Ladies, need advice to teach my wife to ride

beagleracing · 08-25-2004, 01:05 PM

hi ladies

my wife (5'2" 210#) wants to learn to ride my '94 CBR600. She's no regular girlie-girl and is not afraid to get her hands dirty and work on cars and she has quite a bit of experience on 4-wheelers so she has the basic concept of 1 down 5 up with the trans.

When y'all first learned to ride, what was your biggest fear to get over? What tips can you give me in teaching her how to ride comfortably? Should I have her take the MSF course first?

thanks for all your help,

Dan

delle_76 · 08-25-2004, 01:33 PM

My guy friend taught me stop and goes in the HS parking lot before I took the MSF course. That helped but I was so frightened that I would drop the bike. I had his friends 600f4 out and did just that both low and high sides. But once I completed the MSF course I got on his 1000RR and did not even come close to dropping it. Once, I bought my own bike that same fear crept back. I did drop my bike the day I bought it in the dealer lot. If she has the basics of the quad she'll do fine with throttle and clutch it is just now about balance, which is easier out of first gear as you well know!

MsDaytona · 08-25-2004, 01:40 PM

I week after I decided I wanted a bike I took the MSF. Best thing I ever did.
The only time I can really remember being scared on my bike is on a trip from Saint Petersburg to Plant City (about an hour ride) it was dark and raining and pretty heavy traffic for that time of the night, on the interstate. I was fine just really nervous! Oh and not to mention the roads were all messed up from construction.

beagleracing · 08-25-2004, 02:24 PM

thank you so much, ladies! sounds like the MSF course is where we'll be headed. we discussed it and she reallyy wants to do that, but she also wants a bit of time on the bike in our neighborhood (very little traffic, if any) before even going to that. I understand that at these MSF courses they use a Ninja250, which she should be able to handle no problem.

thanks again for the advice!

Dan

MsDaytona · 08-25-2004, 02:38 PM

I had only been on the back of a bike 2 times when I took the MSF and there was a lady in my class that had never been on a bike period and she had the highest score in the class, go figure. We used a Honda Nighthawk in my class very easy to handle.

RACER X · 08-25-2004, 03:08 PM

she's be better of not doing alot of riding, she can pick up bad habits, that are heard to break.

also most classes use cruisers vs ninja 250's.

www.msf-usa.org

RSixxygrl · 08-25-2004, 09:22 PM

MSF course for sure...I had only been on the back of bikes before that..and lots and lots of empty parking lot practice before heading out on ANY street.

Racer X is right...they use little cruisers like 125cc no sportbikes or anything resembling them in the class! It is the best investment for a new rider to make.

What scared me when I first started riding was getting used to nothing around me..by that I mean it was just me and the bike, not like in a car. (but I never felt that on the back of some guy's bike--very strange). Oh and I hated U turns and still do to this very day!!

Make sure to get her some good gear too! Glad to see another lady rider..you will have to post up pics of her or better yet..let her sign on and come chat with us here in the women's forum

MsDaytona · 08-25-2004, 10:37 PM

I second that U turns suck

AnglsXst · 08-26-2004, 08:56 AM

I agree the MSF course is the best way to go and wait to ride till you get there. I was never on a bike before I took that course and now I ride better then friends of mine that have been riding longer. U turns do suck BUT I can do them and some friends of mine cant!! they never took the course and learned how...

snoflk · 08-26-2004, 01:32 PM

Those damn u turns I couldn't do one if my life was on the line during the class but for the test and now I have no problem.

silent_R1 · 08-26-2004, 06:57 PM

yeah I hate u-turns too, to this day I hate them and will happily look like a total noob and walk my bike around with both feet out. I have no qualms whatsoever. damn u-y's...

RSixxygrl · 08-26-2004, 10:11 PM

Well it's good to see I am not the only hater of U-turns

In the pack I run with it seems like I am the only one that hates them or I am just more vocal about hating them!! bahahahaha

diamond · 08-27-2004, 08:50 AM

I hated low speed maneuvers with my ex500... it was just too bamn top heavy. I feel much more confident with the F4i, even though I can't touch as well...

katie14 · 09-24-2004, 05:16 PM

for sure go to the course, the most scared me is balancing on stop, i always lost my balance when it come to a stop. other than that no problem at all.

boomboom · 09-24-2004, 06:31 PM

The MSF course here used both types of bikes. They had 2 EX and the rest crusiers. The worst sitiuation I have been in is where the Taxi driver decided to smooch me in between him and a semi. But nothing that I haven't been able to get myself out of.