dimension that needs to be learned one step at a time! For the record, though, any bike will jump out from under you if you over-apply the throttle from a dead stop, no matter how big the engine is 😉
I hope you feel better about your DR after taking the class! If not, a DRZ400 might be a good moderate step down while still giving you plenty of room to challenge yourself and grow as a rider. My husband is torn between the two bikes at the moment, either is a fine moto! They also make a DRZ250, and Team Oregon (the organization I instruct with) has a few on our training bike fleet! Remember that the best motorcycle for you now is one you feel comfortable on.
Thanks for writing to share your experience, Nick, I really appreciate it. Best of luck with the class! I hope it helps you re-set your riding journey and go down a safer, more confident path.
Recently picked up a motorcycle, with the plan of it being an easier (and more financial viable) commuter. So far, in the month or so I’ve had it, I’ve managed coaxing it around the back of the house about eight times, for about five feet forward each time. Yeah… I may have underestimated the complexity of it, considering I’ve never been much for automobiles in the first place.
We’ll leave out how many stalls, and gloss over an awkward error… where I had something of a panic and almost dropped it – and instead of dropping it like an infinitely wiser man would have, I decided keeping my new shiny from getting scratched was too important annnnnd… caught the full weight (415lbs) on my right leg, plus another 185lbs of my own weight. Turns out, I’m not 18 anymore and pulling that kind of stuff HURTS. Welp.
The bike remains scratch free, and my knee has almost stopped aching, almost two weeks later. I’ve had some anxiety over it since, but have gone back to baby steps; slow roll outs with the clutch, testing my balance, etc.
It may sound ridiculous, but most of my anxiety comes from not wanting to look as green as freshly mowed astroturf when I attend my basic rider course in a little over a month from now. I guess, pushing 40 (not a mid-life crisis, gtfo…), I’m worried I’ll look like… some old guy having a midlife crisis, heh.
Think it’s worth it to keep puttering around like this, or should I just hang it up until the course? I’d rather drop their bike than mine, but my elaborate and complex manly pride doesn’t want to look like a clown in front of a bunch of kids, either.
Getting olds rough, yo.
I really liked the article, and for whatever reason, I felt compelled to kind of… dump all this in your comments, in case some other almost-old-folks out there happen find it while going through the same thing I am. I guess it’s nice knowing I’m not the only person going through it. Some of these comments were a real comfort, so thanks to everyone brave enough to come out about it… and my support to everyone else having a rough time of it.
Oof, sounds like you’ve had a rough go of it so far! I’m glad you liked the article, and so glad you connected with the other commenters. Learning to ride can be overwhelming, and you’re definitely not the only one who has struggled!
If you want to keep practicing on your own, my advice would be to limit your practice to clutch control — finding the friction zone, that point where the bike starts to pull on its own without any additional gas. Let the clutch out until it starts to pull, then pull it back in without stalling. Repeat that about 500 times 😉
In my limited teaching experience so far, if a student doesn’t “get” where the friction zone is, they struggle to progress for the rest of class. So, if you can get comfortable finding the friction zone on your bike now, you’ll be that much better prepared for class!
Unfortunately, younger folks tend to pick up on skills like this faster, so I can’t guarantee clutch control will help you from looking like a dork in front of the “kids.” Plus, a lot of the teenagers I’ve seen come through class already have dirt bike riding experience, and they’re just doing it to get their license. There may or may not be some of those kids in your class, but the good news is, once you get out of there you’ll never have to see them again 😉
Best of luck with the class and the start of your riding journey! If anything comes up that I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to reach out 🙂
I’m 47 and just learned how to ride a bicycle by myself and love it so I thought a motorcycle would be as easy. I’ve had 7 private with hubby lessons and I haven’t progressed at ALL. Well last week I did get my feet on the pegs but this past weekend I was back to waddling and being nervous like I never touched the bike before. In five mimites I gave up. My first day I dropped the bike four times. And wanted to keep trying until I broke a peg and had to stop. My third day dropped it once and last week I laid it down on my own accord twice. 7 total. So this weekend the second I got on the bike I had a panic attack and quit despite never quitting ever. Now he won’t take me again.
My hubby wants me to cancel the brc and sell the bike and give up.
Hi,
I have to say what an excellent article this is!
I just completed my basic training (a UK legal requirement), and had exactly the problems you describe.
I found I could manage clutch control in a straight line, but introduce any manoeuvres into the equation, I completely fell to pieces! I didn’t drop the bike, but it was a near thing on several occasions! Fortunately, I remembered this article, recognised the difficulty I was having and switched to a scooter, and everything fell into line. I went on to take the road elements of the course on a scooter and passed no problem.
If you have any readers in the UK, it is worth noting that if you do your CBT on a scooter, you are still legal to ride a geared bike on the road. This means you can learn a geared bike (as I have managed) on quiet roads / car parks until you get your confidence. I’d recommend this approach to your last commenter – no looking like a clumsy old fart in front of a bunch of kids!
Hey Rik, so glad this article helped! As a motorcycle instructor myself, I don’t think it’s a good idea to take a basic riding class on a scooter when you actually want to learn a geared bike, but I fully support using a scooter as a stepping stone in your motorcycle journey! For me it took several months (maybe even six?) to really feel comfortable on the scooter, and it was only after riding the scooter for a year that I moved on to a motorcycle. In retrospect, I would have benefitted from another class at that point to re-acquaint myself with the clutch and improve my cornering proficiency, but because my first class was such a train wreck I didn’t think about it lol. Ride safe, Rik!! 🙂
I don’t have the ability to get a scooter
Hi! Reading your post has made me feel SO much better about my choice to work with a scooter first. I too am having a few hang ups here and there, especially with things that for now are feeling challenging and unnatural. My husband rides, and all he took was one safety rider course. He ended up waiting 5 years to get a bike, and then picked it back up with ease. For me, he keeps telling me about all of the things I will learn in the course, but I am choosing to practice on a scooter a few months before having to introduce shifting etc into the mix. I actually just ended up riding too close to a curb today and the kickstand got caught up on it at about 15mph. It went down and I jumped off. All is well, but I needed a boost to see that I’m not a complete idiot, and just because something happened, doesn’t mean I’m not cut out for riding in the long run. It’s only my 4th day on it so…. anyway, thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad this post helped, Samantha!! Some people take to riding like they’re born to it, the rest of us have to learn by taking it slow and LOTS of practice haha. Good to hear you’re not hurt, just remember that you go where you look! Sometimes I still have to remind myself to look away from the obstacle. Hopefully after some good riding time with the scooter, you’ll feel more prepared to learn shifting and clutch control! Best wishes and ride safe!
I am so glad I read this article. I know the basics and and had been riding on a smaller bike for some time. My husband took me to try his sportster 883 today. And out of 6 turns I dropped it on my 2 turn( we were on an empty road used for practising) .Though I continued riding and managed to make the turns without dropping it again I was so frustrated and just felt like its something I cannot do. My husband is a great rider. And just took up riding without any practise. He rides the Harley street glide and BMW R90 . He bought the 883 so we both could ride together. And he thinks I should now start on the 883. But I think it’s not coming that easily to me. This article has motivated me to keep going on. But I am still so upset on my fall. There are so many people riding so perfectly, you feel its doable but then you are not able to do it .
It’s true, everyone learns at different speeds! Sorry to hear you feel pressured to ride a bike you’re nervous about riding. How comfortable do you feel on your small moto? In my experience if you’re confident on your smaller bike, the skills will translate to a bigger bike, because the dynamics of balancing are absolutely the same.
If you’re not yet 100% comfortable on your smaller motorcycle, you might need more practice with it before moving to a larger bike, purely because it’s harder to learn on a motorcycle that intimidates you!
But if you are comfortable on your smaller motorcycle, you might need to just take it slow and go back to the basics on the 883. Either way, stick with challenges you feel ready for, be patient with yourself, and keep practicing good habits!
Ride safe 🙂
My husband is an awesome rider and I’ve always wanted to ride as well. Opportunity came up and we were able to get me a used Kawasaki Ninja 300 as a starter bike. A couple of months ago I took a Star Rider’s beginner course and did really well on the techniques and exercises. Well, during the class, on one of the exercises, I managed to drop the bike while braking (a little too hard). I guess I tested my limits. I fell on my ride side and hit my arm and knee fairly hard against the ground. The instructor asked me if I was okay to keep going or if I wanted to sit out the rest of the day. Of course I chose to keep going as I hadn’t come this far to fail the course the last day.
After this incident, I had a hard time finishing the course without being a bundle of nerves and always thinking I’m going to mess up and fall. It has been a couple of months since I finished the course and the weather has warmed up very nicely. But I have only been out on my bike once since then, and I was so nervous the whole time!
Thank you for this post 🙂 I’m hoping to get out there and practice a lot more this summer without letting my nerves get in the way.
Hey Svetlana! Sorry to hear about your crash, I hope your knee and arm are okay! In my experience, working through the nerves of riding just takes time and practice. Take your time and don’t be too hard on yourself, but also don’t forget to keep learning and improving! Best of luck 🙂
I just had my first riding lesson and it went very badly! I dropped the bike and then went to hard on the throttle trying to turn and came off. My hand and knee are pretty sore but my ego is the most badly damaged ? I feel like I just want to give it up, maybe I’m just not cut out for it. Your article really helped me feel a little better as I am struggling most controlling the throttle. You have inspired me to maybe try again ?
Cher — I’ll be the first to say that some people aren’t meant to be on a motorcycle, but in my experience if you’re willing to learn responsibly and conscientiously you’ll do just fine! I hope your next lesson goes more smoothly 🙂
I am sooo grateful for this article..found by searching : hard to learn to ride “” .. I am in later years and my husband rides. I assumed I am a female vet this should be a piece of cake. Not so much..for me I had purchased an 883 because I was told it was a great learner bike . for me not so much. My quit level is nil; so through research I decided to purchase a 2015 rebel. This bike and grit are helping me to start again. Luckily I have a husband with great patience and willing to teach me at my speed. I just wanted to drop a note of thank you..glad Im not alone.
So glad to hear this helped! You can definitely do it, just remember to be patient with yourself and take it at your speed! 🙂
Nice to know I’m not the only one, but I think I’m the worst of the lot. I took my first rider class almost a year and a half ago, dropped the bike 3 times during class, passed the test, but then didn’t get a bike to practice on, so kind of forgot how to ride. About 6 months ago a friend offered that I take his Triumph for a ride. Bad ask. I dropped it making a right turn (applied only the front brake at low speed while turning. That was an expensive repair). Then decided to rent a Shadow 250 to practice on a weekend, dropped it making a left turn in a parking lot. Again at low speed (no break; just too much lean). I was angry and frustrated. I took the class again, didn’t drop the bike at all (yay!), and passed the test again. Went to test drive a Sportster 883 and didn’t drop it, thank God.
My husband is an avid and excellent rider, and he’s the one I got the riding bug from. On my birthday, just 3 weeks ago, he surprised me with a beautiful, brand new 883. It was the best feeling, riding down the road… until I dropped it on a left turn. Pretty much wiped out (took the turn too wide, saw that I was about to hit the curb, so I decided to let it go rather than hit the curb and become airborne myself). Banged up my left knee and got a not-so-nice road burn on it (my fault. Although I was wearing jeans, they were not riding jeans). That’s going to be another expensive repair.
My husband is pretty scared for me now and wants to sell it already. He says that I’m just going through a mid-life crisis (that may very well be the case), that’s irresponsible of me to pursue this as a mother of two young children, and he’s convinced I’m a menace to myself and going to die on the streets if I keep this up. He says it’s all because, even though I know how to ride a bicycle, I’m not so skilled riding it. I say that it’s all a matter of practice.
Up until that last incident I didn’t want to give up. While it was encouraging to read this article and the comments, I now feel completely defeated, frustrated, angry, and I find myself looking wistfully at riders I see on the road.
And yet…I’m already thinking about getting a scooter.
Nice to know I’m not the only one, but I think I’m the worst of the lot. I took my first rider class almost a year and a half ago, dropped the bike 3 times during class, passed the test, but then didn’t get a bike to practice on, so kind of forgot how to ride. About 6 months ago a friend offered that I take his Triumph for a ride. Bad ask. I dropped it making a right turn (applied only the front brake on low speed while turning. That was an expensive repair). Then decided to rent a Shadow 250 to practice on a weekend, dropped it making a left turn in a parking lot. Again at low speed (but no break. Just too much lean). I was angry and frustrated. I took the class again, didn’t drop the bike at all (yay!), and passed the test again. Went to test drive a Sportster 883 and didn’t drop it, thank God.
My husband is an avid and excellent rider, and he’s the one I got the riding bug from. On my birthday, just 3 weeks ago, he surprised me with a beautiful, brand new 883. It was the best feeling riding down the road… until I dropped it on a left turn. Pretty much wiped out (took the turn too wide, saw that I was about to hit the curb, so I decided to let it go rather than hit the curb and become airborne myself). Banged up my left knee and got a not-so-nice road burn on it (my fault. Although I was wearing jeans, they were not riding jeans). That’s going to be another expensive repair.
My husband is pretty scared for me now and wants to sell it already. He says that I’m just going through a mid-life crisis (that may very well be the case), that’s irresponsible of me to pursue this as a mother of two young children, and he’s convinced I’m a menace to myself and going to die on the streets if I keep this up. He says it’s all because, even though I know how to ride a bicycle, I’m not so skilled riding it. I say that it’s all a matter of practice.
Up until that last incident I didn’t want to give up. While it was encouraging to read this article and the comments, I now feel completely defeated, frustrated, angry, and I find myself looking wistfully at riders I see on the road.
And yet…I’m already thinking about getting a scooter.
I am thankful to have found this article today. After reading it, I’m feeling more inspired to give “real” motorcycling another go. My wife and I took our MSF course together in November 2018 (I was 38 w/ no previous motorbike experience) and, while we both had a few iffy moments during the class, we passed without too many issues. (I did drop the bike once but ONLY because my wife stopped short in front of me and it was either hit her and risk knocking her down or bailing and dropping the bike I was on. The instructor felt that, for the sake of the drive home, I made the right call.) After taking the course, neither of us were feeling overly confident about our abilities to master the manual transmission while learning to ride in traffic, but we both knew we loved the feeling of being on two wheels. We purchased a couple scooters (hers a 2018 Kymco Like 200i and mine a 2013 Kymco Super 8 150) and embarked on “mini adventures” in and around our neighborhood. We’ve been riding those scooters for a little over a year now and our confidence on the streets has increased exponentially. My wife is pretty set on wanting to stick with an auto transmission, but I’m feeling the tug towards a “real” motorcycle that made me want to take the course in the first place. I’ve been reading, watching videos, and visualizing the needed skills and am feeling ready to bite the bullet on something small, manageable, and forgiving (maybe a 2020 Rebel). Anyway, I say all this to say this article helped me put things into perspective, and I think I’m ready to step up from the scooter. And if that doesn’t work out, there’s always Honda’s DCT transmission. 🙂
Thank you for the heads-up and advice! I’m finally ready to purchase my first and I have changed 180 degrees from where i started! I was looking at the “cool” bikes, the 1000+cc engines, AWESOME paint jobs… till i had time sit back and THINK. Im 48, new rider and doing this for something to enjoy, ride back and forth to work and the occasional long ride. I am now purchasing a Honda Shadow 600 or 750 cc, used (of course) and with a 30 day warranty. Knowing this is not my forever bike.. learn this summer and in a year or 2.. then buy the “COOL” cruiser.
THANK YOU again for all your help!
Greg
I am happy that I came across your site. I too am going to learn to ride. I have decided after years and thousands of miles under my butt on the back of my late fiance’s Ultra Limited and Heritage.. that its time for me to be able to continue enjoying what I love so much. I’m not comfortable on the back of anyone else’s bike .. like I don’t trust the driver or something. I could sleep on the back of the Ultra on our long road trips with my fiance. But now that he has been gone for almost 3 years .. and I’ve been on the back of a bike MAYBE 10 times since… its my time to shine. I am going to take the class .. obviously. But I am going to start practicing on a Rebel. I have decided when I choose my bike that I will not touch it .. as far as ride it until I am 100000000000% comfortable with riding. I don’t have a lot of fear about riding. Although I have never rode any type of motorized bike before .. I feel like I can do it. I’m almost 47 and I certainly don’t have my whole life ahead of me anymore … good luck to all the new riders out there. And thank you so much for all the tips ❤
This article is simply amazing! And thanks for the deceptively simple advice, Loryn. I got my learner’s recently but have been struggling since, to get onto my bike and ride it in first gear (a Ducati monster 659 gifted by my husband, on my 40th). I have no idea what the fear is all about, while I actually got a permit after riding on the roads and feeling the exhilaration. I want to a be good rider, and I want to feel the exhilaration of being one with the surrounding yet again. And I hope it will happen sometime soon. But thank you for this!
You incorrectly state that there aren’t different “learning styles” (there are) and then literally gave 2 examples of different learning styles.
I just found this article online, having returned from my CBT (on a manual bike) in tears. There was just so much to learn in such a short space of time, and so many different things to concentrate on at one. I just got worse and worse during the morning until I dropped the bike.
After that my confidence was just shot and I was terrified of riding again in the afternoon. I also felt quite defeated as I arrived thinking I’d be riding in a day. I had no idea it would be so challenging and my ego took a real dent.
I’m also quite short (5′ 3″) and the bike was so heavy to handle – I’m now really worried about how I’d get the bike up if that happened again on a road with traffic. I may have nightmares about that tonight. ?
It was so nice to read stories from other people with similar experiences and to know that I’m not the only one! I’m now feeling quite sure that mastering an automatic first to get my confidence in handling the bike and riding on the road. I can always learn manual later on if I want to. Needless to say I didn’t pass my CBT today as I wasn’t ready to go on the road, so will speak to my instructor on Monday about doing my second CBT day on an automatic.
Thanks for the article, it really resonated with me.
Thanks for this encouraging article especially mentioning that learning dirt bike riding skills can be a journey with a lot of room to improve. This really motivates me as my boyfriend would really like for us to do this recreational activity together. I wonder if there are such things are riding classes I could take with him.
Aloha from Honolulu the land of crazy drivers.
I’m 67 years old and have never ridden a cycle more than about a 16th of a mile and never got into 3rd gear…..thats my history with cycles one time only.
I’m interested in getting a new Yamaha V250 as a starter and a town transporter, maybe a ride to the North Shore when I get better at it.
My concern is at my age if I get clobbered by some cucklehead texting while driving I’m in a word of hurt THIS scares me back into wanting another 4X4. Have you ever experienced Honolulu traffic? At my age should I just dream about it and keep four wheels under me or explore a cycle perhaps a scooter as you mentioned possibly an electric motorcycle?
Nice article by the way….Mahalo (Hawaiian for thank you)
Aloha from congested Honolulu
Great read!
I came across this while searching for a way to practice gear shifting on a manual motorcycle before going back out on the road, sort of like the motorcycle arcade games you can lean, throttle, brake and such but with the clutch and gears..
I’ve been riding automatic bikes for the last 10 years, big and small, in all types of weather and I have some experience with a Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle but the last time I rode it, I had my bf on the bike, I released the clutch too soon I think w the handlebars dropping to the left and I have pretty short arms so it caused me to pull all the way up on the throttle and there we went wide open to the left, whiskey throttling it through the parking lot, popping up across the sidewalk, people running out of the way, went through some bushes and my bf was squeezing on my hand braking and succeeded right before impact into our building. I froze and couldnt pull handlebar straight or do anything so I think I just rode it out- it was one hell of a ride! It was the best time I think Ive ever had in my life! I cant even think about that day without smiling and wishing I could do it again, exactly like that but I know I could never be so lucky again. Its a wonder I didn’t lay it down but that just goes to show we were moving pretty fast to not lay it down when crossing the raised sidewalk, luckily at an angle. But with that being said, I never tried the manual version again and come to think about it, that was my first experience of learning to ride, even before scooters. Then I began riding scooters & have ever since, I plan to take a motorcycle riders class and know that would be beneficial but I’m wondering if anyone knows of ways you can adjust bikes to not whiskey throttle it no matter if I’m in a parking lot or something or a way to get the motion down with the gears before I start moving? All I need is to create the motions into habit and comfort and it won’t be like me looking down at my left foot or have too many things to figure out and staying safe. Im very careful and I’m ashamed of myself for this happening because it could’ve ended badly & I am a mother & hurting anyone is the last thing I’d want to do, So I want to see if there’s something else out there to avoid this and if not, why not make it a thing? Be safe out there yall!
I want to learn how to drive a motorcycle. I’m in Long Beach any recommendations or anyone that wants to teach me.