For my BDAY (10/23) I bought a bike...parents don't kno

[Laaaren03]

SO silly me is extremely impulsive but on top of that I am an extreme adrenaline junkie. I am a 24 Female who has extremely high med coverage cause of the outrageous goals I try to achieve. Anyways, my birthday is Friday and I decided to treat myself and buy a bike. I've never been on a bike. Road a 4 wheeler once and ended up in the hospital...lol. My neighbor gave me some riding lessons and I'm now riding on the coast (no freeways yet.) Any advice you guys can shoot my way? It's all appreciated. Oh and another thing...I haven't told my parents cause I know they aren't fans. Mom's a nurse. She always refers to bikes as job security. And Dad lost his bro on one...How do I break it to them?

[classicblack]

Welcome to the forum. If you havent done so I would suggest taking the MSF course as soon as you can. Not sure of how you can break the news to your parents other than just saying you purchased a bike but are taking the necessary steps to learn how to ride it properly..

[Laaaren03]

ya i figure "honesty is simply the best policy." I will be taking the course actually with my Boyfriend and Best friend. We all decided to get bikes. I'm just waiting to start my new job cause it cost $250 and i have already spent a pretty penny. Thanks for the advice. I hear the course is an absolute must

[rangerscott]

I personally believe that all bikers should have maps.

I also believe that the msf course way too much especially if u bring ur own bike/gear, but hey thats just me.

Have fun with it and dont worry about. I hear it pretty easy.


Now dont go stunta on us.

[gregorystar88]

The MSF is pretty easy from what i hear you have to be a total moron to fail the course, by the way to tell them that you got a bike do what i did just show up to there house on it and let them look at it(provided they wont rip your head off) but yeah my parents werent to happy with me considering i bought a ZX9R (900cc) as a first bike. but theyll be okay with it in their own time just ensure them you are a responsible rider.

-Be safe out there watch for idiots.

[soc_monki]

take the course, take your time and learn the bike. always remember to watch out for people and always ALWAYS assume they will do something stupid and think ahead. or behind...always keep a check on your 6. keep your head on a swivel. take a little extra time at stop lights, signs, and intersections because you never know when someone is going to barrel through a red light.

you cant practice many scenarios...i mean, who want to practice crashing? LOL but mentally prepare for things, set up situations in your mind, and go through them over and over. ive done it, to me it works (if you visualize it you can do it).

keep your head and eyes up...look through turns. countersteer (2 wheel vehicles, at a speed usually above 6-10 mph, lean into turns when you steer the front wheel the opposite way...push right, go right. push left, go left. REMEMBER THIS!)

wear gear...i know people dont always, and im guilty of that (not wearing my riding pants...) but i always, at a minimum, wear my gloves, jacket, helmet, and boots. 90% of the time im in full gear, which includes leather pants that zip to my jacket. every little bit helps.

ohhh, and heres some videos to watch. lots of helpful imformation
YouTube - CaptCrashIdaho's Channel

[sebastian1000]

Originally Posted by Laaaren03

SO silly me is extremely impulsive but on top of that I am an extreme adrenaline junkie. I am a 24 Female who has extremely high med coverage cause of the outrageous goals I try to achieve. Anyways, my birthday is Friday and I decided to treat myself and buy a bike. I've never been on a bike. Road a 4 wheeler once and ended up in the hospital...lol. My neighbor gave me some riding lessons and I'm now riding on the coast (no freeways yet.) Any advice you guys can shoot my way? It's all appreciated. Oh and another thing...I haven't told my parents cause I know they aren't fans. Mom's a nurse. She always refers to bikes as job security. And Dad lost his bro on one...How do I break it to them?

I just rode it over to my fathers house...TA-DA! I had been riding his bikes and when he wouldn't let me take out his 600 one day, I just bought my own (600R). Of course I already had my MSF/license under my belt and I have ridden with my father for quite some time. And I had been riding for years, having gotten my first real bike from my father and we rebuilt it together. (An old Elsinore 250 enduro 2-smoker...still have that bad boy)

Just take it easy on your bike and sign up for the MSF course. Practice in a large parking lot and get used to the friction zone on the clutch and get used to proper throttle application. Basically do what they teach you in the MSF course and ALWAYS wear you gear! I would get some nice boots, jacket, helmet, gloves, and Kevlar pants at minimum.

A.T.G.A.T.T. (All The Gear, All The Time) Dress for the fall, not the ride...because it only takes one time in a wreck and your going to wish you had that gear on! Good luck, and STAY SAFE.

[jukief]

Congratulations on your new bike! You did one thing right--you got a great beginner bike. But that little 250 has a lot of speed and power, so take it real easy until you have a lot of experience. I'm glad you're taking the course. Stay away from traffic until you've taken it, and then practice, practice, practice the things you learn there. Take your bike to an empty parking lot (hopefully the one the course is taught on--it will have the course painted on it) and practice slow maneuvers, fast stops, cornering, etc. You can never get enough practice.

And ALWAYS wear all your gear, especially a full-face helmet. My girlfriend had a slow-speed tumble, and if she hadn't had her FF helmet on, her face would have been destroyed. Always wear it. You never know when you're going to go down and how you'll land.

I think that if you do these things and assure your parents that you're being safety-minded, they won't be quite as upset.

[Laaaren03]

Originally Posted by soc_monki

take the course, take your time and learn the bike. always remember to watch out for people and always ALWAYS assume they will do something stupid and think ahead. or behind...always keep a check on your 6. keep your head on a swivel. take a little extra time at stop lights, signs, and intersections because you never know when someone is going to barrel through a red light.

you cant practice many scenarios...i mean, who want to practice crashing? LOL but mentally prepare for things, set up situations in your mind, and go through them over and over. ive done it, to me it works (if you visualize it you can do it).

keep your head and eyes up...look through turns. countersteer (2 wheel vehicles, at a speed usually above 6-10 mph, lean into turns when you steer the front wheel the opposite way...push right, go right. push left, go left. REMEMBER THIS!)

wear gear...i know people dont always, and im guilty of that (not wearing my riding pants...) but i always, at a minimum, wear my gloves, jacket, helmet, and boots. 90% of the time im in full gear, which includes leather pants that zip to my jacket. every little bit helps.

ohhh, and heres some videos to watch. lots of helpful imformation
YouTube - CaptCrashIdaho's Channel

I'd have to say that is some of the most useful information any one has given me yet. I do have a question tho. I don't think I quite understand the counter-steering. I mean I understand that you have to lean into turns and that is what I have been doing. Also I have a jacket and helmet. I need to get gloves. DO you think the boots are really that much more protective than shoes? If so I need to invest in some

[V2K_CCTX]

Congrats on your new bike....safety is a must so MSF is an abosule...plus they will explain coutersteering in laymans terms (as an engineer, i would just prob confuse you more). My wife took the MSF before she even started riding...she wanted me to teach her, but the prudent husband pays someone else to do so...(we actually took MSF together, even though I had been riding almost 30 yrs.) The stuff she learned in the course saved her three times her first year riding...

Boots are a must...make sure they are designed for riding with NO SLIP SOLES

[jukief]

Countersteering means that you not only lean into the curves, you actually push the handlebar in the direction you want to go. (You'll get to practice it during the MSF class.) So if you want to turn to the right, push on the right handlebar. It's amazing how well it works. It's the only way to ride twisties.

You definitely need boots, and make sure they cover your ankles. If you go down and the bike falls on you, you want that protection for sure. (You need boots that cover the ankle for the class, anyway, so you might as well buy them now.)

[aKorn]

Congrats! Borrow / rent an off-road bike and learn to fall over.

[V2K_CCTX]

thats what the msf bikes are for LOL

[anamosity]

Well lets see, you state you are 24 years old. Are you still wearing clothes that your mom picked out?
You are an adult, make the decision upon your wants not your parents.

[V2K_CCTX]

there is nothing wrong with respecting your parents...wish my teens were a little more ...

[Carl722]

Take the MSF course and ride the bike to your parents house with your firends on theirs and show it to them.

[Bubba68CS]

Countersteering is very easy to understand when you actually do it. Even a bicycle at speed will respond to countersteering. Get going about 20 mph...then push one side of the handlebars...the bike will lean that direction, and begin turning that direction. It is the absolute fastest way to change directions on a bike (at speed).

Boots are definitely a must...as are gloves. Boots are necessary because tennis shoes aren't going to stay on in a crash...nor protect your ankles. Gloves are obvious: what are you going to try to do when the bike starts falling over? Put your hands down to break your fall. I've got 'scars' on my deerskin gloves to prove major damage can occur in even a minor slide.

Anyway...congrats on the purchase. I can't comment on how to handle parents, since my mother actually encouraged me to get a bike (she used to ride). But I would think if you show how serious you are about taking the necessary safety measures, they won't have much issue with it (though they still probably won't like it...they'll just tolerate it ).

Good luck...and oh yeah:

[GreenRocket]

Just make sure all the gear you get is designed for motorcycle riding. Hiking boots don't cut it, and neither do gardening boots or ski pants!
Get motorcycle gear. Spend more than $500 if you're buying new. You should be able to get good quality pants, boots, gloves and a jacket. Used gear is great for newbies and will keep you from spending too much before you find out if riding is something for you.
Be sure to get your riders permit before going on the road and take the MSF course as soon as possible.
As far as telling your parents, if you think they'll worry don't tell them a thing. It's none of their business if you don't live with them.

[soc_monki]

everyone else explained countersteering. simple terms...you turn the front wheel the opposite way that you want to turn. honestly, dont think too much about it. just try it. get up to about 10 mph and push the right bar. youll go right. push left, youll go left. personally i tend to pull on the left bar to go right, or pull on the right to go left. same difference...LOL

boots are a must. MOTORCYCLE boots. for one, they have more ankle support and are specifically designed to keep your skin in tact. theres a guy on Kawiforums who went down at 130, only thing that happened was he broke his ankle. however if he didnt have his boots on he wouldnt have a foot today. bones can be fixed relatively easy. flesh cant. boots protect your bones, but more importantly your flesh. they also make it easier to manipulate the controls on the bike, as they arent as bulky as normal boots (easier to get under the shifter), and they have neat pads that make upshifting a breeze. and slip resistant soles are a must. i like my Sidi Vertigos...Sidi also makes less expensive boots too. Alpinestars are another good company. just search around.

and gloves...ever fall on the ground as a kid and skin your palms? imagine that at normal road speeds. well, imagine your skin period at normal road speeds. not pretty. which is why i wear all my gear!

just be careful, be safe, dont ride over your head, and pretend youre invisible. dont assume anything, except that people dont see you even if they look at you. once this all becomes 2nd nature riding is great! just gotta get over the learning hump

[V2K_CCTX]

when a bike is at speed (usually above parking lot speed 5mph+, where your not steering like a bicycle) the bike actually falls over thru the turn, but the momentum of the wheels (gyroscopes) keeps the bike moving to prevent it from falling over....

the big issue with counter steering, is new riders especially, when they get into a panic situation, will tend to steer with auto thinking, and turn the bars (wheel) away from the threat, which will actually casue you to turn right into it...