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Approach the wife first. Let her be the go between, between you and her husband. If she is included, it might be a lot easier for everyone.
Getting a motorcycle up a steep driveway
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Wish I had a picture of my Riding buddy's Driveway in the heart of the Virginia Mountains, was a steep incline to get up to his Carport, Having an Ultra Classic looked it over a bit and kept my eyes on the Top where was going to Stop .. Won't get into a bunch of friction zone or duckwalks, just rode it up at steady speed in First Gear, stay away from front brake and keep the Bike moving until hit the carport, then hit your brakes solidly with your handlebars straight .. Fortunately his carport was large enough to turn the Bike around .. No way wanted any part of trying to back it downhill ..
If you can't ride it up a steep driveway, you really shouldn't ride at all...no command of the clutch and braking are just a recipe for disaster.
The last cycle I bought, from a lady, had a moon shot driveway into the garage. She was moving the bike in the garage, got the rear tire over the edge and the bike rolled out and into her husbands $70,000 Audi damaging both of them...that's why the bike was for sale...way out of her league....she said her husband had to ride it into the garage for her...oh my and she's out on the road?
I test road it, rolled into the driveway with speed that it made it half way up with no throttle, then just a bit of juice in first and rolled into the garage at 2mph...perfect landing...if you can't do that...you're really risking your life on the streets. [edit] lol...she was worried about me pulling it out and back into the garage...which is why she brought up letting her husband do it...I handed her my insurance card and told her if I scratch it, I'll pay for it.
Search Craigslist/Facebook marketplaces...so many nearly new bikes with sub 1000 miles..people buy them and then figure out they really don't know how to ride them.
Sorry to be blunt and discouraging, but I'm not going to encourage people to injure themselves.
The last cycle I bought, from a lady, had a moon shot driveway into the garage. She was moving the bike in the garage, got the rear tire over the edge and the bike rolled out and into her husbands $70,000 Audi damaging both of them...that's why the bike was for sale...way out of her league....she said her husband had to ride it into the garage for her...oh my and she's out on the road?
I test road it, rolled into the driveway with speed that it made it half way up with no throttle, then just a bit of juice in first and rolled into the garage at 2mph...perfect landing...if you can't do that...you're really risking your life on the streets. [edit] lol...she was worried about me pulling it out and back into the garage...which is why she brought up letting her husband do it...I handed her my insurance card and told her if I scratch it, I'll pay for it.
Search Craigslist/Facebook marketplaces...so many nearly new bikes with sub 1000 miles..people buy them and then figure out they really don't know how to ride them.
Sorry to be blunt and discouraging, but I'm not going to encourage people to injure themselves.
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233 Posts
Well yeah if someone's been riding for a while they should be able to pull in and out of a driveway but Mils has no riding experience. It's a bit too much to expect a brand new rider to have no apprehension about riding in and out of a driveway with an incline. I don't know of anyone who mastered clutch control before they even learned to ride. We all have to start somewhere.
I didn’t want start a heated discussion. I wasn’t trying to indirectly ask for hands on help either. It was just something I hadn’t considered. I had sent out some fb posts as well as neighborhood posts to try find some local riders. Either there aren’t any or, the riders in my area, like everybody else, are a bunch of unfriendly a-holes. A neighbor, who is now deceased, laughed at my father, after he slipped on ice and got a concussion.
I want to thank everyone on the forum for all the advice and suggestions. I’m glad I joined the forum because it helped me to realize that riding a motorcycle is a lot more complicated than i thought.
I have had a lot of adversity and misfortune in my life and I thought riding might be an enjoyable activity. However, I’m now facing the irony that, although it’s a solitary activity, I still need assistance to get to the point of actually riding. The course is one thing but finding a motorcycle to ride and having someone to help if I need it later, are other issues. I’ve always been short on human and social capital. So, what seemed like it might have been a fun activity is turning into a frustrating and futile quest, even without the driveway problem to tackle. So, I’m thinking I might have to find some other diversion to take my mind off my problems. Thanks again to all who responded to my posts. Looking at motorcycles and watching some youtube videos were fun, at least.
I have had a lot of adversity and misfortune in my life and I thought riding might be an enjoyable activity. However, I’m now facing the irony that, although it’s a solitary activity, I still need assistance to get to the point of actually riding. The course is one thing but finding a motorcycle to ride and having someone to help if I need it later, are other issues. I’ve always been short on human and social capital. So, what seemed like it might have been a fun activity is turning into a frustrating and futile quest, even without the driveway problem to tackle. So, I’m thinking I might have to find some other diversion to take my mind off my problems. Thanks again to all who responded to my posts. Looking at motorcycles and watching some youtube videos were fun, at least.
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Don't give up just yet, and don't let anyone's comments on here bother you. As in real life, not everyone is going to be nice. Just ignore it and continue doing what you are doing. I'm sure you'll meet someone close by who can help. Might just take a little time.
The people I know today are most likely the people I’ll know tomorrow. I’ve exhausted all possibilities for finding somebody. As you stated, people aren’t that nice. That seems to be more the case for me than most people. It’s nothing new. Whenever I’ve needed something in the past, I’d just pay for it. In this case, nobody is even receptive to money. I wish I had that luxury.
emingin is right. Not everyone likes the same things or has the same approach to a situation. If others do not like what you do, say or wear that is their problem not yours. Stick with it Mils, take baby steps if necessary start with a lightweight bike on flat or gentle sloping ground. If your local dealer really wants to sell you a machine they will help you learn to ride it, if not go to another dealer
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I wish you were near me, I'd totally be your two wheel bestie. <3 Getting into it may involve a bunch of hoops, but I think once you actually get into it you'll come to love it
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I may have missed something here, Are you looking at new or used bikes? A new rider should never buy a new bike. It will break your heart first time you drop it while a used bike is not that big a deal. Also you may be surprised how friendly that neighbor becomes when he sees you are getting into riding.
I can’t buy anything used because I don’t have anybody who knows anything about motorcycles to help me buy something used and not get ripped off. The dealerships in my area don’t have anything used. I’ve been checking. All the used bikes in my area and even extended area are at least 6 years old.
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6 years old is fine. General rule of thumb is 10 years or younger. If you like tinkering, you can go even older. I'm not sure if I've given you this video before and I apologize if I have. If not, it can help you navigate the used bike minefield with some knowledge that even seasoned riders don't have. 
This one is also good
That said, should you decide to continue with getting a new bike, that's fine too. I dream of the day I can get a new one!!!
This one is also good
That said, should you decide to continue with getting a new bike, that's fine too. I dream of the day I can get a new one!!!
Thanks. Only problem is, even after the MSF course, I’m not going to be ready to test drive anybody’s bike or have enough riding experience to know what feels right snd what doesn’t.
This site requests you introduce yourself as one of your first few posts so people know you are serious and not a hit and run type poster. Introductions found here ... https://www.motorcycleforum.com/forums/new-member-introduction.305/
I'm new to this and have just moved house. I too didn't think about the steep drive. I have a suzuki 650 and I'm a lady of a certain age. Tonight I dropped it. I think it's just lack of confidence - plus though I can ride my bike quite well - duck walking is a problem - I'm only 5'4" and have had the bike lowered....so I think its ask for help - or install a winch - but I won't be stuck.....grrrr Thank you for all your advice above - none of it was negative...
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