Learning to ride a motorcycle went wrong

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A while ago I had my first motorcycle driving lesson and it went well. At least I thought it went well and the riding instructor gave me the same impression. It is hard to control a motor cycle in the beginning so I prefer not to ride faster than 20 km/h (12,5 MPH). I would drive faster when I have more control over the motorbike.

Yesterday I had my second riding lesson and my control was better. I got a different riding instructor. I was randomly riding (and thought I wasn't "hurting" other riding pupils) and my instructor told not to do so. So I rode very big squares around the exercising area.

Later on, the instructor took me apart and told me that this won't work. I was riding very dangerously and had problems with the first and the easiest exercise (from 12 in total). I also nearly rode into a tent (with a table and some chairs) but I thought there is quite a distance between me and that tent. I was driving about 15 km/h and the distance is possible 20 meters. I could correct it by steering into the right direction. He also told me that I hit a pylon (used for exercises) and braked for no reason.

I myself think it is not due to not seeing dangers but had a hard time to control the motorcycle in the beginning. I myself thought I rode much better after two hours.

Then there was a discussion about my driver's license (that is for driving a car). I never got negative comments from my driving instructor and I drive safe enough (in my own opinion if I don't drive too long. After 2 hours of driving I am out of energy and will drive less safe). My driving instructur used a scale between 1 (very bad) and 6 ( very good). My scores consisted of 5's (good) and 6's (very good). The riding instructor told me: "Driving instructors are used to use a scale between 1 and 8 and limit their scores to 6. and if you have 5's and 6's you are actually not as good. But despite of that I would like to know how you drive a car and then see if you do see the dangers on the road. Then you may also know what to do if you face the same situation on the motorbike instead of in the car." I will think about it, but my feelings are not too good about him.

He is also a bit prejudiced about my sight. When I was looking for a helm I read the helm sizes (not all helms have the same size since not all humans have the same head size). I look over my glasses to read it. But I look through my glasses to look farther away. So he questions my sight. He asked me to read a license plate on a car 25 meters (about 28 yards) away from me. I did that successfully.

I would like to discuss this with my driving instructor (I will see him the next week) but I am not into another AS vs NT fight where I have to defend my way of thinking, since I think differently from others. I am fed up with this generally so I won't have an argument with my motorcycle riding instructor. Fair or not, but I am close to certain to give up learning riding a motorcycle.

I have no interest in learning how to ride a motorcycle, but here in Washington, in order to legally ride a scooter greater than 50cc, you have to get a motorcycle license. I used to have a 50cc moped but it topped off at 30 MPH. That's fine for side streets, but on the main road where you had to ride 40+ MPH, people honked at you or just drove right around you. Motorcycles, scooters and bicyclists get no love from drivers here and are, in fact, prone to being hit by them. It's depressing that, every time you take a two-wheeler out, you're taking your life in your own hands.

I've been riding for years. At first, a lot of people can do poorly, and a big part of learning is to get comfortable with the speed, weight and handling of a motorcycle.

Heck, just learning how to properly start and stop while manually shifting gears is a skill by itself. I used to ride a bicycle a lot, so I got used to riding fairly quickly, but I'm always learning. It's a common saying that if you survive your first 12 months on 2 wheels, you have a good shot at a long and relatively safe riding lifestyle.

Experienced bikers encourage people to start out on smaller bikes because they have less power, are lighter to handle and are easier to control and test on. People who start out on big bikes tend to have problems because you need a gentle touch on the throttle an that's a skill you learn over time.

Your teacher is probably trying to rush you through the learning process. If you have an open field or dirt track and have a light bike (or a dirt bike), you could just ride about and learn the "feel" of how it handles. Then you can practice in an empty paved lot. Take a "class" after a few weeks of that and you may do a lot better.

For all my experience, if I get on a bike with unfamiliar geometry, I ride like I don't know what I'm doing. Each bike has its own quirks the rider must learn.

The throttle was a problem in the beginning and I didn't use the left handle (clutch related) well, but not so at the end of the first lesson and the start of the second. I learned to ride on a big bike. There are age restrictions for light and heavy bikes but I am far above those restrictions since I am 46.


It is very much like my teacher is trying to rush me. But according to him it is not about rushing but about not seeing the dangers. And his disbelieve that I drive a car pretty well. I think he goes beyond the fact that a motorbike is not a car. I have a reason to earn my driver's lisence (for a car) and I still deserve having it. I am pretty careful (sometimes even a bit too careful) and I do not ever cross the traffic rules especially the speed limits.

I had a discussion about it with a colleague and she believes the motorcycle instructor is right. Also she forgets that a motorbike is not a car. These are completely different things. It was a typical NT vs AS discussion. She thinks that she holds the truth and she has more driving experience than I. That may be true but... still a bike is not a car. I bet she is in her car for 15 minutes from driving home to her work, but that is not real driving (if you talk about driving experience). You are always driving the same route with the same situations. When I have driving lessons I will face all possible situations and will drive for 90 minutes. A wee bit different!

I went to the motor riding instructor again. During the driving lessons (to keep up the driving skills) I and my driving instructor went to the exercising terrain for motorcycling.

I think this is not going to work. The motor instructor thinks that my processing of information is too slow. It is sufficient for driving a car, but not for riding a motorbike.. From time to time, I drive a car insecure (safe but sometimes with a lack of self-confidence). That incertainty could be deadly on a motorbike. If you make a small mistake, for example seeing a car (from the right) too late, you brake faster in a car. On a bike I would fall or hit a car, and get wounded or would even die. That is what no-one wants.

According to my driving instructor it doesn't matter whether I am familiar with a motorbike or not. If I pay too little attention to the rest then I would get problems. But I cannot pay enough attention to the rest if I am messing up with the clutch, the brake, the throttle, etc.

And there is another fact that may be important. The driving instructor does this job for 24 years. He may know what he is saying.

Another point is: some people are capable of mastering the motorbike very fast, which also apparently is a requirement. Not for me. I cannot learn motorcycling at the required speed. Its unfamiliarity became the disadvantage of learning to drive.

I want to learn some kind of transportation, but then I got to thinking about how exposed you are on a motorcycle. All somebody would have to do is scream out of their window next to me an I would crash. that's when I decided maybe it wasn't such a good Idea,

I ride a 2011 Honda CBR250R ABS which is a nice small bike without too much power and is very easy to ride, the abs breaking system helps out a lot also, if you can ride a bicycle reasonably well then you can ride this motorcycle. I also have issues with my reflexes as well, I am quite certain that I ride with an increased amount of risk but I drive very defensively and the handling of the bike allow me to focus on the traffic around me and not what I need to do to control the bike, the ABS is great because I can mash the breaks as hard as I can with no ill effects. My Bike is black, I purchased it new in June 2011 and I have safely put over 6000 miles on the odometer, oh and I average about 75 mpg, about 9 bucks to drive 200 miles. One more thing, safety, I always wear a full face helmet, a bright reflective vest, an armored riding jacket, denim jeans and over the ankle leather boots.

http://motorcycles.about.com/od/honda/f ... Review.htm

I never could learn to drive, anything, not even a bicycle. I remember discovering this when I was 16. Certainly has shaped my life in the 4 decades since. On the other hand, I've out-lived several friends and lovers whose driving put them into premature graves.

Honestly? You're better off not learning to ride a motorcycle.

...and that is the reason. Motorcycles in and of themselves may not be dangerous but put a motorcycle with a squishy bag of water and bones (you) on it in amongst a bunch of 1 tonne+ death machines (cars) moving at 30mph+ and you have the recipe for just about the most dangerous day-to-day activity a person can do. Stick to driving a car where you have a metre or two of steel in between you and the other douchebags using the road.

I have no opinion on whether or not you should or shouldn't ride, but I do think that based on how you describe the instructor, he is not the right instructor for you. He is telling you all of your faults, and telling you that you aren't even as good as you believe you are (the scale of 1-8 thing you referred to, etc). That's not how to teach anybody anything, in my opinion. That is destructive criticism, and you need constructive criticism by an instructor. In other words, when he sees you doing something he thinks needs some practice, he needs to tell you what to do to improve it. Not tell you you're just doing it wrong.

Motorcycle riding is dangerous, but so is cooking and walking, so I think if you like it, and feel capable of practicing and doing well, there's no reason to quit or give up. Just look for another instructor, or maybe even just go to a place once a week where you can practice alone, do that too. Just know your limits, and don't overdo it.

I've been riding motorcycles since I was 13 (now 46), and in all types of traffic and conditions. I could get killed tomorrow, but I always do my best to ride safely and intelligently. Life is a risk, but we need to live it anyway.

Charles