New rider confidence

[Midnight_Ryder]

I agree with the clutch control stuff. At my msf class a few weeks ago the instructor demonstrated this by holding the throttle wide open and performing the u turns in the box. It's all about finesse.

[johnnywha5]

Originally Posted by TrainingWheelz

I'm a new rider and have about 2 weeks and around 500 miles on my bike. I'm having a lot of issues with low speed maneuvers and general confidence around town. When I make it out to nice two lane roads I feel very confident and safe, but I've terrified myself a few times at low speed.
I took the msf back in April and feel like I got quite a bit out of it, but I find myself lurching, bucking, stalling, and threatening to tip over just about every time I go out. My bike is a CBR250r and I have about a 28" inseam and can't flatfoot the bike, but can get one foot down all the way.
Any tips for building up my low speed confidence? I know this will be a learning process, but I would like to improve quickly so that I can enjoy my rides rather than being racked with anxiety each time. Thanks alot!

I've had these problems the first time I got my bike, and I think it's normal because you're in the "getting to know your bike" phase. IMO, you need to figure out the things that you do to make the bike behave this way and try a different approach. At this early stage of learning, I try to give the bike what it likes and not what I like.

If you're not comfortable on your bike then it's either replace it or force yourself to be comfortable on it. You have to be happy every time you're on your bike and riding it. If you're terrified, then you need to stop.

[GoIllini]

Originally Posted by TrainingWheelz

I'm a new rider and have about 2 weeks and around 500 miles on my bike. I'm having a lot of issues with low speed maneuvers and general confidence around town. When I make it out to nice two lane roads I feel very confident and safe, but I've terrified myself a few times at low speed.

My experience:

Some of this is something you never really grow out of. It's ok (maybe even healthy) to be nervous in traffic. I've been riding in NYC for five years and I still feel a lot more comfortable riding on an open road with clear lines of sight through turns than heading down 11th avenue with taxis merging into my lane. Frankly, I feel a certain level of discomfort doing that driving a car, too.

You will always get some level of fight or flight while riding in heavy traffic as somebody pulls out in front of you or jams on the brakes ahead of you. As you get more experience, the stress you feel will approach what you'd feel in the same situation driving a car.

I took the msf back in April and feel like I got quite a bit out of it, but I find myself lurching, bucking, stalling, and threatening to tip over just about every time I go out. My bike is a CBR250r and I have about a 28" inseam and can't flatfoot the bike, but can get one foot down all the way.

I still stall the bike about once every thousand miles, almost invariably at stoplights with a bunch of cars behind me. While its always best to handle the clutch gracefully, the next best option is to have a response that's automatic. You pull the clutch in, you restart the motor, you double-check that you're in first gear, and you ease the clutch out. This can all be done in about a second, often before the second car to your right or left passes you.

The 28" inseam is a bit tougher. I have no experience to help you on that front, but I'm guessing there's similar responses you can develop. (Maybe practice getting over to the other side if the bike tips the wrong way? I don't know.)

Any tips for building up my low speed confidence? I know this will be a learning process, but I would like to improve quickly so that I can enjoy my rides rather than being racked with anxiety each time. Thanks alot!

Experience. Going mentally through the things that give you the biggest anxiety and deliberately practicing for them. Then more experience.

Relax. It's tough out there, and you're only 500 miles in.