Took a new rider under my wing....

[iSpoolin]

Alright guys, so here's the story. I live in an apartment complex, so obviously I park in a parking lot, and when I work on my bike i'm in that lot where everybody can see me.

One day about 2 months ago I was installing the flushmounts on the Daytona, so i'm outside pulling fairing, cutting wires and all that jazz when a guy suddenly comes up to me (scared the shit out of me cause I wasn't paying attention LOL) he asked me what kind of bike it was, etc etc so I explained to him it was a Triumph Daytona 675 blah blah blah. He tells me he just got back from looking at bikes himself and wondered if he could ask a few questions about getting started. So of course I say sure.

He starts out with basic questions, informs me he's never rode even a mile on a bike, asked me how a motorcycle clutch/gearbox works, how the throttle works, rear brakes, front brakes, etc (all the noobie stuff).

I answered all his questions there and I called the fiancee to get her to copy the Twist of the Wrist two file and the PDF file of Total Control by Lee parks over on a spare flash drive for him. I informed him that most of his questions about throttle control and everything could be answered in that video and that book. He appreciated the help there. Then he was about to leave and he said "Let me show the bike I looked at" he pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of the 2011 GSXR 600 at United Cycle that I had already eyeballed the shit out of myself :lol:.

I told him that it wasn't smart to buy a brand new bike or a SS bike in general for your first bike. Told him the reasons, points, etc etc and he said he understood. I even told him at that point that if he was interested i'd more then willingly sell him my FZ6R that was setting right there in order to let him get started pretty quick. He said he'd think about it but he was gonna research some other bikes first.

about three days later I go out to my bike to leave for work and what do I see? A GSXR 1000 (which I knew wasn't the one he got because it had full tags already, the CBR had temps) and a CBR 600rr parked in the row right next to the Triumph and the FZ. I was kinda pissed, I spent 2 hours talking to this guy telling him everything, and he goes against most of it haha

The only part he did listen to was the gear talk, he rolled out with a nice leather alpine stars jacket, A* gloves, Icon Helmet which suprised me. However he still had on jeans and tennis shoes. I went out and talked to him the next day and asked him why he went with the CBR over a starter bike like I reccomended. He said "The salesmen said this was a much better starter bike for a guy my size over the 250's they had" (this kid only weighs 150 lbs) and I said "oh I gotcha man". He left to go riding after that.

I didn't talk to the guy for like two weeks, he was always out riding, which was nice to see, and he had been taking it slow from what I seen. Then all the sudden, his bike dissappears. I don't see him around, I don't know what happened to this guy. Fearing the worst, I knew he had to have wrecked.

After 2 weeks of his absence he comes back. Bike in his buddies truck and him with a fucked up knee. He couldn't even bend his leg, had two screws in it and a brace. I felt bad for the guy because he works in the Coal mines, so no legwork = no real work. So he's on unpaid leave for two months.

He's all better now, after doctors said he'd never be able to use his knee again. I took some time off work yesterday to get a nice 7 hour ride in before the Daytona goes into hibernation. When I was uncovering the bike he walks out. Asked if he could tag along, but I didn't see his bike anywhere so I was kinda creeped out haha, but he said he was going to pick his bike up from United Cycle if I didn't care to wait. So i say sure and follow him and his wife over to the shop. His bike still had some messed up fairings but other then that it was fine, he had the fairings on order but they hadn't came in yet, He says he will follow me. So we leave the lot drive through town and get into my favorite set of twisties.

The guy said he was pretty comfortable with the road we were taking and for me to not worry about holding back. However I held back quite a bit. He wouldn't even take turns at the speed limit, He was riding tense, etc etc. So we stopped, and I gave a little coaching lesson :thumbup:

He realized everything he was doing wrong, and said he'd try to fix it, he was doing rather good by the end of the day, and he said he learned alot about body positioning from watching me. His throttle control needs some work, but he was catching on pretty fast.

I figured yall would like to hear that story, I enjoy helping new riders myself, i'm by no means a pro either, but I think I do a decent Job with them

 

[Fyren]

Alright guys, so here's the story. I live in an apartment complex, so obviously I park in a parking lot, and when I work on my bike i'm in that lot where everybody can see me.

One day about 2 months ago I was installing the flushmounts on the Daytona, so i'm outside pulling fairing, cutting wires and all that jazz when a guy suddenly comes up to me (scared the shit out of me cause I wasn't paying attention LOL) he asked me what kind of bike it was, etc etc so I explained to him it was a Triumph Daytona 675 blah blah blah. He tells me he just got back from looking at bikes himself and wondered if he could ask a few questions about getting started. So of course I say sure.

He starts out with basic questions, informs me he's never rode even a mile on a bike, asked me how a motorcycle clutch/gearbox works, how the throttle works, rear brakes, front brakes, etc (all the noobie stuff).

I answered all his questions there and I called the fiancee to get her to copy the Twist of the Wrist two file and the PDF file of Total Control by Lee parks over on a spare flash drive for him. I informed him that most of his questions about throttle control and everything could be answered in that video and that book. He appreciated the help there. Then he was about to leave and he said "Let me show the bike I looked at" he pulls out his phone and shows me a picture of the 2011 GSXR 600 at United Cycle that I had already eyeballed the shit out of myself :lol:.

I told him that it wasn't smart to buy a brand new bike or a SS bike in general for your first bike. Told him the reasons, points, etc etc and he said he understood. I even told him at that point that if he was interested i'd more then willingly sell him my FZ6R that was setting right there in order to let him get started pretty quick. He said he'd think about it but he was gonna research some other bikes first.

about three days later I go out to my bike to leave for work and what do I see? A GSXR 1000 (which I knew wasn't the one he got because it had full tags already, the CBR had temps) and a CBR 600rr parked in the row right next to the Triumph and the FZ. I was kinda pissed, I spent 2 hours talking to this guy telling him everything, and he goes against most of it haha

The only part he did listen to was the gear talk, he rolled out with a nice leather alpine stars jacket, A* gloves, Icon Helmet which suprised me. However he still had on jeans and tennis shoes. I went out and talked to him the next day and asked him why he went with the CBR over a starter bike like I reccomended. He said "The salesmen said this was a much better starter bike for a guy my size over the 250's they had" (this kid only weighs 150 lbs) and I said "oh I gotcha man". He left to go riding after that.

I didn't talk to the guy for like two weeks, he was always out riding, which was nice to see, and he had been taking it slow from what I seen. Then all the sudden, his bike dissappears. I don't see him around, I don't know what happened to this guy. Fearing the worst, I knew he had to have wrecked.

After 2 weeks of his absence he comes back. Bike in his buddies truck and him with a fucked up knee. He couldn't even bend his leg, had two screws in it and a brace. I felt bad for the guy because he works in the Coal mines, so no legwork = no real work. So he's on unpaid leave for two months.

He's all better now, after doctors said he'd never be able to use his knee again. I took some time off work yesterday to get a nice 7 hour ride in before the Daytona goes into hibernation. When I was uncovering the bike he walks out. Asked if he could tag along, but I didn't see his bike anywhere so I was kinda creeped out haha, but he said he was going to pick his bike up from United Cycle if I didn't care to wait. So i say sure and follow him and his wife over to the shop. His bike still had some messed up fairings but other then that it was fine, he had the fairings on order but they hadn't came in yet, He says he will follow me. So we leave the lot drive through town and get into my favorite set of twisties.

The guy said he was pretty comfortable with the road we were taking and for me to not worry about holding back. However I held back quite a bit. He wouldn't even take turns at the speed limit, He was riding tense, etc etc. So we stopped, and I gave a little coaching lesson :thumbup:

He realized everything he was doing wrong, and said he'd try to fix it, he was doing rather good by the end of the day, and he said he learned alot about body positioning from watching me. His throttle control needs some work, but he was catching on pretty fast.

I figured yall would like to hear that story, I enjoy helping new riders myself, i'm by no means a pro either, but I think I do a decent Job with them

Did he mention about taking MSF by any chance?

 

[iSpoolin]

Did he mention about taking MSF by any chance?

Yes, but not until next year seeing as all the classes left this year are filled up already.

 

[Fyren]

Yes, but not until next year seeing as all the classes left this year are filled up already.

Thanks. I have an associate with a similar predicament with zero experience on a bike. I was absolutely adamant about him taking the course before taking the plunge on a $7000 machine. For some reason, he won't take heed to my advice. Stubborn is his middle name T.T

 

[iSpoolin]

haha, I myself honestly don't think the course should be taken without some actual road experience. Everybody in my class that said they had never touched a bike, wrecked in the course. Not in the normal riding parts like you would do on the road, but in the figure 8 and the harder practices that actually take some experience to do well.

 

[DragonBlu]

haha, I myself honestly don't think the course should be taken without some actual road experience. Everybody in my class that said they had never touched a bike, wrecked in the course. Not in the normal riding parts like you would do on the road, but in the figure 8 and the harder practices that actually take some experience to do well.

I'm thinking the whole idea of the course is education and maybe dumping a bike in the parking lot during the course,instead of real life hazard on the street? Not disrespecting you sir,just trying to educate the beginners that might read your comment.

 

[TokenSSDD]

haha, I myself honestly don't think the course should be taken without some actual road experience. Everybody in my class that said they had never touched a bike, wrecked in the course. Not in the normal riding parts like you would do on the road, but in the figure 8 and the harder practices that actually take some experience to do well.

MSF is required before you can get a license down here. I had never touched a bike (and had virtually no experience driving a stick for that matter) but I aced the test. The only thing I got points off for was coming in kinda hot on the 135 degree turn. I didn't lay the bike down in the class either.

I've had a few people interested in getting a bike ask me about it and I've been telling them to a) take the course then b) watch Twist of the Wrist II. That did wonders for me...

 

[Tmak73]

haha, I myself honestly don't think the course should be taken without some actual road experience. Everybody in my class that said they had never touched a bike, wrecked in the course. Not in the normal riding parts like you would do on the road, but in the figure 8 and the harder practices that actually take some experience to do well.

I think everyone should have some exp too. I took the course twice. Once in high school about 4 years ago and then this spring to get my license. First class i dumped the bike in the figure 8 practice and barely passed. This second time i was scraping pegs through every drill i could and only had 1 point marked off on the test. A little experience goes a long way.

 

[CrazyCawi]

There is alot more involved for a new rider then hopping on, driving and getting experience. What if per say this new rider is from Chicago or New York, do you recommend them just going out and getting experience in the heavy traffic zones, I dont. What about if they are from Dubai or some other foreign country with heavy traffic on every drive-able road? You have to remember who may be reading this. The point of the class is to be in a controlled environment to learn the basics so you can survive better and manage your bike better on the road. Some people still need alot more training then what that single class provides before they are truly a safe rider. Some pick it up right away and are fine. Not all. But atleast it allows them to learn and understand the fundamentals in a controlled space. Open road=recipe for disaster. You can think or advocate what you want, but I wouldn't want that burden on my shoulders, but maybe your the type that wouldn't think of the burden either.

 

[madmike]

MSF is required before you can get a license down here. I had never touched a bike (and had virtually no experience driving a stick for that matter) but I aced the test. The only thing I got points off for was coming in kinda hot on the 135 degree turn. I didn't lay the bike down in the class either.

That was my experience too. I outscored every other rider in my course, except one guy who'd been riding his whole life and was just getting his license back this way to avoid the DMV.

The instruction is really good, and learning to do u-turns etc the right way IMO is better than learning it the wrong way on your own then having to reverse bad habits.


BTW, it brought a big smile to my face last weekend when I pulled a perfect tight U-turn on the Harley, with loaded bags, with my wife on the back, when I often see much more experienced riders put their foot down when they do it. I credit the MSF course for that.

 

[iSpoolin]

I'm thinking the whole idea of the course is education and maybe dumping a bike in the parking lot during the course,instead of real life hazard on the street? Not disrespecting you sir,just trying to educate the beginners that might read your comment.

There is alot more involved for a new rider then hopping on, driving and getting experience. What if per say this new rider is from Chicago or New York, do you recommend them just going out and getting experience in the heavy traffic zones, I dont. What about if they are from Dubai or some other foreign country with heavy traffic on every drive-able road? You have to remember who may be reading this. The point of the class is to be in a controlled environment to learn the basics so you can survive better and manage your bike better on the road. Some people still need alot more training then what that single class provides before they are truly a safe rider. Some pick it up right away and are fine. Not all. But atleast it allows them to learn and understand the fundamentals in a controlled space. Open road=recipe for disaster. You can think or advocate what you want, but I wouldn't want that burden on my shoulders, but maybe your the type that wouldn't think of the burden either.

Jesus christ, what did I open the nerve pills for half the damn forum?

Seriously. IMO it is better to take the bike out on the street first, if you live in a traffic'd area, trailer it out to a more desolate place. Ride around on the street for a week or two before heading to the class. You know why? because the MSF isn't meant to teach you how to ride, it's there to teach you some safety manuevers to people who already ride on the street. The instructors don't set there and hold your hand when you come in and can't even balance a bike. My instructors even said "We get people in here every weekend that say they've never ridden a bike in there life and they came here to learn, but that is not what this class is for, it's to teach people with some minimum experience to add safety to the experience they already have"

Honestly, I know for alot of riders, if they go in that class to learn how to ride, and crash because they were to inexperienced with a bike, that's going to hit their confidence hard, and probably scare them out of riding forever.

Therefore I recommend people ride on the street first. I for one know that if I took my MSF without riding at all before I would have wrecked, failed, and probably would have never actively gotten into this wonderful sport.

That is just my opinion, yall can hate on it all you want, I didn't make this thread for this bullshit. I made it to show I helped a rider that needed it. 90% of us here hopped on the road first. Not into the MSF classroom. So I don't understand why your all going crazy about it.

 

[iSpoolin]

I think everyone should have some exp too. I took the course twice. Once in high school about 4 years ago and then this spring to get my license. First class i dumped the bike in the figure 8 practice and barely passed. This second time i was scraping pegs through every drill i could and only had 1 point marked off on the test. A little experience goes a long way.

This...........

 

[CrazyCawi]

Jesus christ, what did I open the nerve pills for half the damn forum?

Seriously. IMO it is better to take the bike out on the street first, if you live in a traffic'd area, trailer it out to a more desolate place. Ride around on the street for a week or two before heading to the class. You know why? because the MSF isn't meant to teach you how to ride, it's there to teach you some safety manuevers to people who already ride on the street. The instructors don't set there and hold your hand when you come in and can't even balance a bike. My instructors even said "We get people in here every weekend that say they've never ridden a bike in there life and they came here to learn, but that is not what this class is for, it's to teach people with some minimum experience to add safety to the experience they already have"

Honestly, I know for alot of riders, if they go in that class to learn how to ride, and crash because they were to inexperienced with a bike, that's going to hit their confidence hard, and probably scare them out of riding forever.

Therefore I recommend people ride on the street first. I for one know that if I took my MSF without riding at all before I would have wrecked, failed, and probably would have never actively gotten into this wonderful sport.

That is just my opinion, yall can hate on it all you want, I didn't make this thread for this bullshit. I made it to show I helped a rider that needed it. 90% of us here hopped on the road first. Not into the MSF classroom. So I don't understand why your all going crazy about it.

Not going crazy. Just looking out for the people who read it when your not around to ask. Is that hard to comprehend? We arent dogging on you for what you did, just explaining to the new guy who may not ask and just do what he read in your OP.

Did I once address you specifically Ispoolin? No not once. I gave my side of the spectrum. You wanna know why....because I have been through it personally with my fiance, so if I am wrong to my opinion for a new rider so be it, but I never once said you did anything wrong. I commend you for the support you offered.

now you...chill pill sir. Chill pill. lol

 

[roadrat]

Not listening to advice when buying a first bike is pretty common in my parts. I live near a massive USMC training base. My dealership is huge and close to the base. Young marines (18 to 19 years old) get their first few paychecks and then decide to realize their dream of owning a motorcycle. Some of these guys have already seen combat overseas and are used to the idea of risking injury and death.

Sometimes the sales guys try to talk their prospects into buying an entry level bike first and sometimes not... they're there to sell bikes and make a living so who can blame them?!?!? I was in the dealership yesterday and it was the usual display of dozens of stupid fast super sportbikes - R1s, ZX10s and Gixxers. It's gotten to the point where the sales guys even call the GSX-600s "Marine Killers." One guy I know of bought a Hayabusa for his first bike!

 

[CrazyCawi]

Lol don't you know the lack of skill is made up by the amount of CC's you buy.... That guy is going to become busa-burger by the road


---
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Sent from Joshua's android dominating iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[madmike]

JYou know why? because the MSF isn't meant to teach you how to ride, it's there to teach you some safety manuevers to people who already ride on the street. The instructors don't set there and hold your hand when you come in and can't even balance a bike. My instructors even said "We get people in here every weekend that say they've never ridden a bike in there life and they came here to learn, but that is not what this class is for, it's to teach people with some minimum experience to add safety to the experience they already have"

Dude, you must have gone to the worst MSF course on the planet. The MSF course IS designed for riders with no experience, and when I took the course, they very much did hand hold students with regards to bike balance. It's not just safety maneuvers. The very first exercises they teach are clutch control, rocking the bike forward, then clutch walking the bike across the parking lot. If that's not greared at someone who has never ridden a bike, I don't know what is.

But maybe you just had terrible instructors.

 

[DragonBlu]

Jesus christ, what did I open the nerve pills for half the damn forum?

Seriously. IMO it is better to take the bike out on the street first, if you live in a traffic'd area, trailer it out to a more desolate place. Ride around on the street for a week or two before heading to the class. You know why? because the MSF isn't meant to teach you how to ride, it's there to teach you some safety manuevers to people who already ride on the street. The instructors don't set there and hold your hand when you come in and can't even balance a bike. My instructors even said "We get people in here every weekend that say they've never ridden a bike in there life and they came here to learn, but that is not what this class is for, it's to teach people with some minimum experience to add safety to the experience they already have"

Honestly, I know for alot of riders, if they go in that class to learn how to ride, and crash because they were to inexperienced with a bike, that's going to hit their confidence hard, and probably scare them out of riding forever.

Therefore I recommend people ride on the street first. I for one know that if I took my MSF without riding at all before I would have wrecked, failed, and probably would have never actively gotten into this wonderful sport.

That is just my opinion, yall can hate on it all you want, I didn't make this thread for this bullshit. I made it to show I helped a rider that needed it. 90% of us here hopped on the road first. Not into the MSF classroom. So I don't understand why your all going crazy about it.

I think it is really nice you took this new rider under your wing. I wish you both a long and safe biking experience. Like I said "not disrespecting you sir"

 

[madmike]

I think it is really nice you took this new rider under your wing. I wish you both a long and safe biking experience. Like I said "not disrespecting you sir"

Yeah I don't mean to be combative over the whole MSF thing. What you did was ultimately really cool, and giving advice to new riders is what we should be all about, not looking at them like noobz.

But it is a dead bolt lock after you gave him good advice a "buddy" of his told him not to be a pussy and get a man's bike. And has has the ruined knee to show for it.

 

[AngryAnt]

I'm sure it vastly depends on your teacher. I'm a MSF drop-out (lol). The course I attempted to take, I was the only one who had never rode a bike before. Everyone else was older guys that already owned or had owned bikes that was doing it for the insurance discount. My teachers took a bit of a "hop on and go" approach that clearly didn't work for me. I couldn't keep pace with everybody else, dumped the bike, and nearly had a heat stroke (was in the middle of August over a year ago).

I felt terrible about it, but I managed to redeem myself by buying a cheap chinese 275cc scooter that I dropped about 3 times (none of which was in traffic) and then upgraded to my FZ6R. One of these days I'll go back to the MSF course and take it again to finish, but my experience didn't leave me in a hurry to go back. I know I'm a fairly nervous person so I took my dear sweet time with it, but I think it was worth it in the long run.

 

[mjesenovec]

It's frustrating how many people I've talked to and given advice about beginner bikes...and every one of them just keeps up with the Jones' and shows up on an r6 or a gsxr. All I can do is shake my head and hope I don't get invited to any funerals. People just don't understand that it's the rider that determines speed, not just the bike.

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