My wife has been riding with me for years. Last December she decided she wanted to get her own bike. We picked up a Sporster 883Low and she practiced a little in the driveway, but wasn't comfortable on the road. She will take the MSF class but wanted some experience first. We've had 3 30minute sessions where I ride the bike to the school/church parking lot, and she practices there. She was afraid to lean the bike in turns, but finally has the slow turn clutch/throttle/rear brake and head turn figured out. A few more times in the parking lot and I think we will try some uncongested roads. My daughter and boyfriend were over at our house, and we were talking about how good Momma is doing. And boyfriend (who currently rides dirt bikes) says he wanted a sport bike, but would probably get in trouble. And has been thinking about a Harley. So I let him ride the Sportster over to the school, and I rode the Road King in case he wanted to try that, which he did. I think he's a Harley convert now. He's planning to take the MSF class too.
Every new rider should take the MSF course. Good job getting your wife started on the right foot. Your daughters boyfriend will have a good head start since he rides dirt bikes. I might be biased but folks who grew up riding dirt bikes make the best street bike riders.
Every new rider should take the MSF course. Good job getting your wife started on the right foot. Your daughters boyfriend will have a good head start since he rides dirt bikes. I might be biased but folks who grew up riding dirt bikes make the best street bike riders.
This is great! I highly recommend the MSF course as well, then plenty of practice on what you learned there. I still go down to our local school parking lot and do a bunch of figure 8's, U-turns, quick stops, weaving in and out of lines, etc. I really enjoy it and I believe it to still be beneficial. Ride safe and enjoy!
I taught my wife how to ride her Honda 500 Ascot in a small parking lot next to our house, when we lived in the city. I taught her how to slow ride at a walking pace, how to start and turn at the same time, and how to maintain control of the bike with a bad passenger (me). She picked the rest up on the street, riding with me, and became a good rider.
It's funny...there's a younger couple at the end of our street that's doing the same thing at a parking lot around the corner from us.
I was out in the yard, and watched them go by to the lot about three times yesterday. She's having a little trouble at the slight incline where the stop sign is. Stalled it four times trying to cross the street to their driveway. She'll get there when she figures out the friction zone.
It's good that there's not much traffic around here, especially on Sundays.
No need to know anything about riding bikes. The MSF or H-D Riding Academy start with the most basic aspect and gradually build. Exercise 1 is just bike familiarization, exercise 2 part 1 is rocking in place for friction zone bonding, part two is "duck" walking the bike across the range finally part 3 is actually feet on the pegs across the range. The rest of the two days continue to build adding new skills and techniques to culminate in a graduating rider with the basics to be a safe rider ready to build on what they learned.
No need to know anything about riding bikes. The MSF or H-D Riding Academy start with the most basic aspect and gradually build. Exercise 1 is just bike familiarization, exercise 2 part 1 is rocking in place for friction zone bonding, part two is "duck" walking the bike across the range finally part 3 is actually feet on the pegs across the range. The rest of the two days continue to build adding new skills and techniques to culminate in a graduating rider with the basics to be a safe rider ready to build on what they learned.
My wife wants to be good at something before she even takes a class. I don't know how long we practiced Spanish before she took a Spanish class. (she's a teacher, and 30-40% of her students parents don't speak English, they speak Spanish. my Spanish is good, studied it 4 years) She rode dirt bike some growing up (35-40 years ago) and her car is a manual transmission. And she's ridden thousands of miles on the back of my bike. But she still wants to practice and ride on the road before she takes the class. When she decides how it's going to be, best to just nod my head and agree. I think she'll do great in the class, but agree you can take class w/o any experience.
04-04-2022 | 01:44 PM
New Riders
