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Take Your Time!

by kenberly
(Okmulgee, Ooklahoma)

I have found out that I need to ride at my own comfort level. If that is a little slower than the others, then so be it. Your skill will build as time goes by.

Always ride at your own level, don't go faster or be more daring just to impress the people you ride with.

Comments for
Take Your Time!

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Jul 12, 2010
 Don't outride your abilities, but...
by: Sandra

Wise words; but one thought on speed, especially for the true beginner. The bike is built to stay upright when traveling with "some speed". My initial instincts were if I felt "out of control" to SLOW DOWN - I was barely moving. One lady in my MSF class dropped her bike weaving through cones because, although she was using the friction zone to control her bike, she was simply moving TOO slow and the bike fell over due to lack of momentum. That would be my first thought when an instructor is telling you to speed up - that it actually makes things a bit easier - up to a point. I'm not saying push your limits with speed and curves - just that allowing the bike to move fast enough to be stable is important.
Jul 21, 2009
 Yes! Proceed at Your Own Pace!
by: Jennifer

My boyfriend, who has been riding bikes all of his life, was very impatient with my progress- in the parking lot and getting out of the parking lot. The first two times we went to the lot on my Sportster 1200, I was so scared of it I wouldn't even get going. Finally I made him leave to practice and did fine. He came back to find me scraping my pegs on purpose like a little dirt biker. :)

When it took me many parking lot rides to even consider riding in the neighborhood, he would say, "You just need to sell that damn thing before the end of the year so it's not another model behind."

But I knew I would do it- at my own pace. I rode the bike 30 miles to his house last week for the first time and he was flabbergasted that I did it. I did it!!!

Hang in there and don't be pressured to do anything you're not comfortable with until you're ready.
Jul 05, 2009
 Learn at Own Pace
by: Anonymous

Thank you so much for this site. I signed up for the safety class and got on a bike for the first time yesterday. I did ok but the instructor "pushed" me to go faster and would not allow me to get any additional practice. Today I dropped the bike because I was being pressured. I was kicked out of the class. Thank you again. I will ride but learn at my pace.
May 09, 2009
 Great comment, Kenberly!
by: Sandi

I'm rather slow too. I was the only female in the motorcycle safety course and the instructor kept telling me to speed up a little. But even now, I ride at my own comfort level. Best advice for any beginner - don't listen to anyone who tells you to ride outside your abilities and only you know what they are. Happy riding!

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