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Hey girls! Ok.. here's the deal.. woman to woman I need help!!! So I FINALLY got my bike back from the dealer and running right. Now here's my deal. I'm kinda intimidated of her. Now before you all go off yelling MSF course! MSF course! There's no money at this time for MSF and even if there were.. all the courses are FULL right now.
I want to learn to ride.. badly. But in all honesty.. I'm scared. I have started to get the hang of starting without stalling. Big plus in my book. But once I hit 10 MPH I start to get freaked. How did you girls learn to ride?
Sin took me to a decent size vacant parking lot but I have to drive in circles around it and when I get to the turns I get scared and totally let off the throttle. PLease... give me any tips you might all have. I posted here because I don't want all the guys laughing at me. (I know you're all reading this and laughing!) And I've already dummped once.. so the fear of the first dump is out of my system.. not that I want to dump again but Sh!t happens. So any tips would really help girls! Thanks!

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It only takes time...just keep doing what you are doing...do not let off the throttle in the turn, you WILL fall...too much force on the front end could wash it out. Here is what to do, first get up to a comfortable speed say 10-15 mph (the anxiety will stop with time, for the first 8 months of learning to ride I felt like I was going to puke while putting on my gear, but once the bike got going I calmed down!) next apply the breaks just before the turn, just like you would in a car and gently roll through the corner, you may be trying to "Steer" the bike right now, you will get over this and learn to "Lean" the bike. If you have a Bicycle ride it around a bit just to get the "press right = turn right" "press left = turn left" down, if you haven't ridden one of those in a while you may have just forgotten the feeling of two wheels. In all it is only going to take time and practice. Since you have gotten the not stalling part down I would work on your stopping...start and stop start and stop until you can do it comfortably, then I would do a giant square in the parking lot, treat it like a town square with stops ar every corner, come to a complete stop, then roll on the throttle and gently lean as you roll on the throttle. once you have done this enough times to be comfortable making left hand turns, go the other way. Now if you haven't gotten sliders yet you need to get them, they really do help at low speed falls...Good luck and BTW I cried my eyes out everytime I got on the bike and especially when I went from parking lots to neighborhood roads, I stopped crying after about 2 months of practice. I have olny been riding for a year and a half so I am by no means an expert, but I had to learn once and luckly I still remember all the same fear you are having! Good luck and just know that you will get 10 times better everyday that you practice and in a month or so you will have nailed the things you are now afraid of.

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2008 Sexy Black Street Triple

Hey, Im in the same boat as you. Just bought my first bike an f4, rode it around in a big parking lot for a couple of weeks got used to that and then decide to ride it just around the block, went to pull in the drive way and down i went. It really sucks bad, but like you said shit happens. I ve been getting back on we cant give up, with more time and practice hopefully we will get it.

I agree with you every time i get on my bike it is scary. I wish i could get over that! Also the msf course i've been trying to get into for about 2 months, its crazy!

I also have a slight problem stalling my bike! I do it all the time when i go the take off, do you have any tips for that one? I never new there was so much to learn, everone makes it look so easy!

Well, keep me posted on how your doing. and good luck!

Sorry to revive an old thread here, but just started lingering around on here and thought I'd share my recent experience too...

2 weeks ago was my first time drivng a bike ever, never even a dirt bike, only 3-wheelers.  I found it very helpful to go with my Dad and bro, practicing letting out the clutch, bringing it back in to get moving, working on balance, only in a straight line.  They walked beside me just in case I was going to tip over.  I didn't even put my feet on the pegs for a while.  Eventually I was able to drive in circles, bringing my feet to the pegs.  Sunday was my second time out (broken regulator rectifier and plenty of rain created the delay in getting back out sooner) so we started with the parking lot again.  I buzzed around pretty good.  My Dad flagged me down and suggested i pretend there were stop signs, practice stopping and making my turns from a stop, left and right, and coordinating the use of the signals (mine don't automatically cancel themselves out.)  This seems to go well and we decided to hit the road, driving on essentially one road back to his house 5 miles away, a 30mph zone to a 55.  I felt like a queen being escorted by my entourage of with my dad, bro and his friends!    So I decided with the sensory overload I needed to relax before going at it again.  I'm ready to go and I was trying to pull out of the driveway, up a slight incline on gravel and to the left when I tip over.  Broke my clutch lever off.  I was slightly relieved I wouldn't have to go out again but we had a spare so my dad put it on and away we went.  I did about 30 miles and ended for the day.  I know it is very tough to have an "audience" when you are learning but hopefully they are people you feel comfortable with and are supportive.  I found it helps to literally take a deep breath and relax, tension makes it harder.  I'm learning too and I know we will be able to do it, just practice and support eachother! 

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"Life's too short to be a passenger!"
1991 CBR 600 F2, dropped 3" in the rear, 2" in the front

"If you have a Bicycle ride it around a bit just to get the "press right = turn right" "press left = turn left" down, if you haven't ridden one of those in a while you may have just forgotten the feeling of two wheels"

bicycles aren't like this......i remember first getting on my bicycle after riding my bike alot and i was actually turning the wrong way, haha i had trouble controlling it....but yeah bikes don't use this same method i'm not sure if it's due to speed or what? but you actually do turn the bike to the right to go right.

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2002 silver/red f4i
Two bro's slip on
painted windscreen

  First of all, to be on a bike, you can not be scared of speed.  The bike was built for it and also to corner.  If your THAT scared to go over 10 mph, I think it would help if your BF or yourself, get some tape and cover up the speedo.  If you cant see it, you dont know how fast your going.  Also, if your bf or a friend rides next to you and follow them, then you may not even realize that your doing over 10 mph.

  For some ppl it's really scary.  As much as they want to ride and as much as they may love to sport, some ppl will never get over their fear.  In a way, thats a good thing.  It shows that you have respect for your bike and you'll be scared of it.  Once you stop bieng scared of your bike, that's when you have a tendancy to do stupid things on it.

  DO NOT let this get you down.  Like you've already said, you've had your first dump, and since you now have that out of the way, you need to concentrate on getting up to speed.  Pick a large empty parking lot or somethig of the such, and have some one there with you to time how long it takes you to get from point A to point B.  Set a goal "time" on how quickly you want to get there..  Make it something that you can achive.  And start from there.  Once you realize that your getting from point A to point B faster then in the beginning, you'll start to build more confidence in yourself and your riding abilities.

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"Save a Virgin, *** me Instead"

Well, thanks for all the replies girls.  Since my first posts months ago on this topic, I am not afraid of the speed anymore, now my biggest fear is cagers and traffic. I have learned how to up and down shift so that's a HUGE plus in my book. Now I just need to get used to trying to ride on the street with other cars. I'm hoping at some point Sin will have enough time away from work that we can go out and ride around the block when there isn't much traffic however he only seems to not work when it's raining.   

Plus, in Mass. you can't ride on a permit when it's dark out, so by the time he gets home and the traffic has died down a little it's dark. Go figure, but hopefully I'll have ridden on the  street before it's time to winterize the bike,  then I can start from scratch next Spring LOL  Once again, thank you  girls.. now it's just going to be me facing my fears of psycho cagers. I can do it. WOOOHOOO!!!

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Awwww... Poor Camarogirl!!    Finally get to riding and then you have to put the bike up for the winter?!  Well good luck w/ the rest of your riding summer!!!

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Brazen in Hawaii ~ 2001 929rr

press right turn right? in slow speeds you can turn to the right to go right but as soon as you get over parking lot speeds you need to be counter-steering. that means pushing forward on the right handlebar to go right. it turns your wheel to the left and then the bike drops to the right.

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"I like 'em black"
1998 CBR 600 F3