On new riders practicing in parking lots | GTAMotorcycle.com

On new riders practicing in parking lots

TwistedKestrel

King of GTAM
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The recent death of a new rider practicing in a parking lot does not sit well with me. It's not clear what exactly happened, and I am not looking to blame them for the outcome.

I just wanted to say this, for those who would like to practice first. When I took motorcycle training, there were a few exercises that happened before you were given the green light to use the throttle with the motor on. The first one was (sneakily) wheeling the bike from the storage area to the practice/teaching area - it introduced you to the mass of the bike and the center of gravity. After they review what the controls are, the second one was taking turns pushing the bike around while the rider would turn and stop with the motor off. I *think* there was one where you finally got to start the bike, but moved it forward using only the clutch. I'm pretty sure there was one where you had to navigate some pylons while idling the bike but without feathering the clutch or using gas (I remember an instructor taking a pair a vice grips to the bike I was riding and making the clutch lever very sloppy to discourage its use). THEN, finally, you graduated to using the throttle to accelerate.

Despite all this I remember some people (dramatically) still struggling with the controls. Nobody is born riding a motorcycle, the controls can feel pretty alien if you've never used them before, and some people need a little more time to get used to them than others. Even if you can make it around the block or onto a parking lot, once you start doing two things at the same time operating the bike might get confusing again. Just take it easy at first.
 
Great reminder. Although it doesn't apply to this case in terms of "not knowing anything about riding a bike" as it was mentioned in the thread "he was a friend of mine, he just got his sv650 a few weeks ago. Heard the terrible news early yesterday morning. I am in shock. He had already taken the course and had his m2, as far as I know he was just practicing as he only had a few weeks or street riding under his belt."

The course will always be a great way to learn the basic in a supervised environment.

The cost of it might be overwhelming since it's already an expensive sport (proper gear + bike + insurance) but your life and your limbs are probably worth more than that :)

Always respect the power of the bike, whether it be a 125cc or a 1300cc
 
I think one of the real issues for new riders is that if they are out of control speed wise they usually have a death grip on the handlebars and, unfortunately, the throttle. Having the presence of mind to roll off the gas when you're terrified just does not happen.
 
When did this death in parking lot occur? Where abouts?


"If i was educated, I'd be a damn fool"


Check the fallen riders section.

Such a shame to have someone get hurt or die like this. A reason that places dont like parking lots to be used. The liability side of things will rear its head. I was lucky growing up learning the fundamental basics of motorcars and manual gearboxes. It transitioned easily when it came to riding a bike. I learn on a 3 speed manual scooter, then on a 250cc 5 speed motorcycle. A lot of north american people dont have that concept of manual transmission and therefore the learning to ride a motorcycle is even more challenging.
 
Check the fallen riders section.

Such a shame to have someone get hurt or die like this. A reason that places dont like parking lots to be used. The liability side of things will rear its head. I was lucky growing up learning the fundamental basics of motorcars and manual gearboxes. It transitioned easily when it came to riding a bike. I learn on a 3 speed manual scooter, then on a 250cc 5 speed motorcycle. A lot of north american people dont have that concept of manual transmission and therefore the learning to ride a motorcycle is even more challenging.

FWIW, I got my motorcycle license before my automobile license... I blame that mostly on a traumatizing experience with a driving instructor though. Made learning stick very easy!
 
One can practice a lot of parking in a parking lot. We're talking about practice, that's what we're talking about, practice.
 
The recent death of a new rider practicing in a parking lot does not sit well with me. It's not clear what exactly happened, and I am not looking to blame them for the outcome.

I know it's none of my business but I do wish we had some visibility into the cause. When I first heard the story I assumed it was a beginner that had attended the Fri evening session of Conestoga's M1X course (7-10pm) and was met by a couple of friends to practice a bit using their bikes prior to the start of riding at 8:30am the next morning. I assumed the bike he was loaned was a SS and he ended up whiskey-throttling into that tree. But after reading his friend's post in the Fallen forum re him actually having his M2 and his own bike I can see those assumptions were completely wrong.

But it just makes what happened that much more of a mystery. Why practice there, at midnight? Presumably he rode there with his friends; what was going on in the parking lot that resulted in the loss of control and the collision with a tree?

I just wanted to say this, for those who would like to practice first. When I took motorcycle training, there were a few exercises that happened before you were given the green light to use the throttle with the motor on. The first one was (sneakily) wheeling the bike from the storage area to the practice/teaching area - it introduced you to the mass of the bike and the center of gravity. After they review what the controls are, the second one was taking turns pushing the bike around while the rider would turn and stop with the motor off. I *think* there was one where you finally got to start the bike, but moved it forward using only the clutch. I'm pretty sure there was one where you had to navigate some pylons while idling the bike but without feathering the clutch or using gas (I remember an instructor taking a pair a vice grips to the bike I was riding and making the clutch lever very sloppy to discourage its use). THEN, finally, you graduated to using the throttle to accelerate.

Sounds like the M1X I took at that college in Aug of 2014:
- walk the bikes
- get a feeling for balance and braking by pushing (and being pushed by) another rider
- clutch friction zone exercises, back and forth on parking lot lines
- idling around, follow the leader exercises etc.

Things moved along fairly quickly after that but they made sure to really emphasize the basics early on. Even then a number of folks just didn't get it. Well into the day they were still lurching around, not shifting smoothly, all over the place re lines. It's not for everybody.

Despite all this I remember some people (dramatically) still struggling with the controls. Nobody is born riding a motorcycle, the controls can feel pretty alien if you've never used them before, and some people need a little more time to get used to them than others. Even if you can make it around the block or onto a parking lot, once you start doing two things at the same time operating the bike might get confusing again. Just take it easy at first.

Well said. I would add that if you do go to a parking lot "with friends" for practice be sure those friends know what they're doing and have a feel for instruction.
 
And wear a helmet.

Sold my 650R and the next day I get a call asking if I have any more spare parts. Buddy I sold it to let his friend try to do wheelies in a parking lot. Didn't put a helmet on. Went full throttle into a wall. Had to have his face rebuilt.

If you are practising the way they do on the courses (extremely low speed) I see no way you could kill yourself. We weren't allowed to go past 3rd and even then we weren't really supposed to be beyond 2nd gear.
 
The problem is we don’t know what happened here and it’s a tragic event especially since they went to practice. What did they go to practice? Emergency braking? Cornering? Accelerating? Wheelies? Endos? The only people that know were with him that night. And unfortunately IMHO going to practice motorcycle skills in the middle of the night doesn’t sound like it’s basic skill practice.
As for practicing in parking lots, it’s great to do I’m sure. However you still need to be sure you have PLENTY of space to correct should anything happen that is unexpected. Lots also have gravel, unevensurfaces, etc. When I took the M1 once (first time when I was 17 I accidentally popped the clutch and the bike took off on me with my hands in the air and it took me a good 50ft before I was able to regain control by putting my hands down and figuring out what to do. I’m sure an SV650 will cover a lot more ground than a Virago 250 that we did the test on.
Tragic event in any case.
 
Despite all this I remember some people (dramatically) still struggling with the controls. Nobody is born riding a motorcycle, the controls can feel pretty alien if you've never used them before, and some people need a little more time to get used to them than others.

Nobody is born riding a motorcycle, but some people are born to ride motorcycles.
 
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And wear a helmet.

Sold my 650R and the next day I get a call asking if I have any more spare parts. Buddy I sold it to let his friend try to do wheelies in a parking lot. Didn't put a helmet on. Went full throttle into a wall. Had to have his face rebuilt.

If you are practising the way they do on the courses (extremely low speed) I see no way you could kill yourself. We weren't allowed to go past 3rd and even then we weren't really supposed to be beyond 2nd gear.

jeeze....

i agree on the 2nd paragraph
 
No matter what happened, a 600cc bike is far too powerful for a beginner IMO. You can completely underestimate its power get into deadly trouble in a split second.
 
No matter what happened, a 600cc bike is far too powerful for a beginner IMO. You can completely underestimate its power get into deadly trouble in a split second.

I wouldn't argue too much with someone who wanted a Savage as their first bike
 
I accidentally post this in the Fallen section:

One thing i dont understand....... How did he pass the course if he couldnt handle the bike on a parking lot? He had few weeks of riding to right?

Was he practicing stunt riding?


This makes you think the 250s make alot of sense now right? Forget anyone that told you to get 600s


I noticed this thread first so i went to see the story and click reply :confused:

Anyway, i think there are only 2 scenarios:

1) the course at Conestoga is terrible and gave him an ezpass

2) he was there to practice stunt. I've met new riders with this mentality.


Scenario 2) makes the most sense for me, as he already got a few weeks of riding. I'm sure he cant just lose control and ramp a tree if all he did was riding and not stunting.
 
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I know it's none of my business but I do wish we had some visibility into the cause. When I first heard the story I assumed it was a beginner that had attended the Fri evening session of Conestoga's M1X course (7-10pm) and was met by a couple of friends to practice a bit using their bikes prior to the start of riding at 8:30am the next morning. I assumed the bike he was loaned was a SS and he ended up whiskey-throttling into that tree. But after reading his friend's post in the Fallen forum re him actually having his M2 and his own bike I can see those assumptions were completely wrong.

But it just makes what happened that much more of a mystery. Why practice there, at midnight? Presumably he rode there with his friends; what was going on in the parking lot that resulted in the loss of control and the collision with a tree?



Sounds like the M1X I took at that college in Aug of 2014:
- walk the bikes
- get a feeling for balance and braking by pushing (and being pushed by) another rider
- clutch friction zone exercises, back and forth on parking lot lines
- idling around, follow the leader exercises etc.

Things moved along fairly quickly after that but they made sure to really emphasize the basics early on. Even then a number of folks just didn't get it. Well into the day they were still lurching around, not shifting smoothly, all over the place re lines. It's not for everybody.



Well said. I would add that if you do go to a parking lot "with friends" for practice be sure those friends know what they're doing and have a feel for instruction.

I agree with you that noone goes to an empty parking lot at midnight to practice "basic" skills. Ofcourse those friends cant tell the whole truth after the incident.
 
I accidentally post this in the Fallen section:

I noticed this thread first so i went to see the story and click reply :confused:

Anyway, i think there are only 2 scenarios:

1) the course at Conestoga is terrible and gave him an ezpass

It ain't that.
 
A 6 ft tall person can die falling from standing position and hitting an unprotected head. Hit an obstacle at 40km/h just right even with protection can be fatal. **** happens.

Met some guy at a party once with a big cast all the way up his leg. Asked him what happened. Says he fell over at a standstill on a bicycle at a red light and broke his leg in 3 places. Told him I've crashed a motorcycle 3 times and never broke anything. He said he hates me. Just goes to show that some people are just less lucky than others.
 
Met some guy at a party once with a big cast all the way up his leg. Asked him what happened. Says he fell over at a standstill on a bicycle at a red light and broke his leg in 3 places. Told him I've crashed a motorcycle 3 times and never broke anything. He said he hates me. Just goes to show that some people are just less lucky than others.

It takes 8 pounds of pressure to break any bone. Learned that in first aid.
 

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