I choked in RidersEdge

[redkat750]

Just a post to vent and maybe fish for helpful comments. I took the RidersEdge (basically the MSF's BRC with Buell Blasts) course offered by Harley and was doing great up through the first four exercises. The only guy doing better was an experienced sport rider who was just taking the course because he needed it for his motorcyle endorsement. I got to the first shifting exercise, and as I was shifting up I felt the bike begin to chug and instead of pulling clutch like I should have, I tried to give it more throttle. Result was the bike launched on me. I just dropped my hands and let the bike slide out from underneath me, and never even lost my feet. The instructor came and checked me out, told me not to worry about the bike, made sure I was OK and brought out another bike. He even said that under the circumstances that it was a pretty good move. But it scared the hell out of me. I made myself get back on but after that it was like I had lost every bit of touch for throttle and clutch I had, and it showed.

I managed force myself through the rest of the exercises, but it was clear I was real gun shy. The instructors were all trying to get me to try and relax and put it behind me, but even when I could get myself to calm down and apply what I knew and make the bike do what I wanted it to do I could never make myself trust the bike. I was stalling out all the time, and I got paranoid about that, and I kicked the damn thing into neutrel during the exercise were you shift from seconf up to third and down to second while making turns,and that got under my skin. I got to the last exercise which is the emergency braking exercise, and of course is the same set up as the first shifting exercise, except with a quick stop at the end. And I almost did the same damn thing all over again.This time I pulled in the clutch, and grabbed the break but dropped my feet. That was it for the instructor and he pulled me off. He said he didn't feel like I needed to get counseled out, but that I should talk to the course director and start over from the range exercises portion.

By that time the heat was so brutal that I almost didn't care anymore and I was ready to go home (we started the day at 6:45 a.m, I drank a quart of gatorade and a gallon of water on the range, and kept drinking water when I got home at 2:00 p.m., and didn't have to pee until 8:00 p.m that night). The whole rest of the day, all I could think was that I couldn't even handle a ~35 hp one cylinder, and my next step is going to be a ~90 hp inline four. I did some soul searching, and forced myself to not consider any sunk cost of the bike and equipment, and decided even if I hadn't put any money into it I would still want to do this. I made myself call the course director the next day and reschedule my range exercises for the last class in September to give myself some time to put this weekend behind me, and hopefully take the heat out of the equation.

I am going to spend the rest of the month not thinking of motorcycles at all, and then get some private lessons in August, so I will get some one on one feedback on what I am doing wrong. I am also going to spend some time on the bike (without power), practicing coordinating my hands and feet on the controls. Right now I feel like a complete idiot because even the girl who dropped her bike four times, was able to satisfactorily complete the day. I also feel like an idiot because I told myself and told myself to not even buy a bike before I had taken the course, but I went ahead and did it anyway. Now the damn thing is going to sit for another two and half months, (at least) except for a friend of mine who is going to ride it a few weekends to keep the fluids moving.

I am trying to focus on the things I was doing right, and remember how good it felt when I had the bike in full control, and its getting easier now but I am still kicking myself for being a dumbass. I have always said that stupid people should have to pay a tax, and now courtsey of my bike payment I get to practice what I preach. I don't usally do the emoticon thing but...

[jgust25]

is this the first time you've ridden? sounds like a rough day.

I really think you're making too much of it though, just do it. If you crash, it'll only hurt for a little bit. It's no big deal. Don't think about it with your brain, let your body do the thinking ( if that makes sense ). You'll figure it out dude.

[HexKrak]

Sounds like you really just need to put this behind you and get some practice under your belt. Throttle control is one of the more difficult things to learn, and is especially jumpy in lower gears.

You'll get it! No worries!

[The CyberPoet]

No clue where you are physically at, but if you are anywhere near me, contact me via PM to get some additional instruction. I will work you through the German method we used to train riders when I was a German driving/riding instructor and get you that confidence back. It will be long, arduous and repetitive, but by the time I'm done with you, you almost assuredly will not have these issues (we spend a couple hours just on clutch control and muscle-memory before you even get to put a bike into motion).

Other thoughts:

1. Backing off isn't a sin... take your time. Riding is a life-long learning experience with a high initial risk factor that decreases very slowly over time (and actually increases typically in years 2 - 4), and anyone who believes they got everything they needed at BRC, MRC, or any of the other single course *anywhere* (including Germany) is off their rocker.

2. Please use this as a learning experience in terms of what you consider purchasing, if you decide to pursue it again in ernest; your first bike should be fairly light-weight and quite cheap (plus preferably able to take punishment without too much mangling or expensive repairs). Nothing worse than watching someone buy brand new when they start out, only to be crying at the side of the road because they just totaled the bike and wiped out their savings (or worse yet, have years to pay on the loan still). More here: http://katriders.com/vb/showthread.php?t=73042

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[tdrcomm]

1. Backing off isn't a sin... take your time. Riding is a life-long learning experience with a high initial risk factor that decreases very slowly over time (and actually increases typically in years 2 - 4), and anyone who believes they got everything they needed at BRC, MRC, or any of the other single course *anywhere* (including Germany) is off their rocker.

Truer words have never been spoken. We always like to say "ride at your own pace", I think "learn at your own pace" works, too. No one learns everything at a course and don't expect to. Most good riders will tell you that they learn something every day.

[suzukiray]

The FIRST thing I do when someone tells me they want to learn to ride is take them to the dirt with my little 110cc 4 stroke pit bike & teach them how to do everything. We will spend the entire day if that's what it takes to get them comfortable & smooth. If they don't know how to drive a car with a manual trans I put them on a quad first till they get THAT part down. Then, we move on to the 2 wheeler. You can get one of these little dirt bikes for 500 bucks & resell it or give to your kids after. It is a GREAT way to learn & get comfortable with NO pressure. If you fall over or drop it, it's hard to hurt it. Just make sure you wear boots, gloves, jeans, long sleeves, & a helmet. I have taught all my kids, my wife, neices & nephews, & tons of friends & their wives this way. If you do it this way you will get your confidence back WAY faster & loose your fears. Good luck, Ray.

[frosti108]

thats rough. sounds to me like your thinking about it too much. then again i guess thats a stressful situation. ive never taken a course like that where people eagle eye your riding skill the whole time ...although i did tell my insurance company i took one

[The CyberPoet]

ive never taken a course like that where people eagle eye your riding skill the whole time ...although i did tell my insurance company i took one

Then maybe you should...

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[redkat750]

Thanks for the thoughts. I guess I am taking it a little hard, mainly because I don't usually fail at things, and the few times I have failed I had plenty of company. Being the only one walking off the range was a loney feeling. However stepping back, I will probably learn more by having to do it over, than if I had just squeeked through.

I probably don't really need two months to get over it either, but since having my head in the wrong place is what screwed me up to begin with, I want to make sure I have a mind clear of worries going in. Plus the heat will less of a factor. Until after I reread my post, I didn't really appreciate how close I was to true heat exhaustion. That probably was a bigger factor than I originally thought.

I had also thought about getting a cheap low power dirt bike, like SuzikiRay suggested. Seems like a good way to get my clutch, throttle, shifter, brake coordination down in a relatively painless environment, at least compared to pavement.

[ChuglyXJ]

Not to sound cold or create a stir but get over yourself, you said you had it down but it sounds like you made it into a competition with the other rider, even if just in your head. You made a few mistakes that lead to you bailing off the bike, I am glad you didn't get hurt. You let that get to you and lost the focus of the day, its a learning and growing event. Whatever you do get back on the bike and stop over thinking it and trying to beat everyone else.

The range instructors did the right thing by getting you off the bike before you hurt yourself. Have your friend get your bike to a parking lot and practice the power walk and get the confidence back up.

And no matter what anyone says, everyone had to learn at some point how to ride and made mistakes along the way, I know I still do. Good Luck!

[Zepp]

You need to relax and remember that it is supposed to be fun. You need to be in the right frame of mind before ever climbing on a bike. You should also take the opportunity to practice in an empty parking lot the basics of riding, but on a smaller bike than your 750. Do you know anyone that has a much smaller bike?

[Cheech]

Not to sound cold or create a stir but get over yourself, you said you had it down but it sounds like you made it into a competition with the other rider, even if just in your head. You made a few mistakes that lead to you bailing off the bike, I am glad you didn't get hurt. You let that get to you and lost the focus of the day, its a learning and growing event. Whatever you do get back on the bike and stop over thinking it and trying to beat everyone else.

The range instructors did the right thing by getting you off the bike before you hurt yourself. Have your friend get your bike to a parking lot and practice the power walk and get the confidence back up.

And no matter what anyone says, everyone had to learn at some point how to ride and made mistakes along the way, I know I still do. Good Luck!

And there you have it. MSF/ABATE/RidersEdge/State Motorcycle Course is NOT a competition. They don't hand out a free ZX-14 for those that really tore it up out there. You took the class to learn how to ride, not to impress the other students with your bike prowess, real or imagined.

That being said, I understand the confidence problem you have. After I bought the bike (which I had to have my roommate ride back), it sat in my garage for a week until I started practicing in the parking lot by my house. After about a week and a half of that, I finally got confidence to take it up my street. After about 2 weeks of that, I thought I was ready to take a leisurely ride with him, so off we went. I went down (slow speed turn, lowside) a week later, and the bike stayed in the garage for a month while I agonized over it and my lack of experience. After making the necessary repairs, I was back on and restarted my entire regimen, parking lot, street, low-traffic leisurely rides.

If you have a manual transmission car (or have access to one), that will help your predicament IMMENSELY. I've found it is really easy to translate foot movements of clutch and throttle to hand movements, once you know the clutch engage points.

You need to relax and remember that it is supposed to be fun. You need to be in the right frame of mind before ever climbing on a bike. You should also take the opportunity to practice in an empty parking lot the basics of riding, but on a smaller bike than your 750. Do you know anyone that has a much smaller bike?

And this too. Hate to be that guy, but buying a 750 for a first bike was ill advised. Even though the "thrust-to-weight" ratio is less than on a GSXR-caliber, for someone with no prior experience you would have been better served on a 600 or less.

[redkat750]

After a couple of days my pride has healed up pretty well, and I have been able to objectively look at what I did wrong (without beating myself up about it), and what I can now do right.

I appreciate the advice, and I deserve the "should haves".

And this too. Hate to be that guy, but buying a 750 for a first bike was ill advised. Even though the "thrust-to-weight" ratio is less than on a GSXR-caliber, for someone with no prior experience you would have been better served on a 600 or less.

I know that now, and I knew that when I signed the papers, but I let myself be convinced that I could handle it, as long I was careful, and I prepared myself with the MSF. I should have made myself wait and be patient until I could find a 600 (seems like everything in the 600 class standard, and sport tourer types are gone as soon as the ads hit just lately) but that is where I am now. So it is going to stay parked for a while, while I get the basics down pat. Forcing myself on before I am ready to ride it won't make it any cheaper and I never let myself place it in my budget as anything but a weekend toy anyway. So while it will suck to pay for time I'm not using it, it is not a major financial hit, in that I expected it to be my main transportation or anything. I had planned on keeping it for a few years at the very least so in the grand scheme things it won't be that expensive a lesson to have learned, at least compared to repairs or injury. I can either rent some lower powered bikes on the weekends after I get throught the MSF, or if it comes down to it, get a ninja 250 or 500 off craigslist and flip it after a few months. I am also going to get some of those hand grip things and work on my hand strength. My hands are still sore from all the clutching.

[allblackkat]

Here ya go dude...
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=64VsL3dHzL4[/youtube]

it's crazy to remember actually doing all those MSF exercises... I was just as nervous as anyone but with a good attitude about it... And then to realize where I am now in my riding experiences... It's worth it to get back out there and git'r dun... you'll look back and be proud that you did...

One thing you can do though until your next MSF course, is to have a friend ride it to a parking lot and do the whole walking w/the bike while slowly letting the clutch engage exercise.. that seems to be a good starting point, after feeling the weight of the bike underneath you, leaning it left and right while stopped...

[Cheech]

After a couple of days my pride has healed up pretty well, and I have been able to objectively look at what I did wrong (without beating myself up about it), and what I can now do right.

I appreciate the advice, and I deserve the "should haves".



I know that now, and I knew that when I signed the papers, but I let myself be convinced that I could handle it, as long I was careful, and I prepared myself with the MSF. I should have made myself wait and be patient until I could find a 600 (seems like everything in the 600 class standard, and sport tourer types are gone as soon as the ads hit just lately) but that is where I am now. So it is going to stay parked for a while, while I get the basics down pat. Forcing myself on before I am ready to ride it won't make it any cheaper and I never let myself place it in my budget as anything but a weekend toy anyway. So while it will suck to pay for time I'm not using it, it is not a major financial hit, in that I expected it to be my main transportation or anything. I had planned on keeping it for a few years at the very least so in the grand scheme things it won't be that expensive a lesson to have learned, at least compared to repairs or injury. I can either rent some lower powered bikes on the weekends after I get throught the MSF, or if it comes down to it, get a ninja 250 or 500 off craigslist and flip it after a few months. I am also going to get some of those hand grip things and work on my hand strength. My hands are still sore from all the clutching.

It's not just the 500's/600's that are getting snapped up, it's most bikes. People are figuring out that bikes have crazy (in car terms) gas mileage, they convince themselves they can learn to ride and buy the first bike they see in their price range. Myabe it might be easier to find a 150cc scooter and mess around with that, they're cheap, easy to flip, and you don't have to worry about it shooting out from between your legs.