Any tips
#1
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Hello,
I recently got my motorcycle license and have never ridden before. Upon shopping for bikes I really liked the street glide. I asked many different folks if that were too much of a bike to start out with and I got pretty much the same answer of "It will be a good bike to start with. You will do fine." I talked to friends, experienced riders, salesmen, etc... So I bought a newer street glide and well I have to say I suck at riding it. I am having a hard time with turns, mainly 90 degree turns from intersections. Also have a hard time getting used to the clutch work and shifting. I fit the bike well (Fleet flat on ground, arms not locked out, etc…) but just have a hard time controlling it.
Any tips would be much appreciated. I was really excited to begin this new hobby but have since lost the excitement and have become discouraged. I’m also thinking maybe I should not have started out with a street glide but I’m hoping maybe it is just fundamentals.
Thanks
I recently got my motorcycle license and have never ridden before. Upon shopping for bikes I really liked the street glide. I asked many different folks if that were too much of a bike to start out with and I got pretty much the same answer of "It will be a good bike to start with. You will do fine." I talked to friends, experienced riders, salesmen, etc... So I bought a newer street glide and well I have to say I suck at riding it. I am having a hard time with turns, mainly 90 degree turns from intersections. Also have a hard time getting used to the clutch work and shifting. I fit the bike well (Fleet flat on ground, arms not locked out, etc…) but just have a hard time controlling it.
Any tips would be much appreciated. I was really excited to begin this new hobby but have since lost the excitement and have become discouraged. I’m also thinking maybe I should not have started out with a street glide but I’m hoping maybe it is just fundamentals.
Thanks
#2
#3
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Congrats on the new bike. I would find an empty, large parking lot or something similar and practice whatever you feel you need practice with.
Don't feel rushed to improve. Concentrate on what you need to do to perform a task like a 90 degree turn and practice 10 of them in a row. Get off the bike and take a break.
It will come to you sooner or later and you probably won't even realize that you've done it. It will be second nature.
Good luck and take care,
Dave
Don't feel rushed to improve. Concentrate on what you need to do to perform a task like a 90 degree turn and practice 10 of them in a row. Get off the bike and take a break.
It will come to you sooner or later and you probably won't even realize that you've done it. It will be second nature.
Good luck and take care,
Dave
#4
#5
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It's definitely a big bike to start off on. I would suggest riding it around non congested areas for awhile and take routes that don't have tight turns at intersections.
You could also take a local riding course and follow it up with advanced courses if available. You may even find a class that provides smaller bikes during the course so you can get some practice with them.
Once you get comfortable, you'll be able to ride your bike anywhere.
You could also take a local riding course and follow it up with advanced courses if available. You may even find a class that provides smaller bikes during the course so you can get some practice with them.
Once you get comfortable, you'll be able to ride your bike anywhere.
#6
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Take an MSF course. It's the foundation everythnig else is built on.
Drop me an email at:
MotorLessons@hotmail.com
I'll email you a PDF of a booklet I've written that will give you some things to practice.
Harris
Denver, CO
www.youtube.com/conedown
Drop me an email at:
MotorLessons@hotmail.com
I'll email you a PDF of a booklet I've written that will give you some things to practice.
Harris
Denver, CO
www.youtube.com/conedown
#7
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#8
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#10
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Hello,
I recently got my motorcycle license and have never ridden before. Upon shopping for bikes I really liked the street glide. I asked many different folks if that were too much of a bike to start out with and I got pretty much the same answer of "It will be a good bike to start with. You will do fine." I talked to friends, experienced riders, salesmen, etc... So I bought a newer street glide and well I have to say I suck at riding it. I am having a hard time with turns, mainly 90 degree turns from intersections. Also have a hard time getting used to the clutch work and shifting. I fit the bike well (Fleet flat on ground, arms not locked out, etc…) but just have a hard time controlling it.
Any tips would be much appreciated. I was really excited to begin this new hobby but have since lost the excitement and have become discouraged. I’m also thinking maybe I should not have started out with a street glide but I’m hoping maybe it is just fundamentals.
Thanks
I recently got my motorcycle license and have never ridden before. Upon shopping for bikes I really liked the street glide. I asked many different folks if that were too much of a bike to start out with and I got pretty much the same answer of "It will be a good bike to start with. You will do fine." I talked to friends, experienced riders, salesmen, etc... So I bought a newer street glide and well I have to say I suck at riding it. I am having a hard time with turns, mainly 90 degree turns from intersections. Also have a hard time getting used to the clutch work and shifting. I fit the bike well (Fleet flat on ground, arms not locked out, etc…) but just have a hard time controlling it.
Any tips would be much appreciated. I was really excited to begin this new hobby but have since lost the excitement and have become discouraged. I’m also thinking maybe I should not have started out with a street glide but I’m hoping maybe it is just fundamentals.
Thanks
Unfortunately, you received some poor advice on your initial purchase. Should have gone with a smaller and lighter bike to start out.
With that said, as others have pointed out, if you are stuck with this bike, you need to find a nice large parking lot and practice all of those maneuvers that you learned in the riding course you took. I'm assuming that you used a much smaller bike to take the course, but now you are going to need to adapt to the larger bike. Don't become too frustrated that you can't do the same things you may have done on a smaller bike during your training. The larger bikes are not suited for those same maneuvers, so you need to learn to adapt to some handling differences.
Good luck and welcome!