You Will Never Complete Your Riding Education!

[X E Ryder]

I have been riding since I was about 7 years old, and now have over 20+ years of canyon carving, racing and track days into my hobby.

While riding with a friend who is quite new to motorcycling the other day, they were saying how good they were doing, and that they were glad they "knew how to ride a motorcycle now".

I commented on some things I had noted while riding with them that were very good constructive criticism type comments, spoken honestly. The rider got upset telling me I was "ruining their fun by saying they were not done learning or still a newbie".

My point of this post is that I gather that some riders feel that after practicing for some amount of time you become a rider, you are done, you are there, and you have arrived at this place of "skilled motorcyle rider".

It is this misconception that I want to caution riders about. Never think you are done learning. Never be upset if you make a mistake while riding, because That is the area you should be working on next, in building your riding skills. Your riding skill will be like a little bonzai tree! It will continue to develop and grow uniquely as long as you place the required effort in. If you do not keep putting some effort in, your skill tree will wither.

After 30 years of riding (20+ on the street) I am STILL finding things I can improve upon, and discovering new things I am able to accomplish I neither could do before or lacked the skill to attempt.

The more effort you spend at practicing to get better at things you do not do well on a motorcycle, the better you will get overall. When you note you do not do something particularly well, find a safe place to do it over and over and you will discover how to do it right, or ask a skilled friend for advice.

So in closing, the point of my post is this: Enjoy your riding, and do not persecute yourself when you make a mistake or others point something out to you. They are not picking on you, but trying to help you become an even better rider.

Welcome it, as it has opened the door for your next stage of growth as a rider. You need only step through with an open mind and a smile as you will be treading new ground to the next level of your skill improvement.

Is that not the joy of motorcycling afterall? To have a never ending road of enjoyment that always leads to new and exciting places?



My skill tree has become quite a unique thing of enjoyment over the years, but I always find places to make some adjustments here and there.

[Svetlana]

+1000... and that's from a newbie rider
Like anything else we devote ourselves to, no1 can ever be a perfect... but those that strive to be such will probably be the most succesful at it, whereas those that stop learning will not.

[daemon]

i agree.
many times i have asked fellow(better than me)riders to evaluate what they saw while they were stuck behind me.
most times i get somewhat contructive criticism. most times not.
i had a fellow rider one time try to critique my riding after a short hair raising ride from rustic,co to cameron pass.
it was a simple matter of not really not knowing the road and his inability to give me clearance.
he was right on my prospective tail and i kept checking my mirror to make sure he wasn't crowding me.
he noted i was not hitting my apex's.
"how could i"?
you were right on my tailbone

[trikebubble]

Just like life. Too right.

[bross]

Very well said.

[horsecrazy]

Amen. We will all make mistakes, no matter how experienced we are.

[RichLockyer]

Same goes for a lot of activities I'm involved in. Scuba Diving is a lot like riding.
The day you quit learning is the day it starts getting boring.
Complacency kills... quite literally.
If you're lucky, you end up paralyzed.
If you're really lucky, you end up with some joint pain and arthritis years down the road.
If you're extremely lucky, you come out totally normal with some treatment.

[Zukdriver]

You have to keep trying to improve if you want to get better. Just putting the time in doesn't cut it. Also practicing doing something the wrong way won't help. You need to learn the correct procedure and work on perfecting it.

[GreenJello]

Sorry I've already put in the time, and got the paper cert to prove it. Motorcycle riders I r one!!!1!!



In all seriousness, some people just don't like being corrected. I can understand that, and I do agree with your post.

[Thmastr]

I have been asked by a very new rider to give him some pointers when we get out in the twisties... I have given them in a nice tone and while being very corteous. He took it well.

I have asked for fed back myself... and never gotten anoyed...

I am a newbie still with only 14k miles!

Daemon.. If a more skilled rider is following you dont worry about what the heck they are doing.. if they are trully more skilled they will be fine no matter what..

I like to run sweep, and some times I enter a corner way too hot (fine for me but much faster than the person infront of me) so I start to brake and brake.. and eventually the mc comes up and then I brake even more.. I can change my line because the pace allows me to.

never worry about what the rider behind you is doing.. UNLESS you are in a group with the same skill level, or he or she is of a lower skill level..

[darkRam]

One thing I love about riding, is that it's about self improvement. I remember I was afraid to even get on a bike, now I am becoming a more confident rider. I wish I had a friend like you to tell me my mistakes, sorry that person isn't more accepting.

[tharptroy]

I think I would kill to have an experienced sportbike rider to give me tips on how to improve.

[Lawn Masters]

its just like life, continuing education throughout the course of your existance.

my view on riding is, theres ALWAYS something new to be learned and mastered. its what makes our lifestyle so enjoyable, we're continously learning something new or different that we must master.

I would love a more experienced sport rider to give me some pointers on what I'm doing wrong and how to improve on my weak areas.

[Regalia]

I am new to riding and have had the luxury of an experienced person evaluating my riding. It truly is a luxury and I can't imagine not getting that one on one coaching.

I didn't always appreciate the "constructive" critisism, however! There were times when I had that after a killer ride buzz and I was so happy with myself..grinning from ear to ear! and then...had ALL of my mistakes pointed out to me one after another. uugh. (Did I really ride that horribly?) Talk about taking the wind out of my sails!

Sometimes, I got kind of mad..sometimes I felt incapable, sometimes I felt like I was pursuing the wrong sport...but I don't feel that way any more!

I went riding with someone very new to motorcycling...this person didn't have someone critiquing them the way I did. This person crashed their brand new bike after only a couple of weeks.

"Let's hear it!" I said. "What did I do wrong on this ride?" I glady and willingly seek out that same advice that I earlier might have taken less eagerly! I have seen with my own eyes what can happen if you think you can buy a bike, hop on and twist away!

So to all those experienced riders trying to do a newbie a good turn by giving some sound and safe advice...THANK YOU!! You might not feel like it is appreciated but the knowledge you share sticks in our heads and WILL get used!

[daemon]

copied this from a thread i just started!!!

i may be one of the lucky one's here..
today after a bit of sharing time with my neice for her birthday(3).
i did a bit of jaunting around town.
out of the blue i decide that i would like to get a little practice in.
went to the local college where they hold the MSF classes during the season and lo and behold i am able to run the course that all of us need once in awhile.
granted i wasn't able to do some of the stuff that i recall from the class(no pylons), but i was able to retest my abilities and try to better them by picking up the pace.
i will admit i had to tap my foot down a couple times in the box.
reminded me that you should lean away from the bike in those tight quarters.

so in retrospect i guess what i'm trying to express is.
XErider will like this.
even if you think you are getting good at what you do.
you can still get in a bit of practice!!!

[Neous]

i'm a bit on the humble side plus i'd like to think of myself as a lifelong learner in everything i do, so i agree with you all.
i do however have an incentive to do so regarding motorcycle riding, as i now own a vn1500 as my first bike so that almost guarantees that i'll always look to practice something.

[X E Ryder]

Originally Posted by daemon

...
X E Ryder will like this.
even if you think you are getting good at what you do.
you can still get in a bit of practice!!!

Yes you're right - I like it!

Practice, practice, practice, having fun all the while!

[RWJC]

Very good post.
Being "new" myself, I think what scares the heck out of me the most is when I go to my local Kaw/Suze shop and some noob who has ridden on as a passenger with his budz decides he wants a hybusa or zx-14 as his fist bike.
I could tell the salesman REALLY did not want to sell him that particular bike. So I casually strode over and began talking. After finding out the guy had not even 15 FEET behind the bars, I told him there were 2 accessories he HAD to get to walk out of the showroom today with that bike. He got kinda excited.
I paused. I told him he needed to go get "a will and a headstone.” Now obviously this did not go over to well. So I explained to him why and how to best spend his money. They had a used 650 there for 1/3 of the price. So I encouraged him to get the used bike, safety gear, and the MSF course. With the money he saved, invested for 1 yr, he could come back and get the shiny new one because he would be a better rider and be more confident on the bike. Where as if he made a mistake on the ZX-14...he most likely would not have lived to regret it. I have seen far too many noobs think they need the biggest & best bike as their first. Which most experienced riders will tell you never to do.
Just like I really wanted that new meanie or Valkeyrie they had..but I knew it was way too much for me. The 750 Shadow was not enough for me, so the Vulcan 800 was a great fit. I don't think I'll ever actually outgrow it, but I'm sure I'll want to upgrade in a year or 2.

[RichLockyer]

Originally Posted by RWJC

Just like I really wanted that new meanie or Valkeyrie they had..but I knew it was way too much for me. The 750 Shadow was not enough for me, so the Vulcan 800 was a great fit. I don't think I'll ever actually outgrow it, but I'm sure I'll want to upgrade in a year or 2.

I think cruisers, and possibly dirtbikes are an exception to the "don't buy big" rule. The 800 is actually quicker than the larger bikes, and does not have the dual disk brakes of the 1600.
Now, the Meanie is still a cruiser, but it's got some sportbike blood and I think there might be more of a tendency for the new owner to "hot rod" it a bit more than they would a Classic or a Nomad, but what it boils down to on a cruiser is if you are comfortable enough to handle the WEIGHT in a parking lot. A heavy cruiser is no more or less likely to kill you on the interstate at 75, but it's perhaps more likely to embarrass you and get some scratches in the local parking lot.

Dirtbikes? With 2-strokes, ya... start with a 125 and then consider a 250, but for thumpers, the power/torque band is so broad and comes on so smoothly, it's not likely you're going to get into any more trouble with a 450 than you would with a 250. Their weight is comparable, so the factor that favors the smaller cruiser is not there.

For sportbikes... absolutely. They are wheelie machines in the hands of the inexperienced.

[likearock4x4]

I completely agree with this whole thread....(thanks for pointing this out... too often, things like this go unspoken, and people get hurt because of it).

I seek advice all the time, and constantly try to improve my skills, though I don't practice enough on the parking lot, as I don't really have the time. Since I ride so often, somewhere around 15K miles a year, I can keep most of my skills up while riding, but not all of them, dare I say the most important ones... i.e. panic stops.

I often working on balance, and swerving. That is one of the easier things to work on, while on the streets. Panic stops are much more difficult to do, as you don't want to get rear-ended, so that is not something you really want to do on the streets. I even work on "knee dragging" (yes it work on cruisers too.... ) but I only do this when solo. I will even work on the "tongue drag" when solo. That's when you go really fast... and make like a dog with the tongue...