[-Nate]

Wow ~ so much experience here yet some much negativity too .

FWIW, putting your foot down when the bike is moving often means : broken ankle so think really hard before using our feet as outriggers .

So says the guy who learned how to ride in the snow by doing just that .

I know for a fact that some were born not to ride but those will be weeded out, no need to be rude .

In my youth I drained most og my high school buddies mom's to drive cars, I tried to teach some buddies to ride Motos but realized that's a very different thing, the teacher really needs to be trained as such .

Now I offer to pay for proper training and oddly enough no one ever takes me up on it although they'd cheerfully try learning if I showed them ~ I'm well aware of the bad riding habits I've gained over 50 plus years of riding and having seen too many deaths and crippling injuries I don't want that responsibility .

 

[El Llave]

Wow ~ so much experience here yet some much negativity too .

FWIW, putting your foot down when the bike is moving often means : broken ankle so think really hard before using our feet as outriggers .

So says the guy who learned how to ride in the snow by doing just that .

I know for a fact that some were born not to ride but those will be weeded out, no need to be rude .

In my youth I drained most og my high school buddies mom's to drive cars, I tried to teach some buddies to ride Motos but realized that's a very different thing, the teacher really needs to be trained as such .

Now I offer to pay for proper training and oddly enough no one ever takes me up on it although they'd cheerfully try learning if I showed them ~ I'm well aware of the bad riding habits I've gained over 50 plus years of riding and having seen too many deaths and crippling injuries I don't want that responsibility .

So very well said!! And, I think you'd agree, it's better that we have more bikes on the road instead of fewer.
More bikes=more bikers.
Encouragement=more bikes and bikers.
Encouragement=better.

Just sayin'.

 

[-Nate]

Just so ! .

Remember to give a woman or child a ride soon not a fast & scary one, just set a lifetime memory....

 

[moparnut72]

Don't you all think this thread should be allowed to die? The OP hasn't been back and we are mainly preaching to the choir.
kk

 

[Offcenter]

Time to let this one die.
Why does he keep going down?
'Cause he's a lousy rider?

 

[pdcomm]

Time to let this one die.
Why does he keep going down?
'Cause he's a lousy rider?

You mean the thread , right ?
The op is likely good at something useful .

 

[Ride365]

I think one of the first things you should know about your motorcycle is that it has a front brake, not a front break.

Yup braking is good.....breaking is bad.

 

[Ride365]

Time to let this one die.
Why does he keep going down?
'Cause he's a lousy rider?

Amen......not everyone can learn to ride, makes it a danger to themselves and others.

 

[-Nate]

Jeezo-Peezo this can be a tough crowd ! .

I don't see anything wrong with beating a dead horse.....

Please excuse me whilst I go yell at some clouds .

 

[Big Burk]

I’m here sorry for the late reply…. I’m proud to say I haven’t fallen again since I posted this post…. I only use my rear brake at slow speeds and that has helped so much!!! Thank you to everyone that gave me such great advice and even thank you to the ones who were a tad bit rude. I believe I feel way more comfortable on my bike now! There is one thing I wanted to also ask and that is my girlfriend brought up to me that she rides with me probably 80% of the time and I never fell with her on the bike. I wonder why that is? I mean thank god i’ve never went down with her on the bike but still kinda odd to me that I never fell with her…. Anyone have any idea why? And again thank you to everyone for all the great advice!!!

 

[Retired Guy]

Your concern for your girlfriend may be causing you to be just a little bit more careful than when you ride by yourself. Guys get hurt, bleed a little bit, hurt some and just get over it, but you don't want to see that happen to anyone else in your life.

 

[Trials]

Pure luck, you should not be taking any passengers on your motorcycle until you are a proficient solo rider. That usually means at least 3 years riding experience and even then, there are experienced passengers and some really bad motorcycle passengers ymmv.

 

[ChiefGunner]

Ok, as someone who’s been riding for 37 years I’ll chime in here. First off @Big Burk as a “New Rider” accept the fact that you are GOING to drop your bike! It’s one of the reasons I tell new riders NOT to buy a new bike, and when you do get one it should be one that you’re not going to be too upset about dropping. Also, the CC of the bike should be between 500cc and 750cc depending on your physical size. This will mean less weight for you to deal with when learning how to handle a bike.
You said you’ve been “riding for 6 months” if I’m correct, and it sounds like all your “drops” have occurred under similar situations. To me that indicates a rider skill deficiency. There is either a skill you haven’t developed (correctable) or a bad habit you’ve acquired such as “snatching” the front brake (still correctable).
As other experienced riders here have mentioned, anyone can point a bike down the road and go, but it is your slow speed handling which determines riding skill. That being said, it’s not about the size of your bike or the foot placement design of the bike or whether the bike has UBS (unified braking system) or not. It’s about your understanding of YOUR bike and your familiarity with them, and that only happens through practice. Practice is not going down the road because very few of the low speed handling skills come into play.
There are many great instruction videos on YouTube. One of the most well known and regarded is “MC Rider”. He covers beginning to advanced skills.
Let me ask this, HOW did you get your license? Did you take the DMV driving test or did you take the MSF Beginning Riders course, OR do you still just have your learners permit?
Whatever the case may be, you do need to find a large empty parking lot, bring a few cones and practice things such as emergency braking, baking in a turn, quick zig zag maneuvers, starting into a turn immediately after a stop, doing a u-turn from a stop, weaving in between 6ft distance cones in a line, and many others. When you can do all of that without putting your feet down then you’ve got a solid foundation to build on.
It is said “There are two types of riders. Those who HAVE taken a spill and those who WILL.” So then it all comes down to risk management. Your skills or lack thereof will determine whether you come out of a critical situation with just a scare or you become another statistic.
Take the MSF courses, which also include intermediate riders and advanced classes. Watch the YouTube tutorial videos and critically examine what you do vs what they say and then PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

 

[-Nate]

WELCOME HOME AGAIN !.

You're on your way, just keep practicing until you're confident .

 

[pdcomm]

WELCOME HOME AGAIN !.

You're on your way, just keep practicing until you're confident .

Isn't every ride a practice ride ?

 

[-Nate]

"Practice rides" .

yes, in fact every single one should be but too many get complacent .

Me included .

I tend to practice my swerving abilities by waiting until the last moment before riding over metal plates and man hole covers, this likely saved my life in 1976 in Guatemala City when I was riding my 1937 Harely-Davidson KnuckleHead too fast in dense traffic....

A BIG square open manhole appeared as I came 'round a bus, whew that one was close .

 

[pdcomm]

I figure practice is half the fun in any ride .
Heck , if ya just want to get somewhere , call a cab or uber or one of those float planes or ...

 

[johnny42]

Since the OP has returned, we can continue this thread

Almost at 100 posts!

 

[Trials]

...
It is said “There are two types of riders. Those who HAVE taken a spill and those who WILL.” ...

Type 3 riders know that crashes are just another part of the game.

Open manhole is ok, a bunny hop will gap that, oh wait, you said Harley, yes that would be a huge problem.

 

[-Nate]

Not all of us have the mad riding skills you do good Sir .

As far as that old Harley, I'll never forget one night in the pissing down rain going steeply up hill over greasy cobble stones, the road slanted down to my right and at the top was of course, a red light .

It was a foot clutch bike with the clutch pedal on the left, high side, I still don't know how the hell I didn't drop the bike .

I remember watching news reels in the 1960's of guys riding trials on Trumpets, BSA's and so on, it looked really difficult and I wondered how the hell they defied gravity .

Then in the 1970's I watched a Trails demonstration of a guy on a GasGas, how he managed to ride from the ground to the roof of a new Ford Econoline van I'll never know but Trails is IMO the best and hardest riding there is .

I'm pretty sure most riders with a few years under their belts have stories like I do of this and that, no idea how I did it much less didn't crash, drop the bike, hit that car turning in front of me and so on
.