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Dr. Luxurious
Guest
it sounds like he has set a goal and is willing to work hard to achieve it ....good on him !
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Trying to help my friend get into the sport
- Thread starter sesamestreet
- Start date
it sounds like he has set a goal and is willing to work hard to achieve it ....good on him !
For practice, I know down here in Kingston the lines are painted on the parking lot in the college that they use for the test. You can go there and practice on the exact course you'd do the test on, if there are no cars present. I don't know if that's the case near you; maybe they just set up pylons when they need them. L
Last year my wife came home from work one day and said she wanted to learn to ride. It was a surprise to me and didn't really know how to feel about it. She took the course and past the M1 exit on her first try. That was in July of 2015. She didn't ride again until this spring when we went out and bought her a 2011 CBR250 and she has been practicing since then. We spent the first few sessions in a parking lot getting used to shifting, throttle control, etc. She has owned standard cars a long time ago so has experience shifting but is still working on the muscle memory of a hand clutch and foot shifter. She really has to concentrate on what shes doing and finds there is a lot going on all at once. We're now at the point where she's riding around our suburban neighborhood with me following on my bike and talking her though things on the bluetooth.
When I look back a few weeks I thought there was no way riding was going to work for her and maybe we should just forget about it but with practice and patience I think she will become a proficient rider. As experienced riders we don't even think about shifting and what lever or pedal does what, but noobs do. To the OP, just be patient and try to help your freind get to the stage that some of the skills needed to be a rider become second nature.
When I look back a few weeks I thought there was no way riding was going to work for her and maybe we should just forget about it but with practice and patience I think she will become a proficient rider. As experienced riders we don't even think about shifting and what lever or pedal does what, but noobs do. To the OP, just be patient and try to help your freind get to the stage that some of the skills needed to be a rider become second nature.
Is there anything more grimace inducing than seeing the "little lady" wobble in behind her stud on a bike 1/3 the size of his complete with traditional female identifying markers? You'd almost think the boyfriend should follow her around the subdivision in high heels. In the interest of fair play.
How did you know that's what we're into? :agave:
Oops. I sometimes blow thru these threads, it was only after posting that I paused to consider that you might think I was responding to you. Which I wasn't. Your post triggered a thought, is all. So you live in a subdivision huh? Nice.
conundrum
Well-known member
OP, keep in mind too we all develop bad habits too...and if your friend is the type that has issues learning and unlearning things like this, it might be best for them to pay for private instruction before retest, once they are somewhat comfortable on the bike. Easier to learn than unlearn for a lot of people.
All of the courses paint the lines on the lots used to teach and test. You can do a satellite view and see them, assuming you know where the parking lots are located.
Provided that they own the lot. If they're borrowing it, they will most likely be using cones.
Riceburner
Well-known member
Practice and proper instruction is the best. I never rode/drove standard before I started riding. After the course, I was fine technically, just had to ride and practice.
True. Lots that are borrowed and do have lines are at Eastern Ave, Hershey Centre, and faint ones that probably do need cones to make them reasonably visible at the RTI sites down in the portlands and up by 401 and 404.
sesamestreet
Well-known member
Yes the lines are painted but his bike is unplated and uninsured so I'm only comfortable riding it to a parking lot 30 seconds from his house. Even that sketched me out when cops drove by looking at us as I'm instructing him.
dextasy
Well-known member
People learn at different speeds. If he's determined he will get it.
Agreed...walk the bike to/from the parking lot, and before riding there make sure it's indeed fully private property. I looked into doing this once before at the local mall (Trailering an unplated/uninsured bike to and from for practice) and was warned that the main thoroughfares of some bigger parking lots were considered legal roadways so far as the law was concerned, and therefore one could risk all the fines that would come with such - operate unplated vehicle, operate vehicle without insurance. The latter is a HUGE charge (minimum $5000 fine) and will completely hose your friend out of any hope of finding affordable bike insurance for many years to come, and will seriously muck up his car insurance as well.
If it's indeed 100% private property and you walk the bike to/from you should be technically OK, but the lack of a plate may still attract unwanted attention. The property owner could also take issue with it, and I was further warned that if something ever happened while uninsured, ie the rider hits a pedestrian or another vehicle there could be a huge can of worms opened - yeah, you might not get charged with operating an uninsured vehicle, but you may get sued into oblivion with no insurance safety net to save your arse.
In the end it's a vicious circle - one needs to practice, but can't do so without plates and insurance, some of which is often unaffordable for newly minted M1 riders.
sesamestreet
Well-known member
It's a school parking lot no more than 100 meters away from his house, it's a risk we'll have to take I guess!
conundrum
Well-known member
I still find it funny/odd people can't get M1 insurance these days...but I guess the times have changed fairly recently. Although I waited until I took the course and had my M2 before trying out my brand new and shiny CBR250RA of the time, I did have it insured and plated through TD MM a month before the course. Only thing they asked was that I pass the course within 60 days, or they'd revoke insurance.
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