[d0hnj0e]

planning on getting my motorcycle soon the 500R but I can't take my course till the end of july cuz its all booked up.

I have never ridin b4 and my question is do you think I can ride this bike home without killing myself? I know the basic comcept like how to change gears and stuff but I just want you guys opinion. Personally I think if I take it slow I could do it what you think?

 

[tlwisner]

planning on getting my motorcycle soon the 500R but I can't take my course till the end of july cuz its all booked up.

I have never ridin b4 and my question is do you think I can ride this bike home without killing myself? I know the basic comcept like how to change gears and stuff but I just want you guys opinion. Personally I think if I take it slow I could do it what you think?

Learning how to do all of the things involved in riding, at the same time, is not best done in traffic. You should wait until after you take the MSF course, you may even find that you want a different bike.... 8)

 

[Uncle Bob]

Wait till you take the course before even considering riding on public roads.

 

[Stuart]

I 2nd and 3rd bob's motion, MSF Saves lives

 

[NinjaGirl]

I 2nd and 3rd bob's motion, MSF Saves lives

Me too!!! :wink:

 

[Narcisse91]

I don't agree with that.

Wait until after the course to EVER ride on a public road? While that doesn't necessarily hurt, when I took the course, there were people there who had never been on a bike before. Since the class moves at a set pace, they were still trying to get the hang of some of the more basic things while the class was moving on. There is a LOT to learn at the course, I think by having some experience when I went into it, I got a lot more out of it.

I wouldn't recommend trying to pick up a bike and hop on and ride it home though. That's just asking for trouble. Have a friend do it, and then start in a parking lot.

 

[ZX10 Guy]

Another alternative is this. Many dealers will deliver your bike to you which is ideal in this circumstance. You may even get them to do it without charging you. Again it all depends on the dealer and how far away you are from them.

 

[OmahaRider]

While I wouldn't recommend trying to just drive it off the lot----waiting for the class is a bit much.

No classes ever here-----and no plans to ever take one either------taught myself----going slowly---on a bike I could handle------and I'm still here.

While a class isn't a bad thing---it's not the holy grail either.

 

[Freakinout]

If somebody can get it home safely for you I'd suggest hitting a empty parking lot (gravel free) and start to learn about how to ride the bike, be careful doing this and don't go nuts, don't wanna scratch your bike. This'll at least give you a good idea about how to use the clutch, shifting, and braking. Just please stay off of the streets until you practice and take the MSF course.

 

[1Adam12]

1st question: Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before? Offroad?
2nd question: Are you licensed?

If you haven't ridden before - NO Even if you have a temp permit to ride, I personally wouldn't do it. Trailer it home and put it in the garage. (rent one from uhaul for $25.00).

The bad thing about riding without knowing how is that it is dangerous to you and others around you. If not licensed, it's against the law - You want to see insurance rates go up - get caught doing that if they even allow you to be licensed at that point. You will pick up bad riding habits early.

When you go to the MSF course, everyone learns at different paces. We had old guys and young kids in our group. If you don't take it seriously and acutally study the material given to you the classroom like any other class it will be challenging. The road course is a matter of repetition. The better your instructor is and how much you can adapt and learn from will determine how you will do as the instructors will give you input on how to be successful. If given the choice of a full weekend vs two weekends, take the two weekend version. My reasoning for this is for you to soak in the information and imagine in your mind what it takes to ride based on what you learned that day. It is a proven fact in sports that this method works. Watch the ball to the bat and take a nice and even cut - hit the ball! For motorcycling it's doing your pre-ride, safety gear check and starting your engine properly with your bike in neutral - checking to see if it is in neutral manually by rolling the bike and pulling the clutch in prior to firing up the bike. Riding the bike and snaping your head in the direction you want to turn and looking through the turn. These concepts and more will be learned.

If you are a good driver, cautious, aware of your surroundings, drive defensively - you will probably ride your bike the same way. If you hit things and crash often - you probably will do the same thing only instead of the sheet metal, it will be your body.

 

[jokker]

I have never ridin b4 and my question is do you think I can ride this bike home without killing myself? I know the basic comcept like how to change gears and stuff but I just want you guys opinion. Personally I think if I take it slow I could do it what you think?

Nope,

no im just messing with you, but if you havent been on a bike or anything youd get pretty pissed off if you did something stupid because you didnt have the course

 

[Uncle Bob]

Worst thing somebody could do is to be taught by a friend or acquaintance.

I have nothing against him getting a feel for the bike and controls under controlled conditions. But no exp/no training riding a new bike home from the dealer ?

On the one hand if he does manage to get in a little practice before the course he will be able to spend more time on things other than being to take off without stalling and other basics.

On the other hand he may just pick up or create his own bad habits, since the course is only a couple of weeks away I feel it would be better to start off from the get go with professional training, sure he may not be the star of the course but he will be learning how to do everything properly right from the beginning.

 

[tlwisner]

While a class isn't a bad thing---it's not the holy grail either.

Statistically, a training class greatly improves a rider's survival rate. Of course, statistics can say anything. But it is an obvious truth that if you are teaching yourself, your teacher lacks experience. That said, I am self taught from years ago and am taking the MSF with my GF next month.

 

[OmahaRider]

Got a buddy I ride with sometimes---who's up on all the safety courses and books---but is so rigid in his interpretation-----that's he almost dangerous to ride with-----he forgot the chapter on adaptation and improvisation.


It seems he has the science of riding and safety down----but forgot about the art of riding----if that makes sence???



Its like he'll hit a pothole---just because the book said he needed to be certain postion in the lane-----I'm like---dude----you need to miss the pothole.

 

[d0hnj0e]

well my plan is getting my uncle who has been riding for years to drive it home for me. and I can get some practice in on my small street far away from people and traffic.

thx for the replys.

 

[Uncle Bob]

like he'll hit a pothole---just because the book said he needed to be certain postion in the lane-----I'm like---dude----you need to miss the pothole.

Exactly, there are no hard and fast rules cast in concrete, when they say to ride in the left third of the lane it's because thats what makes you most visible to cars behind you and to cars coming from the opposite direction. It's also better than the middle of the lane since that is where cars and trucks lose their fluids.

But if there is an obstacle then you should try and ride around it if that can be done safely.