I agree, while I KNOW that I initialy had the clutch pulled in I had to at some point let it go for the bike to take off as it did. I guess I let it go and paniced when I heard the engine race as it did. I was almost completly stopped when it happened too, lol.

 

Thank you, sir. DVD's sound like a good idea... will order in the morning.

BTW, love ya sig.

 

DVD's and a Rider's course are not going to do much good if you don't fit the bike. New handle bars, and maybe a close or reach seat will fix your issues.

 

Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you were riding above your skill level.
Slow speed, parking lot skills are very important and are the hardest part about riding.
Carry a tennis ball around with you, have one in your car/truck and on in front of the T.V. Squeeze it to build up your hand muscles.
Also, nothing wrong with shadow riding when your sitting around the house, or in a waiting room. Imagine you are on the bike (at the starting line of a race just to make it fun). Go through the motions, throttle, clutch, shifter and brakes. It won't take long to imprint the controls on your mind.

 

Yep, gonna work on those issues as soon as the bike is fixed.

Thanks.

 

lol, no worries, piassp, I didn't take it that way. I appreciate the advice.

My wife already thinks I'm nuts. I can't wait to hear what she has to say when she sees me shadow riding in front of the TV. lol. Reminds me of my younger hockey playing days. Back then skates were made of leather and the usual way to get them to fit you better was to soak them in warm water and let them dry on your feet so they would mold to your foot. She thought I was nuts then too, lol.

 

You just need more practice. After you get the right handlebars on there, of course. Find yourself a big, open, empty parking lot and spend two or three hours each day for a few days, just going over the basics. Practice your stopping and low speed turns, figure eights and U turns. Practice using only two or three fingers to apply the front brake.

You'll be fine. Oh, get David Hough's book "Proficient Motorcycling". It helped me a bunch.

 

Slow tight turns require a lot more skill than just riding around the block. Ease off the death grip on the bars. By the end of summer you'll be surprised how well you'll be able to handle your bike.

 

Don't worry about using the front brake when making slow turns. You will go down if you grab it in that circumstance. Good luck!

 

Good on ya' for learning to ride at 60!

Please, stay off the roads and out of the parking lots until after your MSF class. You are making beginner mistakes that are easily overcome and the class will address that. There is no reason to end your riding career before it begins. Even if local classes are full, show up the day of with your gear, a registration form and the money and see if there are any "no-shows". The chances are pretty good that you will be able to get in.

IMHO, i wouldn't go swapping bars and seats until after the class either. You should be able to get your Dyna to fit pretty darn close as it sits. You dont know what is comfortable yet and you could very well be wasting money making changes before you know exactly what you want.

No disrespect intended. Everybody's been there. I just don't wanna see you or anyone else get hurt in an avoidable incident.